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High speed greetings. May, 1999 #2
Have you ever tried to walk up the down escalator (don’t try it on the elevator)? I remember swimming in the Smith
River with my family when I was young. I lost my balance in the current and decided to swim up-stream. After paddling
frantically for awhile, I was lifted out at the exact spot where I slipped - only more tired. That’s the problem
with running in circles: the faster you run the sooner you get back where you started from.
That’s kind of how we feel right now. As our return approaches, the end of our furlough is a lot closer than the
end of our "To Do" list. The move has started so the other half of what I need is always at the other
place. This also complicated getting the computer back up, which took 3 critical packing days. Fortunately, our
time frame is still a little flexible.
All news from the church in Brazil is good, though a large tree limb fell on the (empty) Sunday School room. Good
thing I insisted we not cut down that tree, huh! Though thinking of leaving gets harder as the day approaches,
we are eager to get back and they seem eager to see us again, too. The 1st anniversary was well attended. We would
have liked to have been there for that and for the upcoming inauguration of the new school / office complex but
it wasn’t possible.
The boys are growing so fast. They’ve decided they like nurseries now that we’re going back to where they don’t
have any. Dalton talks up a storm (though I think he sounds like E.T. – with a drawl). William still loves to sing
and remembers a couple of songs in Portuguese. Dalton sings like a bird as well. Unfortunately, the bird he most
resembles is the duck! The poor fellow is hitting his terrible twos. Sometimes we call it "Adam-itis",
but he must have "Eve-itis" too because he sure can raise "Cain". But this, too, shall pass.
Part of the delay in sending out this quarter’s letter was the preparation of the web site. I don’t want the address
to change so I held back and then changed my mind on which host to use. With packing and the system crash, I decided
to wait and have it right from the beginning. If you would like to receive occasional updates via e-mail, send
me an e-mail with "e-letter list" as the subject to bwaii@yahoo.com. You’ll be the first to know we’re
there and anything else that happens. Even if I have your address, send it again to be added.
Praise the Lord that our support percentage may be in the 90’s by the time we get to Brazil. Pray for us as we
return and get settled. We have had 6 residences in the last 6 years and hope to settle down a little more. We
need wisdom in selecting the right house and location. Pray also for the boys during these dramatic changes. William
especially will feel lost, but we hope his love for children will encourage him to adjust quickly and learn to
communicate. Pray for us as we prepare and travel and as we launch out into this new term, that souls will be saved
and there will be fruit for our labor. Remember that "our" labor includes you, for you are an integral
part of our ministry.
One last note. Our e-mail will not change, but the Winston-Salem address and phone have. Until we leave on the
13th of July, we can be reached by phone at (540)890-4827. As soon as we have an address we’ll let you know.
Yours in Him,
Byron, Michele, William, and Dalton
The Athas in Brazil
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