91%

As of today, December 30 2010 we are at 91%.  We only need $538 to meet our monthly budget of $6000.  In the month of December the Lord raised $600 in new monthly support which excites us to see what He will do in January.

Stay Tuned

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing!"

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

The 1987 Atlanta Falcons

In 1987, the Atlanta Falcons were 3-12.  They were the worst team in the NFL.  The offense averaged 13.7 points a game while the defense let the opponent score on average 29.7 points a game.  You are not going to win many games. 
Fast forward 13 years, the Falcons are 10-2, they are the best team in the NFC and I would like to see them win the Super Bowl.  I think they can beat most teams this year but will have problems matching up with the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints come playoff time.
I've been a Falcons fan since 1991, that is the first time I saw a Falcons game and I have cheered for them ever since.  I am not a bandwagon fan, I don't hate Micheal Vick and yes I've done the "Dirty Bird" dance a couple times.  I've liked the Falcons when they had "Primetime" and when they had Jeff George. I've been to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium to watch a football game. 
What do the 1987 Falcons, the "Dirty Bird" dance and "Primetime" all have to do with me?  Well I guess not much.
I just like the Falcons and want to educate the 3 readers of this blog with a little Falcons history.


You might be wondering why I made all the 87s bold. That is because we are at 87% of our support budget.  We need $738/month to finish our support.  We are getting very close to being on the field in Brazil and we are excited, kinda like when I used to watch "Primetime" play football x 10.




Don't know "Primetime", introduce yourself by watching a highlight tape.

Pre-Deployment Training

We will be in Birmingham,AL from December 10-14th with our pre-deployment training.  This is the last bit of training we have before we leave for Brazil. 


Closer

We are currently at 81% of our support goal.  We are in need of $1138 a month and then we can leave for Brazil. 

Mission Accomplished

We now have our visas.  Last Thursday at four o'clock we received our visas.  A process we thought was going to take 6 months only took 2 and a half.   We feel the Lord is moving us to Brazil in His timing not ours and we like it.  We still have $1238 left to raise a month and then we can leave for Brazil.  We are praying all the funds will be in by January.  We are very excited at what the Lord is doing.

November 1 2010

Today is November 1st 2010 and I have been a little lazy with the updates to our blog since moving to PTC.
We are currently at 79% of our goal.  We need $1288 a month to finish.  We are praying and planning to finish our support by the end of 2010 and leave for Brazil in January.

Sorry I dont have a youtube video to make you laugh. I will work on that.

BH

30269

30269- The zip code of Peachtree City, GA.  We are getting settled but not too settled.

Welcome to Peachtree City!

 We are praying that our support will be finished by the end of the year and for us to be in Brazil in January.  We are currently at 76% which leaves $1440 left to raise.  We have a church in Decatur, AL that is coming on our team but we will not find the amount out until early November.  We have seen God provide for us in a myriad of ways over the past three months and we getting more excited to serve Him in Brazil.  Thank you to all of our supporters.



 SideNote:

Do you know Lou Holtz?  He used to coach football at Notre Dame and South Carolina.  He currently works for ESPN as an analyst.  He is a guest on the Rick & Bubba Radio Show on the clip below.  If you know Lou Holtz you will appreciate this clip, if you do not know Lou Holtz you should stop reading and find some videos of Lou on the internet and then come back.


 












 

The Missing Link

We mailed all our documents to the Consulate of Brazil on September 9th.  Yesterday they were returned to us.  We are missing a document.  A document we thought we had in the packet.  We are frustrated.  We know God is in control and in His timing we will arrive in Brazil but it is frustrating.  I'll keep you updated.

Brian

72.9

We are currently at 72.9% of our monthly budget.  We need $1625 a month and then we will be on our way.  We are very excited about what the Lord is doing right now.  We will be moving to Peachtree City, GA at the end of September. We will live with Abbey's parents until we move to Brazil. 


Never heard of Peachtree City.  Click on the link below and get educated. 
www.peachtree-city.org/



Here is another little youtube gem that Abbey showed me one day.  I don't know how she finds them but she does. Enjoy.

Furniture for Sale!

We are moving to Atlanta to live with our family until our support is finished and our visas are approved.  We are hoping this will only take a few months.  Please take a look at our furniture and let us know if you are interested in anything.  You can leave a comment if you have questions or contact us by phone or email.  aharper@campusoutreach.org   (678) 360-1401

Leather couch- very comfy $100 SOLD!

Leather Chair $150 SOLD!

Restoration Hardware leather chair $150 SOLD!

Both Chairs together SOLD!

desk chair-SOLD!

leather top desk- $75

Floor Lamp $10 SOLD!

Laundry Basket $15 SOLD!

Bookshelf, solid wood- $20 SOLD!

Solid wood bookshelf-$25 SOLD!

cabinet, used as a kitchen pantry- $30

Rolling Serving Cart- $15

Kitchen Table with Chairs- $100 SOLD!

Shelf- $20 SOLD!

Coffee Table $30

Chair- SOLD!

Chair $15

Leather Seat Chair $15

Standing mirror- $35

Electric Grill- Perfect for an apartment dweller who cannot have a gas one. $50

Electric Smoker- also can double as a grill- $50

3 Tier Metal Plant Stand $10 SOLD!

Metal Folding Patio Set $50

The Queen mattress set is also sold.

Visa Quest

I stole the title of this posting from the movie "Vision Quest".

 The Visa Quest

Visa
1. An endorsement made in a passport that allows the bearer to enter the country issuing it.
Quest
1. The act of searching for something.

Last Wednesday we went to the Consulate of Brazil.  We were there for approximately 45 minutes (we arrived 20 minutes early to our appointment) and were turned away with a new list of things to do, the list includes but is not limited to the following:

• Photocopy every page of your passport, including the outside of our passport, get it notarized, then go to the county clerk where that notary is registered and have them confirm that the notary is a legitimate notary.  Then proceed to the Post Office and purchase a money order for $20.  The passport is now finished, repeat the same steps for every document that must be notarized, four more documents a piece and you are finished with that.

We are waiting on a few documents from Brazil and then we will mail all of our documents and their copies to the Consulate of Brazil in Atlanta.  They will notify us that the documents are in order and then we will schedule an appointment and meet face to face.  After that we will wait 3-6 months when the Government of Brazil will welcome us with open arms.

The Visa Process

Tomorrow we will be heading to the Consulate of Brazil. Its in "Hotlanta" or Atlanta.  We have learned a lot about international governments working together or not working together through the Visa process and here are some fun facts if you ever plan on visiting Brazil.

• If you are a US Citizen you need a Tourist Visa to visit. If you are not a citizen of the US most likely you do not need a visa to visit.
• When applying for a Voluntary Visa or VITEM I as we are, it cost $210 but if you are not a citizen of the USA its $60. Yes that's correct US dollars. And all Visa fees must be paid with an United States Postal Service Money Order, Sorry Western Union, your money order is no good here.
• We have approximately 10 piece of papers each or documents to turn in tomorrow, ranging from a copy of our driver's license to documents in Portuguese stating we are people of upstanding character. (The papers in Portuguese I am not really sure what they say, Rosetta Stone doesn't have a Visa documents section)

All this to say is that we are not sure we will get our Visas on the first try. We are rookies at dealing with government on this level.  We have lived in Birmingham, AL for the past two years and I believe this has prepared us well for "funny" government. 

I let you know how it goes.

61 & Roger Maris

Roger Maris hit 61 home runs for the New York Yankees back in 1961, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs which stood for 34 years.  Roger Maris record was broken in 1998 by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa who hit 70 and 66 for the year.  What does Roger Maris, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have to do with us and raising support....well nothing actually but we are 61% of our support which is the same number of home runs Maris hit in 1961.

We have $3700  of monthly support committed.  God is continuing to bring people to our team and we are getting more excited about the possibilities of being in Brazil very soon.


Here is Roger Maris' 61st home run.
Enjoy.

August 9 2010

58%

We are at 58% of our budget. We have $3509 committed. We need around $2500 a month to be on the ground in Brazil. Continue to pray that the Lord will lead people to join our team.

Mark & Michelle Hamby have been in Belo Horizonte for 5 months. We will be working with them and we are excited about that. To find out whats going on in Brazil right now visit thier blog at: markandmichellehamby.blogspot.com


Sling Shot Man
I think this is one of the best videos on Youtube

July 24 2010

We are currently at 55% of our budget. We have $3309 committed. We only need $2691 to be on the field in Brazil. Continue to pray that the Lord will bring people to our team.

On a lighter note, my wife is really good at finding funny/weird youtube videos.  Check out K-Strass.

Enjoy

$50,000

Strike up the band. Ladies and Gentleman we are now finished raising our launching fund of $50,000. This money will go to buying a car, furnishing our apartment, shipping items to Brazil, paperwork and taxes. We are very excited this is finished and we believe this is just more confirmation from God.  We want to say Thank You to everyone that has given. Thank you for giving and thank you for trusting in the Lord and what He will do in Brazil through us.


 Fiat Uno
One of the most popular cars in Brazil.
A portion of our launching fund will go to buying a sweet ride like the Fiat Uno.
Vroom!


-Brian

The Summertime

I have been away from the blog. An update, the first week in  June Abbey and I were in Atlanta meeting with people.  We enjoyed the opportunity to share our vision for Brazil and the time we spent with family and friends. The second week in June we attended a Support Raising Seminar in Nashville, TN.  We learned a lot and it has helped us tremendously.  After Nashville we headed to Charlotte, NC so I could take a class through Reformed Theological Seminary.  Then after all that we headed back to Peachtree City just in time for the soon to be World Famous 4th of July Parade. Abbey's parents make a float to advertise for their business.  I was able to overcome Brasil's defeat in the World Cup to the Netherlands a day earlier just in time to throw out candy during the parade.   We stayed in Peachtree City the next week and continued to meet with people and share our vision.  We are really excited right now. We've got some momentum.

Now that the 2010 World Cup is over. It's Brasil's turn in 2014. Here is the logo. Get excited.

The Final Countdown

For the past year Abbey and I have raised support and worked as well. This will all change this Thursday and Friday, our last days. This week reminds me of a Europe song called "The Final Countdown" you mostly likely here it nowadays played in the 4th quarter of a football game.  Its a great song. (I posted a link so you can check out what real music sounds like.) After the final countdown there will be changes for Abbey and I. We will put all of our time and effort into raising support. We are excited but also a little scared at the same time. Excited because we will have plenty of time to put toward raising support and scared because of the unknown. Pray for us during the next few months as we work at raising support to labor in Brazil.

Brian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_IKcMl_a9A
Is it a continent or a band? Its Europe!

Decatur, Alabama

Last Sunday Abbey and I had the opportunity to visit First Bible Church in Decatur, AL. We were able to share what the Lord is doing in our lives and in Brazil in two Sunday School classes. Abbey has a friend, Leslie, that attends First Bible and she set everything up for us. She also hosted us at her parents house for lunch after church where members from the church joined us. It was a great time of letting people know what we are doing and what the Lord has done so far. We want to thank the people of First Bible for welcoming and listening as we share our hearts with you.

Brian


Thanks Leslie for all your help, We had a great time.

Help Us Out

We need more people to hear about what we are doing. We need to tell more people about what the Lord is doing in Brazil. If you are a part of a small group, Sunday school class, or small church and you think you could pull some strings for Abbey and I to come speak then don't hesitate to contact us. It could be a small group of 5 people or a Sunday school class with 60. The number doesn't matter. We are looking to get the word out to more people what the Lord is doing in Brazil and how He has called us to labor there.
Listed below are the churches we have had the opportunity to share in.

First Baptist Church, Peachtree City, GA
Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
Emmanuel Community Church, Ft. Wayne, IN
First Bible Church, Decatur, AL (May 16)

Why not add your church to the list?


Brian
404-414-1120
brianleeharper@gmail.com

April 15

Today is the day to turn in those taxes. Time to pay Uncle Sam. This is also a reminder that all checks made out to Campus Outreach are tax-deductible.

So you wanna go to Brazil...

 The items listed below are what we have compiled so far on our part to acquire a visa from Brazil. This is just the start of it. We both already had passports, so that was easy. We had to take a trip down to the Birmingham Police Department and obtain a background check, that only took 25 minutes, record time. (really, things can take a very long time when dealing with the city of Birmingham) We both had recent resumes that just needed a little polishing and that is that. We are currently waiting for documents from the church in Belo Horizonte, and the process will continue.

1. Valid Passport
2. Background check from the city of Birmingham
3. Resume

Stay Tuned


BH

Same ol' Same

Today is Tuesday March 31, 2010. We are pretty much at the same place with support that we were two weeks ago. The slow times during the support raising process are the hard times. Its times like these where I feel the Lord is doing work. I mean He is always working but its times like these when we have no distractions, nothing is happening. Sometimes these periods last longer than others. Its during these times where I can really feel the Lord chipping away, sculpting us into His image.  These times are always better when I can look back and see the complete lesson of what the Lord was teaching me for that particular time. These are teaching times for sure.

BH

Half Way

We are pretty much half way through our support raising. We need 3,000 more in continuous giving and $11,500 one time and we will be able to leave for Belo Horizonte. We will also be starting the visa process. No not for a credit card but a visa that will allow us to legally enter and live in Brazil. In most countries this can be easily done but the process of applying and getting a long term visa to Brazil can take 6 months. Even if you do the proper paper work they can still deny you. It can be a little nerve racking to say the least.  Pray that the visa process will be as smooth as possible.  I mean who wouldn't want the Harpers living in their country? (below is a picture of a Brazilian visa)

tchau

bh



                                  

49.4%

We are currently at 49.4% of our budget. We have $2965.00 committed. Thanks to all those who read this blog and are committed to give. Rest assured you are unique. Things are going well here in the Harper household. We are taking it easy this Tuesday night, just doing a little bloggin' and chillaxin with the wife.

I don't have much to say tonight. I hope you are having a great night/morning/afternoon. I do have one prayer request. Pray that the Lord continues to bring us new contacts. We are getting to the point where we need referrals from people and we need God to move in people. We need people to trust the Lord with not only their salvation but with the finances He has given to them to manage. I always thought it was interesting how sometimes it is easier for people to trust Christ for salvation but trusting Christ with money seems harder. I don't know maybe its because I am young and I don't have a mortgage or three kids or a car payment. I don't know maybe I am just idealistic. Maybe the Lord has moved me to trust Him with what He has given me. Maybe...


BH

Romans 8:28

Recently,
Abbey and I have been able to see God working in our lives. Let me explain. A couple months ago Abbey was in a fender bender. It messed up the front end of her car, it was going to cost us more to fix the car than what the car is worth. We put an add in the Peddler at our church and a few weeks ago a car was donated to Campus Outreach. A man in our church donated the car and we get to use it till we leave for Brazil, then Campus Outreach will use it for missionaries traveling in the states.
Here is another example of how God is working. Our lease expires at the end of March. We are hoping and praying to be in Brazil by the Fall. Abbey called our landlord and explained what we were doing and we worked out a six month lease and he lowered our rent. Pretty Cool.
These are just two examples of how I feel God is moving us toward Brazil. I know He is working even when I can't see it, like last September. Last September was our worst month to date with support raising, I think we raised $50 for the whole month. But while the money was not coming in God was growing our faith and dependence on Him.
God is always at work in His people. Sometimes it is just a little easier to see.
Be encouraged.

-bh

January 30, 2010

Good day everyone,

As of today we are currently at 46% of our monthly support and we have around $30,000 of our one time raised. Decemeber and January have been very good months. God is continuing to bring new supporters to our team and it is amazing to see Him at work.  A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit Ft. Wayne, IN. Our friends, Sam and Abbey hosted us and we were able to speak in four Sunday school classes at their church, Emmanuel Community Church. We had several people sign up to receive our updates and one family signed up to support us financially. It was a great trip and we just wanted to thank Sam & Abbey and the members of Emmanuel Community Church for the great hospitality.

-brian

Happy New Year!

The past couple of weeks  we have been out of town, visiting family, spreading Christmas cheer, and things of that sort.  Abbey and I thought December would be a pretty slow month regarding support, people are spending time with their families, a lot of traveling, and usually spending more money around this time of year for various reasons. So we were nicely surprised by the amount given this month. This has been our best month when it comes to how much money has come in. We are currently at 27% of our monthly budget, thats around $1650 committed, this is all unofficial as well we will not get our monthly giving report until next week so it could go even higher.
We will give more information as we get it. The above picture is a house in my mom's subdvision, Kennesaw, GA is bringing that Christmas heat. The picture does not do it justice.

BH