"See you in 1 week!"

Well today is the day that Michael flies back to Atlanta. We would probably feel a lot sadder than we do but we will be together in 1 week, so that makes it a lot easier. Oh yeah, a really cool thing happened to us yesterday (besides the bacon cheesebuger and fries). We were asked by the US Embassy in Rio if a local television station could come and do an interview with our family when we are there next week. They heard about our family and they wanted to do a story on us. I told them we would if they would help us out with our visas ...LOL! I don't know if they will but we're going to do the interview anyway. This will be a good opportunity to testify about the goodness of our God and hopefully raise awareness of the huge orphan problem in our world today. Anyway, we were excited find that out. Back to Michael... he is only a few hours of leaving us to fly back home. We thought it would be a good idea to let him blog today since you haven't heard from him yet. So, heeeeerre's Michael!

So, I was informed this morning that I was going to have to post today before I left for the airport tonight. I was like, "Dad, are you sure you want people to read what I think?" He laughed and said yes. So, here it goes.

Originally I was supposed to come for two weeks, then it got changed to a week, and then for a little while there it was a possibility that I wasn't going to come at all. Mostly because I just straight up had no desire at all to be here. I mean seriously, after reading my dad's blog, could you really blame me? The few times I read it(which I'll admit wasn't very often), it just made me not want to be here more and more. I was like, this is my spring break of my senior year and I am not going to spend it being miserable. Well in the end I talked to my mom and dad and knew that they really wanted me to be here and be a part of this. I would of felt like I was abandoning them or something if I didn't come at all so I made the decision to come for one week.

My journey started at 4:30am on a Friday morning. I had to get up early in order to catch an 8am flight out of Atlanta to Miami. It was a short easy flight that didn't give me any problems, but then I got to Miami. That is where the fun of the trip really began. And yes, for those of you who don't know me, I am being sarcastic. I got to Miami and it already felt like I was in another country. You literally have to look for someone who speaks English. And thanks to the wonderful skills of whoever made my tickets for me ( thanks dad! ), I had like an 11 hour layover in this place. The TAM Airlines desk didn't even open untill after 5pm and it was 10am in the morning so I couldn't check my bags or anything. Time had never gone by so slow. I am pretty sure I did everything there is to do at the Miami airport. I went to 2 different restaurants, walked around, watched 4 episodes of The Office, took a nap, went to Starbucks, and then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, got to check my bags and get my ticket. Waiting there at the gate I realized something. I was going to be the only American on the plane. It was literally me and a bunch of Brazilians. Then I started thinking to myself, "what the are all these Brazilians doing in America?" Well, as I was getting on the plane a youth group from Tampa got on so it turned out that I was going to have some fellow English speaking people with me, which was nice. It was a long flight to Sao Paulo but I was able to sleep most of the way. When I got there it was evident that I was a long way from Atlanta. In case you ever go to the Sao Paulo airport, just an FYI, nobody speaks English, and the signs are in Portuguese. It took me awhile, but I ended up finding my plane ok. After one more flight I was finally in Curitiba. My Dad, Matthew, and one of my new brothers Marlon, were all there waiting for me. It was nice seeing all my family again and meeting the new ones didn't feel as different as I thought it would. My whole opinion on everything changed drastically that first afternoon I was here. So much has happened since my arrival. I know that I have already typed a lot so I will keep the rest of this short. The new kids, although aggravating and annoying at times, really are great kids. They have so much potential. Raising them is by no means going to be easy, but it is what God has called my parents to do, and this is their ministry. For me personally, seeing my parents, and seeing what they are having to go through has really mininstered to me in the sense that even though it may not be the easy thing, or the most convenient thing to do, you still have to obey what God calls you to do and just have faith that he will work everything else out. I guess that is what I can say that I got out of this whole trip this week. It has been a fun week with its ups and downs but needless to say, I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to going home tonight. I am scheduled to be in Atlanta just in time to eat some real food for lunch. You know what I mean if you have been reading the blog. I hope you guys enjoyed reading a story from a diffrent point of view. It was nice to be able to share a little bit with you guys. Thanks for reading.

Michael

Yesssss! That's what I'm talking about!

Today was another awesome day! We were able to go to the Morretes, which is a mountainess area in the Rain Forest. There were beautiful waterfalls, lush green foliage, breath taking mountain views... it was amazing! But that wasn't the best thing... are you ready for this? I was able to eat a big juicy bacon cheeseburger on a fresh baked roll, along with a huge order of hot fries which I washed down with a nice cold Coke! That's what I'm talking about! Ain't God good? Anyway, today's blog is going to be just a little bit different. I'm sitting here with my princess, Maryssa. I'm going to be asking her a few questions that she has no idea that I'll be asking. These answers will not be imbelished at all. So, this should be interesting. I'm just curious what goes through her mind. So, here we go:

Dad: Let's start this off with an easy one. Who do you think the best Dad in the world is?

Maryssa: I will get in trouble if I don't say you. So, you.

Dad: Good answer, we're off to a good start. What has been the hardest thing about being in

Brazil?

Maryssa: Being away from home for so long.

Dad: What do you miss most about home?

Maryssa: My dogs, Family, and Friends

Dad: What have you enjoyed most about Brazil?

Maryssa: Robert ( not to choose favorites or anything)

Dad: Tell me a little about Robert.

Maryssa: He is so cute and sweet. He makes you laugh non-stop, and he understands the most

English out of all of them.

Dad: Do any of your brothers or sister get on your nerves?

Maryssa: Of course they do. You know that.

Dad: Like who?

Maryssa: All of them do different things that are aggravating.

Dad: Like what?

Maryssa: Marlon is a huge show off and sore winner and loser, and he's always hanging all over

Mom. Ana Carolina either acts like a girl or boy. When she's a girl she plays with dolls

and wears skirts and dresses. When she is acting like a boy she is burping, farting,

and playing in the mud. Diogo is always in your face and has the biggest melt downs

you have ever seen when he is told no. Gabriel stinks and is really messy. Robert,
well he dosen't get on my nerves.

Dad: Do they get on your nerves as much as Matthew and Michael?

Maryssa: Yes

Dad: Do you think you ever get on their nerves?

Maryssa: No, I'm perfect

Dad: Of course you are. What are some different things that you really like about Brazil?

Maryssa: You don't have to go to work everyday, some of their food and candies are good, most

of the people are really nice, and some of the stores are pretty cool.

Dad: How do you feel about adopting 5 other siblings into the family?

Maryssa: I'm really happy that we get to help these kids have a real family.

Dad: How do you think us adopting them will affect their lives?

Maryssa: A lot. I can already see a huge change since the first day we had them.

Dad: What kind of changes have you seen?

Maryssa: When we first got them they didn't care if you said no. They did whatever they

wanted. Ran off. They even gave some of us the finger. Now they don't. They used to

say really bad stuff and try to watch it on tv (of course you didn't let them.). You can

just tell they are happier.

Dad: I'm very proud of you because I know that this has been difficult. But there is no doubt

in my mind that God is going to bless our family because of our obedience. Thanks for

hanging in there with us through this whole thing. Daddy loves you. But I have one more

question for you... Seriously, who's the best Dad in the world?

Maryssa: YOU

Dad: Good answer, now take your $20.00 and go.

Maryssa and Matthew have really been troopers through this whole process. I can't imagine what it must be like to have your parents all to yourself, for you whole life, and then all of a sudden you see them having to give so much attention to kids that you don't know. And these kids, even though we think they're great, are kids none the less. Just think back to what it was like for you growing up with your siblings. There were always disputes and things to work through, right? Well, Maryssa and Matthew were hurled head first into this thing called adoption with not just 1 extra family member but 5. I am very proud of both of them for working through all the difficulties we've had to face together. In the beginning there were times when they were so upset... even crying, telling us that they wanted to go home... without the extra kids. It was very difficult ( and still is sometimes ) trying to integrate these kids into the family. As a parent, who loves his kids, it breaks your heart to tell them, "no, we can't do that." I didn't want to see my kids that upset about anything. I've always sheltered them from that type of heartache. But when you know that the Lord has commisioned you to do something, you know that it's going to be alright. So, I just reassured them that even though it stinks sometimes... we've got to complete what we've set out to do. Of course they didn't buy it at the time but we perservered and look what's happened. The kids have really come around and you can see that it's become more natural... being a family that is. As we were riding on the tour bus today I looked around at all the kids and I'm so thankful that the Lord has allowed us to expereience this whole 'adoption thing.' I really couldn't imagine 'not' having all these kids. And this is coming from someone who just a little over a year ago said those famous words... "we ain't havin no more kids!" We're fine with the 3 we have. Never say never... because you don't know what the Lord has in store for you. God is soooo good to us! "Now, that's what I'm talking about!"

Love ya,

The Dunn 10

"I refuse to eat that stuff anymore"

OK. It's kind of cool to eat food from another country... but not 36 days in a row! We eat in a cafeteria for breakfast and lunch every day. Dinner is our responsibility. I don't know what happened but about 3-4 days ago I really started to loathe the food here in Brazil. I even skipped lunch today, and didn't eat! That's how much I've started to hate it. Black beans and rice is awesome... 4 or 5 times a year. But you might say, "the Brazilians eat it every day so what's the problem?" The problem is "I'm not Brazilian!" And having ham and cheese sandwiches for breakfast every morning (that's what they serve, I know... it's weird.) was great for the first few weeks but give me some eggs, bacon, fresh biscuits and a big fat bowl of grits, PLEASE! Lunch is OK about 20% of the time if you want something other than beans and rice. Most of the time it isn't even identifiable. One time I got excited because I thought they were putting steak out. It was part of the cow but it wasn't steak... it was cow's tongue. Sorry, I think I'll pass. Today the choice was beans and rice, spaghetti sauce with no spaghetti, saute'ed peppers and this yellow stuff that looked like a cross between cheese grits and mashed potatoes. That was it. For dinner almost every night is bread with butter or ham and cheese sandwiches. I must say that sometimes we are able to buy this meat on a stick from a sidewalk vendor in front of the grocery store, but that's only happened about 6/7 times since we've been here. I want Shane's BBQ ribs! I want Mexican food, Chinese food, Chic-fil-a or anything that my wife makes with ingredients from the U.S.! It may sound like I'm whinning... that's because I am! I didn't get my girlish figure by eating beans every meal. I need something substantial! All right, I'm finished... whew! I feel much better just getting that off my chest.

6:15 came mighty early this morning, but it sure was nice getting to wake the kids up for a change and not the other way around. HaHaHa! You reap what you sow, kids! We arrived at the Federal Police Building around 8:15. We only had to wait about an hour and we were able to leave... but they said we had to come back at the end of the day to pick them up. While we were there, Marlon and Ana Carolina stayed in the office with our liason and the government worker to go through the paper work while MJ and I tried to entertain the rest of our kids outside of the building. When we finally got in the car and were on our way back to Betania, our liason told us that the government worker told him that she was very impressed talking to our kids. She said it was amazing to see the bond that they had with MJ and I. He also told us that he has been observing us and that he was very impressed with how well the kids have bonded with us as well. He has been doing this for 16 years and he said that he has NEVER seen a child Marlon's age respond so well with his adoptive parents. We just sat there and listened as he went on and on about the issues that normally happen with the oldest sibling in a group. But not with our boy! All the glory goes to the Lord. I know that sounds cliche but seriously... I know that it's because of his grace and the prayers of all our friends and family that this has happened. After we left the Federal Police Building we came back to Betania until around 2:15. Then our liason picked us back up to take us to the orphanage so our kids could say their final goodbyes. Now bare in mind that these social moms and dads are the only family our kids have known for the last 4 years. I didn't even talk to MJ about this, but I was a little nervous. How were our kids going to react? Were they going to want to stay there? Were they going to cry when they saw all the workers that have loved and cared for them for the last 4 years? Was this going to be a negative thing or a positive thing? As we pulled into the neighborhood they seemed excited because of the familiarity of everything. When we pulled up, the car got kind of quiet. When we went inside our kids hugged everyone but that was about it. Robert would not let MJ put him down. He had a look of worry on his face. We think he was afraid we were going to leave him there (don't worry little buddy, that would NEVER happen!). After a little while they started to warm up a little bit but when it was time to leave they gave quick hugs and kisses to everyone and they were ready to go! What a relief. I know that this final visit was suppose to be closure for our kids, but I think it was more theraputic for me. This erased any doubts that remained that the kids really wanted to be a part of our family. These are our kids and they know it! Anyway, we headed back to the Federal Police Building to pick up the passports. We had to wait in a crowded waiting area (there were probably 75-100 people waiting) for almost an hour! But this time I really didn't care that the kids were playing and laughing (like at court last week). I was actually hoping it would motivate them to give us our passports quicker. You should have seen how all the people were staring at us. They called us all back and like a bunch of ducks crossing the street, we all walked single file back to the office, with all these eyes staring at the family with all the kids. It was funny. We got the passports and that was it. The only thing that remains is the visas in Rio next week then we head home! Man, we've really come a long way!That was about it for the day. Nothing out of the ordinary... just another day closer. I think I only had to spank the kids six or seven times today too! It's getting better!

Michael leaves on Saturday so we are going to try and do something with him tomorrow. We love having him around. It's going to be nice to be together again in ATL! Please pray for his safe return home and for favor going through customs.

MJ and I can't thank you enough for all of the emails and for all of your prayers! We miss you all and can't wait to get home.

Love ya,

Starving in Brazil

An Awesome Day

When we awoke this morning the birds were gently singing, the sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze blowing through our window and... who am I trying to kid! We woke up this morning the same as most mornings... tired because we had to get up few times during the night with Robert, scratching all the new bug bites we received during the night, kids jumping in our bed with us (which is nice except it's only a double bed and everyone in fighting for position), having to hurry and get all the kids ready and downstairs while they're still serving breakfast, having to decide who gets to sit at our table this morning (which isn't a bad thing... at least they are fighting because they want to sit with us), having to try and keep Gabriel and Robert semi-clean during breakfast (FYI, yogurt in Brazil has the consistancy of a glass of milk... not the best choice for a 2 year old if you want them to be able to wear the same outfit after breakfast!), having to try and decide if we should risk paying money to take a city tour with this wild group of banchees called the Dunn's. It was a typical stressful start to the day. I originally decided that we weren't going to go on the tour... then I offered to stay behind with the two little ones, then my mother-in-law offered to stay behind with the two little ones, then Mary Jane said let's just forget it, then I said, "OK, I'm just ready to go home anyway!" That was how our morning started. It was definitely an opportunity to have a horrible day. We were all frustrated. Mary Jane and my mother-in-law went down stairs to do the laundry and I sent all the kids to the room with the TV in it. I turned some music on my i-pod and laid across the bed... discouraged and depressed ( you guys probably think I'm a schizophrenic with all my emotional mood swings. You try adopting 5 kids from a different country then get back to me.). Then as I laid there I remembered yesterday (I'm a slow learner) and what the Lord dealt with me about. I could either turn it over to him and adjust my bad attitude to an attitude of gratitude or I could just lay there and feel sorry for myself. I decided to take the first step and move out of this funk I was in. I asked my father-in-law to go ahead and book the tour bus because we were going. So, we all got ready and the tour bus came and picked us up. Let me tell you something... the kids were amazing. They sat in this 15 passenger bus on and off practically all day and they were great. It was probably the best day we've had since we've been here. We were able to visit several parks, the botanical gardens, the tower downtown, we even went out to eat at a restaurant at the end of the day! Everyone had a good time. I wish I had more time to blog tonight, but we just found out that we have to get up at 6:15 to go to the passport office in the morning, yippee! There were so many funny things that happened today that I wanted to tell you about... like this one park that we went to. It was beautiful and the city had a lot of money sunk into this thing. They even had 100's of exotic birds and monkeys throughout the park that you could look at. The landscaping was beautiful, there were several water features throughout the park, there was a playground in the middle of the park for kids... but this thing was loaded with prostitutes! There were more ladies of the night (or day in this case) than you could shake a stick at! Now I'm not making light of prostitution, because it's not something to laugh about. These ladies need Jesus just as much as we did before we met Christ... and I have compassion for them. But man, this was a family park in the middle of town with schools and buisnesses all around. It was so surreal. It was just weird to be enjoying a day out with your family and as you're taking pictures of your kids having a good time looking at the Tucan, there's a call girl picking up some guy at the bench right next to you!!! The funny thing was that none of the locals (i.e. joggers, bicyclists, kids walking through the park after school, other parents.) seemed to pay any attention to them or even mind they were there. I guess the U.S. isn't as defiled as some people say, huh? Anyway, all in all, today was an awesome day.

We only have 10 more days and we're coming home! Thanks for following our journey through this blog. We're grateful for all the emails and comments of encouragement. You guys are great!

Love ya,

Jim and Mary Jane

"Oh my God, what have we done!?"

It's final! There's no turning back... even if we wanted to. What in the world were we thinking? I went downtown this afternoon with our Brazilian liason, Matthew and Marlon and signed all the birth certificates of our adoptive children. All of the kids now have our name on their birth certificates, they're notarized and it's final. The picture above is a joke by the way. We actually have pictures of us smiling and holding all of the birth certificates but I felt like posting this one instead. Why, you may ask? Because this is the way we really felt. On a day that we should be shouting for joy and breathing a sigh of relief we were feeling a little overwhelmed. I think it finally hit me that I have 5 additional children. 5 more mouths to feed. 5 additional bodies to house and clothe. 5 more people who are going to need attention from Dad. Wow... this is my life now. Let me back up a little bit...

The day started out with me having to settle a dispute between Marlon and Matthew. This happens about 1,000 times per day. They are constantly at each other about something. It never comes to blows, just the normal bickering, but it still wears on you as a parent. Also it seems like you are in constant discipline mode and this has really worn me out. If you know my parenting style you know that I'm very laid back, yet my kids know their limits and I think we have done a good job parenting our 3 biological children. But with our 5 adoptive children they haven't had any boundries or limits so we are in discipline mode 24/7. This is really wearing on me because as a parent I just want to be a good example, serve God, live life, have fun, laugh and if a discipline situation arises... just deal with it then get back to doing what we do. But for the last month it's been discipline. discipline, discipline... definitely not my style. But I know that it is necessary if we are expecting our kids to act right. It's very tiring though. Also, Michael was still sick today. He got up for a little bit this morning, just long enough for all the little kids to put stickers all over his face (see the pic)... he's a trooper. When it came time to go to get the birth certificates changed Matthew and Marlon were the 2 I took with me while MJ stayed back at Betania with all the other kids and my in-laws. As the liason picked me up, he informed me that the place he found for us to stay in Rio (we have to stay there for 4 days while waiting for the kids visas) will cost us 900 reais per day! That's more than were paying for 42 days here in Curitba. So, to say the least we are going to try and find something on our own. Please pray for us... for favor and wisdom. We then had to go to 3 different places in the city to get all of the birth certificates changed. This cost a couple hundred reais, then I had to pay 1250 reais for the kids passports. Then on top of that our liason told me we were going to have to pay $1,900.00 for their visas in Rio... it got to be a little overwhelming... When I got back to Betania it was time for dinner and for the kids to get in the shower. After the kids went to bed, MJ and I were talking about all the changes that are going to take place when we get home. Our home isn't childproof yet, we're neat freaks and this will have to change if we are going to maintain our sanity, we're going to have to fence in the yard (probably electric! just kidding) right away or else our kids will be escaping every chance they get. They're probably going to want to throw stuff in our koi pond, they'll probably get finger prints on our stainless steel appliances, they'll probably touch all MJ's decorations, they'll probably want to chase our dogs all over the house. We won't be able to just pack up the family and head to Wal-Mart at the drop of a hat anymore. Our friends will probably change because who wants to hang out with someone with this many kids?... do you see why we're feeling this way? We've thought about all this stuff before but now it's crunchtime. We're going to be home in 11 days. There's no turning back... wait a minute while I finish hyperventilating... OK, that's better.

But seriously, as I was sitting here all alone, slumped over, holding my bald head in my hands, looking at the floor... I just quietly called out to the Lord. This wasn't our idea. This was His. Father, I trust you. I depend on you. I turn this all over to you. Then it hit me... As long as I try and handle the pressure on my own it's going to be more difficult than it needs to be. He isn't calling us to do something that's easy... but He also isn't calling us to do something impossible. He isn't calling us to do something that doesn't require sacrifice... but he also isn't calling us to do something that has no reward. There will be obstacles and there will be days when we have a lot of questions but one thing for sure... God is faithful. He will never let us down. He will never lead us to do something that doesn't have a better end then the beginning. No matter what my head is screaming... God is faithful! I have no choice but to trust and rely on Him. If I can't do it through Him... I don't want to do it anyway. You know something? There are some times when you have to encourage "yourself" in the Lord. You know what I mean? So, whatever trials come through this thing... we're going to count it all joy. So, to answer my own question at the beginning of this blog..."oh my God, what have we done?'... We've done exactly what He's asked us to do... reach beyond our comfort zone and make a difference.

Love ya,

Jim and Mary Jane

A Ghetto-fabulous Birthday!

OK. Well today didn't really go as planned. Remember yesterday I told you that we were going to take the city tour? Well it never happened. When we woke up this morning we found out that in the middle of the night Michael woke up and had the chills so he put a jacket on. When he woke up a few hours later he was drenched with sweat. Then the famous Curitba diarrhea kicked in... welcome to Brazil little buddy! He's been in bed all day. So, with nothing on the schedule we decided to put on the big birthday extravaganza for Gabriel, Diogo and Ana. If you remember, Gabriel's birthday was the 2nd, Diogo's was the 4th and Ana's was today. We never told them. So, since we had their presents, now that Michael was here, we thought today would be as good as any to celebrate. So, this morning I asked Maryssa, Matthew and Marlon to go up on the roof to make the decorations. I had them make those streamer things that they made for their kites (grocery bags cut into strips, tied to a string). Then they took a bunch of water ballons and blew them up (just air, no water) and tied them to strings. Maryssa colored a few sheets of note book paper with happy birthday greetings on them and then stuck them to the wall with of all things, chap stick! Who would have ever thought we would decorate anything like this? It was definitely 'Ghetto-fabulous!" Then we decided we would wait until this evening to have the big shindig.

After lunch my in-laws took Marlon, Matthew, Ana and Diogo to the park to waste some time. Mary Jane, Maryssa and I stayed behind to take care of Gabriel and Robert. Once Gabriel and Robert fell asleep, Maryssa and I walked to the Supermarcado (grocery store) and picked out a chocolate cake and candles that had numerals representing each of the kids ages on it. By the time we got back and put everything away the little ones were waking up. So, we went outside and spent a few hours watching our watches and kicking the soccer ball around. The other group was at the park this whole time. When they got back they told us that while they were there that there was a group of kids that found out Matthew was from the U.S. and they wanted to know everything about him. They were all asking him a hundred questions. The only problem was that they all crowded around him (you can see the picture) like a little mob! Oh well, at least they didn't beat him up. Meanwhile, back at Betania, I decided that we would go and get McDonald's for the kids for the ghetto-fabulous birthday party. MJ said she thought that it would be too expensive. She had heard that Mcdonald's cost way more here than in the States. I told her I didn't care because I wanted to make it special for the kids (plus, I was really craving American food!) So, I got our friend, Carla, to take Maryssa and I downtown to pick it up. Our order wasn't exstravagant. We didn't even get drinks! We got 4 cheeseburger happy meals, 4 dbl. cheeseburgers, 2 hamburgers, 1 bacon qtr. pounder w/cheese and 7 lg fries. When they gave me the total my heart sunk and I think I might have soiled myself! Not because of the cost... it was crazy expensive... but because if Mary Jane found out I was going to be in big trouble and I would have to hear, "I told you so" for the rest of my life! And she would definitely hurt me. Anyway, we headed back to Betania. Maryssa, Matthew, Carla and I set everything up on the roof... on top of this ping pong table... wow, this was really fancy... with all of the grocery bag strips blowing in the breeze and by this time over half of the baloons had de-flated it was definitely a sight to behold. We rounded up all of the kids and sent everyone upstairs, except for the birthday kids. Then my father-in-law and I walked the birthday kids up, and when we got to the door he explained what we were about to celebrate. We opened the door and everybody started singing the Portuguese version of Happy Birthday. They saw their cake and the presents and then the saw their McDonald's! Everyone was sooo happy! The happy meal toys were a big hit with the 4 little ones. We all ate around the ping pong table, sang happy birthday again as they blew out their candles, then they openned presents. When they openned their presents they were so thankful. I noticed that none of them complained or even compared what they got with the other. As a father that really makes you feel great (Now, this would be a perfect opportunity to get all preachy on you guys, comparing that to how our Heavenly Father must feel when we have a thankful attitude and resist the tempation to compare what we have to someone else... but I'll cut you a break because I'm tired.)! After it was all over, Mary Jane took all the kids downstairs to get them ready for bed. My father-in-law and I stayed to clean up (when we were done with the party, it looked like an explosion had occured) and he told me that he thinks that this was the first birthday party these kids ever had. He had asked Ana, who is the oldest of the 3 birthday kids, if she ever had a party and she said, "no." Wow, she's 8 years old and this is her first birthday party? How sad is that? We have so much to be thankful for. No wonder they never asked about their birthdays. Lord, thank you for choosing us to make a difference in the lives of these 5 children and forgive me for complaining. amen.
Well, tomorrow we have to go get their birth certificates downtown. I think that we will try the city tour again on Wednesday, then on Thursday we have to go and get the kids passports. Other than that we're done with everything here in Curitiba. It's getting close! Thanks again for all of the emails, prayers and for all the support. We couldn't make it without you guys.

Love ya,

The Ghetto-fabulous Birthday Planners