2019 Real Talk (and Money)
It has been a really big year for us, with 5 months in the USA, and 7 in Brazil. For the first time in the USA we didn’t stay with family the whole time, but jumped around and stayed with some close friends. My parents are now retired and entering that new phase of life, and it has more effects on our family than I realized.
Coming back to Brazil we moved to an incredible new home (our friend’s home)- but only because they returned to the USA after 12 years of amazing service in Brazil. We miss them, and people leaving changes a lot. It feels like all new beginnings are mixed in with hard endings.
Jessica started nursery at the international school, meaning both Caid and I could work full time for the first time since, well, kids. Caid dove into choir and started two: one with adults/teens from all different churches meeting at our house weekly and one at the international school. He has learned so much over the year, and for the first time, can really feel “his place” on the team in Brazil.
Living stones has never had a better year, and we are more organized and reaching more children than ever before- we started a new program in feira nova, and now serve 200 kids in 4 communities! We had an amazing fundraiser sports weekend in October with the Gathering Place, and I was able to fly to the USA to attend it.
A big personal decision for our family was to invest in some land in a new housing development in Carpina. This brought up a lot of new feelings and choices as Caid is looking to put down roots, while I love Brazil so much, but have always been hesitant to put down roots too deep as I feel a lot of responsibility to our extended family.
Being a single missionary I could travel light and fast, but I have found that with a family- especially children who are growing up without grandparents and aunts, uncles, cousins- this is a different kind of commitment. In the past we have focused on returning to the states every other Christmas for a couple months, but this has depleted our savings regularly. If we want to build a house here, we need to have a different plan, and it is serious soul searching for us as we figure out what God has for us, and where.
Another hard thing was a divorce that rocked through our ministry team. Divorces are just always hard, horrible things. We also had a lot of health issues with our family- one after another- with the girls missing a month of school being contageous with different sicknesses.
A hard but good thing is that we are saying goodbye to our pastor and teammate- Flávio and Mercia, as they go plant a new church about 10 hours away in the hotter, dryer, more interior part of Brazil that desperately needs it. We are excited and support them 100%, but will miss them so much.
Altogether it has been quite a year, and we are so thankful and grateful to be where we are, learning what we are learning, and serving those around us. Thank you for supporting us in all the different ways that we need it!
God bless, the Ferguson family
