FIFA World Cup 2014

Now the World Cup has finally started. Till around one week before the World Cup you couldn't notice anything of the World Cup especially in those cities which aren't hosting any games. But now all the streets are decorated and Brazil is surrounded completely by the World Cup (check my Word Cup Pictures that I have made so far).  June 16th my Family and I went to Fortaleza to watch on the 17th in the Fan Mile the Brazil vs. Mexico game. This video clip shows how the Brazilian fans are supporting their team 100%. It is pity that the game just ended with a 0 to 0. It would of been great to experience and to film the cheering of the fans. Now we hope that Brazil will do better in their last game and win it. Nothing is logical in this World Cup, the 2:2 from Germany and Ghana or the victory from Costa Rica over Uruguay and Italy and the nearly the victory from Iran over Argentina. All of this shows, that the unexpected has to be expected. I also hope that Switzerland can fix their mistake from the last game in their upcoming game. Well this is it for now from the World Cup. I'm doing good and I have a lot to do here on the Ranch. Before we left to Fortaleza my brother and I were fixing some washroom doors and their are a lot more to fix or renovate. 
I wish you a great World Cup and may our Lord bless you richly.

Back in Brazil

I'm already back in Brazil for almost 3 weeks again. The trip down here was good and I've landed safe and sound in Brazil. The hot temperature here is still a problem and I'm hopefully getting used to it again. I'm helping out on the Ranch were my parents live as well as helping out the mission PróSERTÃO. Everything is going good and I for sure will never be bored here. One week after my arrival my brother also arrived here in Brazil. I'm really glad to spend this summer with him here in Brazil.
As you know the soccer world championship is about to start here in Brazil and the preparations are going crazy. But here in Teresina you barely notice anything of this. To be honest you barely notice that the world cup is less than a month a way. However, I'm really exited to be here and experience this adventure. I hope the best for Switzerland as well as for Brazil. Brazil vs. Switzerland in the final would be the best. :)
Meanwhile I also got my marks back from my winter term. Check out the picture below. I think I can be happy with this.

Ok, this is all for now. I wish you all the best and God's richest blessings.

End of Semester

Sorry for this delay, but now I finally got time to write the english version of my last blog entry.
I finally finished this semester and got already all my finals behind me. I arrived on Tuesday evening back here in Brazil and I'm enjoying the time here so far. During this last semester at school I had the pleasure to take an English course, a History course and a Theology course as well. In my English class we went through poetry and Shakespeare. Nothing to exiting for me. In History we went through the Western History, this course as well wasn't to interesting due to the History knowledge that I already had from my homeschooling time and due to the fact that the History teacher didn't know how to teach. Not a lot of students were to happy with her. However, there were somethings that I still learned. Theology was probably the most interesting class of this semester. I had the chance to learn a lot and I had to rethink certain perspectives of my live. The trip to Mexico during reading week also tied into this course and it helped me a lot to understand things.
Behind me I have now an interesting and good Semester. Now I'm here in Brazil and can enjoy helping my parents on the Ranch as well as in my dad's missions organization as well as to enjoy the World Cup. I'll be staying here in Brazil till the end of August. Beginning of August one of my friends from Canada will be joining me here and then we will be traveling a bit together with my brother through out the country. This are all the news so far, nothing to exiting right now. I'll keep you updated during my stay here in Brazil. Thanks so much for your support and your interest in my Blog. May our Lord bless you richly and protect you on your way with Him.

Halfway

The time here in Canada is just flying by. I already got all my midterms done and shortly I'll be looking at my finals. I enjoy my time here at the University. The more I spend time here the more people I get to know and the more I enjoy my studies. But this is not going to prevent me of leaving this beautiful country at the end of this year 2014. I'm looking forward though to my last term, cause I'll be staying in the Edmonton area and this will allow me to spend more time with the people from the university. After this term I'm closing my chapter here at CLBI.
Halfway, not just my term but also a big project that I'm doing for PróSERTÃO. PróSERTÃO is in need of a new homepage so I thought that it is time to create a new one. So since December 2013 a friend and I are creating this new homepage and we hope to release it on the 22nd of March of this year.
Well the spring is also halfway here. In the last few days we got some nice weather with temperature in the positive area (celsius scale) and it should stay this way for the next few days. Well I hope it stays like that and that it doesn't drop back into the negatives.

Ok I that's it for my quick update. Thanks for your support.

Quest Mexico

I'm back in the cold Canada. I had a very good and blessed time in Mexico. The trip to Mexico was organized by the University I attend. The purpose of the trip was to open our eyes towards the injustice that's happening in Mexico. It was a very busy week, in which we learned a lot about Mexico and how the US, Canada and Europe are manipulating the Mexican Environment / Economy as well as their Politics. We had the chance to listen to different speakers through out the week, such as University Professors from Mexico or with ex-politicians or with people that are involved in the opposition parties that stand up for the grader good of Mexico. One of the speakers we had the chance to talk to is currently under house arrest due to his activities against the political system. We learned a lot about the reality in which 70% of the population lives in. The population of Mexico can be split into three social groups. We would have the top 10% of society which includes the richest people in Mexico and even the current second richest man alive in this world (from 2010 - 2013 he was the richest man alive). This 10% rule the country and do what ever benefits them. They don't pay tax and they run the country so that they can get richer and richer. Then their is the middle class, which makes 20% of the population. This group pays tax but has barely anything to say. And then we have the largest group which are the rest 70% of the population. This group also has to pay tax but because they live on a minimum income of 65 pesos a day (CAD 5.50) they also don't (can't) pay tax. This group has nothing to say and they have to accept what ever the top 10% decides. What shocked me the most was that the neighbouring countries such as the US and Canada are supporting the top 10% and that this government aren't interested in changing the reality of Mexico. Well Switzerland is as much involved as the US. When the war between the lower class and the upper class started the US supported the upper class with weapons and Switzerland gave them tactical support. According to unofficial data the amount of people that either died or just "vanished" is so big that you can lay the bodies beside each other and that the line is as long as the US-Mexican border, which is c. 2000km long. This war between this two classes is about two major things. First it is a war for the right of the Mexicans and secondly it is about the weapon / drug traffic between the US and Mexico. 

This are just a few information that we got during our stay in Mexico. But an other topic we looked at was about something that I never could of dreamed of, I didn't think it even existed and I think you also never heard of it. It is about "The School of the Americas", a school in the US that in my opinion should never have came into existence. A lot of people think the same way. Read more from the point of view of the protestants here.

Ok, I think this is enough to make it clear to you that I learned a lot and that my eyes were opened to a lot of new things. I always was convinced, that you should get to know a country not from the touristic point of view but more from the real side.

Check out the pictures here >>

If interested check out the Quest Mexico homepage

I wish you all the best and thanks so much for your support

God's plan vs. My plan

Your life never end stye way you planed it. In my last Blog entry I wrote about staying through out the summer here in Canada and working for two months and then the rest of the summer I would go travel. Well this plans have totally changed. One night when I was laying in my bad and suddenly I felt as if something or someone was leading my thought to Brazil. Later that night when I tried to fall asleep I felt like the same power / feeling was now pushing me towards Brazil. Well the next day I got an E-mail from my dad in regard of my future. I responded to that E-mail and asked him if they need any help in Brazil. Short after that he respond telling me that they actually need someone to do the maintenance on the Ranch due that the missionary that does the maintenance is going to Switzerland for a few weeks. I felt like God was leading me to go to Brazil instead of spending my summer in Canada. Thinking now about it, I have to say that I probably save more money flying to Brazil than staying in Canada.
Ok, this is in regard to my summer. A second plan that God has changed in my life was in regard to a church weekend in the mountains. I had the choice of going either to the church weekend or to go to Mexico with King's University. Back at the time when I had to make a decision I decided to go to the church weekend. Soon after I made that decision the application for Mexico also expired and short after this date the church weekend got canceled. So I wasn't going to Mexico because the university wouldn't accept any applications anymore and I wouldn't be going to the church weekend because they canceled it. Well I thought Im going to save money then. But when my classes started this semester my theology Professor told us that they are still looking for a man for the Mexico trip and that they still would accept one application. So I thought well then that is what God wants me to do and I applied. Now I'm leaving for Mexico on February 15th.
The conclusion is that we are not the Lord of ourselves but God is, He has the perfect plans for our lives.

New Year

We are already in the year 2014 and that's why I want to wish you all the best and God's blessing for this new year. I hope you had a wonderful and good switch into the new year and that you had the chance to enjoy your holiday season.
I want to thank you very much for all your support. There is nothing better in this world than to know that I have friends and family that support me in prayer or financially.
My plans for 2014 are that I'll be back in Switzerland for Christmas. I hope to be done with all my classes by the end of this year. For this upcoming Semester I'll be having Theology, Western History and English. After this Semester I hope to help out at a Biblecamp for the months of May and June. What exactly I'll be doing for the months of July and August I don't know yet but I got an invitation from a Pastor in California to go visit him. So I might go down to the U.S and visit some friends. But till then I'll be studying.

Well I think that was it for now. I wish you all the best and much successes for this year