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Prepared, Assessed and Positioned

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2014 was an atypical year in many ways for the Elam fam. We met some new challenges, downshifted a bit to regain some perspective and energy, and now are headed your way for a support-raising season to get positioned for the next season of life and ministry in Brazil.

PREPARED: We called it a "semi-sabbatical". A kind of part-time rhythm for Jon and Tathiana in terms of our ministry responsibilities in order to focus on health: physical, emotional, marital, spiritual and with our growing family. It lasted from January to August of 2014. In a much-to-oversimplfied summary, it was REALLY GOOD FOR US. 

ASSESSED: Then came a sort of evaluation of our job and how we fit into what we are doing. Recently these types of Assessments within Campus Outreach have been more proactive, wanting to evaluate before any burnout comes sneaking in. Three Assessors from CO came to visit us, and also a Brazilian psychologist who has worked with several members of out team recently filled up about 4 days of meetings and read a gazillion pages of diagnostics and reports that we had previously filled out. Tathiana and I were excited about really thinking through our role, our calling and our future. Admittedly anxious to receive feedback indicating something we weren't expecting. 

What a joy it was to hear from my director and the other assessors words like "right-fit", "influential couple", "a lot of personal growth", and "leaders." 

POSITIONED: With this, we made a decision spend a few months in the US to get positioned financially for the next season. We have lost some support over the past years, and have some specific goals we would like to reach for our family. We will spend the end of December with family for Christmas in Chattanooga, then spend January through March raising new long-term support for an extended investment in what God is doing in and through the CO ministry in Belo Horizonte and possibly new cities in the near future! More info coming in 2015.

See you soon!

Death, Divorce and Despair...

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This morning I hugged a mother at the funeral of her son who was murdered because of his involvement with drug trafficking. Last week I heard an old friend say he had no hope for his marriage and was going forward with a divorce. This week, also, brought word that a little girl we have been praying for to be healed from cancer is terminal, and the doctors are ceasing treatment.

This is not a shock-effect opening of a blog post that quickly turns your attention to another issue. This is the issue. In recent months I feel that it has been a bombardment of hard and bad news. We have been counseling some young married couples, one facing an impending divorce and another on their way to the same fate. Our years around the families of students on campus now leads us to witness the end of one girl’s life, and to witness others face shutteringly painful treatments of complicated diseases with little hope of recovery. Death, also, has been present; both natural and premature, anticipated and unsettlingly unexpected, from afar and from very close by.

In many years in Brazil relating to young, healthy and capable students from the campus ministry, I admit this is one of the first times we have faced such, well…harsh reality. Of course, here and there, there has been sorrow, bridges burned, passing away of loved ones, and hard times to help people seek God when life doesn’t make sense. This time, it has been an onslaught of such apparent withholding of God’s mercy that I am feeling it weigh me down a bit – and am not sure how to help the ones who are facing these difficult times.

We do believe in our good God and His purpose… sometimes it just takes a lot to face a fallen world and also try to abide by Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Pray with us, and for us, please.

Home, Sweet Apartment!

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There it is, the light at the end of the tunnel! It's the light reflecting off our new apartment keys. After a much desired and necessitated move, it is happening.

The saga is long and frustrating, but after 7 years in our first home as a family - most of them happy and good - we are leaving the first Elam abode because of problems in the apartment that neither the owner, rental agency nor building seem very eager to get resolved. So, to all those folks, we say, "Bye! Have fun with those leaky pipes!"

Now, the great news. We have our keys in hand, already sent the exterminator in to poison all the creatures of the INSECTA class, bought paint and set-up with our painter to GET THIS DONE! 

The new place is a bit larger, literally right around the corner from Tathiana's sister, Fabiana, still in the same neighborhood we really like, and, as we began to pray a while back, still within our budget. God does amazing things in even more amazing ways. Thank Him with us for grace - we do not deserve it.

Our guest bedroom is back, so here is an invite to come visit. 

Miles, Miles and More Miles

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When you live overseas, you know some tricks about how to accumulate frequent flier miles. So we started counting our American Airlines miles. Combine the fact that not since 2010 have we been in the US for purely vacation and time with family. Lastly, Brazil has a week-long holiday and basic country shut-down for Carnaval (Mardi Gras to us gringos). So, all that cooks up a perfect storm to book our flights to the US.

We're coming into Chattanooga at the end of February and will be heading back to Brazil on March 20th. Our plans consist of family time in Chattanooga, one week in Pigeon Forge just Tathiana, Isaac and I, some good rest, coffee-shop mooching of free internet, sleeping in late while the grandparents take care of the munchkin and other vacation-ish types of things.

This post is basically a nice way of saying, "if we run into each other on the street, this is why." If we don't run into each other, we probably won't see much of each other. Hopefully everyone understands, we so appreciate your partnership, and thank you for helping us to have the time of rest and recuperation.

Global Connection

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A) Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND: B) Brisbane, AUSTRALIA: C) Khon Kaen, THAILAND: D) Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA: E) Belo Horizonte, BRAZIL: F) Augusta, GA - USASix men in six different countries, in six different time zones, on five different continents and of three different nationalities connected via a video conference call last Wednesday, December 5, 2012. I know that happens all the time these days, but it was a first for me.

All five of the international Campus Outreach ministries and one administration facilitator spent over an hour talking about the administration needs that each one is facing. The goal was to encourage an exchange of experience and knowledge about how to move forward and help out campus ministries thrive in their different organizational contexts.

It was the first of many such global connections to come. I, personally, relished the time to hear from other Resource Directors of other CO franchises about what they are facing and how similar it is to what we are trying to build and integrate here in Belo Horizonte. I want to help our ministry gain infrastructure that helps our relational campus ministry thrive on what we do best, and help take care of our staff for the long-haul of evangelism and discipleship on the universities here in Brazil.

Isaac Silva Elam

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Isaac Silva Elam, born Nov 15, 2012He's here! Isaac Silva Elam. Born Nov 15, 2012 at 9:32, 7lbs, 11 oz, 19 1/4 inches.

Mommy doing well, recovering from c-section. Father trying to learn all he can. LOTS of help from Brazilian friends and family. Not sure he realizes that we're tired, but when he looks at us, he so cute. Parenthood, that wild rollercoaster ride called reality, here we come!

Thanks to all for the prayers.