Not So Fast

In my previous post I talked about how we got a 9 year extension on our permanent visa, as we still wait on the dual citizenship process. The day after we were at the Federal Police they called and asked for a document on our original investment in Brazil, which allowed us to get an investor type permanent visa. I told them that the company we invested in (a friend's business) was closed in 2009 and that we reinvested in some apartments that we rent out to make some income. They said that since the company we originally invested in was closed that we would not be able to get an extension, and would probably have to leave Brazil. Talk about a shock. We were told we had a 9 year extension on Monday, and then we have nothing.

I asked them if the new apartment investment would qualify, and they said they would need to call me back. This morning they called and told me that we need to bring some new documents there asap, and then they would consider it. After we took the documents this morning, we were told that they would give us a 6 month extension and then send the documents and the case to the capital Brasilia, where they would need to decide whether to extend our visa more or not. So we went from a 9 year extension to no extension, and then to a 6 month extension. Hopefully the dual citizenship process will be completed in these next 6 months, because the bureaucracy here will drive you crazy.

Visa Renewal

20 months ago we started the process to obtain dual citizenship, because we knew that in February 2012 our "permanent" visa was going to run out. For various reasons we were not going to be able to renew the "permanent" visa, which only is good for 5 years, so we went the dual citizenship route. Dual citizenship is also the most secure way to be able to stay in Brazil and continue to join in God's work here.

Any type of government process in Brazil is long and stressful, and typically ends up costing some good money because of all of the documents and fees you have to get. We had to provide 22 different kinds of documents for the dual citizenship, and most of them cost money and take alot of time to get. 

Because the government is so slow here, they did not finish the dual citizenship on time, so today we had to go to the Federal Police in Santos to ask for a renewal of the permanent visa. We were told we had to bring 5 documents with us, which we did. After they reviewed these documents, we were told that we needed to go to our bank and pay a fee for the process, and then return with proof of payment. Fortunately our bank had a branch nearby and we did this fairly quickly. Before we returned to the Federal Police we got a call saying that we needed to go to a special document place and get an authenticated copy of a document, so we went and got that too before we returned. When we returned we were told that we needed to go back to the special document place and get another authenticated copy of something else, so we went and did that and returned. Then we were told that we needed to back to the bank and pay another fee and then return with the proof of payment.

So after 3 hours of running around and jumping through their hoops we finally were told that our visa was extended for 9 more years, praise God. Even though we were not able to get the renewal through normal channels, because the government was too slow in processing the dual citizenship we were able to get the 9 year visa extension. God is good !

Merry Christmas / Feliz Natal

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas / Feliz Natal.

Remember, Christmas is not about the presents, it's about The Gift. God bless all of you.

"the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."    - Romans 6:23

Great Trip

We are flying back to Brazil tonight, and after a stop in Rio de Janeiro first we will get back home in Santos tomorrow around 6 pm. We have had a great trip and we have really enjoyed seeing our sons John and Dan in Atlanta, along with many others in our families and many other friend that we have not seen in quite awhile. We are looking forward to getting back home to Santos, and to beginning to speak in schools and churches again in August.

Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta

This past Monday we visited the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta with 2 of our sons John and Dan, and Nancy's sister and brother in law from New Orleans. We have been in 5 or 6 different aquariums, but the Georgia Aquarium is by far the best we have ever been to. It is billed as the world's largest aquarium, and it is a must see if you are near Atlanta. It was one of the highlights during our 5 day visit to Atlanta.

Visiting With Family & Friends In Atlanta

We have had a very busy but great time in Atlanta so far. We arrived on Friday afternoon after a long trip from Sao Paulo to Mexico City and then to Atlanta. Our luggage got lost in Mexico City and didn't get to us until Sunday afternoon, so we needed to buy some clothes for Saturday and Sunday. On Friday night we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant with our sons John and Dan, and we had a great time. We have not had Mexican food since we were in the US 2 years ago. On Monday morning we went to the Georgia Aquarium with John and Dan, and we also met Nancy's sister and brother-in-law from New Orleans there (we have not seen them for 5 years).

Heading To The US

Tonight we are flying out of Sao Paulo and heading to the US for 3 weeks. This will be only our 2nd time in 5 years to visit our families and friends. We will be in Atlanta for 5 days to see 2 of our sons, then on to Youngstown Ohio for 5 days to see my Mom and family, then to Rochester NY to see Nancy's family, then back to Ohio for 2 days and then back to Atlanta for 2 days before we come back home to Brazil. We are looking forward to seeing our sons, families, and friends. We are also looking forward to getting some down time to relax and recharge.

A Friend's Wedding

On Friday night two of our friends from Sao Caetano, Bruno and Nicole, got married. We met Nicole and her family when we were on a mission trip to Sao Paulo in 2005, and we worked with their church during that trip. It was on that mission trip when God called us to Brazil to join Him in sharing the Good News of Jesus. We had a hard drive up from Santos to the wedding on Friday, as it was raining hard and there was alot of traffic. Plus there are many many bad drivers here, so it is always a challenge. The ceremony was great, and we wish Bruno and Nicole all the best.