Travel Mercies

Although flying out of Birmingham didn't happen the day we expected (due to wintery weather cancelations), we are happy to announce we actually arrived in our new city Thursday afternoon!


Mark introduced me to listening to Podcasts by a pastor in Seattle, Washington named Mark Driscoll a couple years ago.  My Mark really likes him, and so do I.  Well, we were walking around the Atlanta airport, trying to pass the time, and I see a guy with his wife that look very familiar.  Sure enough, it was Mark Driscoll!  We ended up introducing ourselves and I pulled the I'll-never-see-this-person-again card and took a picture of both Marks.


So, you can probably imagine how chaotic life has been for us as we've been packing and getting ready to move.  I had a typical Michelle moment on the flight from Atlanta to Sao Paulo.  As we carefully read our Customs and Immigration forms, I saw a phrase that triggered a panic attack - "narcotics prohibited."  I realized, at that moment, I hadn't sorted through my medicine bag before we packed.  I had two bottles of Lortab and Percocet inside my checked luggage!  I don't know the Brasilian way, so I'm thinking "What if they kick me out of the country, or fine me, or arrest me!"  All that to say, I found myself in the Sao Paulo airport bathroom secretively flushing pills down the toilet.  Who does that?  Thankfully we made it through customs and, after all that trouble, they never checked our luggage!


Our initiation to Brasil was complete when we drove past the president of Brasil, President Lula, on our way from the airport into the city!  Lula was in Belo Horizonte today celebrating the completion of a huge government building close to the airport.

Mark & Mark in ATL

Click here to see more from Mark Driscoll

Outskirts of Belo