Seize the opportunity. Long layover in Sydney.

After a lovely recovery weekend at the Beach Cottage, we set out Monday night on the long flight over the pacific ocean.  Actually, it was even a little longer than the last flight this direction since we decided to take the opportunity for a long layover in Sydney, Australia.  After 15 hours on a plane, we were glad to be up and walking again come 6 am when we left the airport for Circular Quay (pronounced "key")--Sydney's port neighborhood.  

The first thing to catch our eye was, of course, the famous Sydney Opera House jutting out over the harbor with the bright rising sun reflecting off the white tiled shell-like roofs.  Across the water on the other side arched a huge bridge.  The whole sight was just too hard to believe!  It wasn't sinking in!  That's the thing about hopping on a plane and waking up on the other side of the world; it can get a little surreal at times.

Nearby we found the Royal Botanical Garden and wandered around for a while enjoying the crisp, clear morning sunshine and the interesting foliage and wildlife.

 Jonathan relaxes under a particularly old tree.

 We stopped at a café for a flat white!

Next we found a quaint old section of town called, The Rocks.  The name comes from the cliffs surrounding this area.  Part of it was along the water, where we snapped this picture:

And from there we walked through lovely parks and down cobblestone streets and alleyways with very british-looking pubs and restaurants lining the narrow walkways.

 One such picturesque pathway.

We loved it so much we went back to The Rocks for lunch, which was delicious, I might add!

Moving on, by ten o'clock we were due for our tour of the Opera House.  

 Here's our reflexion in the windows overlooking the harbor.

Sydney's Opera House is stunning!  Although, it seems a lot smaller in real life than it tends to look in pictures.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pictures on the inside because they weren't allowed, but, trust me, those huge auditoriums filled with wood seating, wood flooring, and a magnificent wood ceiling towering overhead, were breathtaking.  Now just imagine it with the sounds of Beethoven or Dvorak reverberating off every crevice!  It was absolutely tantalizing to be there and not get to see a performance of some kind.  

 Between the two main auditoriums.

On one stage, we did get to see some ballet dancers beginning their rehearsal.  They swayed and glided to the un-amplified piano music coming from just out of sight.  They way that music swelled inside that room, I can't even begin to imagine how magical a legitimate performance would be!  Maybe next time...

My favorite detail we learned on the tour was about the giant elevator portion of the stage that lowers directly into the piano storage area where they keep all the best brand names because no professional performing pianist ever plays on anything except their preference.  However, even moving the piano onto the elevating stage and raising it to performance level is considered too much for these delicate and intricate instruments, and a house-employed tuner is always on staff to tune a piano each time it is moved.

After that spectacular tour, it was warming up outside, so we caught the ferry to Manly, a beach suburb of Sydney.  Leaving behind the city skyline, we passed by rocky cliffs edging the endless stretch of the Pacific Ocean.

Sydney's skyline.

 We had to touch the Pacific from this side.  

Strange to think the Beach Cottage is just at the other end.

The water was sparkling.  No other word for it.  More green in color than in California, it became almost aqua as the waves curled over into white spray.  

We didn't stick around long as, like any good beach city, it was crowded.  Back on the ferry, this time pulling into the harbor, the city was a magnificent sight!  We still had a few hours so we walked through a little of the city proper, looking much more like Chicago, or Portland, or even Los Angeles with its towering skyscrapers.  

 Oh, yes!  And we saw a koala.  Outside a mall or something.

Sydney skyscrapers.

By the time we limped our way back to the train that would take us to the airport, we were beat.  But it was well worth it!  I decided I like trying to see a city in a day.  We've done that several times now--San Francisco, Portland, Seattle--and while it's true, you can only get a taste, it's enough to see what's unique to that city, and also enough to see that it's another normal city--full of normal people living their normal lives.  

So long, Sydney!

And off to New Zealand we go!

Ciao, Argentina! Nos vemos!

It's been an interesting week.  We were planning to leave this week, but that all changed when this happened.

Ouch!  Catastrophe!

Everything seemed to go wrong, and our exit date was postponed.  Indefinitely.  That'll teach you to have expectations, right?  We took the news rather hard, considering we're tired and in need of some down time!  But, what do you do.  

Pray, I guess.  And God answered!  Actually, He's worked quite a bit out--all glory to Him!  And now we're headed home, just a day later than originally planned! Wonderful!

That said, this last day has provided a few more hiccups since it rained almost all night and our little rental car won't make it to the field on all the muddy roads.  We do have quite a bit to get done before our flight out tonight.  So...we'll keep those prayers going!  God's done it before.  He can get us through challenges again.  He's faithful and good like that.

Meanwhile, I'll fill you in on the last few days.

 It's been beautiful weather!

Many a gorgeous fall morning just like this one!

Because of the catastrophe pictured above, we had to make a trip to a city about 4 hours away to get some replacement parts.  It was a whirlwind trip.  Drive 4 hours, arrive about 1 am, grab a few hours sleep, off to the part store early the next morning, drive 4 hours back.  My mind was spinning.  

Funny story.  After smooth sailing getting the stuff we needed, we went to hop in the car and noticed our tire was almost flat.  Not good.  So, we were pointed in the direction of a gomería where they patched up the tire in no time. 

Experts!

 This was the problem.  

This little stinker screwed up our tire pretty good.

(Pun intended)

Anyway, that's all for now!  We are very much looking forward to a long weekend at the Beach Cottage!  It's time to leave the lovely fall weather and trade it in for SoCal spring!  Just till Tuesday.  Then we're New Zealand bound!

More random observations from Argentina

I'm not sure how much you all enjoy reading about the "randomness", as I like to call it.  But I kind of like this kind of post.  And anyway, we'll have a blast reading it years down the road as we fondly recall our Argentine adventures!

First off, with the differently pronged electrical outlets, you may wonder how we survive with so many electronics to charge.

 This is how.

The other day as I was running in the plaza which is located nearby our hotel here in good ole' Venado Tuerto (remember what that means?), I noticed this.

 This might very well be the one-eyed deer,

after which this illustrious town was named.

As you may have heard, the new pope is an Argentine!  I snapped a pic of a new billboard in Buenos Aires.

 Here he is!  The people here are very proud of the new pope,

hence the giant billboard celebrating his appointment.

You may also have heard that its been very rainy here in Argentina.  South of Buenos Aires, there has been some terrible torrential storms leading to severe flooding.  The death toll is over 50, with thousands more displaced from their homes.  Another testament to how the government and infrastructure here isn't quite as developed as it could be.

Next are a few shots from around town.  Just random things I thought were kind of worth noting about Argentina.

 An orange cone on a car means it's for sale.

Neat, huh?

 This building is just goofy.

I can't quite figure it out.

And pink???

Last but certainly not least, I want to thank you for praying for us and our busy schedule!  It is working!  This week has actually been the most relaxing week yet!  Thank you so much!  I needed the reminder that God can take even what appears impossible, and shine through with His perfect provision!

Don't get me wrong, we've been working!  But with the rain, we've had a more flexible schedule, not so dependent on when the guys aren't harvesting.  We even had time for a date tonight!  You might think getting to go out to eat every night would be like dates every day!  NOT!  It actually gets old.  Especially when every restaurant has the same menu.  You might think working together, we get plenty of quality time!  NOT!  Funny how that kind of thing is always the kind of thing you have to make time for.    

 The thing is, I'm married to a Sauder.

And Sauders do this thing where they eat dessert first!

Yup, our date was dessert and coffee...before dinner!  *gasp*

Oh, yes, did I mention it was tiramisu?

Best. Ever. 

Mmmmmmmmm.

Life is sweet!

Zacch(aeus) comes to town!

We had a wonderful weekend!  I hope you all had a egg-cellent Easter.  I saw lots of pictures of spectacular sunrise services, read lots of thoughts shared by friends about the glorious resurrection of the Victorious One, and heard about people coming together to celebrate how it's because of this weekend that everything is different!  What a special time!  This Easter for me stands out from all other years for some very unique reasons.  For one thing, it's fall here, not spring, which is just kind of strange.  Also, and probably more keenly felt, we were far away from family, friends, and church family.  Except...we had a wonderful Easter surprise!  My brother Zach came to visit us for the weekend!  Precision had some supplies they needed to get to us, and Zach made himself available.  We picked him up in Buenos Aires on Friday morning and "met the adventures that came to us" all weekend long (I throw that little Narnia quote in there because we kept saying it throughout the weekend!).

First off, let me show you where we called home the majority of the time spent with Zach.  Don't freak out or anything, but we were invited by our friend and coworker José to stay with his family at the Martindale Country Club in Pilar, a suburb of Buenos Aires.  Driving in was like entering a dream world.  The stately houses in the subdivision surrounding the polo fields and golf course could have been cut and pasted from the British countryside.  We're talking Pride and Prejudice style.

The "Club House", where we stayed. 

Zach was quite dumbfounded.  Not quite what he expected of Argentina, I think.  The grounds were extensive and perfectly manicured.  As we wandered around, "admiring the general splendor," we stumbled upon a perfectly gorgeous slice of paradise!

A sparkling pool surrounded by gigantic old trees and a carpet of grass!

We put it to good use!  

The water was frigid, but that didn't stop Zach, of course.  And we enjoyed soaking up the sun, poolside and surrounded by the gorgeous scenery!

When we weren't chilling by the pool, you could find us at the 18th Hole restaurant sipping cappuccino and thoroughly enjoying melt-in-your-mouth croissants.  

 Oh, and laughing a lot!

You can't help it with this clown around!

We dined at José's dad's house, where the whole family was gathered to spend Easter together.  They made us feel like part of the family and Zach filled up on great home-grilled Argentinian steak!  Entertainment was provided by José and Vanessa's only boy, 2-year-old Toni.  Bursting with energy and enthusiasm, this kid was a blast!

 Toni loved riding on Zach's shoulders, and carreras, racing!  The races went something like this.  Toni would say: Now run over there (pointing across the lawn)!  They would take off, Toni at almost a sprint, and Zach at more like a slow jog.  Toni would arrive at the other side and proclaim "Gané!" (I win!).  Then it would repeat.  Over and over and over.

Saturday we decided to go to El Tigre, a port town nearby which was a "must see" apparently.  

This is me, not very impressed 

by the very much talked-up riverfront El Tigre.

We did find a cool naval museum to visit.  It was full of model ships, real boats and canoes, cannons, guns, submarines, and even a yard full of retired airplanes.  

 Jonathan and Zach posing by a boat.

Is this the biggest one? 

(a comical debate throughout the museum adventure)

 Yes, he rang the bell.

It was loud.  The museum was pretty quiet.

DONG!!!!

 This is an early tide predicting computer.

Jonathan was intrigued and impressed at the gears and wires.

Actually, Jonathan was intrigued and impressed at pretty much all of it.  I guess he grew up on museums or something like that.  Zach and I...let's just say we have to work harder at enjoying a museum for all it's worth.  It was cool and all, we just moved through it a little faster than Jonathan.

So we found somewhere to sit and took goofy pictures,

while we were waiting.

 The arms room.  Full of all kinds of guns, cannons, bombs, etc.

The boys had fun trying to figure out how they all worked.

And Zach climbed into a submarine.  Literally.

Not sure that's allowed actually.

Outside in the airplane yard, we took our picture with a giant anchor.

Overall, El Tigre, wasn't a total fail.  Yes, it was overcrowded and dirty, but we were culture-ized by a museum visit and also enjoyed a nice meal at a riverside restaurant.  

Sunday afternoon we left the country club to spend some time in downtown Buenos Aires.  By the time we got to the city center and found parking, it was mid afternoon.  As we were walking out of the parking lot, the parking man asked us if we'd come for the race.  

*Flashback to last week when Jonathan and I were exploring Buenos Aires.  We saw a crew putting up concrete barricades with chain link fence along the road.  Jonathan commented that it looked like what they put up around a street race, like a grand prix sort of thing.*  

Back to the parking lot scene.  I said, "No, but where is this race?  Maybe we'll check it out."  Following his directions, a few blocks later we came up to the same barricades, or we could have if there wasn't a huge crowd of people already pressing their faces against the chain link.  We heard the unmistakable sound of engines revving.  Zach nearly jumped out of his skin.  My car-loving bro just happened to be in Buenos Aires that weekend, we just happened to finally find parking a few blocks from the race, and we all just happened to walk up right as the engines were revving.  Of course we couldn't see a thing.  But we could hear it!  Louder and louder!  Zach couldn't stand it!  So, like his namesake, he...

 Climbed a sycamore tree.  Really.

(Now you have the song stuck in your head, right?)

His vantage point was short-lived because he was told by a race official to get down, but not before getting a great video of the cars screeching and careening around the curve.

I wish this could convey the noise!

It was unbelievably LOUD!!!

I can't think of anything that could have made Zach's trip more special than a surprise car race!  We followed that up with a spectacular meal at a little bakery nearby.  Zach flew out that night, but it was a great weekend spent making lifelong memories!

Now, after all that, we're back in Venado Tuerto again.  Actually, today was full of adventure too!  After a missed turn, we ended up on a dirt road.  The problem was it had just rained.  A lot.  It was too much for our little rental car, and before we knew it we were stuck!  Praise God, with some maneuvering we got free and back on the paved roads again!  Our car, however, could use a good wash; I don't think it was meant for mudding!  

As we look ahead, things have the potential to get really busy, really fast!  We're waiting on systems making their way through the bureaucracy of customs in both Argentina and Brazil.  Most likely, they'll all come bursting out at once and we'll need to be in both places doing hour-long installs on more than a handful of combines!  Prayers appreciated!  

Exploring Buenos Aires

I guess I'd better get around to blogging about our quick weekend in Buenos Aires, before we head back there this weekend, this time for 4 whole days!  With it being Easter, and here in Argentina that means no work until Tuesday, we're getting time off!  And boy, are we looking forward to relishing some down time.  We're also looking forward to something else.  But that's a surprise, so I won't spoil it.

After the day spent in the Brazilian capital, a long afternoon and evening of travel from Brazil to Argentina, another customs adventure, we settled into a hotel near the airport, glad to be back in this wonderful country!  For some reason, it's just more comfortable than Brazil.  I think it's because we can have some level of independence since we have the language and have spent several weeks in this culture.  There's nothing like not knowing your way around and not being able to communicate that makes you really dependent.  

Anyway, Sunday we took some time to explore this colorful South American city.  We figured, 2 government capitals in 2 days, that's got to be some kind of record!  We made our way downtown and wandered through a lovely street bazaar where we bought a painting from a local artist. 

The street bazaar--all kinds for sale, cobblestone street, 

tall, old buildings perusing the merchandise from either side.

Our goal was to get to the official buildings, but, because of some political protest going on, everything was blocked off.  We didn't stick around the main plaza too long, since it was obvious the marchers were headed that way to make their sentiments known to the presidenta.

 Instead of the White House, the Pink House (Casa Rosada).

All those ugly graffitied signs are courtesy of the protest, I think.

The scaffolding is the stage where passionate speeches were to be given, I presume.

Needless to say, that wasn't the greatest experience Buenos Aires had to offer.  Good thing we found some other treasures!

 The only English used book store in Buenos Aires, 

and we stumbled upon it.

Walrus Books is in a gorgeous old section of town called San Telmo.  It looked straight out of England, for sure!  We perused, and I bought an adorable picture book about a French mouse who loves music and his adventures as he tries to find a mouse-sized piano.

 So many of the city's buildings are this style.

While there are modern buildings, too, these are so quaint!

We wandered down to the river walk where José told us we could find some great restaurants.  He was right!

 I'm not a steak-lover, but this was excellent!

The little cow says, "Estoy jugoso," (I'm juicy!)

Feeling full, but needing some coffee before we set out on our long drive north, we went to the French district, called Recoleta.  This section of town was absolutely endearing!  Old buildings, tree-lined cobblestone streets, grassy parks, and street cafés all over.  

 We picked one with charming decor and seating in the loft.

 I'd say, Buenos Aires is a fantastic city, well-worth the trip!

I can't wait to go back this weekend!

After the long drive back to the farming region, we found ourselves once again in Villa Cañas, a small town, but home to our favorite restaurant.  Monday was back to the field.  If we learned anything while in Brazil, it'd be that we have an awesome team here in Argentina.  The farm we visited in the land of vast agriculture was great, but big and not so friendly as the guys on the team outside Villa Cañas.  They gave us a hearty welcome and we stood around chatting for quite awhile about how things have been for them, how our trip went...There's a real level of comfort, almost family-like, with these guys.  

The week was busy.  Once again, lots of hours worked, for both of us, but especially Jonathan.  One particularly late night, after harvesting ended for the day, the guys had us into their casilla (the mobile home where they live while camping out in the field for harvest) where we sat around munching on sandwiches and swapping stories.  It was fun.  

These guys have become our friends.

One thing has changed since we were last here.  The evenings and mornings have become crisper, the fields have all turned a rich golden color, some of the trees are putting out yellows and oranges where there was only green.  It struck me as I walked across the field late one night, breathing deeply of the harvest scent in the cool air, gazing up at the clear sky full of stars only slightly dimmed by the full moon rising over the scene.  It's fall.  Autumn.  How long has it been since I witnessed the transformation from summer to fall?  I can't even remember.  Probably 4 or 5 years.  I think I've missed it.  There is something captivating about the changing of the seasons.  

Which reminds me of this song.  The "turning of the season is upon us, my friends", and it should make us think.  Jesus had a lot to say about the lost, and he compared our work to the harvest.  

For all that we've grown, how could we forget,

those who don't know, or just know yet?

Let's harvest this field from sunrise to sunset!

The Master is coming; we are not done yet.

Wherever we are,

"Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are [golden] for harvest."

-Jesus. 

Brazil: Work and Play

The week in Brazil seemed long and short at the same time.  Though only a few days, they were busy ones.  We traveled with quite the entourage.  Justin and us two from the States, José and Leandro from Precision Planting Argentina, and no less than 4 Monsanto Brazil employees.  Maybe that's why the week was so long, too many people!  All things considered, things went well.  We did one installation at a big farm in Bahía state.  This farm operation grows soybeans, corn, and interestingly enough, cotton.  We spent a good portion of the first day at the cotton gin. 

This is a modern-day cotton gin.

Forget Eli Whitney, this thing would blow him away!

And this, of all the cotton-pickin' things, is a cotton picker.

This is cotton in its raw form.

Some of the entourage.

There was a time crunch for this install since they were itching to get back to the field.  But, "many hands make light work" (shout-out to Grandpa Knapp!).  

My part of the harvest system to put together.

I can handle that phillips screwdriver like a pro 

and have those ram mounts put together in no time.

The climate in Bahía is almost tropical.  Don't worry.  No rain forests were harmed in the development of fields in this area.  It rains almost every day, and like they always say ("they" meaning Justin), rain makes grain.  We grabbed lunch during the daily downpour.

It was gloriously CVE-like.  

The farm employees are provided meals in a cafeteria, which reminded me of the good ole comedor in Mexico.  Not only that, what should they be serving but rice and beans.  Oh, how I miss rice and beans sometimes!  It was a little different, no tortillas for one, but it was delicious!  

Then, out to the field.  These ginormous farms in Brazil are so vast.  I can't describe what it's like to look out over a field of soybeans that stretches to the horizon, nothing to interrupt the flat expanse.  

Storm on the horizon. 

After just two days, it was back to Brasilia.  Our stay in Brazil's capital city was...interesting.  We had luxurious accommodations, especially compared to the two-night stay in the boon-docks.  Brasilia was built to be the capital.  Literally.  It didn't exist before some president had a brilliant idea in the 50s: design a state-of-the-art city full of modern architecture to be the new seat of the federal government.  It's the city that "developed 50 years in 5."  While it's lost is grandeur over the years, it's still a sight to behold.  That said, we weren't impressed with the quality of life and general depravity of inhabitants.  Two natives took us on a whirlwind tour to see the government sights before our plane left Saturday morning.  They related how Brazilians tend to distrust their own corrupt government and leaders.  Subtle signs of tight security testified of the state of things.  And my first real-life glimpse of blatant prostitution will always be in Brasilia, Brazil, to my horror.  I was struck by how such deliberate design and planning put into a city made by man cannot bring lasting hope and security to a hurting people.  

The architecture of Brasilia was wonderfully unique.  No white columns and tall domes here.  It sort of reminded me of the other-worldly kind of space fascination that's evident in the culture of the 70s.  

 Jonathan walking toward one of the official buildings.

 The symbolic flame and towering flag of Brazil.

 Executive office, complete with dressed-up guards.

 The Senate buildings, tall and skinny.  

The weird-shaped thing to the left is some modern art in the governmental plaza,

2 "shells", one facing up, the other, down, symbolize something,

not sure what.

 All South American towns have a cathedral in the central plaza.

Brasilia's is definitely unique.

After spending about an hour visiting another nation's capital--something about that is just kind of weird--we wound our way through the city streets to the airport.  Later that evening we touched down in Buenos Aires, another country's capital.  Strange.  

It felt so good to be back.  Strange how just a few weeks in one place can give it a level of comfort.  And I was quickly reminded that for all that's lacking in my Spanish skills, it's good to at least be able to make heads or tails out of what someone is saying!  Customs was a pain  --er--an adventure, but we made it out of the airport by ten, so glad to be staying nearby rather than attempting the 4 hour trek back to One-Eyed Deer.  We landed and decided to welcome the Sabbath and put away work.  It has been glorious!  I am reminded once again that God gave us a day of rest for a reason!  Relaxing and refocusing, we still found time to see some sights in Buenos Aires before hitting the road this evening.  

But, more on that next time...

Here we are...Brazil!

After a wonderful (although too short!) weekend back in California, we repacked and put our traveling clothes on again.  Once again it was a short flight to Texas followed by a long flight to South America (which feels even longer when you can't sleep, unfortunately).  This time, Sao Paulo was our destination.  

Brazil is unexpectedly...fun!  Our quick afternoon visit to Foz do Iguacu had me dreading coming back to this colorful country, mostly due to my own distaste for the "lost" feeling of foreign culture combined with language barrier.  But actually, we've had a great experience so far!  Customs and the airport scene went surprisingly well, praise the Lord!  I'm not sure I could have handled anything else in my overtired state!  Between Spanish and our broken Portuguese, we made it to the hotel with little difficulty.  Then came the hour ride into downtown to Monsanto.  Yeah, I know, we all have our own opinion of Monsanto as a corporation, but let me just say, for all the bad rap it gets, it's made up of some wonderful people working very hard!  We were greeted warmly, treated to real Brazilian coffee, and ushered into a meeting room where the magic was worked once again!  Ana and Galli were expressive and impressed which made telling them about the harvest monitor an exciting meeting!  Their wheels are turning--they'd like us to do some testing, not in the Sao Paulo area, like we'd thought, but in the big-business Mato Grosso state.  We'll see.  

 Jonathan and Justin at Monsanto.

Though we had a great time downtown, I was drooping.  We got back to the hotel decently early and, because we didn't fly out for Brasilia until early afternoon, we had a glorious, slow-start morning!  Just what we needed to work in some rest and recovery from the crazy weekend and 24 hour travel!  

A quick flight to Brasilia, more handshakes with Monsanto people (yay! people who speak Portuguese and English!) and we set off on the long car ride toward the first farm.  We just arrived at our hotel and won't be headed out to the farm until tomorrow morning.  Early.  Well, you can't have 8 hours of sleep every night.

Now here comes the cool part of the post.  Brace yourselves!

Last week, Justin got a newsletter from some missionary friends of friends (Matt and Janelle Steidinger with PAZ) who are living in Sao Paulo as they begin their language training before heading to the Amazon region of Brazil.  He forwarded it to us, and Jonathan sent them an email on Sunday introducing ourselves and letting them know we'd be traveling through Sao Paulo.  We told them we didn't expect to have time to meet them since they live about an hour outside the city, but that we'd love to bring them any supplies they need from the States.  By the time we left on Monday, we had a small package to send to them, complete with Easter candy goodies!  Through some email correspondence, we learned that Matt was up north of Brasilia picking up a car for the family.  Hmm, north of Brasilia, that's where we're headed.  Actually, he mentioned he was stopping a farm to visit someone he knew from his farming days in Illinois.  Hmm, an American farmer from Illinois with a farm north of Brasilia.  Could it be?  Yup!  God is like that--always setting up connections!  He was stopping by the same farm where we will be installing harvest systems.  There wasn't much overlap since they (he's road tripping with his son and another PAZ missionary) were just driving through, and we're on a tight schedule, but we made time to grab dinner with them.  

 There's nothing like the sweet fellowship of the servants of the Kingdom!

Can I just testify of the beauty of the instant connection that only comes from the Spirit?  Seriously!  I know the ones who've never tasted it will just write that last sentence off, but...Listen to me!  There is a bond running deep when people who know the same God, who have never met before in their lives, experience that real brother-to-brother, we're-in-this-together, you-know-what-it's-like, meaningful, tangible experience of mutual understanding.  It's unreal!  And only possible because by the Spirit living in us, we can sense the Spirit living in them as well!  Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!  No other way to describe it.  

It was such a gift from God!  And...it's got our minds spinning.  Getting to hear them testify of revival in Brazil as the church explosively grows through the power of the gospel of Christ...it gave us the chills.  But even before all that, our Brazil experience was tugging at us...planting seeds maybe?  In our Monsanto meeting, right off the bat, Ana mentioned how thrilled she was that "one of the Precision Planting guys brought his wife"!  She's been trying to convince Monsanto they need to get someone from Precision to help the transition into the Brazilian market.  Put simply, there's a whole lot of potential in the farming industry right now in Brazil.  A whole lot.  This technology, and all of Precision Planting's products, could completely turn farming practice upside down and do wonders for the Brazilian growers!  But Monsanto struggles to fully understand all Precision's technology; they're more about seeds and chemicals and stuff.  Basically, if Jonathan was looking for an international job, doors could be opening for Precision engineering positions in Brazil.  Whoa!  Just a second, right?

Anyway...just seeds.  God knows what He plans to see through to a harvest.  I learned a long time ago that His thoughts are far above ours.  That story of the sower and his seeds?  It's more than just an illustration of the response to the gospel.  If God's the sower, He can place each seed exactly where He wants it to go.  He knows if this one's going to make it past germination.  Meanwhile, it's powerful to see the Kingdom at work in this place so far removed from our daily life.  

And that's a reason to glorify the King!