Well, we made it back to Brazil and amazingly all thirteen of our checked bags made it too. But let me back up and share the amazing blessing that happened at the airport. Yes, thirteen checked bags, sounds like a lot and it is but let me explain. One bag was two years of school books, one bag was a large monitor for Mason along with books he likes to read, one bag contained spices, kitchen storage containers, and personal hygiene items I can’t find in Brazil (or already had sitting at the house), one bag contained an inflatable kayak, one bag an inflatable paddle board, and one bag contained a color laser printer. The other bags contained some clothes and shoes as the boys have outgrown everything from the first trip, some dvds, board games, etc. I hate to buy things in Brazil when I have them just sitting at the house.
So anyway, about the blessing, we bought tickets with Delta that included one bag free each, we also opened a Delta Amex card which allows one free checked bag per person on the itinerary. We were hoping that Delta would combine the benefits and would get 8 bags total for free. No such luck. Only 4 bags free. The nine extra checked bags were going to cost us $1,400. I was instantly regretting the inflatables and printer. Yikes! But as we were talking to Edward at check-in about how we thought we could get both savings applied, his coworker went and spoke with a manager, I’m guessing. In the end, we wound up paying only $600 for all the luggage. I am now no longer regretting the printer.
I think I like a day flight now. We had another night flight but I just felt so groggy from dozing on and off during the plane ride all night. I knew we were coming home to an empty fridge and was dreading immediately going to the grocery store but dear sweet Anna and Roberto had went and grabbed us some groceries and left them for us at the house. What a blessing to just be able to unpack and go to bed. We serve with such sweet people. Our first weekend back, we had to hit all our favorite places to get our favorite Brazilian food; açaí, Brazilian steakhouse, and pastéis. We had to reaclimate ourselves to the culture, right? It was really more research then pleasure. Just go with me on this. 😉
Well, the kayak and the paddle board still float. So that’s a win. The monitor made it safe and the printer was only slightly damaged. She still works; nothing a little duck tape can’t fix.
With the weekend over, we jumped right back in where we left off. I sure have missed these sweet faces.
While we were gone, our building at the Imperial location, was finished. We now have a kitchen and bathrooms! It is so wonderful that the kids no longer have to walk up the hill across the property to go to the bathrooms and we have a place to serve lunch. So many blessings right off the bat.
It’s amazing how we just step back in like we never left. Back in the states, people asked us all the time, what do you love about Brazil. We love America, don’t get me wrong, but at this time in our life, this just feels right. It just felt like home. It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s kind of like when you’re house hunting and you look at different ones and then one just strikes you; it stands out above the rest and just feel right. That’s how this feels.
I know posting a picture of a stove might be a little weird, but this is yet another blessing. The stove on property had been broken for a while. We could still use it, we had already fixed the rusted bottom, but the missing and broken stones were causing almost all the food to burn. Thankfully, the Idlewild team stepped in and ordered us a new oven back in June and it arrived this week. I’m so excited about no more burn food. Blessing after blessing.
The boys have started going to Friday night youth group and I’m so excited for them. It can be hard to make new friends in general, but add a foreign country and a foreign language and it’s even harder. I’m so proud of them for embracing the Portuguese. With the boys at youth, Trev and I took the opportunity to have a date night at a burger place we like, Ursalao, which means big bear. Not sure of the connection of a bear to a burger but the food is good and they play rock music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, so it’s kind of nostalgic and makes us feel at home.
Saturday brought game night. Trevor grilled and we had Sarah, Emily, Cianna, and the teens over to hangout.
It was a busy weekend, as Sunday after church we took the teens to the Big Food Festival. We love these teens. They feel like part of our family at this point.
From large pastéis, to some sushi burgers…
To a 2.2 lb coxhina, to almost food long churros…
To a giant strawberry burger that fed all of us, there was no shortage of things to eat.
We had a good time fellowshipping.
Did I mention there was a pistachio festival going on there too? I’m noticing that Trev took most of the pics and is hardly in any of them. Sorry.
I think the teens enjoyed the weekend too. We love investing in their lives and walking alongside them.
After eating all that food, the kids wanted to get out on the water. They had a great time just being kids. We also had a cute little (well actually it wasn’t little; it was pretty good size) capybara hang out along the shore, while the kids paddled. It was good ending to a good day.
I’m going to have to get better at taking pictures of the actual ministry we do. It’s really hard because when you’re working with this many kids, it’s hard to stop and take pictures. There is so much that is going on during the day. It’s not just teaching, cleaning, feeding, disciplining, but it’s also dealing with family life issues they’re going through, helping them deal with other kids, all while pointing their little hearts to Jesus.
I have to be honest. Some days are just hard. They are emotionally and physically draining. These past two weeks I have helped at both locations in Atibaia, as Alan and Aline were traveling. It was back and forth teaching. The Imperial kiddos were a handful. Sarah spent almost all her time counseling with several kids. The others were struggling with respect and obeying. I felt like it was way more discipling then disciplining. It’s was so deflating.
So towards the end of the day back at the main location this week, I was really feeling drained and a little discouraged, when I saw one of our boys crying. So I went over to him and told Cianna she could go help with snack while I dealt with Calebe. I asked him why he was crying; if it was soccer related or other boys being boys type stuff related (which it most always is when these things happen during free time) and he didn’t want to talk about it. So I just rubbed this upper back and head as he laid there crying face down on the ground. Since he didn’t want to talk, I asked if he wanted me to stay or if he’d rather me go and he said he wanted me to stay with him. My heart melted. We sat in silence for a bit while I rubbed his sweaty little head just trying to show him some tenderness while his heart hurt. Finally, when the crying slowed, I asked if he was ready to join the group. With a head nod, we got up and I had him wipe the remaining tears from his face before he faced the other boys, and we walked with our heads up, feeling better, both of us. God is always faithful. I still don’t know why, after all these years as a a Christian, I still feel a little, almost surprised when He shows himself to me. How wonderful to feel seen and heard even without words.
We were invited to come along with Liandro and his family as Giovana was dropped off at Word of Life for an Intro-type weekend to see if she’d like to atttend Bible college there next year. It was an honor to be asked to stand in the gap as family for her. She is excited but extremely nervous as this is a whole new group of people for her to get to know. We pray her weekend goes well and that she makes some new friends. I’ll keep you posted.
Why is the women, with hip issues and that gets motion sick, testing out sleeping in her new hammock with a mosquito net you might ask? Well, that’s because I am headed to Marajó Island in northern Brazil in the Amazonian region of Pará. We, a group of 11 Portuguese only speaking people (except for me) are going to a remote village to spread the gospel. Apparently, it is an over 3 1/2 hour plane ride and a 12 hour overnight boat ride, sleeping in hammocks on the boat to reach this river village. There will be another night when we are at another village where we will, also, sleep in our hammocks. The other time we will be staying in a house with one bathroom. Apparently, bathing takes place in the Amazon River as we have been instructed to wear dark clothes for that. Hopefully, if I’m not eaten by piranha, crushed by an anaconda, bitten by a spider the size of my hand, or dead from yellow fever, I will tell you all about it in the next post. Prayers are greatly appreciated.
NoHurryCains 
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