Noivado/ Engaged !!!

Estamos noivos! Kimberly e eu estamos muito felizes e estamos planejando em nos casar dia 27 de junho de 2009, aqui em Athens na Georgia... será um casamento simples, mais mesmo pra família e os amigos mais próximos e é claro que se alguém quiser vir do Brasil está mais do que convidado : ) Orem por nós... valeu!

English

We are engaged! We are very excited and we are planning on getting married on june 27th of this year. Please pray for us... cheers!

Triathlon X-terra

English

Just ran my first Triathlon (X-Terra in Fort Yargo, GA). Awesome experience, much harder than expected, so much fun!!! Highly recomend it!!! Half mile swim, 10.8 mile bike ride (on very hard/technical trail) and 4.5 mile run on the trails...took me 2:58h to finish. I took it easy to enjoy the race and the experience, and I am glad I did because I was dying at the end. Despite some cramps in the first half of the run, I finished strong and had a blast! Lenore Nix did it too and she also finished strong. She did awesome!

Português -

Wooohhhoouuuu!!! Ontem corri no Triatlon X-terra (extreme) e foi muito louco!!! Eu ia lá só pra dar uma força pra Lenore, irmã da Kimberly, mas ai eu pensei, bom já que vou até lá, vou levar a bike e o tenis só pra acompanhar a Lenore e dar uma força... ora se eu for levar todo o equipamento melhor então participar de verdade e correr pra valer. Então na sexta a noite eu peguei a bicleta da filha do meu chefe (Mike) emprestada e fui correr o Triatlon no sábado de manhã! Detalhe, depois de 7.5 horas na quadra, além de organizar as (800) cadeiras na igreja na sexta (só dormi umas 5 horas...).
Mas lá na hora a adrenalina dá aquele gas e foi muito massa! 800 metros nadando no lago, 17.28 Km de mountain bike (numa trilha super difícil), e 7.2 Km de corrida (em trilhas também). No total terminei a prova em 2h e 58 min. Fui bem tranquilo pra curtir a experiencia e também porque eu tava esgotado da sexta-feira puxada. Ainda bem que eu peguei leve... a natação foi moleza, mas a parte da bicicleta foi muito difícil, tive que descer/pular/cair da bicicleta várias vezes pra atravessar obstáculos e súbidas impossíveis (p/ amadores como eu). A corrida pegou geral, nos primeiros 4 kilometros caimbra nas duas pernas! Mas na segunda metade da corrida (depois de muita oração e louvor) a caimbra deu uma melhorado e achei meu rítimo (ainda assim corri bem abaixo do normal). Até que eu cheguei bem, com uma corridinha forte, mas estava muito cansado. Foi muito mais difícil do que eu esperava, mas foi muito legal! Curti de mais! Adorei! Quero fazer outro : ) Muito 10 completar uma prova tão difícil.
A Lenore completou a corrida também. Ela estava super empolgada : ) Depois da corrida descobrimos que a trilha da bike é a segunda trilha mais difícil no estado da Georgia! Tá doido! O próximo eu quero pedalar no asfalto, hehehehe. Mas a trilha foi muito doida e me diverti muito! Só queria que fosse mais curta ; )

Depois da corrida pulei no lago gelado pra dar uma relazada nos músculos, ai que alívio... depois um sanduba de almondegas e muito gatorade : ) Dai passei o resto do dia descando. Pernas muito cansadas e o corpo muito quente do sol e da corrida. Tive que tomar outro banho frio pra refrescar e baixar a temperatura. Experiência nota 10!!

Viagem à Uganda

Alegria! Já estou de volta da Uganda! Eu tive uma temporada incrível com minha equipe do Teen Missions (agência missionária) e Deus nos usou em grandes maneiras para o Seu reino durante nosso tempo na África. Peguei uma equipe sensacional de 15 adolescentes (11 meninos e 4 meninas) e 3 líderes (eu e mais duas mulheres). Nossa equipe se reuniu primeiro na Flórida por duas semanas para um treinamento intensivo que nos preparou para vida/trabalho na África. De lá fomos para Jinja, Uganda onde ficamos na base da Teen Missions (3 semanas) e construímos uma casa para o diretor da base. Foi um projeto muito grande e estou orgulhoso da nossa equipe pelo esforço e dedicação ao trabalho duro. Construímos quase toda a casa, só ficou faltando o telhado porque não tivemos tempo suficiente. Além da construção da casa nós fizemos evangelismo em várias escolas em Jinja usando basquete e esportes como ferramentas. Nós jogamos e ensinamos as crianças a jogar basquete e depois que havíamos formado uma certa amizade com o grupo, nós compartilhávamos o evangelho com eles através de música e teatro. Muitas crianças (mais de 100) aceitaram Jesus como salvador e muitas outras foram encorajadas, e vieram com pedidos de oração e perguntas sobre a Bíblia, etc. Foi incrível orar com as crianças e jovens e ver a alegria deles em ter um relacionamento com Deus.

Depois da Uganda fomos para Etiópia onde tivemos mais um período de treinamento, dessa vez para nos preparar para voltar aos States. Foi um período bem legal e tivemos tempo de contar as histórias, fazer umas comprinhas e louvar a Deus por tudo que Ele fez através de nós durante nossa viagem. De lá voltamos para os Estados Unidos e agora estou de volta em Athens na casa de um amigo.
Essa viagem à África foi muito rica, e foi uma excelente oportunidade para eu trabalhar e aprender mais sobre responsabilidade, liderança e criatividade. Louvo a Deus por tudo que Ele fez através da nossa equipe e apesar de todas as dificuldades e desafios que passamos, eu toparia fazer tudo isso de novo para honra e glória de Deus. Não tem nada melhor nesse mundo do que seguir os planos de Deus!

No momento eu não sei até quando eu fico nos States... tem muita coisa pra resolver aqui com a namorada (Kimberly) e com o chefe no trabalho, então eu não sei o que vai acontecer.
Muito obrigado por toda força e suporte, e pelas orações!! Eu não conseguiria ter feito tudo isso sem a ajuda e o suporte de vocês! Valeu, muito obrigado!!! Abraços,

João Paulo.

Trip to Uganda

Hello friends! I am back from Uganda! I had an amazing summer with my Teen Missions team and God used us in wonderful ways for His Kingdom this summer! We had an outstanding team of 15 teenagers (11 boys and 4 girls) and 3 leaders (2 ladies and I). Our team first met in Florida for two weeks of training (boot camp) and from there we went to Jinja, Uganda for 3 weeks where we built a house in the Teen Missions base for the base director. This was a big project, and our team did a great job and we finished the entire floor and practically all walls. If we had a little more time we could’ve finished the roof. I am very proud of our team’s effort and accomplishment at the work site. We also visited many schools around Jinja doing basketball clinics and evangelism. We would teach and play basketball with the kids, and once we connected with them and became friends we would sing songs and present drama skits and share the gospel with them. Many kids (over 100) accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, and many others were encouraged and asked questions about the Bible, prayer requests, etc. It was great to be there and see their joy in starting a relationship with God. Extremely exciting and rewarding J.

Once our time was up in Uganda we went to Addis Ababba (Ethiopia), where we met with another Teen Missions team (Malawi) for debrief. This was a time to train for the reverse cultural shock of coming back to America and to share stories and praise God for the great things He did through us. Our debrief lasted one week and on Monday (08/11/08) at 1:30am (after 37 hours of travel) I arrived in Atlanta. Overall for me this summer was an amazing opportunity to practice (and learn) leadership, responsibility and creativity. I thank God for this opportunity and for the lessons I’ve learned, and despite all the tough times and conditions I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! There is nothing greater in this world than to follow God’s plan J.

As of now I am not sure how long I’ll be in Athens, GA. There are a few things up in the air, but once I sort it out I’ll let you know… : )
Thank you all for your prayers and support (financially, emotionally and spiritually)!!! I could’ve not done it without! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

Uganda trip in detail

Uganda 2008 – Teen Missions – Team #11

I just had an amazing summer in Uganda, full of challenges and blessings! I went to Uganda with a Teen Missions team full of brave and talented young guys and girls, and we did a beautiful work while we were there. Teen Missions is an international and interdenominational Christian missionary organization that sends thousands of young missionaries all over the world every year. This summer I was one of the leaders of the team that went to Uganda, along with Christa Paap (co-leader) and Camille Headlock (head-leader/ Teen Missions staff in Uganda). The three of us lead a team of 15 teenagers to Jinga, Uganda, where we built a house for missionaries in the Teen Missions base and we went to different schools and orphanages to do basketball camps and share the gospel with kids. We had an outstanding team with kids from all over the U.S. and Canada and their names are: Tyler Renew, Andrew Nelson, Alex Carver, Kristy Kerr, Michael Boone, Jenni Chrock, Andy Brak, Jonathan Davis, Zach Anderson, Jonathan Day, James Jakosa, Scott Dykstra, Jasmine Parros, Aubre Lindsey, Evan Lindsey.

Our team first met in Merrit Island at the Teen Missions’ headquarters for Boot Camp – a very intense training phase. Boot Camp was tough and it really broke each of us individually and at the same time brought us all together and built us up like a team. Boot camp was intended to prepare us for the mission field so we would not experience a big cultural shock once we arrived in Uganda, so we slept in tents far into the woods and away from electricity and running water. We had a very structured schedule that started with an early 5:30am wake up call (by the leaders), 5 minutes to get ready and out of the tents and a long walk out of the woods back to the boot camp facilities. At 6:00am we would ran the obstacle course (OC) which was a lot of fun for my team and at the same time very muddy and wet and challenging. The OC was definitely one of the highlights of the day for my team, and almost every day we finished the OC in first place! Since the Uganda team was designed to be a “sports evangelistic team” we ended up with a very athletic team, which gave us a huge advantage.

After the OC we ate breakfast and for the rest of the day we had many different classes that trained us for the summer ahead. We had classes that talked about the Bible, character, evangelism, cultural differences, etc… and we also had many practical/ hands on lessons such as carpentry, block laying, drama, puppets, music and others. There were no breaks between classes, which made it very challenging for us to go from one place to another and get there on time (it’s a very large property), but this was good to teach us punctuality and prepared us to have long and productive days. It also prepared us for the “lifestyle” the we were about to experience in Uganda with no running water, limited electricity, bucket baths and bucket laundry J.

After surviving two weeks of boot camp we were finally off to Uganda. We were extremely excited to leave boot camp and head to Africa! We flew from Orlando, FL to Washington, then to Addis Ababba (Ethiopia), and finally to Entebe (Uganda). However we were stuck in Addis Ababba for two days because of flights cancelled and mechanical problems with the airplane… but eventually we made it to Entebe and from there we embarked on a very bumpy and fun truck ride to Jinja, where we stayed at the Teen Missions base. The base was very nice and well taken care off – beautiful property. We stayed in tents and we shared the bathrooms (squatty potties) and shower stalls with the students/missionaries that lived and worked in the base. Everything was very simple, but well organized, and we were very content with our living arrangements.

Our main job while in Jinja was to build a house in the Teen Missions property for the base director (Peter). This was a very large house and it took a LOT of hard work and time, and I am so proud of our team for the effort and energy they put into this job. We were able to finish all of floor (which was by far the hardest part), and we built almost all of the walls in the house. The only thing missing was the roof, but we ran out of time and money… I think if we had two more weeks we could’ve finished the whole thing. It was a great accomplishment and a huge blessing to get so much done. Peter and his family have been praying and waiting for this house for 10 years! So it was very exciting to see the project finally take off and see the walls go up. The students and staff that are now in the base will finish the roof and do the finishing touches around the house.

Another part of our ministry while we were in Uganda was basketball evangelism. We went to several schools to play and teach the kids how to play basketball (we also used frisbees and volleyball, but basketball was our main tool), and by doing that we created friendships and we really connected with those kids. Many times in the middle of our basketball practice we would stop for a minute and use basketball as an illustration for some biblical principle and that way it was easy for the kids to understand the message. At the end of each practice our group would do a presentation which usually consisted of two songs, a drama/ skit, and then a testimony or alter call. These presentations were very powerful and many kids (over 100) came forward and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Some kids came forward and converted from Islam to Christianity, some kids came to us and asked for prayer requests, they asked questions about the Bible and how to grow in their faith, they asked for advice on how to deal with different religions, temptations, and other life issues. It was amazing to see God and the Holy Spirit work in their lives, and to be part of their joy as they developed a relationship with God. These evangelism trips to the different schools were certainly the most exciting and rewarding experiences of our summer! On Sundays we would always go to different churches (sometimes 2 or 3 churches/services in one day) to do presentations and share testimonies to encourage the local congregations. This was also a lot of fun and very rewarding. Church in Africa is so different! They are extremely alive and excited, and they love to worship J.

We worked on the house and did evangelism around Jinja for 3 weeks and on our last days there we went shopping for a day in the open market and local souvenir shops and we also got to see the source of the Nile River. We went on a boat ride around Victoria Lake and got to see where the Nile River starts.

After all that we left Uganda (wishing we could stay longer) and went back to Addis Ababba (Ethiopia) for Debrief - a training time that would helps to adjust back to our lifestyle in America. This was a good time and it helped us with the reverse cultural shock of coming back to the Western World. We stayed at the King’s Hotel and experienced outstanding service. The Malawi team joined us for debrief and we were all very excited to have electricity, hot showers and toilets again! We had many classes on how to bring back home our experiences and deal with the cultural shocks, in addition to lots of fun times playing games, and sharing stories, and shopping in the HUGE open market in Addis.
Debrief lasted one week and from there we returned to back to the States, and in Washington with smiles and tears we said good-bye to our leaders and teammates as each of us embarked on different planes to go their respective homes.

It was an amazing summer and I was extremely blessed to have such an outstanding team and great leaders next to me all summer. Praise be to God for all the deliverance of injuries and accidents that we experience, and praise God for all the lives that were touched in so many ways in Uganda and Ethiopia through our team. For me it was an amazing opportunity to practice (and learn) leadership, responsibility and creativity. I thank God for this opportunity and for the lessons I’ve learned, and despite all the tough times and conditions I would do it all over again in heart beat! There is nothing greater in this world than to follow God’s plan J.

Athletes in Action camps done... Uganda next

Wooohhhhooouuu!!!! I just finished working the Athletes in Actions camps and it was amazing!!! The last twenty days were VERY intense! We had almost 200 college athletes in our camps, LOTS of competition, LOTS of running and a LOT of grinding! It was awesome! At these camps the athletes learn how to apply biblical principles into their sport and competition. We worked a lot on motivation, attitude, overcoming trials, etc. By the end of the camp we end up playing harder than anyone else, because we had the BEST motivation, and we knew why and to whom we were playing for. It was very physical, very tough, very real. Unbelievable two weeks!! All the running and training in the spring paid off big time : )

Now I am at my sister’s house in Colorado, but on Sunday I’ll be going to Florida to meet my team and do the boot camp (training) to go to Uganda. I’ll be in Florida for 2 weeks, then in Uganda for 4 or 5 weeks, then Ethiopia for a few days, and finally back in the States on August 9^th.

Please pray for my team! Pray for team unity, good attitude through the tough circumstances, and perseverance. Pray for opportunities to share our love and faith. Also pray for deliverance of accidents and diseases (we’ll be doing construction work and basketball camps).

Starting on Sunday I won’t have access to my phone or internet until August 10^th!! But you can write me a letter! And I’ll write you back… : ) below are the addresses …

Thank you so much for your support thus far! For more news during my trip see www.teenmissions.org (team Uganda) . Remember to pray for me and the team!

Thanks!

JP

Atletas em Ação- show de bola

Alegria!! Estou na casa da Luisa no Colorado e por aqui tudo nota 10! Nos últimos 20 dias eu estive trabalhando com o ministério “Atheltes in Action” (parecido com Atletas de Cristo) aqui no Colorado e foi sensacional. Foram dois acampamentos com quase 200 atletas universitários (de alto nível) no total. Nesse acampamento os atletas aprendem a usar princípios bíblicos na area de esportes. Trabalhamos muito na área de motivação, disciplina, perseverança, etc… Tivemos MUITAS competições, MUITAS corridas, e muita ralação, e no final quando já não podiamos mais correr Deus nos carregou! Foi de mais!!

Domingo estou me despedindo da Luisa e Preston para ir para Florida fazer meu treinamento (duas semanas) e encontrar com minha equipe para ir à Uganda! Estaremos lá por 4 ou 5 semanas, depois passamos mais uns dias na Etiópia e volto para os Sates no dia 9 de Agosto.

Por favor orem pela minha equipe. Por união, por disposição e determinação de encarar as condições difíceis do treinamento e da viagem. Também orem por livramento de acidentes e doenças. Estaremos trabalhando com construção e com esportes (basquete).

A partir de domingo não terei acesso a internete ou telefone até dia 10 de agosto! Mas você pode me escrever cartas! Escreve pra mim que eu te respondo! Endereços abaixo… Fico por aqui… Para mais updates durante minha viagem vejam o site www.teenmissions.org (ver Team Uganda).

orem por mim.

Saudades,

JP

JP’s Brithday Party & Africa 2008

• Grill out at Anne McCullough’s house (1101 Fairway Cour,t in
  Jennings Mill) to celebrate JP’s birthday!!


• Saturday, April 12th - From 11:30 to 3:00pm.


• All are welcome to come!!! We’ll have loads of food and fun J. If you are in the Athens, GA area please come.


• RSVP to jpbatista99@yahoo.com or
  706-410-3069. Bring a chair if you would like. Thanks!

JP Goes Africa Summer 2008

JP is going to Africa this summer with Teen Missions leading a group of 25 teenagers into Uganda, where they’ll run basketball and sports camps for orphans in the local area. Most importantly, JP and this team will be bringing hope and the love of Christ to these kids in Uganda. This trip will make a huge impact in the lives of the American kids going with JP and it will be a great encouragement for the kids in Uganda too!!!

- JP needs to raise about $3500 for this summer project.
- Feel free to bring a donation (rather than a gift) to help JP in this awesome project.
- You can be a part of this project by making a tax deductable donation of $50 or $100 or however much you would like, to Teen Missions.
- Donations accepted on birthday party or at the tennis pro-shop the following week J. If you prefer you can mail a donation to JP at
170 Habersham Dr. Athens, GA – 30606.

- Thank you so much for your support and your friendship these past two years!! I am going to miss my friends from Athens soooooo much!!!
- And if you or your kids want to come with Uganda on this team just talk to JP!!!

Catch the train...

catch the train in Fort Collins.... JP, Luiz and Preston.

Colorado 2008 Easter

Luiz, Andrea, Luisa and I just had a awsome weekend on the slopes in Colorado. Luiz, Luisa and I went snowboarding and Andrea skiing. We had some really good jumps on the ramps and rails, and some big crashes on the half-pipe. More pics soon on the links on the right...

We'll be here for Easter Sunday and then I return to Georgia on Monday.

JP snowboarding^

Estou no Colorado com a Luisa, Luiz e Andrea!!! Acabamos de chegar das montanhas onde passamos 3 dias andando de snowboard. Foi muito massa!!! Altos jumps e quedas nas rampas e half-pipes!! Agora estamos nas casa da Luisa. Vamos passar a páscoa por aqui : )

Luiz 3 jumps^

JP jump and crash^

Fotos e videos de Jampa...

João Pessoa 2007 - show de bola!!!

Amigos queridos, sol, praia e muito amor... combinação perfeita para as melhores férias dos últimos anos!!! Meu tempo em João Pessoa foi bom de mais!!!! Muito bom mesmo!! Curti muito as praias e o melhor de tudo, curti muito os meus queridíssimos amigos da minha ETED!
Primeiro cheguei e fiquei na casa de Neguim que foi show de bola!! Muito legal a casa dele e toda sua família... fui muito bem recebido : )
Depois fui pra casa da super/ hiper/ maravilhosa tia Kátia ; ) que é a mãe de Gabi (foto). Lá também foi muito bom... comi muita comida gostosa, conheci toda a família dela que é muito gente boa também e gostei muito de estar lá com eles.
Eu, Gabi, Cristiano e Luiza estávamos sempre juntos e aprontamos todas nessa semana abençoada de dezembro. Fomos a várias praias, passeamos de barco, andamos de Jet-ski, pôr-do-sol no Jacaré (com música ao vivo), nascer do sol no forte (depois de virar a noite numa festa muito doida), frescobol, frisbee, futebol e muito mais... : ) A gente se deu muito bem, eles são muito jóias!
Além disso quase toda noite nós quatro encontrávamos com o resto da galera pra ver filme, comer tapioca na feirinha, festas, lual (sem lua nem música)... foi muito legal! Em um desses nossos encontros fizemos uma super surpresa para o Cris e demos um Laptop novo pra ele!!! Foi muito massa!!! Ele ficou super feliz : ) Quase todo mundo da minha ETED estava lá... fora a galera da igreja de lá (MIRR) e outros Jocumeros que trouxeram ainda mais alegria!
Foi uma semana perfeita... muito obrigado DEUS!!!! ..

E obrigado a toda a galera de Jampa que me recebeu tão bem e me fez tão feliz!! Já estou com saudades... ano que vem eu volto ein!!! Hehehehe

English-

I Just spent a week in João Pessoa in the northeast coast of Brazil and it was the best vacation ever!!! This is the most eastern point in Brazil, so it gets lots of sun and the beaches are awesome!!! This was a reunion of my DTS class, so it was great to see all of my YWAM friends again. I just love that part of Brazil and these people are so special and so close to me… it was amazing. We did tons of fun stuff… lots of swimming and catching waves, jet-ski, paddleball, ultimate Frisbee on the beach, UNBELIEVABLE sunsets (with live music) and sunrise (after an amazing all nighter playing soccer and swimming), great food, lots of fellowship, and we gave away a new laptop to our former DTS leader (Cristiano) – he was extremely happy! It was a magical week!! Hopefully I´ll do this again next year… ; )

ECO 2007 - Rio - jocum/ywam

Passei uma semana na base da Jocum no Rio dando aulas de esporte e orientação cultural na escola da ECO (English & Cultural Orientation) e pelas fotos vocês podem ver que foi muito louco e muito MUITO bom!!!! Foi uma experiência muito rica para mim. Eu já conhecia a Luciana (diretora da escola - que me convidou) e foi muito bom revê-la e reencontrar com outros amigos jocumeros da base do Rio. Essa turma da ECO é muito legal... eles entraram de cabeça em todas as atividades de esportes, participaram em tudo e até deram aulas de esporte em inglês no último dia!! Eles se sairam muito bem e foi um prazer trabalhar com eles. Que previlégio ensinar e investir na vida de missionários que vão para vários lugares do mundo legar as boas novas!! Muito obrigado Luciana e Jocum-Rio pela oportunidade! Valeu mesmo!
Mais fotos nos links a direita...

English
I just spent a week at the YWAM base in Rio de Janeiro teaching at their English and Cultural Orientation (ECO) school. It was a great week and a very positive experience!!! This school is awsome, the students here are missionaries who are learning English to go to different places in the world to spread the gospel. It was very exciting to work with them because I know that the things they learn here will go with them wherever they go. Wow!!! What a priviledge and honor to work with a group like that!

So I spent the whole week teaching them about sports (popular in the U.S.) and how we can use sports for evangelism and worship. We learned many new "American games" together, and we had a blast playing together! The whole class really came together and it was a blessed week. Loved it!!!
More pics on the links on the right...

Xtreme musical chairs video below... very funny!

JP in Brazil!!!

I am in Brazil!!! I had a good and relatively fast trip home. This trip took me 18hours (better than the usual 25hour trip). Just before coming home I had a wonderful thanksgiving with Miriam and Bob - in the picture-(good friends from home/YWAM). Sooooo good to see them!

The flight was not as good as usual (no movie!) but it was quick and worth it! Only one of my bags arrived with me though... the other one got lost in Miami, but it arrived today in the morning (24h latter), so it´s all good.

When I arrived a few cousins, aunts and uncles were waiting for me at my house for breakfast... it was a nice surpise : ) Now it´s time to go visit the rest of the family and in a week I go to Rio to teach at YWAM. Thank you for your prayers.

Right now it´s 80 degrees, the low tonight will be 64. Humm I think I am going for a run .... JP

Luciana em Atenas

Olha ai eu e a Luciana no jogo de futebol americano aqui em Atenas!!! 92000 pessoas dentro do estádio e mais umas 5000 do lado de fora!! Loucura total! Futebol americano aqui é uma febre!

A Luciana (minha amiga da Jocum-Rio) veio pros States fazer um curso para professores de inglês no estado da Pensilvânia, mas como Atlanta era no caminho ela resolveu passar um fim de semana aqui comigo : )

Então na sexta eu peguei a Lu no aeroporto de Atlanta e viemos pra Atenas (onde eu moro) e tivemos um fim de semana bem relax e divertido. Sábado fomos ao jogo de futebol americano da universidade e foi bem divertido... O jogo é meio complicado, mas acho que ela entendeu mais ou menos o que tava acontecendo. Foi uma experiência bem "americana" ehehahah ahahah : )

Mas o mais legal mesmo aconteceu na sexta-feira quando a Luciana ganhou um super laptop!!! Foi muito legal... eu e uns amigos meus soubemos que a Lu estava vindo e então levantamos um sustento aqui e consiguimos o suficiente pra comprar um laptop ferá pra ela. Eu sabia que ela já estava orando a um tempo por um laptop e aqui os computadores são bem mais baratos, principalmente nas promoções. Então na sexta eu levei ela pra loja e escolhemos juntos o computador dela... foi tudo surpresa (até chegarmos na loja)! Ela nem sabia o que dizer... foi de mais! Fiquei muito feliz de ver meus amigos investirem numa missionária brasileira (ainda mais a Luciana que é ferá né... ). Bom agora a Luciana está super equipada pra dirigir a ECO (English Cultural Orientation) no Rio...

Ela fica na Pensilvânia até 9 de outubro, dai ela passa mais um dia aqui em Atlanta (e vamos nos encontrar no aeroporto) e depois volta pro Rio pra trabalhar na ECO.

Eu estou bem. Super ocupado com meu trabalho, dando MUITAS aulas de tenis. Tá bem legal aqui agora... bem melhor do que em julho. Foi bom ver a Lu também. Me trouxe muitas memórias da minha equipe da ETED e da Jocum em geral : ) show de bola...

On the road... / Na estrada...

Last weekend I had an unbelievable road trip! First I went to NC to visit Maggie, which was wonderful (we had a lot of fun in Ashville). Then I went to Emporia, VA to visit Dr Wray and that was great too (this was my main stop). But while in Virginia I got in touch with Nicole and found out that she was only 70 miles away... so I couldn't miss this chance to see her. So at 11pm I got out of bed and drove to Richmond to hang out with Nicole.

The next morning after breakfast I drove to Louisburg, NC to meet Dr Wray again for lunch and see the campus where he is working now. From there I drove to High Point to meet with Dr Ellenburg and some of my former professors. I spent the night there, and got to see the campus the next day (which has changed a LOT) and after lunch I finally drove back to Athens... it was a GREAT road trip, I got to see a lot of old friends and it was fun to catch up... : )
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Em portugues.

Nesse fim de semana viajei pra caramba aqui no sul dos States. Sai de Atenas na Georgia, fui para Ashville (na Carolina do Norte), depois para Emporia na Virginia, depois Richmond, depois Louisburg (de volta a Carolina do Norte), de la' fui pra High Point (onde fiz minha faculdade) e finalmente voltei para Atenas. Passei uma noite em cada cidade... foi bem legal rever os velhos amigos e colocar a conversa em dia. Agora estou de volta em Atenas trabalhando muito la' no clube : )

Luisa, Preston, JP & Colorado

Acabei de passar uma semana com a Luisa e o Preston aqui no Colorado, comemorando o aniversário dela e a compra da casa nova!!! Eles compraram uma casa muito show de bola, e bem no dia do aniversário da Luisa eles assinaram os papéis e no dia seguinte fizemos a mudança. Eles estão muito feliz com a casa nova, e pra mim passar esses dias aqui com eles foi muito especial e relaxante. Desde que eu sai do Rio (Jocum) que eu não tinha um tempinho pra parar e descansar, então essa semana pra mim foi excelente!! : )
Segunda-feira estou voltando para Geórgia pra trabalhar no clube.

In English
I just spent a week with my sister and her husband in Colorado to celebrate her birthday and new house!! That's right, they bought a house, and it is a nice one! I really like it. They closed the deal on her birthday and the next day we moved in : ) This has been a special week for me. It was so good to spend some time with family and just take it easy... I've been on the GO since I left Brazil, and it was nice to chill for a second... On Monday night I'll be back in GA and on Tuesday I'll back into the routine (looking forward to it). I love Colorado... and I love being here with Luisa and Preston! Great times... : )

cheers - JP

JP ----> Athens, Georgia

Ja' estou nos Estados Unidos e graças a Deus deu tudo certo em Brasília (na embaixada americana e aeroportos e etc...). Quando Deus abre as portas não tem jeito... tudo vai dando certo e no fim das contas eu cheguei no dia certo na hora certa. Glória a Deus!
Wow, então eu ja' começo a trabalhar amanhã... hj eu joguei um pouco de tênis e o negocio foi feio! Faz 6 meses que eu não pego na raquete... mas em uma semana eu já' devo estar bem melhor, a sim espero ne'!
Gostaria muito, MUITO de estar em Curitiba e rever o pessoal da ÉTER, mas devido ao vários milagres que Deus providenciou isso não será' possível : ( Mas estou super feliz so' em pensar que todos estarão ai reunidos outra vez, contando as historias e tal. Espero que vcs aproveitem muito tudo ai!
Estou morando sozinho em uma casa enorme de uns amigos meus que estão viajando. A casa e' incrível, bem afastada da cidade, tem tudo que vc imaginar menos internete... : ( mas tem uma biblioteca show de bola... ehehehehe. - JP

In English

I am finally back in the States!!! After one year of traveling and working with YWAM in Brazil I am back in Athens, GA working with tennis again. It's good to be back... I'll probably be here until December, and hopefully I'll spend most of that time on the tennis court ; )
I just arrived on Friday and I start working tomorrow! My tennis game is a bit rusty, since I haven't played any tennis in 2007, but it will come back quickly... I hope!
I am housing an amazing house! Perfect timing... I got here just as my friends (the Carters) were leaving town, so I get to stay at their house and take care of the dog and what not. I am very thankful and excited to be tehre : )
God is good and he is faithful! Can't believe that I am finally here... It's all good.

Cheers,
JP

em Brasilia... saindo pros States dia 8

Estou em Brasília!!! Tem tanta coisa acontecendo que ta' difícil manter todos informados! Bom o meu visto de trabalho finalmente foi aprovado, então estou voltando para os EUA dia 7 de junho para trabalhar la' com tênis. Creio que fico por la' ate' o final do ano e depois não sei ainda o que vou fazer, mas estou pensando seriamente em trabalhar com a JOCUM de novo em 2008.

Esse meu tempo com a JOCUM em Curitiba foi muito muito bom!! Gostei muito da ETED (Escola de Treinamento e Discipulado) , aprendi de mais, cresci muito, fiz grandes amigos.... foi incrível! Nunca experimentei tanto de Deus em um período tão curto. O período pratico da escola também foi excelente! Pudemos plantar muitas sementes no estado do Rio de Janeiro e muitas pessoas foram alcançadas pelo amor de Cristo através do nosso trabalho. Foi muito 10!!
bom espero ver muitos de vcs que estão aqui em Brasília! Quinta, dia 8 estou de saida para os States...

Returning to Athens, GA this week

There is sooooo much happening in my life these days that is hard to keep the blog updated : )
So the latest news is that my working visa was finally approved!! So I am going back to the U.S. to work (teaching tennis) at least until november/december of 2007 year. I am not 100% sure what I'll be doing in 2008, but I will probably be working with YWAM again (either in Brazil or Hawaii). I am looking at some of the schools they will be offering in 2008.
I had an amazing experience with YWAM doing my DTS in Brazil. We were able to reach a ton of people with the love of Christ and we planted many many seeds in Paraty, RJ. It was a priviledge to be part of this school. What a blessing!! I just finished the school, now I'll spend one week with my family in Brasilia and on the 8th I'll be in GA! A lot of miracles happened so that all of this worked out.... amazing stuff.
Oh, and UGA Men's tennis won the National Championship!! I am so happy for them! go dawgs!!!

Hope to see some of you soon!