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