June and July Sun Fun
Prayers and Praises
What an incredible summer! May 31st we left for Connecticut, and had a wonderful time with Caid’s family. I was reminded how important it is to work hard to regularly create moments together. And how much it pays off. It was really nice to enjoy traveling together, discover an Air B and B we really liked, and enjoy Connecticut’s staple of Dunkin Donuts and Canada’s staple of Tim Hortons:). It only adds a couple hours to be able to stop in Canada to see family, and that was really special. We also discovered that Spotify has amazing book dramatizations, and listened to Tress of the Emerald Sea—100 percent recommend!
We had a week in Indiana where everything was blooming, including all of our wild black raspberries! I really love summer in Indiana (even though I am almost always gone for most of it!). Sofia had her 11th birthday party (her actual Birthday day was while we were in Brazil) as a book swap party, and it was so fun I (Rachel) will have to steal the idea for my 44th birthday in August. Then it was final packing and getting everything together for our trip to Brazil, as every single flight got delayed and the 22 hour trip took 46 hours. But we got there eventually, and our missed flight was in NYC, so we got to stay with Caid’s family that we hadn’t gotten to visit during the Connecticut trip. Plus Lox and Bagels. After running through the airport and just missing our flight, Jessie was in tears and Sofia declared her hatred of Delta by writing a bad review in the restroom (the restroom was the only place that asked her opinion). But now that we knew that the Fergies could handle anything (including 46 hours without changing clothes), the rest of the trip was a breeze.
Sofia said it best, “It feels so normal here.” To which I laughed and said, “That’s because for the first half of your life, it was your normal!” Being back in Brazil as a family felt so good and whole. It also, in a weird way, felt a lot like being on home assignment: we only had so much time and we needed to see everyone, eat all the food, and see all the places we’d missed. There was a solid week where each night we ate at a different friend’s house with new people, new people in a new location…and my girls had the best attitudes every time, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Proud mama moment! It was cooler in Brazil during our time there than it was in Indiana, and Caid had a car with a good air conditioner available at any time. And he realized he could make it work. Even though he did still sweat quite a lot. We each had really special moments that meant a lot of us. After 25 days we didn’t want to leave, but I knew it was the right time (you always leave a bit before you want to). It took a beautiful villiage to recieve us in Brazil, and a beautiful villiage to prayer support us leaving the USA.
How absolutely, ridiculously wonderful
To be filled up to the brim with life
Swallowing you whole
Letting everything else fade away
For a moment
How spoiled I am
How lavish the life I live
To have two worlds inside it
That hold my heart and let me fly
And just like that, we are back in the USA and buying back to school clothes. Sofia is off to 6th grade academy, and Jessica in 3rd grade—the first time they are at separate schools with two different start times. It gives me extra time with Jessica in the mornings and with Sofia in the afternoons. They started school July 29th. Caid started soccer practices even before he went back to teacher training the 28th: he receives his students the first week of August. Please pray for this school year, filled with opportunities and extra challenges that can lead to some really great rewards if we are faithful and consistent in holding the line.
Interweb Reads
Missionary stuff: You had to be there (But you weren’t) (A Life Overseas), From Fluent to Clueless in one simple plane trip (A Life Overseas), What my cross-cultural marriage taught me about Christianity (A Life Overseas), The challenges of MK Re-entry (A Life Overseas), TCKs and the Power of Presence (A Life Overseas), Learning to stay (a TCK story) (A Life Overseas), The faithful goalkeeper: a World Cup parable for missionaries (A Life Overseas), Plant your trees (A Life Overseas)
Politics stuff: The Bible verses dividing Washington: How Matthew 25 became a political litmus test (Religion News Service), On hoarding (Sheila Joiner), Freedom (Sheila Joiner), Except for White Evangelicals, Americans have soured on Trump’s leadership (Baptist News global), Grief is a form of Patriotism too (Benjamin Cremer), Blinded by self-righteousness (Sheila Joiner), Five movies that Celebrate America (Christianity Today), Why “objective” history is a Myth (Jemar Tisby)
Immigration stuff: We all agreed on body cameras. So where are they? (Brittani Farrington), They walk among us. They’re called neighbors (Brittani Farrington)
Christian stuff: There’s no such thing as a Non-denominational Church (Evan Wickham), When Men asked me to Preach (Rachel Pieh Jones), Sometimes I just want to escape (Amy Medina), The best question I ever asked a Muslim friend (Rachel Pieh Jones), Which way, Christianity Today? (Kristin Du Mez), Please sit down: lessons from a ferry to Zanzibar (Things we don’t know)
Other stuff: What’s the difference between a SAHM and a Trad Wife? (Tia Levings), Nostalgia, you sneaky thing (Kate Bowler), Worth your time (Summer 2026) (Amy Medina), Take time for delight this summer (Marilyn R. Gardner), Is parenting hard? (Courtney Martin), Project Hail Mary is a Christian movie (Sarah Salviander)