Flooding and the Federal Police

We live in the southeastern part of the country and this past week, further south in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, heavy rains and flooding have left over 140 people missing, over 100 dead, and more than 330,000 people displaced and the numbers keep rising with more rain expected this weekend.

This situation is heartbreaking. These photos are from him boating down the roads IN town.

We starting taking donations of food, water, hygiene items, and clothes. So many of these people have lost everything.

With the van loaded up, Roberto drove over 16 hours one way to deliver much needed supplies. Lots of other organizations are on the ground and we are so thankful for people who are willing to help others.

The kids are learning about Jesus being tempted by Satan, how Satan tempts us today, and how we should make wise choices. On this particular page, the kids had to decide what the right (certo) choice was instead of the wrong actions of A) fighting, B) swearing, and C) stealing.

I love this picture. No because of the great photography (we all know I’m a horrible photographer by this point), but because it really shows my husband in way that many people don’t see. He has a servant’s heart (that he uses with much discernment) and he serves us and others faithfully, without anyone knowing. He really likes being in the background. He’s not flashy. He exemplifies Matthew 6:3-4. (He will want me to take this out but I’ll just put it right back in before I publish the post).

The recent missions conference motto was Aquele Que Não Serve, Não Serve, which means those that aren’t willing to serve (in whatever capacity needed which oftentimes is the “menial” task and not the flashy fun task), shouldn’t serve. Although we aren’t missionaries, I’ve thought a lot about this motto recently; about the attitude of how we ought to live our lives daily. I think Trev’s mom and dad did a good job being examples of servants and as a result, he is a good example. I pray my boys know what it means to serve and love others and to know what a great job their dad does. There’s lot of things their dad does, that the boys will never know about because Trevor doesn’t do it for the recognition. He does it because he believes it’s the right thing to do.

Ok, ok; moving on from the mushy feely stuff. If you want to know what it’s like to drive in our town, here is a little snippet- two lanes of traffic and four vehicles. Usually you only get the motorcycles driving in the middle but today they were zooming by on both sides.

Next up, the meeting with the police. Calm down, it’s not what you think. No sirens or handcuffs were needed. Our visas require that we register with the federal police within 90 days of arrival in the country. It took over a month and a half to get our appointment but we are now registered. We were photographed and fingerprinted and our Brazilian IDs should be ready in another 4-6 weeks. I don’t have any pictures from inside this federal building; just picture the inside of any ol’ government building but with less security than the States. We had a Brazilian attorney and Sarah with us to interpret so the process went very smoothly.

But there was no shortage of security at Parque Dom Pedro. You know Trev and I aren’t shoppers but a girl’s gotta eat, right? Sarah recommended this mall because of the food court so everyone could get what they wanted. This mall was massive. It is considered the largest in Latin America. It was fancy and upscale and there were plenty of security wandering around inside and out in the parking lot. If things had been in English, you would have thought you were in Buckhead at a very large Phipps Plaza back in its heyday. Mason immediately ducked inside a bookstore. He found the Hobbit (all in Portuguese, of course), Tuck found Captain Underpants, I found a children’s book to read to the preschoolers, and Trev, well, he found the bill. He also found the bill for lunch. Poor fella.

I don’t know if it’s because they’re so nice, or handsome, or funny, or gringos, but the ladies like our boys. They come up to me all the time telling me how much they love Mason and Tucker. So if my boys don’t surround themselves with the other boys then the girls will flock to them.

I have no stupid things to report this week (good for me but boring for you). But an interesting little tidbit, is the spiky tree from the previous week is called a ceiba. It has a lot of spiritual/mythical significance for many indigenous tribes in Latin America. It has a pretty interesting history if you feel inclined to research. It was a bit too much to add here.

Até a semana que vem.