It’s Been a Busy Month

A lot has happened in the past few weeks. Mason has really came out of his shell and is now a social fella. So, he comes to me and says, “Hey mom, the teens want me to go to Centro with them tonight. Can I go?” They often go with Liandro and the interns so at first I didn’t think anything about it. Then the teens come in pleading with me to let him go. So I knew something was different. The difference was, no Liandro, no interns; just the four of them, at night, alone in a foreign country (for Mason at least), walking around the city, and riding the bus. We haven’t even ridden the bus. I’m trying to call Trevor to get his opinion. But he was at the Imperial location and didn’t answer his phone. I’m trying to wait but Mason comes back to me and says he needs to know because they have to catch the bus.

I panic. I love these teens and they ride the bus all the time. Mason will be 16 in a couple of weeks and I remember going out with my friends when I was 16. He has changed so much and I want him to know I trust him. He’s becoming a man but yet he’s still my boy and I want to protect him. Since I didn’t hear back from Trevor, I made the call to let him go. I gave him some money and my phone in case of an emergency so he could call Dad. My heart was so anxious. If only Trevor would call me back. Was I doing the right thing letting him spread his wings or was this not the right time for that? Was this dangerous and irresponsible? Uuuhh. So I prayed. I asked God to watch over them.

When Trevor finally got back to my Vinde location, Mason was already gone and Trevor was shocked that I had said yes. He said he wouldn’t have given our son my phone (as Mason isn’t used to keeping up with one, especially one with all kinds of important info in it).

As he and I are passionately discussing my choice, the bus passes by the gate with Mason and the teens all waving at us. They had waited at the bus stop close to Vinde for 45 minutes for the bus. I could have waited. There was no rush like I thought. Trevor could have gotten my phone back or told Mason maybe another time. But now it was to late. That ship had sailed, or in this case, that bus had departed.

As I’m nervously rehashing my thought process, I was struck with the reminder that I had prayed about this situation. I had asked God for help and yet I was behaving like I didn’t believe he would. I stopped cold and told Trevor that if I believe God is who He is and I prayed over the situation, then I needed put that worry down and leave it at the foot of the cross. So I went to bed. Trevor stayed up in order to pick Mason up at the bus stop where Eduardo would get off.

Marcella’s parents picked them up in Centro and drove them home instead of riding the bus back (Mason nor us knew that was happening until it happened), which I don’t know that I felt better about that or not, as I don’t know them or their driving. But he made it home. Safe and sound and happy as a lark. With the exception of giving my phone to Eduardo to keep in his backpack, which kind of defeats the purpose if something happened and he got separated from the group, and finding out that they walked through a rough section of town where a lot of homeless stay and other crimes occur (the teens told Mason to keep his head down and just walk; don’t stop), it was a good experience for him and us.

It actually changed him, I think. His confidence has skyrocketed. With his Portuguese pretty good now, he has decided to start going to youth group on Friday nights and then he hangs out with the teens in the community afterwards. He’s even going to a end of the semester costume party this Sunday and he’s excited. He already has his costume picked out.

We did have to reign him in a little. Trev and I came home late one evening from Vinde (when we have teams here, the boys often walk home and we stay later), and only Tucker was home. When we asked where Mason was, Tuck said, “Mason went with the teens to the missions conference at Palavra da Vida. He told me to tell you.” This lead to a discussion about permission and respect, which is just part of a boy transitioning into manhood. This is a new phase for us as parents. Prayers are appreciated. 😉

School is over. Next year, Trevor will be their teacher for the year. I have love/hate feelings about this. More prayers are appreciated.

Last English class of the semester and we were learning the names of clothes using a fun little relay. The team wearing the most clothes they could pronounce correctly wins. It was a hoot. The kids loved it.

The end of May/first of June brought another team. This Moyo Missions team was a bunch of high schoolers from 12 Stone Church and they were awesome. They helped with Family Day at Maracanã Church right off the plane.

After morning church and home visits, the team taught the kids about God being our shelter at Vinde church Sunday night.

So many testimonies and devotions were shared.

Daily crafts. The team made prayer journals and painted with the kids and lots of other activities.

Activities like mummy wrapping…

cup stacking, and arm wrestling…

more testimonies (we’re all sinners and Jesus washes us clean)…

to devotions about fear and trusting God, with a little impromptu assistance from Kevin. It was such a great week that ended too soon. It’s nice when we have people we know here. It helps us feel energized with a little piece of home here. It was great getting to spend time with Kevin, even though most of the time, it involved him and Roberto picking on me! These teens made a awesome team, they we joyful, and worked hard. I pray the best for them as they go home and take some Brazil and a whole lot of Jesus home with them. I wished I had more pictures of them but I was so busying buzzing around and having fun with this team I didn’t take many.

But there was no time to lament their leaving, as the next team showed up just two days later. There’s a lot to do getting ready for teams, rooms have to be cleaned, laundry done, beds made again, groceries bought, schedules made. But we were ready.

And it’s a good thing too, because this next team was ready too. They did an amazing job. Their flight was delayed and it kind of pushed back afternoon activities but this group was champs about it and made the most of the time they had. This team brought even more people we knew, this time Stan and Mrs. Lisa and Tricia and her daughter Scarlett. We used to go church with Tricia and Scarlett. Tricia and I served in children’s ministry together for years at church. More feelings of home.

Mr. Carl, a veteran, had the kids in tip top shape during testimony time. The more into it he got, the less he remembered to pause for translating because the kids where following his military drill actions. By the end he had forgotten to pause altogether for Richard to translate but the kids were into it to so we just let him finish. Ha!

Devotions were a blast, as the kids were asked to act out being Elijah, Kind Ahab, dand Queen Jezebel and learning about the one True God.

Then it was time for a little tug of war. Girls won. The boys wouldn’t work together.

The gospel was presented with salvation bracelets.

A little good old fashion sack racing.

Then Thales got to be Elijah for the week and go up against the prophets of Baal. Pedro really got into being one of the false prophets.

The kids loved decorating hats and mirrors as reminders that Jesus loves them and that they were made in God’s image.

And who doesn’t love a little Bible bingo; using pictures helped bridge the language gap.

A little capture the flag to run off some energy.

And then another team, a very small one; made up of a man and his granddaughters from Ohio joined us and will be here for a couple of weeks.

More testimonies and devotions and another week was in the books. Our time with this team is over but that doesn’t mean we get to rest because we have our next team coming in 3 days!!