Brazil is Beautiful!

I only have a few minutes, I am at the Salvato home to get some clothes then I am heading over to the hotel. I am going to stay there with the team the next couple of days, we are getting back late and getting up early so it is just easier to stay with them. I am really enjoying my time with them. They really love Jesus and you can see that by the way they worship! They are a great group and I really like hanging out with them. This morning we hung out with a really famous Christian recording artist here! We went to her recording studio, it was really neat! I have to run, I have so much more to tell but I will have to wait until probably after friday when I get back to staying here with the Salvato's again! Thanks for the prayers, God is teaching me so much!

quick update!

I do not have time to talk, but there is so much to say, just wanted to say everything is great and I will update soon! we are in the middle of a mission event!

STJ is here!

Today has been such a great day! I got up this morning and had a wonderful breakfast of coffee, papaya, bread with cheese, and fress orange juice! yum! then I read a little and went for a run on Copacabana beach! They have a little mini road that goes along the big walkway that is just for runners and bike riders, there are always plenty of people working out. After my jog I came back to find out that Wilson was there to pick me up to take me to the hotel where STJ was. I quickly took a shower and when I arrived at the hotel I saw Lester Spencer sitting on the coach. It was so good to see an American that I knew! I chatted with him for a while and then a few more of the guys in the group came down. Most of the group was resting, they were really tired from there flight all night! When we got back to the hotel the rest of the group was there, it was so great to see everyone. Some of the group members go to Trinity where I teach and others I know from church. Destree is one of the youth leaders and is also in my small group so I was really excited to see her! If any of the parents are reading this blog, you will be happy to know that your kids are here safe and loving every minute!!! After the group was all down stairs we went to go and change money and eat dinner at one of the many pay by the weight places here (you fill you plate with whatever you want and then you weigh it, i guess you could have figured that out on your own). Then we headed back to the bus for the Christ Redeemer statue. It was a short ride on the bus to the train that would take us to the top of Corcovado Mountian. The train ride was a little scary but totally worth getting to see one of the new 7 wonders of the world! I can not describe what it was like looking up at this huge statue. I have seen pictures of it but it is totally different in real life! The first thing that I noticed was a heart right at the center of his chest and then I saw a hole on each of his hands where the nails went through. And then to think about how big this statue is and then how big Jesus is and then what He did for me on the cross, it is just amazing! After we spent some time looking around and taking some pictures we made the train ride back down the mountian to where the bus was. We then stopped at the store and got some snacks and things for dinner. After a little hang out time at the hotel we had a group devotional. Some people shared some thoughts about their experience at the Christ statue. This is a great group and I am really excited to see how God uses them!!! One of the coolest things about today was that this morning when I was running and praying I was praying for my time with STJ and that it would be okay for me to join along with their group. God totally answered this prayer! They made me feel so welcome and told me I was apart of the team! I am really glad they are here and I am going to get to spend time with them! God has been so faithful in answering my prayers! well, I am pretty tired so I think I am going to go to sleep soon! oh i forgot to write about my basketball experience yesterday at the center, I bought a basketball at the mall and brought it to the center to try to see if I could get some kids to play. After some acting I got a few kids to follow me to the basketball court (which is really used for soccer and other activities at the center) they shot a little but were not really interested and started to play soccer. However, a couple of girls came down and they passed back and forth with me for a while and played this game we made up where I would do something with the basketball like dribble around my leg or through it in the air and clap a couple of times and then they would repeat. I thought about my basketball girls (by the way I love you basketball girls and I am praying for yall! I think about you often!) when I was doing some ball handling with the girls, I knew if they were there they would laugh at me because they know I love any chance to do some ball handling :)
please pray for the STJ group, I feel like God has big things for them here, so keep them in your prayers! tomorrow they will be joined with youth from all over Rio at ICP for some mission work, and then they will start doing worship at different places on Sunday night! thanks so much for your prayers!

Bom Dia!

Good Morning!
yesterday afternoon after I left the center I went back to the apartment and changed clothes (it rained all day so I was wet from the walk I have from the bus stop to the apartment) and went to the mall that is just up the street. The mall is different from our malls in the US. There are not big stores, but a bunch of really small stores! This mall has 5 or 6 floors and seems like it goes on and on! It was fun to just walk around and do some people watching! I ate a crepe with tomatoe and cheese, it was really good! I also had some sorbet that was amazing! I like pretty much all the food here. After I was finished walking around the mall I went to get a taxi. I was a little nervous about doing this, but Bianca had written down the address for me on a peice of paper before I left and told me the safe place to pick up a taxi. The people here are really good about giving me safety pointers. I was a little nervous getting in the car with someone in a foriegn country not being able to speak the language, but as soon as I got in the car the taxi driver said hello! He did not really speak English and we could not really communicate but he was very warm and friendly, again God providing! I talked with the family I little before I went to bed.
This morning I have been talking with Wilson about Evengamed, check out www.evangemed.org for more information. I am excited about Wilson´s ideas and how he is allowing God to use him and his gifts. He shared with more about the ministry and how we could use the computer to get the word out about it. I am going to be praying about some ideas. Then we had lunch, rice and beans! plus from veggies today that were really good. I think I am going to help with some painting in just a little while. The group from STJ (my church) is coming on Thursday, I am really excited to see them! Thanks for the prayers about my sinuses, they are much better now!

Boa Tarde!

Good Afternoon!
Here is a little about life in Roi the last couple of days...
after the party on saturday Wilson and his daughter Vivan gave me a ride back to the Salvato house. When I got back I spent some time with Isa. She left Sunday morning. She was such a sweet friend and I really enjoyed spending time with her. She is going home to spend a couple of weeks with her family during her break from school.
Sunday morning I went to church with Rudolfo, he is an assistant pastor at a small Methodist church. Everyone was very nice there and I was greeted with hugs and kisses (if i have not mentioned this already everyone kisses you on each check when they greet you! it was a little weird at first but I am used to it now and think it is such a warm and inviting way to greet people!) Going to church here is interesting becuase, of course, it is all in portuguese. Rudolfo speaks English pretty good so he translated a good part of the sermon for me. It was about repenting and being broken for Christ. We read Psalm 51, were David is crying out for forgiveness for his sins. My favorite part was the worship, even though I did not know what they were singing I knew they were praising God! To me it was a sign of how big God is to see people who speak another language and live on the other side of equater prasing God just like we do! After Church I went to lunch with most of the Salvato Family. Ordering was quite an ordeal, it is so hard to figure that out, but they helped me and I decided on some pasta. Most of the lunch converstation was in portuguese, but it is fun to see their family interact, they are very loving! It reminds me of my family! Everyone talking and trying to get their two cents in!
When we returned back to the apartment I watched a movie with the kids (i say kids but they are a little older than me). Everything American is really popular around here, American clothes, American movies, etc. we watched an American Movie (Pride and Glory, I think that is the name of it, that movie about cops that are curropt in NYC) it was okay, too many bad words. sidenote: they do not translate the bad words when they have subtitles!
In Brazil most people go to church Sunday (Domingo) morning and Sunday night, so I went back to the same church Sunday night. The sermon was good (again Rudolfo translated during the service) it was about David and Golaith and how the past can tell us the future. For example, in the past David had killed a lion, a bear, and i think some other animal, and that helped give him peace about the future, being able to kill Goliath. I have found encouragement in this knowing that God has provided for me in the past being in new places and have seem him provide so far, and know he will continue to provide here! There was a group of 15 Americans doing some long term misson training visiting the church last night and afterwards they had a dinner for them and they asked me to join! I know this was Gods way of encouraging me yesterday and giving me someone that I can speak with! I loved talking with them! Some of them were from Alabama and Georgia and others from other parts of the US, we had a great time trying some Brazilian food and chatting about missions! Many of them are about to be long term missionaries and I really enjoyed talking with them about that.
When we arrived back home Mrs. Salvato was home from vacation so I got to meet her. She even brought me back a t-shirt from where she was, again I can´t descrive how this family has loved me! It was pretty late when we returned so I went to bed shortly after returning. This morning I took the bus to ICP (a lot less eventful this morning!) and I have been doing odd jobs around the center. It is raining here so there are not as many people around today. Tomorrow I think we are going to start painting. Lunch was rice and beans, (have a mentioned that is every meal here!) and I ate with two other volunteers that are from England, so it was fun to speak with someone. again, God providing! I also found a book of English/Portuguese here at the center and asked to borrow it, that way I can point and have people around here help me with pronunciation.
Here is one thought I have had reflecting on our culture and the culture here in Brazil. Self-sufficiency is something that we value in the the US, or atleast I feel like I do. For example, growing up, supproting yourself, having a house, living the American Dream. But I think these ideas we have (I have) are not always inline with what Jesus taught. Here in Brazil people depend more on each other. The poor and the rich too. The idea of living in community seems to be more of a priority. I have been reading Matthew while I am here and in a study by John MacArthur. Matthew 5:3 says "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In a side note MacArthur has written that "poor in spirit" means "the opposite of self-sufficiency, i.e. the deep humility of recognizing one´s utter spiritual bankruptcy apart from God." Our culture teaches, figure it out on your own, self-sufficiency, dont depend on others, its about me BUT Jesus teaches the opposite, to live in community so that no one is in want, blessed are the people who depend on others, who depend on God! Think about all of the hungry people here in Rio, millions of them, think about all of the hungry people in Montgomery right now, our community. I am reading this book called The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Clairborne and he qoutes Dorthy Day "If you have two jackets, give one to the poor." I don´t know about you, but I have a lot more than two jackets. Thinking of all the things I have makes me a little sick. What would our community look like if we loved the least like Jesus did? When you see poverty everyday it is hard not to ask yourself how we can end this, especially when I live in culture where there is so much, we could do something about this. Please join me in praying for the poor in our community and around the world!
p.s. thanks for the comments, I like to read them!
p.s.s shout out to my small group that is going to eat together tonight, I miss you lovely ladies! and look forward to seeing Destree soon!
pss please ignore the words that are not spelled correctly, spell check is not working and lets be honest I am really bad at spelling! :) just ask my bball girls!

here is the latest update on life in Brazil...

yesterday afternoon was a little frustrating. It is really hard not being able to speak the language of the people here. I was at the center and for a while the only one there that spoke a word of English. I was trying to help but it is hard to figure out what to do when I can not communicate. It was a good learning experience but still a little frustrating. After my bus ride back, I went to Copacabana beach to play volleyball with Isa. They have "volleyball school" there on the beach and they let me join in for the lesson. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoy hanging out with Isa, she knows enough English that we can communicate with the addition of some pointing and acting! I am helping her with English and she is teaching me some Portuguese. After volleyball we ate a coconut! It was fun evening!

I took the bus to the center early this morning, however it took me almost 1 1/2 hours to get there, the bus passed right by me waving him down! I made it to the center around 9:30 and started helping them set up for the big party! It is called a festival in June (even though it is July)! There are all kinds of things for the kids to do, such as "go fish", jump on a trampoline, and dance! There are all kinds of Brazilian food to buy. I, of course, tried some yummy sweets! I helped sale stuffed animals and baby clothing. Everything cost from 1 Reas (50 cents) to 10 Reas ($5.00). I learned some more Protégés and learned some more about the culture. The party was supposed to start at 11:00 and at 11:00 not even half of the booths were set up! However no one was stressed and everyone seem to be taking their time setting up! Things are at least an hour behind schedule. The theme is what we would call hillbilly and the kids all dressed according to the theme. Again today I was overwhelmed with the poverty here. I worked today with Anita (Mr. Way´s wife). She has spent most of her life in Brazil as a missionary. I feel like she has so much wisdom and I loved talking with her. She told me a lot about her life as a missionary. She has little, but has more than most, if that makes sense! She has such a kind and caring heart. She was telling more about life in the fevelas. There is one boy who comes to the center and is deaf. I have never thought about life for someone who is in extreme poverty and has a disability. It must be really frustrating for him not to have anyone to communicate with or teach him how to fully communicate. I asked Anita if he was happy, and she said that he is very happy. Having joy with so little is one thing that I really love about the culture here. The people seem to really understand love and what it means to help others. They get the idea of community that Jesus taught, giving to each other so that no one is in want. They rejoiced over the used clothing and free t-shirts that have English on them that they can not even read. I wish that you could see these kids that hang around the center, they are so cute and fun! I was hanging out with a couple of boys today and they were having fun taking pictures and looking at them on my camera. I taught them to count to 10 in English and they taught me the Porteges!

Another thing that I love about the Brazilian culture is the way they love new people, like me! The family that I am staying with treats me like I am in their family. It is hospitality like I have never seen! I can not describe how nice and loving they are to me. I want to learn to treat people the way they do.

Here are some quick prayer request:

-I am having really bad sinus problems, so pray that goes away

-pray for my bus rides by myself, they have been good so far and I am really careful, but it still scares me a little

-pray for the ICP center (where i go each day) that they continue to provide for the people in the area and share the love of Jesus, and that I may learn more about the way they love

-pray for Evangamed, the medical center at ICP, they provide healthcare to so many people and need to continue to have money to keep the ministry working

Oi!

Hi! I made it to Brazil! It looks like I will not have internet as much as I thought, but I want to send a quick update on what I have done so far. I do not have long, we are getting ready for a big party here tomorrow for the children at the center.
After I arrived in Rio, I was met by Mr. Way, the assistant director here at the center. He is originialy from South Caroline, but has lived in Brazil for 47 years as a missionary! He is a very kind man and has been very good to me. We drove right away to the center. On the way I was shocked to see the favelas everywhere. Favelas are large areas full of shacks, they go up the side of hills and are all stacked on top of each other. They go on for miles and miles. The poverty in these areas is like nothing I have ever seen before. We drove striaght to the center, which is located at the bottom of a favelas. The Center has been here for years and they have a good relationship with the people that live around it. I got a quick tour and then we headed to Camp Clay, a camp that is apart of the center. It was about two hours away and that is where I go my first taste of how people drive in Brazil! People, bikes, motorcylcle-like things, and cars all seem to use the same space. People drive really fast and do not really follow the traffice rules! The camp is way up in the hills and it was a little scary going up the curvy roads that are so close to the edge, however it was worth is because the camp was one of most beautiful things I have ever seen! Banana bushes, avacado trees and all kinds of plant life everywhere! After our trip to camp I was really tired so Dr. Bonfim (the doctor at the center) took me to the home of the family I am staying with. Their home is right on Copacabana beach! It takes about 2 minutes to walk there from the apartment! The home is really nice and the family has been extremely welcoming! I went to bed really early on wednesday night!
I got up thursday morning and Dr. Bonfim and his daughter Vivan were there to help teach me how to take the bus! After breakfast (bread and coffee, really strong coffee) we headed to the bus. I learned how to take the bus and we rode together to the Center. We hung out at the center for a little while (Vivan gave me some portueges lessons!) and then we rode back to my family´s home. I spent the evening with Isa and Sara, two members of the family I am staying with. We had a girls night! We walked on the beach, went to see the propsal (in english with subtitles), and then went for pizza! Oh! and I had my first fresh coconut milk! they cut the top off and you drink the juice and then cut it all the way open and eat the coconut, yum!
This brings me to today, which started with my first bus ride by myself to the center! It was not as bad as I thought, though it took me about 45 minutes to get a bus to stop and pick me up. You have to wave like crazy and throw yourself out into oncoming traffice to get them to stop! It is about a 30 minute bus ride to the center. Today, I have been helping get things together for the garage sale tomorrow they are having along with the party! As I was going through the clothes and sorting them, I laughed because they were from churches from South Caroline, North Caroline, and Alabama and I recgonized things from the t-shirts. There was a Davidson baby outfit (thought you might like that Rachel), Auburn shirt!, UNC shirt and many other things from the US. We also did some decorating for the party. Well, I have to run, but thanks for all of the prayers!

leaving tomorrow!

I leave tomorrow for Brazil! I can't believe it is time to go! Please pray for God to continue to go before me and plan this mission trip. Pray that I will be ready and willing to listen to His leading. Pray for safe travels and God's plan in all the small details, like who I sit next to on the planes, meeting the person picking me up at the airport, my first days there, and all the other little details.

thanks!