Update

This last month has been a good one. We have been visiting churches and have found them all for our teams this year. We know where all the medical teams are going (unless something changes, which may happen, but we hope not). We currently have 23 teams signed up to come this year, spread over 26 weeks. We have 1 week off the in the middle of the summer and 1 week that we are going to AGM (which is still called Mission Meeting here). We have some time off from teams in May as well; our teams don't stop from the end of May to the end of October (with those 2 weeks off I mentioned).
We have a volunteer in this week, Stephanie, who is teaching some of our interpreters English. If you've met any of them, you know that they already speak very good English. So what are they learning? The more complicated nuances of English that we never think about, like phrasal verbs (put up, put on, check out, take up, give back, etc.). I am teaching another group of about 5 people who don't know tons of English but really want to learn. They're beginners in English, so I am giving the class in Portuguese. Let me tell you that I never thought I'd be doing that! It's been really good for my Portuguese, though it makes my brain tired.
Carnaval starts (officially) on Saturday, though the parties have already begun. Carnaval is, unfortunately, the only thing many people think of when they think of Brazil. It is a time of revelry and general partying (along with the parades) before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. Many churches here take retreats away from the city of Rio during Carnaval.
Between now and the end of April, we will be getting ready for our teams to start – visiting/revisiting churches, organizing medicines, unwrapping Bibles, cutting senhas (tickets to enter the clinic), etc. I'm sure there is much more to be done.
Next month, we have tentatively planned another all-Brazilian clinic (we had one last month as well), which I am looking forward to.
Continue to pray for us as we prepare for our teams – for all of the planning that has to be done (still), for the churches we will be working in, for the areas we will be working in, the teams that are coming, and the people we will meet. We couldn't do anything without your prayers!
For He alone is worthy.