This and That

Good morning Hanstad blog followers!  We know many of you are praying for us and for that we are thankful....keep it up...we need it.  Brad's sister Karin and her husband Deon were here recently and we had a great time with them.   The kids enjoyed some Aunt and Uncle time which was fun.  Many fun moments were had and even a couple of trips to the Snowcone Lady.   No matter how old you get, or how far from home you are, time spent with family is just good medicine.

On the home front--Jack, Molly, and Ellie finished up their seasons of league baseball and softball.  Jack will now play only for the Texas Stallions select team.  They will play their last tournament of the spring season this weekend and then have a little time off until they start fall baseball.  He is doing strength and agility training every morning at his school.  Molly decided not to play select softball and will be playing soccer this fall.  Ellie was too young for the select soft team, the Texas Twist, but they asked her to practice with them.  I am sure she will be voted team captain by the end of the first practice...haha.  Drew will be forced to end his love affair with the concession stand and start to play soccer too this fall.  I guess if our kids are going to be part Brazilian, they want to learn to play Futebol.... that is soccer in Portuguese for your Northerners.  Even Jack talks about playing soccer for his school next spring.  Does the thought of a North Dakota hockey player going against these southern boys scare anyone else???  Should we tell him that there is no penalty box?

I think our firstborn deserves her own paragraph...I know she would agree.  What a beauty she is becoming!  She is diligently working toward finishing two years of high school yet this year so that she can start her senior year in the fall.  How hard it must be to see the little kids leave for the pool everyday while she sits on her computer.   But she is determined and we are proud of her.   She has applied for a job at a cupcake shop and for those of you who know her fondness of frosting, you will understand our concern.  However, it has a happy little place and we hope that they will see what an asset she would be and hire her!  She will turn 16 on July 3rd....but her heart is in Brazil.

Brad continues to work at his main job of providing for our family.  He is working on a great business opportunity that we hope would give us great flexibility for being in Brazil.  Our hope is to return to Brazil later this fall and stay awhile.

Please pray for the details of each step of this journey.   At times the hurdles seem too many and too difficult to overcome.  I keep recalling that part of the movie "League of Their Own" with Tom Hanks and Geena Davis.   She wants to quit the team because she says "It just got too hard."  Tom Hanks replies..."It's supposed to be hard.   If it was easy, everyone would do it."

And so we continue to trust that the task God has given us, even though it often feels too hard for us, is NOT TOO HARD FOR HIM.

James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.   Perserverence must finish its work in order for you to become mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Perservering......always,

Robbyn for the Hanstads

Happy Anniversary

20...yes I said TWENTY....years together!  Today we will celebrate our 20th Anniversary.  Wow how our lives have changed since that day when we overcame the odds of young love and actually said "I do".  And we meant it.  We really meant it.  Those of you closest to us know that our challenges began the next month as we packed up that moving truck and headed for California...just the two of us.  I'll spare the details here on the blog but the truck barely made it there and we had to grow-up and overcome during those 1500 miles.  God continued to increase our joy day by day along with allowing challenges to come our way.  The ups and downs of marriage and just life in general can be wearing.  And yet, as we look back, we see how God has used each and every heartache and test to prepare us for the task he has given us here in Texas and in Brazil.  We see how God has grown our faith, matured us through some very unpleasant circumstances and trials, and shown us how HIS WORD IS TRUE and HE IS FAITHFUL.  We are grateful for the five great kids he has given us.  Even though the quantity can be a challenge, we recognize that each one has a specific purpose in his call on our lives as a family.  I find it significant that God would give us an even 20 years to learn and grow and prepare us for service in Brazil.  With a group like us....I guess I can see why it took so long!  Actually, God's timing is perfect, and even though there are many days, most days in fact, when we feel completely inadequate to raise our own five kids, let alone take them to another country to help raise 85 more kids, we are COMPLETELY CONFIDENT that God will provide everything we need and equip us with all things for this task.

Now, time to curl the hair for the big day.  We can all be thankful that my hair is not nearly as big as it was in 1992.  I know Brad is.

Smiling, smiling, smiling,

Robbyn

The Heat is on.....

Hello Blog family and friends,

It is heating up here in Texas but so far WE ARE ALL OK WITH THIS.  Our new friends continue to warn us about the Texas heat coming this summer.  I guess we'll see.  Maybe us North Dakotans are tougher than they think!

This weekend both Jack and Molly play baseball and softball so we will be busy with that.  We had three of the kids' friends sleep over last night.  What fun to have a house full of Texas kids!  We are spending lots of time at the pool.  Ellie is learning to swim on her own...and Drew has an attitude about wearing the life jacket.  I guess the other kids won't think it's cool.  Now the baby of the family has to be cool too?  SO MUCH PRESSURE!!!!

God continues to be faithful in all we could ask or imagine.  We continue to learn that although we have grown and matured in many things, we still have so far to go.  He continues to show up in situations that cause us to stand in awe of HIM.  But, will we ever really learn to depend only on Him and not on ourselves?  I hope so.  If we know he is faithful, and he has proven himself to be faithful...OVER AND OVER AND OVER...why do we continue to fear?    My prayer is that our faith will grow stronger and stronger and that the fear in us will get smaller and no longer keep us from believing in the power of our God.   Pray this for us....for discipline to hear his word, and to put it into practice.  

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and IN HIS WORD, I put my hope."

We wait for the Lord and thank you for your prayers as we wait.  We wait with great anticipation that the Lord will continue to lead and guide us toward our work in Brazil and in simple obedience every day as we serve him in each and every moment he has given us.

In great love and EVER-INCREASING faith,

Robbyn

The Snowcone Lady!

Hello friends and family....things are slowly but surely returning to whatever normal might be for us since returning from Brazil.  We are enjoying a short visit from my Sister Lezlie and her daughter Raegan.   Showing them all the sights and fun places in Frisco and just some catching up time.  Celebrating Mother's Day together was a blessing. 

We are continuing to settle in to life here and look ahead to wrapping up with homeschooling soon while Jack will be in school until June 1....poor guy!  The kids continue to stay busy with baseball and softball and now will be playing even more with having been chosen for select teams with more tournaments and higher competition. 

We are continuing to seek God's plan for our return to Brazil.   We visited a school this week that is a part school/part homeschool Christian school that would encourage our time in Brazil and be very flexible with the long absence.   We are praying about this and would appreciate your prayers for this specifically.  Also, regarding employment for Brad, we continue to seek the right opportunity and trust that God will show us how this will look as well.

Shelby and Jack are getting more involved in the youth at church and are really feeling welcomed and part of the group.  Brad and I are in an adult fellowship that is full of very dedicated Christian people who are passionate as well about getting the gospel out here and around the world.  We are grateful to God for these new relationships.

We continue to feel somewhat lop-sided in our hearts as part of us is always in Brazil.   But God provides our comfort in this and we know that your prayers uphold us each day.

The Snowcone Lady!  What a treasure we have found here in Frisco....a tiny little building with a gravel parking lot and any flavor snowcone you can imagine for $1.50!  A great little treat for our family and I think our goal is try every flavor combination.  It's the simple things, right?

I will close with a precious comment from our little brother Drew today.   Riding in the car, he said, "Dad, why did we move here?"  Brad replied, "so we could be in Brazil more."  Good, because maybe then the kids won't cry so much when we leave like they did last time."

2 Thess. 2:8 "We loved you so much, that we were delighted to share with you  not only the gospel of  God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

In pursuit of HIM,

Robbyn for the Hanstads 

Home Again

But Brazil is home too....it's hard to have one's heart residing in two places.  Shelby and I returned home on Tuesday at about noon.   The goodbyes in Brazil were difficult, as always.  But knowing we will be returning soon with everybody made it a bit easier.   Our time in Brazil was good and fruitful....even had an invitation to teach Sunday school to the adolescent girls which was such a blessing.  Spent lots of time helping with the new baby and enjoyed all the kids so much.  Brad and the kids had a good time with Grandpa and Grandma.   They got to see lots of ballgames and had fun hanging out in our new home and town.  So thankful they could come and help!

Our next step will be planning our family trip to Brazil.   Brad is working on an Optometry license here in Texas and we are figuring out the school plan for the kids this fall.  We definitely covet your prayers for all of this.   We trust that God has all of the answers and will seek Him with great faith.  Pray for us that we will have wisdom in each decision.

Blessings,

Robbyn for the Hanstads

Brazil is Life

Hello Blog followers.....Life in Brazil is good.  What a joy it is to be here and to share love and encouragement to the children and others here.  My Portuguese has definitely improved as I am able to share many conversations with people and I think the kids really feel happy when I can speak to them in their language.  It is early fall here and so the weather is beautiful.  We have spent the last few days getting reacquainted with everyone and spending lots of time helping in House 7 with the new baby, Josue (Josway..."Joshua" in English).  He is only one month old and it seems as if he has grown even since we arrived.  Last night it was a joy to be here to celebrate the 17th birthday of Amanda, one of our sponsored kids.  She was so happy that we could be here for the special day.  And Shelby's opinion is that a country that has 3 cakes at the birthday party is a country for her!  Tonight will be church which is always a great joy to worship with our Brazilian family.  I will begin some crafting classes tomorrow with the children and a quilting project with the older girls.  Tuesday will be sharing my testimony with the housemothers at their weekly bible study time.  Please pray that these activities and all of our time here would be fruitful and encouraging to all.  We look forward to our return trip as a family.   We are in the process of working out the details of this so please pray that all things would line up for us to return soon.

Brad and the kids are doing well and enjoying Grandpa and Grandma in Texas.  We have skyped a few times and thankful for that great technology!

I am so thankful today that God is continuing to open the doors of ministry for us here in Brazil.  The verse he laid on my heart as I prepared for my first trip here continues to come back and bring me peace and joy....

Psalm 138:8 "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of your hands."

May he continue to do a good work through us.

Blessings,

Robbyn

Brazil!

Dear friends and family,

Tomorrow is a big day!   We are thankful that Shelby and I will be returning to Brazil to minister to and spend time with the dear parents, children, and missionaries at Chain of Love.  We are grateful that Brad's parents will be arriving as we depart to spend the two weeks with Brad and the kids and learning about our new home here in Frisco, Texas.  I will try to update the blog while I am there but I am always so involved with life there that I don't often remember to get on the computer!  But, I will try.

A few notes about our trip....We will depart tomorrow at 2:45 and as it works we will meet with a Canadian friend in Chicago who will be serving with us at COL.  God really worked out the details for us to go together so we are grateful.  We will arrive in Brazil Tuesday at 2:45 p.m.  We will be working with the kids in crafting and sewing classes, ministering to the house mothers in bible study, helping House 7 with their new arrival...a one month old baby boy who was abandoned at the hospital, and assisting the missionaries with their work, playing with the kids, and continuing to build relationships with the people who are so dear to us.  We are grateful to be able to celebrate the 17th birthday of Amanda, one of our sponsored kids, while we are there.  We will leave Brazil on April 30, returning home on May 1.

Please pray for safe travel, luggage arrival, no problems with passports/visas/tickets, etc.  It is always a blessing to arrive there and return home safely.  Please pray for our health as we are there along with Brad and the kids while we are away.

Thank you for your great encouragement of our family, our move to Texas, and our work in Brazil.  God has been so good and so faithful.

I can't help but share a verse from James that has been so crucial to us in this journey.

James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

We are so grateful for all of you who have encouraged us in our attempt to do this in a very small way.  May he find us faithful.

In Him,

Robbyn