Every now and then, we will post some things that are happening day by day here in Brazil. Many unusual things will take place, and we want to let you know about them. Here are some stories you may want to read
Sorry I apologize for any grammatical errors that might be in the following stories. My mind is in transition from English to Português. The grammatical part and spelling is very different. When I write in English, my mind wants to follow the Português rules. Anyway, if you notice a mistake, let me know! 11/10/2008 House Flooded I!! It is a good thing our whole house is tile. Mandy was washing clothes and I was somewhere when all of a sudden we had water in the laundry room, kitchen, and bedroom. Mandy finally noticed it when she came walking into the bedroom and realized she is kicking water around. She hollered for me and I came a slippin and a slidin in. We were not sure where it came from. We thought it was the washing machine so we tightened up everything. We thought a faucet busted but all was clear. Anyway, we cleaned up and all was squeaky clean. House Flooded II!! Again, it is a good thing our whole house is tile. Again, Mandy was washing clothes and we were keeping a "close" eye on it. I was somewhere and Mandy was just leaving the kitchen. When she returned, she was kicking water again. She hollered for me and our laundry room, kitchen and bedroom was flooded - again . BUT, we found the problem. The drain was stopped up, so when the washing machine emptied it came up through the drain. I opened up the drain and to my surprise found a glob of "Not Sure" It was bad. Anyway, all is well and the water is draining properly. Bible Day!! It was Bible day at church yesterday. The Trinitarian Bible Society was in attendance with a display table. They had some great literature and very old writings of the Bible. One writing was on an ancient manuscript. The day emphasized the importance of God's Word, and how people died for their belief in God and the Bible. Harold Gilmer preached an excellent message on the names of God and 2 received Jesus as their Savior. It was a great day. What Has Emma Been Up To She is up every 2 hours and currently sleeping half the night in the crib and half the night with Mom and Dad. We are hoping to break this habit. She has discovered her hands and is now clapping all the time. She has also discovered daddy's belly button. She says Mama, Bye Bye, and something else. Not sure what it is. I think it is Dada. She is now standing on her own but does need to hold on to something. Lastly, she is starting to scoot but going backwards. She also rolls to where ever she needs to go. She is a Wild One let me tell you. Trick or Treat! We got home on Oct 31 from doing some errands when we found a note that neighborhood kids would be coming by the house for trick or treat. I didn't know Brazilians did that because of it being unsafe to walk the streets at night. Anyway, I checked our pantry and found some snicker bars. I told Mandy this should be good enough. Around 7pm the first group came by, and it was like 15 kids. We got rid of our candy from the first group. I thought, well, we will just tell the kids we ran out. Around 7:30, the next group came by. It was around 5 people, and I told them I did not have anymore. They seemed very disappointed and the parents seemed to give me the look. Either no one was giving out candy, or I was the only one not giving. I thought about what my mom did when we ran out of candy in the States. She gave out Fudge Rounds and Debbie Snacks. The only thing is Brazil doesn't have Debbie Snacks. I thought this is going to be a busy night, so I got in my car and fought traffic and people and bought $15 worth of candy! I got back home a little after 8pm and Mandy, Emma and I sat in the front waiting on all the kids to come by. NOT a ONE showed up. Where are the kids? I almost went looking for them, but decided not to. Trick or Treating is new to the Brazilians, but every year there seems to be more kids out wanting candy. I just know to be prepared earlier in the evening. Updated 10/14/2008 Children's Day Children's Day is a holiday here in Brazil. It is a day where you let the kids run wild. Isn't that everyday? Anyway, it was a special day. We kicked off our Campaign at church with this day. It was a great time. We had over 100 kids and had some ask Jesus to be their Savior. We ended the day with a small festive Carnaval - Not a Brazil Carnaval, but an American type Fall Festival. A lot of work was put into it, and God blessed with a great day! You can see pics under "Children's Day Pics" Summer Time is Here! I think? Turn on the fans and open the windows because Spring/Summer has arrived. Yes! I go ahead and combine the 2 because I can't tell the difference. Yesterday, was a hot day. It felt like the middle of summer, but other days it is Spring like weather. In Sao Paulo you can never predict the weather. Who knows? Next week could be in the 50's. The weather here is almost like living in North Florida! You have to be prepared for all 4 seasons Yes! We have a SAMS Club I know what you are thinking - Man! They got it made. They have a SAMS. Do not let the name fool you. It is not an American SAMS. It has an Imported Isle where we can buy American Products. I will give you one price. Of course, I will give you the price when the dollar is high. When the dollar drops -WOW! 12 hard Taco Shells and a pack of seasoning - R$ 19,00 (Reais) = $9.50 (dollars) 1 Bottle Heinz Ketchup - R$ 10,44 (Reais) = $5.22 (dollars) 10 Garbage Bags - R$ 20,00 (Reais) = $10.00 (dollars) In the near future we will have a "Price Page" that will list all kinds of items from cars to appliances to what you can't get for the benefit of those in the States wanting to know as well as new missionaries coming to Brazil. This will allow them to know how much things will cost, and also if it would benefit them to bring a container. Updated 10/6/2008 Post Office Error This was a language blooper at the post office. I did not speak the blooper, but me not understanding what was said caused the blooper. I wanted to send two important letters express to someone in the States. I have sent things express before and was somewhat expensive. Anyway, I was ready to give the lady around $50 (reais), which is around $25 (dollars). After she weighed the letters, she said, "quatro quarenta". She said this so fast that I only got the quarenta part which is 40. I gave her $45 (reais) because I knew there was some cents on the end. She looked at the money and asked me what I was doing. I asked, "is this an incorrect amount?" She laughingly said, "yes." The cost was only $4 (reais) and .40 (cents) She obviously marked these letters as regular mail and not express, but the fact that I wanted to give her $40 reais instead of $4 reais is embarrassing. The people waiting in line got a good laugh, and they were more than willing to do financial business with me. Intestines Again We ate with a Brazilian family again last Friday night. Yes, Cow Intestines was back on the menu. Last time it was a soup which allowed me to slurp it down nice and easy. It tasted much like a sponge going down. This time, it was only mixed with some cabbage. Was it soaked to where it melts in your mouth? Nope, it was chewy with a smoky flavor. I mixed it with my rice and beans and chowed down. Updated 9/29 Preached first Sermon Sooner or later I had to do it. Yes, I preached my first message in Portuguese. We had a Teen Service last Saturday, and Pastor Deo asked if I could speak. I gladly accepted his offer and spoke on Proverbs 3:5,6. I explained how God wants to direct our lives but we must trust in the Lord always, never do what we think is best, and ask God in all things before doing them. By the time I was half way through my jaws were killing me. Speaking another language for that period of time without a break can be tough. I started running all my words together. Come to find out, that is how the Brazilians speak, so I fit right in. I was going to record it, but thought, no, it could be used against me later. Maybe next time I will. Emma says first word, and it ain't Dada All I am saying is when she said mama, it sounded like dada, but I am not going to win this fight. Mandy said it was mama, so I guess I will let her win this time. The next word Emma said was, Baba. I think we can count that as dada. Oh Yeah! Emma starts eating fruits and vegetables We do not have baby food here in Brazil so we have to make everything from scratch. they do have some baby food but you will pay a fortune. Emma ate fresh squished Peas. you ought to have seen her face on that one. We got video of it. The next one was squash. She actually liked that one. Bananas and Mango are next on the list. Mandy has to work and prepare all these before hand and freeze them. In a way this is good, because everything is fresh going into Emma's little body. Updated July 14, 2008 Emma's Sleeping Getting Better We are now getting to bed by Midnight. Emma, after about 5 mins of crying, goes off to sleep. It is WONDERFUL Emma Rolled Over It Happened! I was on the couch working on some things with my computer and Mandy was out and about the house and before we knew it Emma rolled over on her Play Matt. Both of us missed it. I hollered for Mandy and we got the camera out and turned Emma back on her back. We coached her and she wouldn't budge. Mandy stayed in the living room but started watching a show and I went back to working and before we knew it she rolled over again. WE BOTH MISSED IT AGAIN! Emma is a quick one. I bet she watched us until we weren't looking. This time, we put everything down and said we will not miss it again. We put her on her back and starred for several minutes and she finally rolled over. It was exciting and depressing. Exciting that she rolled and depressing that she is growing way to fast! Teen Activity Mandy and I sucked it up and had the teens come over to our house last Saturday for an activity. It was a lot of fun and nothing that I know of was broken. The day started with playing the Wii Game System. The Brazilians absolutely loved it. Everyone gathered around the tv and played tennis, street racing and other games. We then went out in the garage and played Foosball, Futebol, and a Comic Strip game. We ended the night watching a dvd of me skydiving. The Brazilians thought that was crazy and eating Sloppy Joes. In Portuguese, as I would say it, would be carne de louco (Crazy Meat). This was the first time we had the teens over and it was a blessing to have them. Everyone had a great time and couldn't wait to come back. It opened up the door for Mandy and I to make relationships with the teens and workers. 4th of July Party Yes, we have a 4th of July here, just not an American Independence 4th. We were able to celebrate with other American missionary families. Had the Good Ole American Hamburgers and (orange) Hot Dogs. Not sure why Brazil has orange hotdogs. We played Volleyball and shot off some illegal (If we were in the States) fireworks. Here anything goes!! Of course, we all took time to pledge to the American flag and also sing our national anthem. America is a great country, and we are proud to be Americans. Updated June 27, 2008 Been a While Well here we are. It has been a while since we updated the Crews News. From here on out, I think, we will update the website every Monday. That is the day I have chose as Website Day. So, starting this Monday, I think, we will have new updates on the site. Graduated! Today was Graduation Day! Mandy and I both finished language school and now ready for the big task at hand - Training. We left early this morning because traffic is usually heavier in the morning. For some reason there was not any traffic and we arrived 45 mins early. Hey! Like I always say, you cant be too early on Graduation Day! There were 8 in our graduating class. 4 Americans, 2 Koreans, 1 Japanese, and 1 Filipino. We were encouraged to see all the BIMI missionaries in Sao Paulo present for this day. I think they all came to hear us give our testimony in Portuguese for the first time so they can have ammunition to make fun of us if we messed up. BUT, Mandy's testimony was great and mine, well, they have ammunition! All Paperwork Completed After 1 year and 4 months we have completed our paperwork. We are awaiting for our permanent visas to arrive, Emma is officially Brazilian and American. She has her Dual Citizenship papers and passports. This will be great when we enter the States and Brazil because we get to get in the Citizen line. Makes for an easy customs check. Car Ride 2am + Baby Crying = 30 min Car Ride around Sao Paulo. Let me explain, 2am means we tried at 11pm to put her down and it is 2am and she has not gone to sleep. Baby Crying means SCREAMING since 11pm! 30 min Car Ride in Sao Paulo means Not Safe, But will do when you are at your wits end. (Note this has only happened 3 times so it is not routine) Emma is Back in the Nest Yes, you heard it first right here - Emma is back in our room. It is winter time here and the house gets cold because of no heat. So we decided that we will use the one heater we have and body warmth to keep the room warm. She sleeps in the pack n play and we sleep in the bed. This has worked so far! Updated 4/24/2008 Emma Has Left The Nest A few nights ago Emma left our room and began sleeping in her own room. It was hard for mommy but all is going well. Emma likes her room and sleeps most of the night. She is growing so fast. Anniversary Sunday We had 3 nights of services last weekend. Our guest speaker was Pastor Roger Peterson. He spoke every night on the End Times. He painted a picture in our minds of what will take place in the tribulation period. Praise God people who are saved will not endure any of it. We had special music from the choir and others. Each night was a great blessing to the church. We also had 5 people stand and receive Jesus as their personal Savior. Permanent Visas Applied For We applied for our permanent visas today. This has been a little long process but after some money and a lot of paperwork they accepted our documents. We will pick up our protocol on the 28th and then wait for our permanent visas. Our next step is to apply for an American Passport and a Brazilian Passport for Emma. Hopefully it will be a little less paperwork and money for us. By the Summertime (In the States), we should be set with our documents for a few years. Updated 4/11/2008 Emma's Routine I think Mandy and I have Emma's routine down. Emma goes to sleep around 12 30 am and sleeps for two hours before waking up to eat. We put the bassinet, diapers, wipes, and cream on my side of the bed. When she wakes up, I grab her and give to Mandy to feed. Mandy burps her and wakes me up to hand her the things to change the diaper. Then either Mandy or I will walk with Emma until she goes back to sleep. A funny thing happened the other night. Of course Mandy and I are extremely tired from all the adjustments, so this is understandable. At 2 30 am Mandy woke me up to get Emma. I gave Emma to Mandy, and I went back to sleep. Everything was going good until she asked for the things for a diaper change. She said "Jon, I need the things for a diaper change." I said, "What things is that?" Of course, I was half asleep. Anyway, I gave her the wipes, then the diaper, and I went back for the cream, and when I reached under the bassinet, I fell asleep before picking it up. A couple of minutes later Mandy said, "Jon you got the cream yet?" Jon! Jon! Wake Up! Oops! Sorry Mandy! Well, that was not the funniest part. We finished up with Emma and put her back to sleep. An hour later, Mandy awoke from her sleep saying Jon! Jon! Jon! I said, What? She said can you burp Emma? I looked in the bassinet and there was Emma after an hour still sleeping! Mandy thought she just finished feeding Emma and needed her to be burped. We are doing better now. Emma is starting to sleep for 4 hours now Updated 4/2/2008 Well I couldn't think of a title for this one. We were up all night with Emma and by early morning she finally decided to go to sleep. It wasn't 5 minutes that a helicopter came up over our house. I thought, ok, it will pass over. Well it didn't. I yanked the covers off to go up on top of the roof. (In Brazil that is possible by the way the houses are made) I reached the top to start waving my hands and telling them to get out of here because we have a baby sleeping. To my surprise it was a Federal Police helicopter with police officers on the edge with their guns pulled. They were looking for someone, and here I was drawing attention to myself. I just gave them a thumbs up and quietly walked back down to bed. Language School Language school started back up this past week. I am going by myself but that is ok. Mandy has her hands full with Emma. A new couple from GA was in their first week. It is amazing because they are going through exactly what we did when we arrived in Brazil. The Miami consulate messed up their visas, and they had an error on their parents middle name. Everything was identical to our errors. We hope to be a blessing and help in anyway. Updated 3/28 Sleepless Nights One word - EmmaLee Emma getting registered We wanted to start the process of our permanent visas and getting Emma her passport and registration. The first step was going down to a government office and registering Emma. We get all our passports and information and headed to the office. We get there, and she asked for a document called a declaration of the birth of life. This document had Emma's footprint on it. I did not have it with me but remembering seeing it somewhere. I go home a look everywhere for it but could not find it. The last place I saw it was at the hospital. We got our things together and went to the hospital. We go to one office and they send us to another and so on. We finally get to the documents office, and she gave us a declaration saying Mandy checked in at this time, Emma was born this time, and Everyone left at this time. She then told us, we had to go to the center of the city for notarization. I hate going to the center of the city. Well, I thought, I'll go back to the government office, and see if they would accept this declaration. We go and she says "I do not need this, I need the declaration of the birth of life." I told her I have tried and they only give me this. The lady wrote out exactly what we needed. We went home for the evening to wait and try again the next day. After a horrible night of sleep, we headed to the hospital. We go up to the office and asked for a declaration of the birth of life. It was a different lady this time. She says you must go to this other office and request one and then in 3 days pick it up and have it notarized. I couldn't believe it. I thought, There has to be an easier way and what on earth did I do with that paper. She asked to see all my documents, and she pulled out Emma's birth certificate. She began speaking to me, but I only understood a little. I called Sean for him to translate. The lady said that I have already registered Emma and why do I want to register her again. I said, what? After Emma's birth, I went down to the 5th floor with my passport and brazil documents and the declaration of the birth of life. A government official was there and he registered Emma and gave me her official birth certificate. OH YEAH! THAT IS WHERE THAT DECLARATION OF THE BIRTH OF LIFE WENT. I REMEMBER NOW! Hey it was a long night when Emma was born! Longer for Mandy! Two days of stress and she was already registered! Welcome to my Life Updated 2/7/08 New House A few days ago we moved into our new house. Emma is coming quickly and we needed a place of our own. The housing market was down but while driving around our neighborhood we found what seemed to be a perfect house and location. We called the number and were able to look in the house the next day. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath. While Mandy was looking at all the minor details, I went upstairs to the patio to find a real man's grill. That was all I needed to make an offer on the house. They accepted, and we began the paperwork. We are about settled in. You can see a few pictures of the house on the EmmaLee Pics link. We have HOT WATER Mandy is so excited to have hot water in the kitchen. Houses here do not have hot water and have to have heating elements in the shower heads to have a hot shower. In our old house, we had to boil water to wash dishes, but this house has a heating element on the faucet. She now can wash greasy dishes without boiling water. What a Blessing! Carnaval Last week, Brazil celebrated their biggest festival of the year. Around Carnaval time everything shuts down and people relax or party. Our church did a family campaign that week. There were games, food, and time of fellowship. Two of the games we played were Big Ball Football and Big Ball Volleyball. We had a 6ft by 6ft big ball. The Brazilians never seen anything like it. During the games, bodies went flying and people got hurt. It was a great time. We look to do a 3 day teen competition in the near future with the big ball and 3 huge tractor tire tubes. Our Visas We received some good news about our visas. This week we needed to start our visa process to have our visas extended for another year. This would be a stressful time with paperwork and the preparation of Emma being born. Then next year go through the process again to apply for our permanent visas. When Sean and I went up to the Federal police to get the requirements needed, Sean mentioned that my wife was having a baby here in Brazil. She said "Then why are you going through this prolonging process? After the baby is born you can apply for your permanent visas. Because you have a "Brazilian Baby" you will not be denied and will receive your permanent visas quickly." This was a huge blessing because I did not want to go through this long process. Vacation Bible School Every year New Life Baptist church does 2 VBS. All I can say is WOW! It started on Friday and went through Sunday. We did it on a holiday weekend so many, like those in the States, traveled. This year's theme was Building with Christ. The decorations were construction materials and the lessons were centered around Nehemiah. We averaged around 50 kids and some accepted Jesus as their Savior. A lot of work went into VBS and the Lord blessed in a mighty way. Updated 12/27/07 Christmas Cantata Our church concluded our Christmas Cantata on last Sunday evening. It was a great success. We had a full church with many guest. The different choirs worked very hard. The music program has come a long way since its beginning several months ago. If I am not mistaken, this was the first Music Cantata. After the music, we had a Christmas Gospel message brought by Pastor Sean and 3 people stood to accept Jesus as their personal Savior. There is no greater gift to receive this year than salvation. God blessed the evening. You can hear it under "Listen to the Services" Christmas Eve and Day This was our first Christmas away from home. Even though we missed being with our family, we had a great time in Brazil. We started around 6 pm on Christmas Eve. We went to the Lunday's house for our meal and then headed off to a park where the Sao Paulo Christmas tree was lit. There was CHRISTmas music, lights, and food. There was also a fountain in the lake where they put on a water show. It was just a relaxing time. We then went back to the house where we ate and exchanged gifts with everyone. On Christmas, the day started around 10am. I know I am usually up before then, but we had a long Christmas Eve. Bethany, our friend, stuffed the turkey, and we began to cook it. Then, Mandy and I exchanged gifts and had a great time together. Emma must have wanted to open gifts as well because Mandy had 3 contractions. The Lundays and Bethany then came over for a nice Christmas dinner. After dinner, we again exchanged gifts with the Lundays and Bethany and took a nap. Around 10pm everyone came back over for some coffee and dessert. We were able to call our families via webcam and enjoy Christmas with them. You can view our pictures under the link "Christmas in Brazil". We hope you had a Merry Christmas! A Typical Brazilian Christmas Their big day is Christmas Eve. Everyone begins to make their rounds to family and friends in the early evening. They exchange gifts or fellowship for a few minutes. Be prepared for you will never know who will show up. Then around the late evening the family gets together for a MIDNIGHT meal. When the clock strikes midnight fireworks begin to go off for it is Christmas day. This last for 30 mins or so. Then the parties start. The Big Christmas Eve meal is served and then it is party until the wee hours of the morning. As we were walking home from the Lundays, we looked inside of a house where everyone was gathered around the table eating their meal. It was 1am in the morning. On Christmas Day you can hear a pin drop. While we are all excited and doing our festivities the Brazilians are home sleeping away. BUT Come Christmas Evening the fireworks begin and the partying begins again. Just not as much!! For those who celebrate on Christmas Eve, there might be some Latin blood in you. Updated 12/21/07 Christmas in Brazil Yes, we do have Christmas in Brazil. I have received some inquiries if we celebrated it. In Sao Paulo, yes. I only know because I live here. Other places, I am sure just probably not as big. Christmas Shopping All of my Christmas shopping is finished!! Here in Sao Paulo they have a few malls close by where I can purchase some good presents for Mandy. I cannot tell you what they are, because of Mandy looking on this link. Most Brazilians are now off of work until the New Year, and so everyone is out and about. Traffic is bad all the time, BUT I have not seen anything until now. The Christmas Season traffic is a nightmare. It's funny how the Brazilians shop. They just take their kids out and buy them their Christmas and that's it. I kinda like the suspense of it all of wrapping them up and putting it under the tree. I am looking forward to what Mandy has for me under the tree this year. Maybe some..... Updated 12/08/07 Birthday Gift I almost forgot to put this down. For my Birthday, the choir went in together and bought me a sheeky tie and some handkerchiefs with the letter "J" embroidered on it. At choir practice, I tend to start sweating because of the heat and also trying to communicate what I would like the choir to know and learn. Anyway, the choir thought hankies would help and they have. They also sung Happy Birthday. There is nothing like Happy Birthday Brazilian style. We have a great choir that loves the Lord and wants to bring honor to His name by singing. Winter Wonderland Mandy and I put up our Winter Wonderland in Brazil this past weekend. Our theme is "We love Snow" Even though we lived in Florida and now in Brazil, we sure love the snow. Maybe because we never shoveled it. Our tree and house is decorated in snowflakes, snowmen, and blue & silver ornaments. I also had a can of spray on snow that I brought from the States. I covered our windows with snow. When you walk into our house, it is 20 degrees cooler!! Choir Christmas Party We had our first ever Choir Christmas Party. It was exciting and enjoyable. We played Christmas Bingo. Church members get crazy around Bingo time. Why is that? We also all drew names the week before for the Christmas gift exchange. Brazilians always exchange their gifts in a unique way. A person comes to the front with the gift they bought for the name they drew. He or She begins to say things about that person, and the rest of us try to guess who the gift is for. When we guess right then that person comes up and receives the gift. He or She then begins to describe his or her person. This was exciting because some descriptions were funny and others very thoughtful. Let's just hope one did not draw a name whom they did not like! We had a good time! My Birthday Party - Eu faço vente e nove anos! This was my first time being away from home for my Birthday, but Mandy and the missionaries here made it a memorable one. It started off with language school. Why I went I don't know. It is my birthday, I shouldn't have to go to school. After school we went and did a little shopping. I ended up buying me some Nutty Bavarians. These are a mixture of nuts cooked it hot sweet spices. Wow! They were so good. When we got home, we met the Lundays for a Brazilian dinner at the Bananeira. It is wonderful Northeast Brazilian Food. I had Picanha with the Heart of the Palm, Mandy had some Shrimp with a large Banana grilled to perfection. Bro Lunday had a popular Amazonia fish with rice and Stephanie had something. Not sure what it was. We ended the night with pineapple deuced with Lime juice and shaved coconut. Mandy of course had chocolate. We came home for some coffee and a nice game of Rook. The ladies won, but they also cheated! Christmas Tree Party The Lundays had us over to their house for their Annual Christmas Tree Party. We had finger foods along with some Christmas music as we endeavored to put up the Tree. As always we run into problems with lights. We worked half of the night on just the lights. Of course it wouldn't be Christmas decorating if you didn't. As it came time to put the lights on the tree, we only had two strands. With everyone thinking the tree needed more lights, Stephanie all of a sudden screamed with excitement as she remembered she bought two new bags of lights. Everyone was so excited. As she brought out the new lights, she was jumping with joy. What a great decorating party. BUT, as usual they did not work. Not a one! Anyway we put extra ornaments on the tree and it turned out great. We ended the night with a Christmas Carole and went home. Updated 11/14/07 Missions Month We just completed our missions outreach month. We had many evangelistic outreach programs and events geared toward the importance of sharing the Gospel with all people. God did a work in our hearts each week. We concluded the month with Our Faith Promise commitment of supporting missionaries to go around the world doing the work of the Lord. Friday Night we had special music and missionaries sharing their work of starting churches in Brazil. Saturday night we had our first ever Candlelight service. Each Sunday School class was given a missionary to contact and pray for. We lit a torch to signify New Life Baptist Church. Then each Teacher lit a candle off the torch to signify their missionary. As they stood around the auditorium, the Church was lit up with light. Pastor Sean then brought a great illustration to the people. Letting them know that God commands us to be a light in a dark world. What if we hid the Light of God's message, then there would be no light. One by one each candle and then torch was blown out, and the church was in complete darkness. We must be a light or there will be no light. A simple illustration, but it had g great impact on us. Sunday was the day to make our commitment to support missions. It was a great day to be concluded with an International dinner. There were 150 people in attendance and 3 souls were saved. Amen! We are looking forward to what God is going to do at New Life Baptist Church in the next year. Candlelight Blooper As you just read about the candle light service there was a small, ok, a big mistake. I created a power point presentation for each missionary New Life supports. It was to be shown as each missionary name was read. It was time for the torch to be lit and the names of the missionaries read. Alzida, who was there when the church was founded, came up to light the torch. That was my queue to turn off the switch to the spotlight. Well, there were 2 switches, and I did not know which one to choose. So I did what anyone would do, I guessed. I guessed wrong. Instead of turning off the spot light, I turned off the main breaker to the platform and everything shutdown including the power point presentation. It takes several minutes to get things back up and going, so we went on with the program without the added features. I guess you can say, "I pulled a Mandy" If you go back and think about it wasn't that bad. The torch was lit and all the power goes out. What an effect!! Updated 11/06/07 Choir Party We had our first choir party the other day. I have been given the opportunity to lead a choir. I am excited but also nervous, because I have never led a choir. My sister and brother seemed to be blessed with music. But, with the help of family and my choir director, the choir party was a big hit. We started off the day with a lunch prepared by Mandy and Stephanie. They served chicken stroganoff, rice, potatoe stick chips, cabbage salad, small bread, and drinks. It was unbelievable. The Choir was impressed. Then we went into the Auditorium for a presentation. I talked about the importance of music in a church and how the choir plays a vital role in the service. Then I announced our new choir name and verse. Choir name is Voz de Louvor (Voice of Praise), and the verse is Psalm 86:12 - "I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all of my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. We then handed out our very first choir books along with all new choir folders. The first song we will learn is an arrangement of Silent Night for Christmas. The choir was very excited to be part of an important ministry of the Church. The ministry of bringing unity in a service, preaparing the hearts of the people for the message and praising our wonderful Lord. God is going to do something great through Voz de Louvor at New Life Baptist Church. Brazilian Hotdog We had a teen service along with a hotdog fellowship. After the service, I was waiting in line for my good ole American hotdog, and when I got it, it was covered with mashed potatoes, potatoe stick chips, mayo, mustard, and ketchup. I thought "What in this world?" This was an unusual hotdog, but I did like it. By the way, their hotdogs are all orange here for some reason. It's Rainy Season Well the rain has arrived. We can count on rain for the next few months. The rain is not predictable. It can come up on you in a hurry. Worse than Florida Weather. We were driving home from a mens retreat when traffic on the interstate was stopped. We thought it was a regular traffic jam, but after everyone began getting out of their cars and talking, we knew it was something major. It had rained quite a bit and the roads were flooded. This is pretty common here, so when your out for a beautiful "Sunday Drive" be prepared to run into some heavy rain. Updated 10/16/07 Children's Day Brazil has Father's Day, Mother's Day and Children's Day. Last Friday was a holiday, and I asked "what are we celebrating?" A missionary said, "it is Children's Day." What? Children's Day? We don't have this holiday in the States. Children's Day is a National Holiday in Brazil. Everyone is off work to spend time with children. There were parties and celebrations everywhere. Brazil gives a lot of attention to children. For instance, our permanant visa application will go quickly, because we have a "Brazilian" child. You get favortism when you have young brazilian kids. Anyway, Mom and Dad now that we are also Brazilian, we will be celebrating this Holiday. Firecrackers Brazilians love firecrackers especially during soccer season. Firecrackers are always set off after a big play or goal. As you can see, firecrackers and fireworks go off all the time. There are several soccer teams in the Sao Paulo area. They all try to outdo each other. One can hear fireworks as late as midnight. These are not regular firecrackers. they sound like canons. Our church sits right in front of a small soccer field where city leagues plays soccer games. They also set off fircrackers. These crackers go off all the time during the service, and it scares the snot out of me. I am a jumpy guy to start with, and being in a concrete building doesn't help. These firecrackers sound like they are going off beside your ear. Anyway, one went off last Sunday and here is a sample of what we hear during our church service CLICK HERE This was a small one, but when several go off at one time, I will put it on here. By the way, someone'e team just scored because fireworks are going off.Updated 10/05/07
PaPa This is for all the men who get called Papa. We were studying the language in school when the sentence read, "Where do you go to see the Papa?" Well, the student said, "Rome." I thought who is Papa. In the Portuguese language, Papa is The Pope. So next time someone calls you Papa, just think, in Portuguese they just called you the Pope. Can somebody kiss the ring? Poop Fight This is a story I couldn't turn down. This happened two days ago. Our neighbor was talking to Darcy which is a 70 year old lady that lives down the street. She is always picking up the poop off the street. I can write a book on this lady, and we have only been here 7 months. She is a "character". You would never think she was 70 years old. Anyway, They were talking when they were almost run over by a motorcycle. The guy on the motorcycle hollered out to the guy, "Give me your watch!!" Well, Darcy begins to holler, Thief!!! Thief!!! The guy on the motorcycle kept saying, "Give me your watch. They exchanged words back and forth when Darcy halls off and throws poop at the thief. Well, the guy drives off but turns around and comes back. I guess he wanted more. He hollers "Give me your watch!!" Darcy and the neighbor runs behind the telephone pole for protection and she begins to throw more poop. The Thief must not have had a gun or I'm sure he would have given him the watch. The thief ends up driving off with a face full of poop and no watch. Lets just say, I am saving the poop that I scoop up from my dog.Updated 9/25/07
I Got Head Butted or Kicked Sunday Night after "Nacho Night" at the Lunday's house, Mandy and I were getting ready for bed. I began to rub her belly with lotion when she told me to stop for a sec. All of a sudden, I was kicked or head butted by the baby. The baby is already taking after her mom. Anyway, it was the neatest thing I have ever felt. It was like a thump. The baby was moving all around that night. I think it may have to do with the nachos, hot sauce, and brownies Mandy had at the Lunday's house. Our Kitchen was Flooded It was Sunday after church when Mandy and I was getting lunch ready. Because of bad water, we have to order and use large 20 liter jugs of filtered water for cooking and drinking. Well, I was cleaning our water dispenser before putting the jug of water on the dispenser. I picked up the jug and dumped it over onto the dispenser. As it was filling up, it began to leak a lot around the nozzle. In panic, I picked up the jug and tried to turn it back upright and put it on the counter. Because it was a little heavy, OK, it was very heavy, and slippery, it fell out of my hands and busted/exploded on the counter. Water went everywhere. It was all over the counter, microwave stand, in the counters, and worse of all, over me! I left the kitchen to yell and kick the wall and after I gained my composure, I "squeegeed" all the water out of the kitchen and called it a day. Updated 9/17/07 Well it Happened Sooner or later it was bound to happen. We were not robbed, but our car was. We parked our car, I thought in a secure place, but I guess not. Really there is not a secure place to park your car in a 3rd world country. We headed to language school. The day went well, until we arrived back to our car. Nothing was noticed until we were driving and kept hearing noises in the trunk that were not there that morning. We arrived to another missionaries home. I went to check the trunk and noticed the handle was broken and scratched up. I told Mandy someone tried to break into our car. I couldn't open the trunk, so I went to the back to pull down the seat to reach the trunk. I prayed, "Lord please don't let there be a body in here. As I laid down the seat, I saw that the flooring was opened up and the spare tire was gone. Praise the Lord nothing of value was in the car. I have an alarm system and car locator on my car. I guess I need to invest in a spare tire locator. HaHa! What gets me is how someone can break into an alarmed car, if the alarm went off, and get away with it. From what I hear, there were probably several witnesses, but for security would not do anything. In their mind they were probably saying, "Wow! They are breaking into that car. Someone is getting their things stolen. That is too bad." Well, we do have good news - The spare tire is NOT covered by the insurance. Of course. Hopefully the trunk will be covered by our bumper to bumper warranty with the Volkswagen dealership. Update!!! Nothing is covered. It was not there fault, so they are not going to pay. Updated 9/15/07 My Almost Second Fight in Brazil Mandy and I were traveling a small distance outside Sao Paulo the other day to find some baby furniture. We got off the exit where the store was. Not knowing the area I was unsure where to park. I was in the right hand lane and was going to turn left into the parking area. Well I slowed down almost to a stop to see if that was where I wanted to park. I decided yes and began to turn. A car that was behind must not have known I was turning and swerved to go around me. I never saw him and we almost collided. Well it upset me so I laid on my horn. Well he stopped about a quarter of a mile up the road and as I got out of my car hew was hollering something. Trying to cover up my stupidity of blowing my horn, which Mandy said he deserved it, I smiled and gave him a thumbs up and told Mandy get into the store. 2 minutes later I hear some arguing at the front door. He was wanting to come in and find me and a man, I think the owner or security guard, would not let him in. I approached him, and the driver began to chew me out in Portuguese. I had no clue what he said, but I agreed with him, and he got into his car and left. I told the owner/security guy, I did not understand a word he said. He told me not to worry about it. I think the way they teach in Brazil is if you are going to turn left and there is no turn lane and traffic is behind you, then you pull to the right side of the road and when traffic in front and behind you is clear then you can turn left. It keeps traffic moving in a very large city. I will remember that next time! (My Almost First Fight in Brazil was not posted because it would scare my mom) Flashback Me and two missionary kids were heading up to a small school supply store to fax some papers over to my phone company. We arrived and were the only ones in the store including the owner. As our papers were being faxed, a man walked in behind us to also fax or make copies. 1 minute later police officers, with their guns pulled, charged the little store. My mind went back to that day that we were stopped by the police and checked for drugs. My heart dropped down to my feet and my body went numb. Well, they wanted the other guy. Amen!! I watched as they did the same procedures to him as they did to us. The 2 missionary kids were loving it, but I just wanted to get out of there. After my pulse came back, we finished faxing our papers and left trying not to make a scene. Updated 9/7/07 Out Trip to Language School Every Missionary tells how they get to language school. It is quite interesting to see the different ways they get to school. The School is located in the center of Sao Paulo, so some ways are quite difficult. Our way is not too difficult. When we first started we walked down hill for 15 minutes to a bus stop AKA rollercoaster stop. We ride the bus/rollercoaster for 45 mins to our stop. By the way, if we were in a car it would be 2 hours because of traffic. Buses get their own lane. We then walk 15 minutes to the school. We travel the same way back home, but it is an uphill walk at the end. This got old after sometime. With Mandy pregnant, we know she is not allowed on rollercoasters and uphill walks is not good, so we had to change directions. Our current way to school is to drive 30 to 45 minutes to an Orca bus stop. Everyone gets a seat on this bus. It drives 20 minutes to the Metro. We take 3 metros, around 25 minutes, to our stop and then walk 10 minutes to school. This is the easy way for us to go. Luckily, we leave at the end of rush hour. If we left at 7 or 8, it would take us close to 2 hours to go to our first stop. After that it would be smooth sailing. Language school is only 3 hours, but after you add traveling the school is 6 and half hours. Dog Pound By the time we move, I think I will be sick of dogs. After so many months, the dog barking is starting to take toll on us. It is not only our wonderful dog, but the other dogs on our street and around the neighborhood. Our lovely neighbor, Darcy, keeps us informed about everything that goes on, so a few weeks ago she told us that there were around 90 dogs in our neighborhood. I believe it with all my heart. Within a 24 hour period there is maybe 6 hours where a dog is NOT barking. Thankfully that is during the night. As I am typing this, around 7 or 8 dogs are barking. We especially love Mon, Wed, and Fri when the trash guys come. Around 7pm or so while we are just sitting for a nice quiet dinner, I hear the dogs begin to bark 4 streets over. Then the 3rd street of dogs join in and before long we have a choral of dogs barking away. This happens every other day. Surely the dogs are not that dumb and know it is the same guys every time. Sorry for the delay in typing, I had to holler out my window at our dog who is barking for no reason. When you live in a concrete house and nothing absorbs the sound, the barking can get quite annoying. I was talking to dad the other day and he said "well what is your dog barking at?" I said, "that is the dog 4 houses down." Mandy gets some Compliments Well pregnant women and babies get all the attention here in Brazil. Mandy has received some wonderful compliments. Twice, one at language school and the other at church, someone has complimented her. They said, "She has a beautiful glow about her face." She is getting spoiled by the attention here. I asked what about my glow. They said the only glow I have is coming from the top of my head. She even received a compliment in the Metro. We were on our way to school, and she sneezed several times and a man said in Portuguese "You have a very nice sneeze." He was as serious as serious could be. Anyway, Mandy deserves every compliment. She is a beautiful pregnant wife. Language Blooper This was a good blooper here. I had to tell about my first trip to the Feira. The feira is an open market where they sell fruits vegetables, meat, and spices. As I was telling my experience I began to tell what I bought. I said "I bought pineapple, bananas, and apples." Instead of saying maçãs for apples I said moças which is young women. one letter and an accent above the "a" changes the whole meaning. The teacher said, What? with a flush face" I said it again and she said, "I am sure you didn't buy that." I said "yes, I remember." She then said "you bought young women?" and my face became flush. I said "no I bought apples." She told me to look up the word and say it again. I did, and it came out apples this time. The class got a kick out of that one. Updated 8/14/07 My First Father's Day In Brazil Father's Day is celebrated on a different day then the States. I am excited because I get to celebrate it twice a year! August 12th was Father's Day. Mandy woke me up to have breakfast in bed. We had chocolate chip muffins and coffee. This was a perfect gift. We went to church and there the Pastor had all the fathers to stand. I stood up and people began to look and talk so he called me up and announced to the church that I was the newest father and that we were going to have a little Brasileiro or Brazilian. The church cheered with excitement. Brazilians take babies here very seriously. Even more so when an American has their child in Brasil. They all congratulated us and immediately began touching Mandy's stomach. We are encouraged and glad to be part of a wonderful Brazilian church. Language Blooper In class, the teacher was going over the verb há which has several meanings. Anyway, that was not my problem. She said "How long have you been saved?" I responded "I have been saved for 50 years." Not good when I am only 28 years old. My Car's First Wreck Well, my greatest fear driving our car was some motorcycle taking off our mirror, or a bus cutting us off and denting our front-end or backend, or a car brushing up against the side. Our first wreck did not come from that. Our garage driveway slants down right into the street. I was backing out of it which is very tight. I knew I was closer to the wall on the left than the right, so I stopped and went to go forward but was already on the slant. My car, being a stick shift, rolled all the way back and I hit my mirror knocking it backwards. The Lunday family was with me going for a ride, so I kept my cool. I just said oh! I need to be more careful, but inside I was outraged! One good thing I found out was that the mirror is moveable, so if I do cut a motorcycle off one day, and he picks up his foot to kick off my mirror he wont be able to for the mirror will bend backwards with the force unless he gets real close to where in connects to the door then the mirror will come off. By the way I do not consider this a wreck. I am a very safe driver. Mandy on the other hand. I gave it this title so you will read it. Thanks for caring!! Updated 8/1/07 Language Blooper I was in class the other day and we were practicing our conversation. We had to say 3 things about a person. Of course I chose my wife. I said "She has beautiful green eyes, and something else but I can't remember. Anyway the last thing I wanted to say was she is pregnant but I said, "She is a tie." The teacher squinted her eyebrow and said, "What?" Again I said she is a tie. The students and teacher said, "we don't understand." They said, "You are calling her a man's tie." I was so embarrassed. The teacher said say it in English. I said, "She is pregnant." They were all shocked. They congratulated us and then we laughed. Tie and pregnant is so close. Gravata is tie. Gravida is pregnant. Anyway we got a nice laugh and went on with class. The next class I just said, "I am a Daddy." Updated 7/29/07 Mandy is Pregnant We found out June 30th that Mandy is expecting our first child. She came down stairs one morning and said, "Guess what?" I said, "what?" She said, "I am pregnant." I said, "No." She said, "Yes." I said, "No." She showed me the test and I said, "No." Anyway, she is. We had the ultrasound a few days ago. Everything looks good so far. We are attending the Albert Einstein Hospital here in Brazil. Many Americans use it, and they do things first class. We did find out that they do not have baby food here, and that Mandy will have to make her own. Baby things are also expensive here, so hopefully, we will have our family and friends send us some things from the States. International/InterAmerican License We have been trying to get a license for some time now so we can drive in Brazil. We have filled out an application, made 4 photos, and sent $15.00 for our license. We had the return address to be our address in the States, so Mom could fedx it back to us. Two weeks later, we received it, and they sent us back our original application saying our photos were the wrong size. They do the metric system here in Brazil, and so we got confused. Anyway, we retook our photos and sent our application back. Two weeks later, they sent us our license, but they were the wrong one. In Brazil, you must have an InterAmerican License not an International License. Brazil and another country is the only ones who have this. This time it was not our fault. We applied for the InterAmerican License. We have come to find that you must learn patience. In Brazil, it takes forever to get things accomplished. One can try to budget their time but will face much obstacles. The Brazilian people are use to waiting and taking weeks to get things accomplished, and we must learn to be Brazilian when it comes to time. I am Bad Luck Since I have been in Brazil, things just hasn't been going smoothly. We are enjoying being here, but there has not been a week go by that something bad big did not happen. I was with a missionary the other day. We were getting ready to leave his house to pick up his son from school and go car shopping. We get into his little Fiat, and it would not start. He said "that is strange." He kept trying to crank it, and it just wouldn't start. He said "let's take the church 'Combi'." We get into it and 5 minutes down the road the clutch gets stuck in 3rd gear. Here we are in heavy traffic going 10 mph. I just slipped down under the seat so no one would see me. We drove in the slow lane for a few more minutes trying to find a good place to stop. We didn't have to travel far because the clutch burned up. The missionary said "Jon it seems like every time you ride with me something goes wrong. "You are bad luck." By the way, I was riding with him the first time the cops pulled us over. Well, we walked to his son's school and took a taxi home. When the "Combi" was fixed I rode with him over there to pick it up. On our way back he turned left on a back road and the police had a road block checking people. He just looked at me and I looked at him and busted out laughing. Updated 7/09/07 Cultural Mistake Well, we had a Brazilian come and do some work for us earlier this month. We have two 750 liter tubs in our attic that hold our house water. The water comes in off the street and then into our tubs. it provides water to our showers, toilets, and sinks. Every year they need to be scrubbed down and flushed out. Him and his small son shows up and begins to work. These tubs have not been cleaned by the previous owner and were extremely dirty. This is probably why we were sick. He began working around 9:30am. I immediately made some coffee to offer him. Well, in Brazil culture when you go to someone's house and they offer you coffee this is them telling you can leave after you drink your coffee. I was offering coffee the minute he walked in. I was so embarrassed. The missionary told me not to worry about it. In the morning time, they consider it breakfast. This concept only applies when you have them over for a meal. Anyway, we thought this job would only take 2 hours or so but at 12:00 noon he was not even close to being finished. Mandy and I asked, "would you like to stay for lunch?" He agreed, and this is when we panicked. In Brazil they eat big lunches. It is their main meal. Mandy and I begin to pull out all we have to make a big meal. It gets to be 1:15pm and the food was ready and the table was set. At 1:30 I went up there to the attic and said "would you and your son like to eat now or after work?" He said "we can eat later." I said ok and so the food sat on the table. Here is not knowing Brazilian culture. Sometimes they believe it is rude to say yes on something that is offered to you the first time. I must keep insisting. Well it got to be 2:00pm and no sign of it being finished so I felt sorry for them because they have not had anything to eat so I insisted they have some oreo cookies and water. Well, they scarfed those things down. Around 3:30 pm the job was finished, and we sat down to eat. Everyone was about to die of hunger. The food was cold but I don't think anyone cared. As soon as we were done eating I said, "would you like some coffee?" He said "no." After 5 minutes, he and his son headed out. I know now to keep insisting whenever I want to offer them something for they will soon say yes. 4th of July We hope everyone had a great fourth of July. It is our winter time, so it was in the high 70's and sunny. It was a perfect day. We were able to open up our house to 20 people to celebrate this day. We had the traditional Hamburgers and Hotdogs to eat. After a few hours of kids running around, we offered everyone coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a day! Thank you to the Men and Women who are or have been in our Armed Forces! Field Day This was an exciting day. All the missionaries who home school their kids come together for a day of competition. Mandy and I were able to be bipartisan judges. There were all kinds of games and food. We were also able to meet other missionary families. One of who was in a wheelchair. He was shot 9 time by some men here in Brazil who walked into his church asked for him by name and then shot him. He is paralyzed but it has not stopped him from giving the Gospel to the Brazilian people. He has a great testimony and someone to be admired. Fishing Trip Every now and then we need a little relax time. Me, a missionary, and his 3 sons decided to go camp out and fish. We traveled about 1 hour outside of São Paulo. It was way out in the mountains. We arrived at the camp and found out we were the only ones here. The winter time is their off season and so no one was there. this was great we had the whole lake to ourselves. Well, the lake was down about 8ft and the fish was not biting. So we decided to go to the marina and hire a guide to take us out. Well, the guy told us we do not have a motor for the boat and in off season you must call several days in advanced if you need a guide. We were a little disappointed but he said I can let you rent a John Boat and some paddles. We said ok. So for $25 Reais 5 of us got into a John Boat about as narrow as a canoe. To say the least we all about tipped just getting into the boat. We rowed out and with one of the slightest moves we sent the boat into panic. We did not tip, but we also did not catch any fish. We still had an exciting time around the camp fire cooking our dinner. By the way, it was not fish! We will try to go when it is actually fishing season.Updated 6/7/07
Pulled over by the Cops Again Yes we got pulled over again. I was with different missionaries this time. We were driving along when we passed 2 motorcycle cops. Our windows were down and he looked directly at me. 2 miles later they sounded their siren. Well, we pulled over and heard them yelling something in Portuguese. I didn't know the language, but the teenager who was with us said they are saying "get out of the car!" I looked in the side mirror to see guns pulled, pointing at us. My heart fell to my feet, and I threw my hands out the window. I slowly opened my door and stepped out. It was great looking at a barrel of a gun. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Anyway, they said "go to the back of the car." By the way, this was a very busy road and everyone was looking. With guns pointed at us, he said "put your hands on head and don't move." Trust me, I wasn't even breathing. All I was thinking about was their finger slipping and the gun going off. They searched each one of us very closely and made us step to the side as another cop searched our car. As we were standing there the missionary opened his mouth and said "we are Baptist missionaries. Nice One!! Now they are really going to take us to jail. We did have all of our documents and they let us go. Come to find out, they thought we were drug dealers because of our tinted windows. Electricity is Out Well, it is winter here in Brazil. It dropped down to around 45 degrees one night. We decided to plug in our heater we brought from the States. It was doing a good job until 20 minutes when the downstairs electricity went off. Thinking it was the whole neighborhood we didn't think anything of it. Time passed by, and found out we have electricity up stairs but not downstairs. Then, we knew it was our house. I called my dad, and as he was walking me through some steps, our power surge protector that is hooked up to the phone and computer began to beep. Dad told me to run some tests and take some pictures and call him right back. The wiring here is very dangerous and would never pass code in the States. Well, as I was taking the pics and testing the breaker box the surge protector shut down. Now, I had no way of calling dad back or anyone else. It was very late at night and the missionaries down the road were on vacation. The only thing I could do was wait for the Security guy to come by. As I was waiting, I had a revelation or idea whatever you want to call it. Here it is - "Run an extension cord upstairs where we have power! I did and was able to call dad back and go on to bed. I scored brownie points with Mandy for being so smart! Morning came and it was very cold in the house. Mandy plugged the heater in upstairs to warm up the bedroom. 20 minutes later electricity upstairs went out. Now, we do not have electricity upstairs or downstairs. Then it hit us. It is the heater that is making the lights go out. Mandy figured that out! 1500 watts pushing through Brazil electricity is not good. Well, I was able to stay home from language school and another missionary came out to help. We changed out the fuses but no electricity. For one week we were without power. We had electricians come in and they said we have power coming into the house so there has to be a problem in the middle somewhere. My thoughts were, we are going to have to rewire the whole house. The owner came out a week later while we were at school and in a matter of minutes had the electricity back on. How did he do that? I am glad you asked. There is another breaker box in my office BEHIND a picture that someone put up. The only thing wrong was it tripped. The owner flipped the switch and wahla there was electricity. We thought there was only one breaker box which we found in the back. Who puts a picture over a BREAKER BOX!! One week without electricity and all it was, was a tripped breaker. I do pity all who have lost electricity for over a week. Fondue Night We enjoyed a nice Fondue night. I have never had fondue until a few nights ago. Here in Brazil they have Fondue Festivals. It was a great experience as you were given your meat and vegetables to cook at your own table. You get a pot of grease and a bunch of things to fry - Beef, Chicken, Sausage, Onion, etc. We had 13 different sauces to dip our food in. It was an excellent meal. Then dessert came and they brought out pots with Dark and White Chocolate, Carmel and other sweet sauces. Along with the sauces there were Strawberries, Oranges, Pineapple, Marsh Mellows, Bananas, etc. It was an excellent experience. Walking is good for you! We were on our way home from language school not knowing what we were about to encounter. We got on the bus in the center of the city and headed home. We got lucky and was able to get a seat. We were exhausted from a very busy schedule. I ended falling asleep on the bus which is very hard to do. The bus came to a stop on the bridge crossing the "Stinky" river. We woke up and saw all the stand still traffic. Not thinking anything of it, we fell back to sleep. I woke up the 2nd time after hearing ambulance and police sirens to find we were still on the bridge. People began to get off the bus and the driver turned the engine off. Not knowing what was going on we decided to do what everyone else was doing. We got off the bus and began to walk. Buses were lined up for 10 to 15 miles. Traffic was being diverted. Surely, something bad has happened because they have closed the busiest highway in that part of the city. We walked and walked and walked till finally we came up on a big intersection where there were thousands of people locked together protesting. There were huge trucks with speakers and people hanging on from all areas. Policemen, ambulances, and helicopters were everywhere. I thought to myself, I sure hope this is not an anti-American protest. So we laid low and took a side street. We came back on the main street and for the next several miles walked until we were able to see a bus come off the side street heading to our home. We made it home but we sure did get our exercise for the day or should I say week. Updated 5/14/07 The Pope Came by for a Visit Well the Pope decided to come to Brazil for a few days. There were 3 reasons on his list. First, for me to kiss his ring!! I am just kidding I tried but was tackled and incarcerated. No, really here is what was on his agenda. First, Abortion - which was worth the trip. Next, to something a Brazilian born Saint - Trying to bring revival to this Roman Catholic Country. Finally, to try to fill a "thirst for God" in Brazil. He said, the Evangelicals are fulfilling the "thirst for God" for the Brazilian people. He was encouraging the Roman Catholic Church to do the same. We know that Salvation through Jesus Christ is the only thirst quencher. In the Bible, when the Samaritan woman came to draw physical water from the well, she met Jesus and received spiritual water (Salvation). She will never thirst again spiritually! Amen. There is a job to be done for Christ here in Brazil, and we are thrilled to be part of it. Our First Dinner with a Brazilian Family We had our first authentic Brazilian dinner with a family 2 Sundays ago. We were invited by a wonderful Brazilian family in the church. Because of the language barrier we had a missionary family go with us. It was a great time with wonderful food. They fed us the traditional Brazilian dish - Feijoada (Black Beans with the leftover parts of the pig), Rice, Collard Greens, Sausage, Chicken Casserole, and something I call Saw Dust. She knew we were Americans so she left out some of the parts of the pig we would not eat. For me, that was all of them. I did not ask which ones were in there. The meal and fellowship was excellent. I had thirds and Mandy had seconds. It would be offensive if we did not eat 2nds and 3rds. She said Mandy was to skinny and needed to eat more. She said let me feed her for a month and she'll get some meat on her bones. Dona Judite (Mrs. Judith) is an excellent cook and she is going to teach Mandy a garlic marinade recipe that can be put on anything. Winter is Here!!!! We just got a taste of winter here in Brazil a few days ago. A cold front came through, and I was thinking 70 degrees. No, it was 45 degrees!! This is Brazil! What is it doing getting that cold. We didn't bring any winter clothes. The only jackets we brought were in our container. Well, the Brazilians felt sorry for us and offered us warm clothes. Also, because we have no central air or heating and the houses are made of block, whatever the temperature is outside, it's about that on the inside. We walk from 45 degrees outside to 45 degrees on the inside. The floors in the houses are tile or something and it is like walking on ice. I am so thankful for the space heater dad bought for us. It arrived in our container after the cold front. But we are prepared for the next cold spell. The heater is going in the bathroom!!!!!!!Updated 4/26/07
Some Bus Workers Go on Strike! We were getting ready for school when a missionary calls to inform us that several Bus Drivers went on strike. He said traffic is horrible and the buses are crammed full. Being the leader I am, I told Mandy, we do not need to go to language school today! Being a submissive wife she is, she said, no! we are going to school. Being whipped, I said o.k. We head to the bus stop, and there are triple the amount of people that is usually there. Only one bus was going to the center of the city. "Estao da Luz" pulled up, and there was a mad dash to get to the door. We waited to see if there was room and finally the Bus driver said no more and closed the door. People were hanging on for dear life. Being the leader I am, I looked at Mandy and said let's go home. Being the loving wife she is, she said no! we will wait for the next bus. Well 20 mins later here comes our bus. There was another mad dash to the door and we did what any Brazilian would do, we made a mad dash to the door and got on. The ride was over and hour long, and it was the worse hour of my life. I cannot even describe it. Many, many people were in my personal space. None the less, we had a good day at language school and experienced the same thing on the way home. Brazil is a wonderful place and we are adapting well!! Another Language Blooper Yes, I made another blooper in the language. A Brazilian lady in the church invited us over for lunch on Sunday. We were very excited about the invitation. We heard she is an excellent cook. Well Wednesday night I wanted to show off my language skills and so I went up to her and I was suppose to say, "We are going to eat at your house on Sunday." Well, it came out as "We are going to eat the house on Sunday." I have another blooper but I will save it for later!!Updated 4/10/07
| Mandy's Birthday Celebrated We celebrated Mandy's birthday this past Friday. Because we could not spend it with our family in the states, we were able to celebrate with two other missionary families. They are like family here in Brazil. The kids call us Uncle Jon and Aunt Mandy. The morning started off with Stephanie fixing a huge breakfast. There were homemade pancakes & syrup and sausage, eggs, fruit, and of course coffee. Lets just say our tummies were full. Then, I took Mandy and the two other families out to eat and then to the mall. The ladies went shopping and the guys went to an arcade. Seth, one of the missionary teenagers, talked me into riding a rollercoaster simulator; not good after just eating. Mandy had a good time shopping with Jennifer and Stephanie. Mandy is very appreciative of everything that was done for her and the cards that were sent to her for her birthday. We Need a Bill in Your Name This is what we heard all day yesterday. Now that we are registered, we can get a bank account, our container, cell phone, and other things, so we thought. We are staying at another missionary's house while he is in the states; therefore nothing is in our name. We headed to the bank to open an account and had everything needed except "a bill in our name". It doesn't matter that we had the government, authenticated, certified copy "Sincere" which has our address on it. They want a bill (Electric, Water, Rent, etc) in your name. Anyway, we left with no bank account. We head to the mall to get a cell phone. We had everything we needed except "a bill in our name." After that we did not try anything else for we knew what the answer would be. "No, we need a bill in your name." We did get the electric bill put in our name, and so we are just waiting on the bill. Watch Out for the Buses and Motorcycles We have been here for a month and have already seen with our eyes two pedestrians hit by a bus and two by a motorcycle. The buses drive like they own the road and to a point they do. Motorcycles do not follow any type of law. They run red lights and drive very fast in between cars and on sidewalks. 3 of the 4 people were in very serious condition. If you are ever walking anywhere in Brazil, watch out for the buses and motorcycles Updated 3/25/07 President Bush Visits Sao Paulo This was an unexpected visit. Not many knew of his coming. The missionary family we are working with was invited to attend the speech. Where do we fit in? We were on a bus downtown packed with Brazilians when the police set up road blocks for the president motorcade. Everything was fine until the protestors showed up. They began to urge the people to break the law. Before long, I thought we were going to be in a riot. One protestor got on our bus, and our hearts dropped. Our thoughts were please don't recognize us as Americans. Well the motorcade went by, and they screamed their opinion and all was well. Police Called On Us We were out of town at a BIMI Field Conference when the neighbors called the police on us. We have a dog name honey we are taking care of. In the city, we do not have yards, so the dogs stay on the carport or side alley. Some houses on the roof. We were expecting our "important" container documents that week. Because we do not have a mailbox, the mailman throws the mail onto our carport. Honey is known to eat mail, so we put her on the side alley before we left. Well it rained one night and the dog began to cry and bark. The alley does have a little shelter, but the neighbors thought it wasn't good enough, and so they called the police for neglect. luckily, we were not home, and they have not been back. Through a translator we explained and apologized, and they have apologized and forgiven us. Stopped by the Police The police love us down here. We were on our way back from a missionary's house with another missionary family when the police were doing random checks. He pulled us over and walked up with a cigarette in his mouth and asked to see our information. He then noticed we were Americans. Usually this means they are going to try to get a bribe or give us a hard time. He checked out the vehicle, and told us we had to change the front tire. We could have offered $30 or $40, and he probably would have let us go, but we were not going to be intimidated, so we changed the tire. To say the least, we changed the tire, and he let us go. Language School Bloopers Well its been one week since language school, and I already made some mistakes. Mandy is doing very well. The teacher says she has an excellent Brazilian accent. In class we are told to make sentences here are a few I said. "All women in this room are pastors." That didn't go over well. "My keys are in my pants." Talk about embarrassed. Everyone turned and looked at me in shock. Oops! I left out the word pocket. |