Hello Friends and Family!
I am happy to announce good news to the world! Usually that means the Gospel, but today there is another piece of news - I am engaged! I asked my lovely girlfriend, Ednay Fernanda Rodrigues de Andrade, if she would marry me and she answered "Yes!" (Actually she said "Yes, a thousand times yes!" but that seems a bit too cheesy to put in an e-mail.)
Yes, I know you all want to tell me how wrong I was when I thought I never wanted to get married. The truth is that I actually never did think of getting married, but now I do. #peoplechange #neversaynever
Now that the breaking news is out of the way, let me tell you of some of the challenges, plans and changes in the past month. Part of the challenge is that we (the Arca family) have been hosting large groups of students from the USA, and that modifies our "routine" quite a bit. Organizing and equipping 25-40 young people to be a blessing and have a great mission experience is no small task. I helped with organizing the work projects and translating. We also had camps to organize during each group visit.
Another unexpected challenge is that the ARCA bus rolled over and got wrecked. Then on August 16 my car (that I had just fixed up for sale) was stolen. In the middle of July my mom came up with a random idea that perhaps Ednay could study at AFLBS in the fall. In a miraculous hurry God caused everything to fall into place. My mom travelled with Ednay to the U.S. yesterday to get her settled in for a time of learning and growing. My brother Andrew and I and our brothers-in-law, Silvio and Daniel, surprised my Dad (Paul Abel) by planning a trip to Alaska to celebrate his 60th birthday, so we are looking forward to a great "guy time" for the next 10 days, flying to AK on Thursday, Aug. 28.
My plan for this semester is to stay in the USA as my fiancé is attending AFLBS. We do not yet know about 2015. I will be driving truck in Stephen, MN, during beet harvest in October and am still looking for work for the rest of the year.
In September I will be meeting with the AFLC mission board to discuss some options for my future. Both Ednay and I are looking forward to serving God and the Church in Missions, yet we do not have a specific vision and/or destination yet.
Please contact me via Facebook or e-mail if you would like a visit (either personally or at your church) for me to share about missions (Brazil, Panamá, the world). I'll be glad to see what I can do in the time I have near you.
I also need to find a place to stay, more job opportunities, and a car to drive. Your friendship, your prayers and your suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you for participating with me in the life of the Kingdom. May God Bless you. Mafú
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Acts 20:2
