Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 12:18:03
Subject: First weeks in Sao Paulo

Friends,
	Things are coming together here in Sao Paulo.  I have been pretty
busy with practical matters mostly.  I have been living in my new house
for about 2 weeks and have been slowing getting everything in order.  I
got my washer/dryer and refrigerator installed.  This is really awesome
because I get to have fluffy, warm clothes now instead of clothes that are
stiff from drying outside.  My water heater should be fixed any day now.
I got a fresh tank of gas that will be used by my stove, dryer, and water
heater.  I got a phone line and internet service (the internet service is
high speed DSL too!).  I have had a few electrical problems fixed and I
got a new faucet for my kitchen.  There are still some other things that
need to be taken care of, but things are in pretty good order now.
	I have also been getting the lay of the land.  There are many
conveniences close to my house.  I have a bakery/convenience store a
couple of blocks away.  This is where I get most of my food.  There is a
bank a few blocks down from there where I can get cash anytime I need it.
There are a couple of malls nearby.  And there are also four missionary
families within walking distance of my house.  Since I have no car I
always walk or ride the bus.  Walking isn't bad and Sao Paulo has an
extensive bus system so I can get anywhere I need to without to many
problems.
	Right now is the slowest time of the year in Brazil.  Between the
New Year's holiday and the start of Carnaval many people are on vacation
and things just go at a slower pace.
	Like I said before, students won't get back to campus until March
at which time we will start doing some surveys to determine some specific
needs of the students so we can focus our ministry accordingly.  Until
that time we will be working on technology related things like getting
digital promotion material together, working on web sites, and putting
together databases of information.
	So far I haven't had a "regular" day.  From what John tells me,
there is no such thing in this type of work.  I like freedom of schedule,
but I also like a bit of regularity as well.  That being the case, I am
going to have to be really focused in what I do with my time and make sure
I am using it in a profitable way.

	Pray for:
		Getting the rest of my house in order
		Focusing my time on profitable things
		Acclimating myself to polluted city life
		Getting a vision for God's glory among university students
			here

	I know school is about to kick off again so I want to wish all you
students out there God's best for you in this next semester.
	The fact that I have passed the "Christmas test" was brought to
my attention earlier this week.  On further reflection, I think that is a
pretty significant milestone.  I feel good about the coming year.  I hope
all of you guys will catch a vision for God's glory in your circle of
influence and even farther out to places you don't yet know.  Thank you
for laboring with me.

Justin

P.S.  Just to avoid any confusion, when I say "profitable" I don't mean in
the sense of money.  I mean "profitable" in the sense of things that will
bear fruit for God (which is why we have Christ in the first place -
Romans 7:4).