Os Harpers no Brasil

Brazilians love Walt Disney (FACT)

2012-02-15T08:12:00.000-06:00

Many Brazilians visit the United States every year. They like Florida because of the climate and because of Disney and the theme parks in Orlando. CNN released a story on what the Brazilians are bringing to the states: $. Which is good news in a sagging economy. Click the link for the article.

Florida's tourism gets a boost from a Brazilian invasion

PDF

2012-02-09T05:06:00.000-06:00

From the 25-29 we held our annual Projeto de Férias at a pousada not to far from Belo. We took the content from Campus Outreach's National Conference and we modified it to fit our needs. The PDF consisted of talks from J.D. Greear, Matt Chandler, John Piper, and Trip Lee. We had small group discussions and personal bible study time. It was a great time for everybody involved. Non-Christians were challenged and young Christians were strengthened by the teaching and fellowship. Thank you for your prayers, God is moving in the lives of college students in Belo Horizonte.

You can access the talks here at the Campus Outreach National Conference website:
http://conationalconference.com/

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-30T11:57:00.001-06:00

According to the Mayan calendar the world will end this year. So I better get to updating you on our lives here in the Brasil.

Christmas/Natal
Went well, it was our first Christmas away from our families but we enjoyed the relaxing vibe of Brazil during December. Not once did I hear someone tell me how many shopping days left until Christmas. It was also different to hear screaming children at midnight on Christmas Eve or early Christmas morning. The tradition in Brasil is to eat dinner around 10pm and then open presents around midnight and then to hang out until 2am or so. We were in bed by 11pm but had a hard time sleeping due to the excited squeals of children.

New Years Eve/Reviellon
We attended a party sponsored by our church. It started at 10pm and did not end until the wee hours of the morning. We left around 1245am because we had to get up early the next day but we were the first ones to leave and everyone asked why we were leaving so early. The nights festivities consisted of talking, eating, and watching some fireworks. It was good fun.

Yesterday we returned from a 5 day conference we had called PDF. And no it wasn't sponsored by Adobe. PDF= Projeto de Férias. I will talk more about this later.

A Typical Week

2011-10-31T06:17:00.000-05:00

Over the past few weeks we have gotten into a groove somewhat with our schedule: A typical week looks like this. (keep in mind every week is subject to change so I use the word "typical" losely)

Monday/Segunda: Staff Meeting-We meet every Monday with all the staff to talk/plan/update.

Tuesday/Terça: Usually study Portuguese in the AM and then class in the PM.

Wednesday/Quarta: Campus day, we spend the later half of the morning on campus and have lunch with students, using this time to cultivate and go deeper in relationships.

Thursday/Quinta: The busiest day for us. Campus in the AM, I am currently studying the Book of John with two Engineering students+lunch with them. Portuguese class in the early PM. Late PM-Discussion Group or Futsal depending on which week.

Friday/Sexta: AM: Different from week to week. PM: Usually spent with other people/students/community doing various things, dinner/birthday party/etc.

Saturday/Sabado: AM: I (Brian) go to campus to do a Bible Study with a student studying Economics. PM: Relax

Sunday/Domingo: AM: Relax/Read/Listen to a sermon in English. PM: Church

•Abbey is studying the Bible with a few girls but I think they study on a different day every week.
•This schedule is subject to change

Thanks for reading.

BH

Dia da Independencia

2011-09-14T14:05:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday was Brazil's independence day, the 7th of September. Throughout the day I was congratulating all the Brazilians on having independence and everything that goes with that. Turns out it was a bloodless revolution, I was more excited than anyone I talked to. So no one was too excited about the holiday but people were very excited because we had a Church Day on the same day. It was a day where the whole church spent time together, we played games, ate, and had a worship service where 21 people joined the church and 4 were baptized. It was a great day with friends and family and a great day to celebrate the power of the Gospel.


New Members

Comunidade Horizonte

Back to School

2011-08-09T14:26:00.002-05:00

That's right we are going back to school, although we have a car now so we don't have to ride the bus and we also buy our lunch at school, we are cool like that.

Classes are starting back at PUC-MG and we are excited about what the Lord is doing post-CCP. We have several people that are interested in studying the Bible. Which is something that is really neat to see. People that have never opened the Bible or much less own a Bible are studying the Bible. That is really cool. It is amazing to be a part of what the Lord is doing here and being able to see Him work and its even more refreshing to know that it doesn't depend on me.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. "
-Acts 17:24-25

Thank you for reading.

Recap

2011-07-14T11:04:00.002-05:00

For the past 7.5 weeks we've had a group of US college students from Campus Outreach Memphis here in Brazil working with us. The group left last Thursday night. While they were here they did a great job of stirring up a lot of action on the campuses of PUC-MG and UFMG. New people are involved in the community from the summer, some are Believers, many are not. Please pray that the relationships can continue to grow and mature especially during the month of July while the students are on break.


Caio and Marco Tullio are freshman Engineering students at PUC.


Clarissa is a freshman Engineering student at PUC and she is friends with Caio & Marco Tullio.

Ana Luiza is a Psyschology student at PUC.


Matheus is a law student at PUC and is involved with the community, Wes was one of the students from Memphis.

Group shot from the Final Retreat.

Thank you for your financial support and prayer. God has been teaching us a lot lately on the power of prayer and how helpless we are without Him. Continue to pray for us, we thank you more than you know.

The Land of Holidays

2011-06-27T08:02:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday was Corpus Christi day here in Brazil. When I asked Brazilians What is Corpus Christi day? Most don't know and say its some kind of Catholic Holiday but since most everyone gets off work for Thursday and Friday no one seems to be complaining. Below is a list of the Brazilian holidays, you can click on the name of holiday to find out more about it.

Date	Week Day	Name
January - 01	Saturday	New Year's Day
March - 05	Saturday	Carnival
March - 06	Sunday	Carnival
March - 07	Monday	Carnival
March - 08	Tuesday	Carnival Tuesday
April - 21	Thursday	Tiradentes
April - 22	Friday	Good Friday
May - 01	Sunday	May Day
June - 23	Thursday	Corpus Christi
September - 07	Wednesday	Independence Day
October - 12	Wednesday	Our Lady of Aparecida
November - 02	Wednesday	All Souls Day
November - 15	Tuesday	Proclamation of the Republic Day
December - 25	Sunday	Christmas Day

At first glance you may be thinking that this is not a very long list. The amount of days on the list is not much but you need to add a day to most holidays and keep in mind that everybody takes holidays here in Brazil. Once you add in the months of January and July the two big travel months for Brazil you now have the Land of Holidays. Our Sindica put it best when she said, "Do you know of another country that has as many holidays as Brazil", she said this as her family was packing to visit their country home for the holiday.

Origin

2011-06-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

The theme for the CCP this year is called Origin or Origem in Portuguese. This past weekend we kicked off the festivities by watching the movie Origem or Inception in English. We used this film to drive the talks and discussions. Here are pictures from the weekend.

Group Shot


Pricisila & Abbey


Presentation

June 14 2011

2011-06-14T16:49:00.000-05:00

Its been a few weeks since we last updated the blog. We are in our busy season, a group of Americans from Campus Outreach Memphis have been here since the end of May and we are swamped with time on campus, language classes and transitioning to life here in Brazil. Things are going well. God is giving us favor on campus and we are meeting new students and some seem very interested in what is going on with the Americans and the community.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

I will write more later and try to post some pictures from last weekend. Last weekend we had a weekend away in the interior of Brazil with the community, new students, and the CCP(Americans).

The Americans are Coming, The Americans are Coming...

2011-05-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

Actually they are already here and have been since the 13th of May. Every year a group of US college students visit Brasil for two months and labor with us on the campus. The name of this program is called the CCP or Cross Cultural Project and this year we have 20 students from Campus Outreach Memphis. The schools represented in Brasil are U. of Memphis, Arkansas State, and Murray State.

This is a big time for the ministry and a busy time as well. Our time right now is spent in two main areas, campus and language. We are visiting the campus 3-4 days a week right now and have language class 3 days a week. We are very busy but we are excited about the new challenges and responsibilities.

There could also be a third category as well: Driving. We are driving a lot more since we have a car and it is nice. What is not nice is the traffic here in Belo. We live 10.8km away from the campus of PUC, that's around 7 miles. It takes us about 25-30minutes going to campus and sometimes coming home can take 40-50 minutes.

Pray:
Please pray that the Lord will provide us with energy so that He can better use us to glorify His name.

Thank you for reading and for your prayers and financial support.

BH

Friday the 13th

2011-05-13T13:17:00.000-05:00

We've been a little busy lately and I have not updated our blog in a few weeks. A group of US College students arrived today and will be here for the next 7 weeks. They will be working with us through the summer and it will be an exciting time for all.

We bought a car last Friday. A few hours later were the most stressful hours of our time in Brazil as we were parking the car in our parking spot, which is located on the ground floor of our apartment building. As the automatic gate was shutting on our car Abbey found reverse and our car just got a little paint on it from the gate. We tried again and it was a success. Our sindica came out and showed us how to park and we have been getting better everyday.

This is our car, well not exactly. We have a black one but its pretty much the same as this. Its called the Volkswagen Voyage.

We want to thank all of our supporters who give financially to our ministry here in Brazil. It means a lot to us to have a team behind us. Thank you!

BH

BOXES or should I say CAIXAS

2011-04-27T21:10:00.001-05:00

We got our boxes yesterday. One of the more exciting days in my life in the past couple of years. It was kinda like Christmas, except you know what you are getting and you really like everything you get and the things you open already have special memories to go along them. So its even better. I would even suggest to all the parents out there, take your child's favorite toy or stuffed animal away from them around early October, wrap it up and give it to them for Christmas. You'll know for sure they will like it, they will miss it dearly, but when Christmas Day arrives they will be filled with so much joy it will be magical. I know it sounds unorthodox but you never know you could create a new tradition.

60 Minutes & Brazil

2011-04-21T15:35:00.000-05:00

What is the capital of Brazil?.....If you said Buenos Aires, you are wrong. As a former Geography teacher I will not tell you the capital or where Buenos Aires is located. You must find the answer for yourself.

Last December, 60 Minutes did a little story on Brazil and its growing economy. Brazil had one of the fastest growing economies last year and it looks to continue this year and even longer as the World Cup and the Olympics will both be in Brazil in the next 5 years. As the Dollar is weakening the Real (pronounced Hey-al) is gaining strength.

Still don't know the capital of Brazil? Watch the video and then search Google or maybe you own a globe.

Thanks for reading

BH

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7143554n

Music to our Ears

2011-04-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

Some people might be interested in what we are listening to right now.

Red Mountain Church is located close to downtown Birmingham. We actually had our wedding reception at the church. They've been doing exciting things with music, they revamp old hymns. We've been listening to All Things New, the newest album from them. Click on the link and you can listen to all the songs for free.

Listen to the whole album for free here .

Check out Red Mountain Church here.

Thanks for reading.

BH

The Tour Stops Soon

2011-04-12T13:10:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be a great idea to give you guys a tour of our apartment. The tour of our apartment ends a little soon because the camera I am shooting with needs to be charged. The thing is the charger to this wonderful camera is in a box somewhere in Brazil being shipped to our apartment. Back in February when we were packing items around the end of the packing we started just throwing things in. Well, we threw in the cord that charges this camera. So we have the camera we just cant use it till we get the cord to charge it. Right now its a wonderful paperweight. Hopefully we will get the cord to charge the camera soon and I can finish the tour.

Where We Are

2011-03-28T16:59:00.000-05:00

We are a little over six weeks into life here in Brasil. Most of our energy during the first 6 weeks has been used on transitioning and studying Portuguese. The biggest news we have to give right now is that there is now furniture in every room. Thats right, furniture in every room. Over the past week and a half our apartment has transformed from what looked like a college dorm to what is now a respectable apartment. I know I should post pictures so everybody can see but I haven't done that yet but I will. What I will do is leave you with a 13 minute video about Brasil. Brasil was featured in a 60 Minutes piece last December. It talks about the wealth of natural resources and the challenges facing Brasil. It also give a pretty accurate view of the culture.

Click on the link below to watch the clip.

Brazil's Rising Star-60 Minutes

Thanks for reading.

BH

Passado Semana/Last Week

2011-03-14T15:51:00.001-05:00

On Monday and Tuesday of last week everything around us was closed. I mean everything. It was Carnaval here and its a lot bigger than Mardi Gras in the US. Most of the people that could travel, did just that. The city was very quiet. While the rest of Brasil was dancing the Samba and enjoying friends and family during the holiday, we decided to paint our apartment. We will show some before and after pics later. We also had Portuguese class on Tuesday and Thursday and bought mattresses Friday. The company we used was Mil Colchões. Which translates to 1000 Mattresses. Its a great company and they delivered and set up the mattresses the next day.

Oh I almost forgot to mention. Last Saturday was my birthday. 28 years young or old depending on how you look at it. The picture below is from the restaurant Abbey and I went to along with two other staff couples for the big celebration. Donna Margherita, its a pizza buffet unlike any other. This is no Cici's Pizza!. The place was packed, I think everyone was there for my birthday.

Thanks for Reading!

Happy Birthday!

101 Rua Artur Joviano Apto. 302

2011-03-05T12:19:00.002-06:00

Earlier this week we acquired our apartment and then spent the week getting it set up. Yesterday we ordered appliances and earlier today to our surprise the stove and washer were delivered. With the help of our síndica, Fernanda, she helped us hook up the washer and stove. What's a síndica? From my understanding the síndica is kinda like the manager of the building you live in. Fernanda is our síndica and so far she has been a huge help.

Here are a few pics of the apartment:

Sala de Estar/Living Room

Sala de Jantar/Dining Room

Cozinha/Kitchen


Quarto/Bedroom

So You Wanna Be A Missionary Part 1:

The Metric System
While you don't need to know how to convert inches to centimeters in order to share the Gospel, its definitely nice to know how to convert inches to centimeters when looking for housewares to put in your apartment. Or to know how many liters of gas your car takes. Or to know how much food weighs on your plate when ordering by kilograms.
When shopping for furniture this week, Abbey and I were constantly looking at each other and trying to figure out just exactly how long things were when we were told the measurements in centimeters. If you want to be a missionary, learn the metric system.

Thanks for reading!

BH

The Apartment Search is Over

2011-03-01T20:01:00.019-06:00

Most people will tell you to not get the first apartment or house you look at when looking for a place. Well...that is exactly what we did. We looked at an apartment about a week and a half ago and liked it but decided to do the rational thing and look at four more. We like the first one so much we put an offer on it and it was accepted. We signed the contract late last night and today we had to authenticate the signatures on the contract and then pick up the keys. Pictures of the apartment will come soon. For now enjoy some pictures of a storm we had here yesterday.


All of the pics were taken by Abbey. We had a lot of lighting here yesterday and she picked up her camera and started clicking. I think they are pretty cool and I am not just saying that because my wife took them.

Our First Full Week

2011-02-21T19:23:00.000-06:00

Last week was our first full week in Belo Horizonte and it was packed with meetings, acquiring our CPF card and looking for apartments. Last week all of the campus staff met for four days last week to plan for the whole year, we also were stimulated by Tim Keller's Gospel in Life small group study. A study we did about a year ago with our small group in Birmingham. It was great to do it again in a new setting.

We also acquired our CPF card. Its much like a social security card that you have in the states. Our day last Wednesday started at the Federal Police where we had our visas validated. A short car ride to the center of the city and three lines later we had our CPF card. Now we can get an apartment.

We looked at three apartments last week and are looking at two more tomorrow. The leading candidate right now is an apartment located on Rua Artur Joviano. We will keep you up to date on the apartment search.

This is Belo Horizonte

We're Here! Part 2

2011-02-12T05:36:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the shaky camera and the copious amounts of "ums". Next time I will get a cameraman and write a script. For now sit back and enjoy the show.

We're Here!

2011-02-12T05:16:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture from out the window in our room, its the southern part of the city. I took some video as well but I am having a difficult time uploading it. I will try to post the video later. We are here safe and sound with all of our luggage. We had dinner with the staff and had an orientation meeting and today we are having a welcoming party with staff and students.

We want to thank all of our supporters, friends and most importantly our family for supporting us in this journey.

Tchau

BH

Moving Day

2011-02-01T10:26:00.000-06:00

Boxing Your Life Away
Last week was spent boxing most of belongings into four foot tall boxes, preparing them to ship to Brasil. It was quite comical packing the items into these boxes, we started out organized as we could be. We would weigh everything to make sure nothing was overweight and write down what items were in what box but by the time we got to the 7th box we were just throwing things in, a sock here, printer cables(that go to the printer thats in box #4) a shirt, Abbey's wedding dress(just kidding, no wedding dress). We know it will be very interesting when we open our boxes, we will pull out pots and pans alongside t-shirts alongside sewing items alongside the alarm clock we put in there that I am really missing right now.

The Company
Do you have any shipping needs to Brasil? Visit BR Courier at brasilcourier.com. This is the company we are using and so far have been very impressed. Ask for Renata.

The Moving Truck
Below is my truck loaded down with our belongings. On the other side we have three boxes and a dryer. I was very impressed with the F-150s capability to handle this load.

The Clock is Ticking

2011-01-25T13:29:00.000-06:00

Here is a quick update:

February 8th is coming soon. We still have to finish some paperwork and set some things up before we leave. Yesterday we found a shipping company that we will use to ship some items to Brazil and we are figuring out the best to pack things that will most likely not be handle with TLC (and no I do not mean the music group from a few years back). We are getting things checked off our list (literally) and we can not wait to be done with paperwork, which looking ahead will be a while.

Thanks for reading.

BH

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T12:11:00.000-06:00

We are get closer to departing for Brazil. The Lord moved in an amazing way in December with our support. He brought in $600 last month and we already have $230 committed in the first six days of January. We currently need $375 a month and then we can leave for Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It has been a privilege to see the Lord work, and I know that might sound kinda weird or off but it really has been a privilege to see the Lord move complete strangers to join with us. Its not always easy but I can honestly say that I feel privileged.

I just want to say thank you to all our supporters. We really appreciate you all.

BH

91%

2010-12-30T16:46:00.000-06:00

As of today, December 30 2010 we are at 91%. We only need $538 to meet our monthly budget of $6000. In the month of December the Lord raised $600 in new monthly support which excites us to see what He will do in January.

Stay Tuned

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing!"

2010-12-19T19:50:00.000-06:00

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

The 1987 Atlanta Falcons

2010-12-09T11:23:00.000-06:00

In 1987, the Atlanta Falcons were 3-12. They were the worst team in the NFL. The offense averaged 13.7 points a game while the defense let the opponent score on average 29.7 points a game. You are not going to win many games.
Fast forward 13 years, the Falcons are 10-2, they are the best team in the NFC and I would like to see them win the Super Bowl. I think they can beat most teams this year but will have problems matching up with the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints come playoff time.
I've been a Falcons fan since 1991, that is the first time I saw a Falcons game and I have cheered for them ever since. I am not a bandwagon fan, I don't hate Micheal Vick and yes I've done the "Dirty Bird" dance a couple times. I've liked the Falcons when they had "Primetime" and when they had Jeff George. I've been to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium to watch a football game.
What do the 1987 Falcons, the "Dirty Bird" dance and "Primetime" all have to do with me? Well I guess not much.
I just like the Falcons and want to educate the 3 readers of this blog with a little Falcons history.

You might be wondering why I made all the 87s bold. That is because we are at 87% of our support budget. We need $738/month to finish our support. We are getting very close to being on the field in Brazil and we are excited, kinda like when I used to watch "Primetime" play football x 10.

Don't know "Primetime", introduce yourself by watching a highlight tape.

Pre-Deployment Training

2010-11-28T19:30:00.000-06:00

We will be in Birmingham,AL from December 10-14th with our pre-deployment training. This is the last bit of training we have before we leave for Brazil.

Closer

We are currently at 81% of our support goal. We are in need of $1138 a month and then we can leave for Brazil.

Mission Accomplished

2010-11-21T20:34:00.000-06:00

We now have our visas. Last Thursday at four o'clock we received our visas. A process we thought was going to take 6 months only took 2 and a half. We feel the Lord is moving us to Brazil in His timing not ours and we like it. We still have $1238 left to raise a month and then we can leave for Brazil. We are praying all the funds will be in by January. We are very excited at what the Lord is doing.

November 1 2010

2010-11-01T19:52:00.000-05:00

Today is November 1st 2010 and I have been a little lazy with the updates to our blog since moving to PTC.
We are currently at 79% of our goal. We need $1288 a month to finish. We are praying and planning to finish our support by the end of 2010 and leave for Brazil in January.

Sorry I dont have a youtube video to make you laugh. I will work on that.

BH

30269

2010-10-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

30269- The zip code of Peachtree City, GA. We are getting settled but not too settled.

Welcome to Peachtree City!

We are praying that our support will be finished by the end of the year and for us to be in Brazil in January. We are currently at 76% which leaves $1440 left to raise. We have a church in Decatur, AL that is coming on our team but we will not find the amount out until early November. We have seen God provide for us in a myriad of ways over the past three months and we getting more excited to serve Him in Brazil. Thank you to all of our supporters.

SideNote:

Do you know Lou Holtz? He used to coach football at Notre Dame and South Carolina. He currently works for ESPN as an analyst. He is a guest on the Rick & Bubba Radio Show on the clip below. If you know Lou Holtz you will appreciate this clip, if you do not know Lou Holtz you should stop reading and find some videos of Lou on the internet and then come back.

The Missing Link

2010-09-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

We mailed all our documents to the Consulate of Brazil on September 9th. Yesterday they were returned to us. We are missing a document. A document we thought we had in the packet. We are frustrated. We know God is in control and in His timing we will arrive in Brazil but it is frustrating. I'll keep you updated.

Brian

72.9

2010-09-14T14:42:00.000-05:00

We are currently at 72.9% of our monthly budget. We need $1625 a month and then we will be on our way. We are very excited about what the Lord is doing right now. We will be moving to Peachtree City, GA at the end of September. We will live with Abbey's parents until we move to Brazil.

Never heard of Peachtree City. Click on the link below and get educated.
www.peachtree-city.org/

Here is another little youtube gem that Abbey showed me one day. I don't know how she finds them but she does. Enjoy.

Furniture for Sale!

2010-09-01T11:12:00.123-05:00

We are moving to Atlanta to live with our family until our support is finished and our visas are approved. We are hoping this will only take a few months. Please take a look at our furniture and let us know if you are interested in anything. You can leave a comment if you have questions or contact us by phone or email. aharper@campusoutreach.org (678) 360-1401

Leather couch- very comfy $100 SOLD!

Leather Chair $150 SOLD!


Restoration Hardware leather chair $150 SOLD!

Both Chairs together SOLD!

desk chair-SOLD!

leather top desk- $75

Floor Lamp $10 SOLD!

Laundry Basket $15 SOLD!

Bookshelf, solid wood- $20 SOLD!

Solid wood bookshelf-$25 SOLD!

cabinet, used as a kitchen pantry- $30

Rolling Serving Cart- $15

Kitchen Table with Chairs- $100 SOLD!

Shelf- $20 SOLD!

Coffee Table $30

Chair- SOLD!

Chair $15

Leather Seat Chair $15

Standing mirror- $35

Electric Grill- Perfect for an apartment dweller who cannot have a gas one. $50

Electric Smoker- also can double as a grill- $50

3 Tier Metal Plant Stand $10 SOLD!

Metal Folding Patio Set $50

The Queen mattress set is also sold.

Visa Quest

2010-08-30T14:17:00.000-05:00

I stole the title of this posting from the movie "Vision Quest".

The Visa Quest

Visa
1. An endorsement made in a passport that allows the bearer to enter the country issuing it.
Quest
1. The act of searching for something.

Last Wednesday we went to the Consulate of Brazil. We were there for approximately 45 minutes (we arrived 20 minutes early to our appointment) and were turned away with a new list of things to do, the list includes but is not limited to the following:

Photocopy every page of your passport, including the outside of our passport, get it notarized, then go to the county clerk where that notary is registered and have them confirm that the notary is a legitimate notary. Then proceed to the Post Office and purchase a money order for $20. The passport is now finished, repeat the same steps for every document that must be notarized, four more documents a piece and you are finished with that.

We are waiting on a few documents from Brazil and then we will mail all of our documents and their copies to the Consulate of Brazil in Atlanta. They will notify us that the documents are in order and then we will schedule an appointment and meet face to face. After that we will wait 3-6 months when the Government of Brazil will welcome us with open arms.

The Visa Process

2010-08-24T11:36:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we will be heading to the Consulate of Brazil. Its in "Hotlanta" or Atlanta. We have learned a lot about international governments working together or not working together through the Visa process and here are some fun facts if you ever plan on visiting Brazil.

If you are a US Citizen you need a Tourist Visa to visit. If you are not a citizen of the US most likely you do not need a visa to visit.
When applying for a Voluntary Visa or VITEM I as we are, it cost $210 but if you are not a citizen of the USA its $60. Yes that's correct US dollars. And all Visa fees must be paid with an United States Postal Service Money Order, Sorry Western Union, your money order is no good here.
We have approximately 10 piece of papers each or documents to turn in tomorrow, ranging from a copy of our driver's license to documents in Portuguese stating we are people of upstanding character. (The papers in Portuguese I am not really sure what they say, Rosetta Stone doesn't have a Visa documents section)

All this to say is that we are not sure we will get our Visas on the first try. We are rookies at dealing with government on this level. We have lived in Birmingham, AL for the past two years and I believe this has prepared us well for "funny" government.

I let you know how it goes.

61 & Roger Maris

2010-08-19T10:29:00.000-05:00

Roger Maris hit 61 home runs for the New York Yankees back in 1961, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs which stood for 34 years. Roger Maris record was broken in 1998 by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa who hit 70 and 66 for the year. What does Roger Maris, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have to do with us and raising support....well nothing actually but we are 61% of our support which is the same number of home runs Maris hit in 1961.

We have $3700 of monthly support committed. God is continuing to bring people to our team and we are getting more excited about the possibilities of being in Brazil very soon.

Here is Roger Maris' 61st home run.
Enjoy.

August 9 2010

2010-08-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

58%

We are at 58% of our budget. We have $3509 committed. We need around $2500 a month to be on the ground in Brazil. Continue to pray that the Lord will lead people to join our team.

Mark & Michelle Hamby have been in Belo Horizonte for 5 months. We will be working with them and we are excited about that. To find out whats going on in Brazil right now visit thier blog at: markandmichellehamby.blogspot.com

Sling Shot Man
I think this is one of the best videos on Youtube

July 24 2010

2010-07-24T10:10:00.001-05:00

We are currently at 55% of our budget. We have $3309 committed. We only need $2691 to be on the field in Brazil. Continue to pray that the Lord will bring people to our team.

On a lighter note, my wife is really good at finding funny/weird youtube videos. Check out K-Strass.

Enjoy

$50,000

2010-07-15T17:05:00.000-05:00

Strike up the band. Ladies and Gentleman we are now finished raising our launching fund of $50,000. This money will go to buying a car, furnishing our apartment, shipping items to Brazil, paperwork and taxes. We are very excited this is finished and we believe this is just more confirmation from God. We want to say Thank You to everyone that has given. Thank you for giving and thank you for trusting in the Lord and what He will do in Brazil through us.

Fiat Uno
One of the most popular cars in Brazil.
A portion of our launching fund will go to buying a sweet ride like the Fiat Uno.
Vroom!

-Brian

The Summertime

2010-07-12T21:47:00.001-05:00

I have been away from the blog. An update, the first week in June Abbey and I were in Atlanta meeting with people. We enjoyed the opportunity to share our vision for Brazil and the time we spent with family and friends. The second week in June we attended a Support Raising Seminar in Nashville, TN. We learned a lot and it has helped us tremendously. After Nashville we headed to Charlotte, NC so I could take a class through Reformed Theological Seminary. Then after all that we headed back to Peachtree City just in time for the soon to be World Famous 4th of July Parade. Abbey's parents make a float to advertise for their business. I was able to overcome Brasil's defeat in the World Cup to the Netherlands a day earlier just in time to throw out candy during the parade. We stayed in Peachtree City the next week and continued to meet with people and share our vision. We are really excited right now. We've got some momentum.

Now that the 2010 World Cup is over. It's Brasil's turn in 2014. Here is the logo. Get excited.

The Final Countdown

2010-05-24T18:26:00.000-05:00

For the past year Abbey and I have raised support and worked as well. This will all change this Thursday and Friday, our last days. This week reminds me of a Europe song called "The Final Countdown" you mostly likely here it nowadays played in the 4th quarter of a football game. Its a great song. (I posted a link so you can check out what real music sounds like.) After the final countdown there will be changes for Abbey and I. We will put all of our time and effort into raising support. We are excited but also a little scared at the same time. Excited because we will have plenty of time to put toward raising support and scared because of the unknown. Pray for us during the next few months as we work at raising support to labor in Brazil.

Brian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_IKcMl_a9A
Is it a continent or a band? Its Europe!

Decatur, Alabama

2010-05-23T11:38:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday Abbey and I had the opportunity to visit First Bible Church in Decatur, AL. We were able to share what the Lord is doing in our lives and in Brazil in two Sunday School classes. Abbey has a friend, Leslie, that attends First Bible and she set everything up for us. She also hosted us at her parents house for lunch after church where members from the church joined us. It was a great time of letting people know what we are doing and what the Lord has done so far. We want to thank the people of First Bible for welcoming and listening as we share our hearts with you.

Brian

Thanks Leslie for all your help, We had a great time.

Help Us Out

2010-05-04T16:36:00.000-05:00

We need more people to hear about what we are doing. We need to tell more people about what the Lord is doing in Brazil. If you are a part of a small group, Sunday school class, or small church and you think you could pull some strings for Abbey and I to come speak then don't hesitate to contact us. It could be a small group of 5 people or a Sunday school class with 60. The number doesn't matter. We are looking to get the word out to more people what the Lord is doing in Brazil and how He has called us to labor there.
Listed below are the churches we have had the opportunity to share in.

First Baptist Church, Peachtree City, GA
Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
Emmanuel Community Church, Ft. Wayne, IN
First Bible Church, Decatur, AL (May 16)

Why not add your church to the list?

Brian
404-414-1120
brianleeharper@gmail.com

April 15

2010-04-15T21:26:00.000-05:00

Today is the day to turn in those taxes. Time to pay Uncle Sam. This is also a reminder that all checks made out to Campus Outreach are tax-deductible.

So you wanna go to Brazil...

2010-04-10T10:48:00.000-05:00

The items listed below are what we have compiled so far on our part to acquire a visa from Brazil. This is just the start of it. We both already had passports, so that was easy. We had to take a trip down to the Birmingham Police Department and obtain a background check, that only took 25 minutes, record time. (really, things can take a very long time when dealing with the city of Birmingham) We both had recent resumes that just needed a little polishing and that is that. We are currently waiting for documents from the church in Belo Horizonte, and the process will continue.

1. Valid Passport
2. Background check from the city of Birmingham
3. Resume

Stay Tuned

BH

Same ol' Same

2010-03-31T20:59:00.000-05:00

Today is Tuesday March 31, 2010. We are pretty much at the same place with support that we were two weeks ago. The slow times during the support raising process are the hard times. Its times like these where I feel the Lord is doing work. I mean He is always working but its times like these when we have no distractions, nothing is happening. Sometimes these periods last longer than others. Its during these times where I can really feel the Lord chipping away, sculpting us into His image. These times are always better when I can look back and see the complete lesson of what the Lord was teaching me for that particular time. These are teaching times for sure.

BH

Half Way

2010-03-10T15:40:00.000-06:00

We are pretty much half way through our support raising. We need 3,000 more in continuous giving and $11,500 one time and we will be able to leave for Belo Horizonte. We will also be starting the visa process. No not for a credit card but a visa that will allow us to legally enter and live in Brazil. In most countries this can be easily done but the process of applying and getting a long term visa to Brazil can take 6 months. Even if you do the proper paper work they can still deny you. It can be a little nerve racking to say the least. Pray that the visa process will be as smooth as possible. I mean who wouldn't want the Harpers living in their country? (below is a picture of a Brazilian visa)

tchau

bh

49.4%

2010-02-23T19:25:00.000-06:00

We are currently at 49.4% of our budget. We have $2965.00 committed. Thanks to all those who read this blog and are committed to give. Rest assured you are unique. Things are going well here in the Harper household. We are taking it easy this Tuesday night, just doing a little bloggin' and chillaxin with the wife.

I don't have much to say tonight. I hope you are having a great night/morning/afternoon. I do have one prayer request. Pray that the Lord continues to bring us new contacts. We are getting to the point where we need referrals from people and we need God to move in people. We need people to trust the Lord with not only their salvation but with the finances He has given to them to manage. I always thought it was interesting how sometimes it is easier for people to trust Christ for salvation but trusting Christ with money seems harder. I don't know maybe its because I am young and I don't have a mortgage or three kids or a car payment. I don't know maybe I am just idealistic. Maybe the Lord has moved me to trust Him with what He has given me. Maybe...

BH

Romans 8:28

2010-02-08T15:18:00.000-06:00

Recently,
Abbey and I have been able to see God working in our lives. Let me explain. A couple months ago Abbey was in a fender bender. It messed up the front end of her car, it was going to cost us more to fix the car than what the car is worth. We put an add in the Peddler at our church and a few weeks ago a car was donated to Campus Outreach. A man in our church donated the car and we get to use it till we leave for Brazil, then Campus Outreach will use it for missionaries traveling in the states.
Here is another example of how God is working. Our lease expires at the end of March. We are hoping and praying to be in Brazil by the Fall. Abbey called our landlord and explained what we were doing and we worked out a six month lease and he lowered our rent. Pretty Cool.
These are just two examples of how I feel God is moving us toward Brazil. I know He is working even when I can't see it, like last September. Last September was our worst month to date with support raising, I think we raised $50 for the whole month. But while the money was not coming in God was growing our faith and dependence on Him.
God is always at work in His people. Sometimes it is just a little easier to see.
Be encouraged.

-bh

January 30, 2010

2010-01-30T13:31:00.000-06:00

Good day everyone,

As of today we are currently at 46% of our monthly support and we have around $30,000 of our one time raised. Decemeber and January have been very good months. God is continuing to bring new supporters to our team and it is amazing to see Him at work. A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit Ft. Wayne, IN. Our friends, Sam and Abbey hosted us and we were able to speak in four Sunday school classes at their church, Emmanuel Community Church. We had several people sign up to receive our updates and one family signed up to support us financially. It was a great trip and we just wanted to thank Sam & Abbey and the members of Emmanuel Community Church for the great hospitality.

-brian

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T15:35:00.000-06:00

The past couple of weeks we have been out of town, visiting family, spreading Christmas cheer, and things of that sort. Abbey and I thought December would be a pretty slow month regarding support, people are spending time with their families, a lot of traveling, and usually spending more money around this time of year for various reasons. So we were nicely surprised by the amount given this month. This has been our best month when it comes to how much money has come in. We are currently at 27% of our monthly budget, thats around $1650 committed, this is all unofficial as well we will not get our monthly giving report until next week so it could go even higher.
We will give more information as we get it. The above picture is a house in my mom's subdvision, Kennesaw, GA is bringing that Christmas heat. The picture does not do it justice.

BH

Gobble, Gobble.

2009-11-22T18:26:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is upon us and we have a lot to be thankful for. Abbey and I have so many things to be thankful for and here is a list: We are very thankful for our church, Briarwood, and our Sunday school, but really, we are thankful for the relationships that make up the church and our community group. We are thankful that the Lord has provided us with jobs while we raise support, not just any jobs but places where He can use us while we are raising support. We are thankful for the people supporting us right now, at last count we have 37 people/families giving contiounsly and have over 25 people that have given one-time gifts. Most importantly we are thankful for what the Lord has done in our lives the past year. He has grown us closer together and continues to teach us how to live trustworthy lives when all we want to do is follow our own fleshly desires and feeble plans.

brian

Be Encouraged

2009-11-01T21:19:00.000-06:00

We are currently at 23% of our monthly goal. We need $4,610.00 more a month to be at 100%. We have to be at 100% before we can leave for Brazil. $4,600.00 sounds like a lot to us, because it is. It is a lot of money to raise on our own. The thing is we are not on our own, we do not have to raise it all by our selves. The same God that parted the Red Sea is the same God that will raise our funds. The Lord has been working in me over the past 6-7 weeks in the area of trust. Trusting Him not just for today but for the future as well. I urge you to put your trust in Him, not just for today but for the future, not when the economy is going well but even now when the economy is not going well. Not when there are enough vaccines for the swine flu but even now when there is a shortage. I just want to urge you to be encouraged by the fact that God is not changing, He is the same as He was in the Garden. He is the same God that sent His son to die for us while we were apart from Him. Romans 5:8 states: but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Be Encouraged.

It is Saturday

2009-10-24T11:37:00.000-05:00

Today is Saturday October 24, 2009. If you are stumbling over this blog through an email update that is great. If you would like more information about Brazil or Why we are going to Brazil? or Where is Brazil? Scrool down and look at some of the earlier posts. They should answer a lot if not all of those questions.

I really have no idea what to write about today. Support is going well. The Lord has been teaching us how to trust him in new ways everyday. We have learned its not about Us or Our Plan, its about Him and His Plan, and also trusting God is not always easy. I constantly want to do things my way. The support process has been more about God working inside of us and preparing us to labor in Brazil way more than it is about money. With that said, please continue to pray that the Lord will give us opportunties to talk of what He is doing in Brazil.

Tchau
Bh

Check out this van. We passed this van coming back from St. Simons Island. I would have loved to been there when they were packing this thing.

October 12 2009

2009-10-12T19:42:00.000-05:00

The past two weeks have been a little busy for us. Lets start with the Global Impact Celebration. From September 30 to October 4 we were in Peachtree City taking part in the Global Impact Celebration, the missions conference hosted by Abbey's home church, First Baptist Peachtree City. We had a great time at the conference. We were able to speak to four Sunday school classes, it was great to boast in the Lord and tell people what He is doing in Brazil. We would like to thank everyone at the conference. Thanks to Cassi & Jorg for hosting us Friday night and we would also like to thank Walker, the missions pastor, for having us.

This past weekend, we were in St. Simons Island, GA. for a wedding. It was a great wedding and we got to see a lot of friends. Abbey and I really enjoyed our time together on the island, it was nice to relax a litte.

-brian

Global Impact Celebration

2009-09-27T15:24:00.000-05:00

Later this week, Abbey and I will be heading to Peachtree City, GA to take part in the Global Impact Celebration hosted by Abbey's home church First Baptist Peachtree City. The conference starts Wednesday and goes to Sunday. We are very excited about the opportunity to tell people about what the Lord is doing in Brazil. This is the first missions conference we have had the privilege to be in. If you could please pray that the Lord is glorified through the conference and that we may have opportunities to share our vision with new people.

-brian

September 22, 2009

2009-09-21T20:44:00.004-05:00

Today is Monday, September 22, 2009. We are currently at 21% of our monthly budget. We have 1,270.00 committed.

If you are reading this and you support us, Thank you. We couldn't do it with out you. If you're reading this and not supporting us, Why not? I don't want to sound pushy or brash. Just ask yourself, Why not? There must be a reason..."Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

Thank you for taking the time read this and have a great day or night.

-brian

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)

2009-09-10T18:28:00.003-05:00

UFMG is one the largest universities in the state of Minas Gerais. It has close to 30,000 students. It is a hard school to get into because it is a state school and the students pay very little to nothing to attend. Campus Outreach Brazil started on UFMG in 1998 and is still there today. I worked with the staff of UFMG when I was on a Cross Cultural Project in 2006.

August 26 2009

2009-08-26T20:55:00.002-05:00

As of today we need 4,965.00 in monthly support or 83% of our budget to go to Brazil. It seems like a lot but we have already been amazed at what God will do and is doing through people. As I write this our hearts are heavy to be in Brazil, to be learning Portuguese in Brazil, to be acclimating to the culture and learning a new city.
But, we are here. Abbey is doing an amazing job of caring for three small girls and I am growing in patience and understanding daily by working with elementary students with special needs. It is not a bad thing that we are here, it is where God has us and he has blessed us here. We are a part of a very special Sunday school class at the church we attend and we continue to grow in community with them.
I dont even know if anyone reads this. If anyone does, please pray for perseverance for Abbey and I as we continue to raise support.
Thank you

Brazil

2009-08-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

Brazil is the largest country in South America by population (198 million) and square miles. It is the 5th largest by population in the world, and is slightly smaller than the United States when it comes to area. The three largest metro areas in Brazil order from biggest to smallest is Sao Paulo(19.6 million) Rio de Janiero(11.8 million) and then Belo Horizonte(5.3 million).

The economy of Brazil is growing, one of the big reasons is that it is independent of Middle Eastern oil, and they produce a sugar cane ethanol which cars can run on. When I wrote this the exchange rate was US $1.00= R$ 1.8. The currency in Brazil is called the Real pronounced (Hey-al).

In Portuguese, which is the national language of Brazil, R's are pronounced like you would pronounce an H in English. For example Rob=Hob or Ronaldo=Honaldu. But then again I am not the linguist of the family and as I write I feel Abbey would do a much better job explaining the language of Brazil.

Why Brazil?

2009-08-02T20:13:00.000-05:00

We have both felt called to missions for many years, since high school for me and college for Brian. So, when I went to Brazil in 2005 and was asked to consider coming back as staff after college, I began praying about it. I felt confirmation that this was where I needed to go and began the assessment process for joining the Brazilian staff team. Brian was also asked to consider returning as staff when he went to Brazil in 2006. He went forward with assessment as well around the same time that God was bringing us together and growing our friendship into something more. We are very excited that we will now be moving to Brazil as a married couple instead of two single people. God has blessed us with each other and by doing that has also given us more confirmation in our plans for Brazil.

Getting To Know Us

2009-07-28T09:08:00.000-05:00

Abbey was born in Waterloo, IA but was raised in Peachtree City, GA and graduated from McIntosh High School. She attended Samford University and graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in Latin American Studies. She currently works as a nanny for a family in Birmingham.

I was born in San Diego,CA but spent most of my life in a couple cities throughout Georgia. I claim Kennesaw as the hometown and I graduated from Harrison High School in 2001. I graduated from the esteemed University of West Georgia in December of 2005 with a B.A. in History. I am currently working at an Elementary school in Mtn. Brook as a Special Education Aide.

Abbey and I were involved with Campus Outreach throughout college and met during the summer of 2004. Abbey visited Brazil in the summer of 2005 and I followed in the summer of 2006. We began dating in 2007 and were married June 21 2008. We both felt called to missions at different stages of our life but received more clarity while in college and have both felt called to serve the Lord in Brazil.