Christmas at 90 Degrees

Well, since 2008 is almost over, I thought I’d share with you my Brazilian Christmas experience. I have to say that I really missed a lot of the USA Christmas traditions (family and cold weather mostly). But once we began celebrating and while I was talking to people, my homesickness subsided, and I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas in Brazil.

It started the Saturday before with the young people’s Christmas party at the church. We had dinner then played two present games: amigo da onca (I have no idea how to translate that, sorry) and amigo espiritual (spiritual friend). The first one was kind of a joke. We drew names and had to buy a present that, in a nice way, made fun of the person. For example, I received a small etymological dictionary of Portuguese words, since I don’t speak the language well. Get it? Maybe you just had to be there. Anyway, it was really interesting. For the spiritual friend gift give-a-way, we bought some kind of spiritual gift (I made a cd of Christian music). At the party, we made a “web of love” as we handed out the gifts. One person started, took some string, and threw it and their gift to someone who blessed them this year or who they wanted to get to know better in the next year. In the end, we had made what looked like a web. There was also a slideshow of pictures from throughout the year. I learned an important lesson from that slideshow: where there is slideshow that I can be in, there will be a picture of me sleeping (which is sad for everyone because I am not pretty when I’m asleep. And I have tons of pictures to prove it.). I can’t escape this curse even by moving to another country!

The Monday before Christmas, I hosted an English Christmas party for a few readers and some people from the church who speak English. I made sugar cookies with homemade icing and no-bake cookies. They started out a bit rough but turned out good! Well, they were edible at least. :) Cris and I introduced them to Dirty Santa, the BEST Christmas party game EVER. It was great. They stole gifts more often than Americans do! We also watched one of my favorite Christmas movies: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, claymation version. I used to watch that movie every year when I was younger. I still love to watch it.

Us and our Dirty Santa Gifts


On Tuesday, Cris and I took Roberto, Marisa, and Andressa Signoretti (one of the missionary families) to my new favorite restaurant, Sal e Brasa. It’s a churrascaria (a restaurant specializing in meat that they bring to you at your table. Genius.) with a sushi bar and salad bar. Oh, and incredibly delicious desserts. What’s not to love? After lunch, Cris and I opened our presents. Her mom graciously sent me some gifts, which I appreciated more than words can say. I got some beautiful bracelets (from Cris), a book (yay!), some lotion, and my favorite gum, Big Red. That night we went to see Natal’s Christmas tree. It was huge, so much so that we could see the top of it from the church, several miles away (or so it seems). It wasn't an actual tree, but the shape of a tree made from lights that blinked and changed colors. It was beautiful.

Christmas Eve started off really well when the doorman beckoned me over to give me a special delivery. The box my dad sent only 2½ weeks before had arrived! (The Brazilian postal service was on the ball. Under non-Christmas circumstances, that box wouldn’t have arrived for another 2 weeks.) You'll never know how excited I was. I really enjoyed going through the box, seeing all the goodies my family sent. My favorite part was the Christmas cards. I love my family. :) That night I went to the American missionaries’ house. Christmas Eve is a bigger deal here than Christmas day, so we had a big dinner, complete with shrimp, turkey, mashed potatoes, rice, salad, a dish that I wasn't familiar with but really liked (some kind of mini dumplins in tomato sauce-ish) and cinnamon roll-like bread (yum!), all Brasilian-style and delicious. Then we played a game, opened gifts (I got a cute tank top and some cookies), and left. I spent the night at the Signoretti’s home. Since Andressa got the 3rd season of Friends, we had a Friends marathon that night.



Part of Christmas day was spent at Camurupim beach. I really liked that beach. And hanging on the beach on Christmas day was pretty cool too. It was definitely the first time I’d ever done that! Later, I was able to talk to my family on Skype. That was so great! I saw and talked to people I hadn’t seen or talked to in months. Yes, I was a very happy girl that night.

Me and my Christmas 'date' on the beach


My (first?) Christmas in Brazil was wonderful! Even though I couldn’t be with my blood family, I was with my Brazilian family. I hope all of you were able to spend Christmas with your loved ones. May the last few days of 2008 go well for you!! And I hope that 2009 starts off wonderfully and continues to get better and better. I pray all of God’s greatest blessings on you in the year to come!!!

P.S. Thank you for the comments. I enjoy every one more than you could ever know. :)

Merry Christmas!

And Feliz Natal!
(Feliz = Happy
Natal = Christmas
Feliz Natal = Happy Christmas)

And yes, Natal is also the name of the city I live in. So, I live in Christmas! Sometime before the end of the year, you'll get a more detailed post of my holiday adventures.

In case you were wondering, I will miss spending Christmas with my family back in Arkansas. But I'm also excited because I'm going to spend it with my Brasilian family. Tomorrow, I'll be spending most of the day by the pool (probably) and eating the traditional Brazilian Christmas Eve dinner with all of the missionaries, their families, and maybe some other friends. This dinner is the most important part of a Brazilian Christmas. On the 25th, we'll be going to the beach. Yes my friends, Christmas will consist of me getting a great tan. That'll be a first! :D

I pray that you all will spend Christmas with people who love you and who you love. May you be completely surrounded by and full of Christ's love, joy, and peace.

Merry Christmas!! Feliz Natal!! Feliz Navidad!!

Cold? What does that feel like?

Thanks to CNN and Facebook, I’ve noticed that the majority of the USA is suffering from a bad case of winter. Lately, every time I check up on my Facebook friends’ statuses, someone (usually several someones) mentions how much they either hate or love ice/snow. I find it funny because I’m sitting down here in the southern hemisphere melting in the intense heat and sunshine. It’s at least 75 degrees by 7 am. Right now, it’s almost 7 pm, and it’s 81. I can get a good tan (or sunburn) just by walking the 1 block from my apartment building to the church building. Yes, the sun is that strong. So, definitely no ice problems in my part of the world anytime soon!! Thank you equator.

Christmas is only 9 days away. Wow! Like our Christmas décor?
















I’ve been enjoying some good Christmas music lately about winter wonderlands, chestnuts on open fires, and sleigh rides. It’s been nice. A little weird to hear that while sweatin' like a stuck pig, but nice. However, I can’t stand to listen to “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.” Why you ask? Well, because although it’s Christmas time, it hardly feels like it. Mostly because it’s so HOT, and I’m used to cold weather in December (I miss cold weather a little bit, ok a lot.). Right now, I don’t know what my Christmas plans are, but I do know that they’ll probably involve either the beach or the pool and a great tan. Woo hoo! Again, thank you equator.

Yesterday, Greg and Cyndi left Natal after three months of work to go to Panama City to spread the Good News there. Once again, our team is separated (We were all supposed to be here in Natal for one year but the Brasilian government waited until three months after I arrived to give them a one month visa and a two month extension). I will miss them terribly. They are wonderful, funny, dedicated workers in the Kingdom and have been very special to me for several years. They are deeply committed to knowing Jesus better and sharing His message with others. While not our first choice, I know their move is part of God’s plan. They will bless everyone they meet in Panama. Who knows why God worked things out this way? It was very hard for me to understand at first, but the Lord has taught me that He is in COMPLETE control of EVERYTHING (which is always a hard lesson for me to learn, as you know if you know me well) and has perfect plans for His Kingdom. Proverbs 19:21 and Isaiah 55:8-9 have taught and comforted me in the last few months.

Me, Greg, and Cyndi as we trained to move to Brasil (taken sometime early last year)



One more thing before I end this post. I have good news! One of my readers will start a Bible study in Portuguese tomorrow!!! Praise God! His Word is working mightily, and your prayers are being answered. Please continue praying for my readers, that the Words they have read will stay in their hearts and on their minds as they head into the holidays and begin their summer vacation.

Thank you for reading my blog! At least, I think people read my blog. I wouldn’t know. I hardly ever receive comments (hint, hint). Have a blessed week!

Funny Story

Those of you who know me really well are going to get a kick out of this.

Today I was talking to someone about cats. I told him I don't really like cats. After he gasped like I had just told him I didn't like Brazil (or something equally horrific like that), I recanted and tried to say that I like cats when they are kittens, but not once they grow up. I didn't know the Portuguse word for kitten, so I got creative. I know that 'gato' means cat and that Brazilians add 'inho' to the end of a word to indicate something small. So I put two and two together and said that I like 'gatinhos.' I thought, and still think, that's the right word, though I could be wrong (but freetranslation.com agrees with me). However, I forgot that this word can also be used to talk about a hot guy. So, this person interpreted my sentences as being "I like hot guys." Which, by the way, had absolutely nothing to do with our conversation. I probably turned a few shades of red (thank goodness it was dark!) and quickly explained what I had actually meant.

He'll probably never let me forget that. Though, for the record, I do like kittens, and hot guys aren't all that bad either. ;)

So much to be thankful for

So much has happened since the last time I blogged. Please bear with me. This post is going to be LOOOOONG! I apologize in advance. (If it makes you feel better, it took me about 2 hours to write and perfect it. Darn perfectionism.)

The most important news first. Last week, two guys decided they wanted to give their lives to Christ and were baptized on Sunday!!!! One of them is a great guy named Talis. He started reading with LST in June. He read with Ryan through July and August, and I started reading with him when Ryan left. I have watched his interest in Jesus grow strongly in such a way that his life is now completely different. Each week, he told me about how starting LST and meeting the church has changed his life. (Isn't that what it's all about? Lives changed by the love of Jesus.) I can see the joy he has now because of Christ. He was so excited to be baptized! He kept telling me, “Sunday will be the great day!” And it was! For more than one reason. At the end of October, Talis brought his friend Jefferson by the church to hang out for a few minutes, meet some people, and speak English. A few days later, Jefferson came to our LST Costume Party. He enjoyed everyone so much he came to our next English worship service. There, John, the American missionary, talked about how everyone has things they don’t like about “church” but the church is God's people and is therefore an important aspect of our lives as followers of Jesus. He also offered to study the Bible with anyone who wanted to so that they could see that the way many churches and Christians act sometimes nowadays isn’t the only way and isn’t the way it should be. Jefferson really related to that talk and took John up on his Bible study offer. It didn’t take him long to make the decision to follow Christ. Now we have two new brothers in Christ! The angels in Heaven are rejoicing, as is the Comunidade de Cristo church!!

Talis being reborn




Jefferson saying goodbye to the old him



Our two new brothers!



Praise God for He is doing great work here in Natal, Brazil!!

Last week we also celebrated a very important holiday, twice. On Thursday, we took the day off to enjoy it with the other Americans at the church as well as some special Brazilian friends. We had most of the traditional foods: turkey (flavored with peaches, pineapples, and figs), stuffing, sweet potato casserole (which I loved, for the first time ever. Way to go Samantha!), green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. For dessert Cyndi cooked some delicious pies. Afterwards, we all got together to talk about what we’re thankful for. I, of course, was (and am) thankful to be in Brazil participating in the Lord’s work here. Marisa, one of the missionaries, said that at this time last year, the church leadership was in deep prayer about their outreach and about help in their work. She is thankful that God answered her prayer by sending so many workers this year. Later, a bunch of us played Quiddler, a super fun card game. I am way too competitive when it comes to card games. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit helped to keep my competitiveness under control and show Christian love to my fellow cardplayers. And it was okay that I didn’t get first place. Second (or maybe it was third...) isn’t so bad. ;)



The following Saturday we LST workers organized a Thanksgiving celebration for all of our readers. The women missionaries and LST workers cooked a big meal, complete with Turkey, dressing, broccoli-rice casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pecan pie (my fave!), chocolate pie, and pumpkin pie. It was a hit! A big THANK YOU to Cyndi for organizing the dinner part and for cooking most of those delicious dishes. Everyone loved the food, or at least one dish. I had been telling a reader about how great dressing was for several days, so he was eager to try it. I asked him how he liked it, and he said, “Oh it was good. But I couldn’t eat every day because it’s so heavy.” He was relieved to know we didn’t eat all that food everyday. Although some of them do think it’s strange that we don’t eat the same kind of food daily. (They eat beans and rice here every day, sometimes twice a day.) Cyndi received a care package of Thanksgiving goodies the day before, so they got to enjoy some authentic tastes from the USA. YUM!

Go here to see tons of pictures of our LST Thanksgiving celebration. Bookmark this page. We'll have more photos of all our LST adventures here in Natal.

Before eating, we started with a slideshow presentation of the history of Thanksgiving. I told them about the pilgrims, the Indians, and how we celebrate today. Then we gave them the opportunity to reflect on what they’re thankful for and thank God for it. Everyone wrote what they are thankful for on a leaf and hung it on our Tree of Thanks. Some of my favorites include “For God” (complete with drawing – done by a 4 year old, CUTE), “My divorce” (that would be an interesting story), “I’m thankful to God touched my heart and guide my way to His home and His teachings,” and “All the bad things that didn’t happened!”

My new favorite Thanksgiving tradition



Right before we chowed down, we got in a semicircle and sang “Thank You, Lord” and “Give Thanks.” It was so cool to hear all those voices joining together to sing thanks to God. Then we had a prayer and everyone dug in! All in all, it was a MARVELOUS day! We’re still enjoying the leftovers too. Another Thanksgiving tradition we couldn’t do without…

This wouldn’t be a proper Thanksgiving post if I didn’t mention a few of the things I’m thankful for, right? I won’t mention being in Natal, since that’s probably obvious. (Although I guess by saying that I did mention it. Haha.) I’m very thankful for the Holy Spirit, who has been helping me in reading sessions and teaching me so much about myself, God’s work and Word, and the love of Jesus. I give thanks everyday for people who love, support, and care and pray for me. The list is way too long to mention everyone here. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to experience another culture, learn another language, and live among such great people. Lastly, I’m thankful for LST and the ability to speak English. Without those, I just might not be here. :)

I hope you all had as blessed a Thanksgiving as I did! May the Holy Spirit help you realize all you have to be thankful for and may God continue to place things in your life throughout the year to come that you can thank Him for this time next year!

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 118:28-29 (NIV)

Não Nego a Minha Fé

After 4 months in Natal, I decided it was time to take a break from this wonderful city. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Natal very much, but my restless spirit needed to see a new place. So, I hopped on a bus and rode 3 hours south. Before freaking out, know that I wasn't alone and that I had a purpose. My friend Andressa and I went to João Pessoa for a young people's retreat. The theme was "Não Nego a Minha Fé" which translates to somthing like "I won't deny my faith" (maybe, all you blog readers know how my theme-translating goes). Youth from churches all over the Northeast of Brazil joined us. The camp we stayed at was beautiful and very green, as in nature. I love green. It kind of reminded me of the area where my mom lives, except less hilly. I shared a room and bathroom with 8 other girls. It was pretty nice for a camp cabin.

My Cabin



The camp also had a covered eating area that resembled a nice restaurant and kept out the mosquitoes. There was a huge chapel, a cantina, and a pool. I didn't get in, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it! My favorite part of the camp was the trees. There were mango trees, caju (the fruit cashews come from) trees, and trees that had an interesting-looking fruit called jaca that I'd never seen before. Plus, the mango trees outside our cabin had monkeys! I tried and tried to take pictures of the micos, as they were called. They would strike a nice pose for me, like they knew exactly what I was doing. Then, as soon as I pressed the button, they would jump to another branch or behind a leaf. So, I have several pictures of jumping monkeys, but none of the entire monkey. :( Oh well. You'll just have to take my word that they were very cool.

Baby Caju fruit, cashews come from the stem at the top



I just want to take a moment to say that I love Brazilians. They are just wonderful. I met so many great guys and gals at the retreat. We had a blast (at least I did!). I played about a million games of Uno, winning maybe once. We also played Imagem & Acão, Brazil's version of Charades (and Pictionary). Since it was all in Portuguese, I didn't know about half of the words. But I did guess one right! When my turn came to act out a word, I usually had to ask someone who spoke some English for help or just keep getting cards until I found a word I knew. Everyone was great about it though.

Here we are playing Imagem & Acão



Saturday afternoon we divided into small groups and talked about sexual purity (my favorite topic, haha). The leaders said some great things. They even mentioned saving your first kiss for your wedding day (I think). For those of you who know me well, you know I fully supported them on that! Saturday night we all got dressed up for a fancy dinner then stayed up til 4 in morning just talking (mostly in Portuguse, go me.). The speakers were really good. They gave great messages, from what I understood at least.

Some of the people I met. Aren't Brazilian women gorgeous?



After all that, I'll sum up the weekend in two words: Awesome and Blessed.

Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers! Please know that they are being answered daily. I would greatly appreciate it if you would continue to pray for my readers as they encounter God's Word and Truths in it.

I look forward to that day...

Yesterday, one of my readers said that he hopes Jesus come back soon.

Me too.

Just a Simple Reflection

I'm suppose to be going to sleep right now. But I chose instead to update my blog. Lucky you!

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household" Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)

This verse brings joy to my heart! I recently read it in my daily reading and then heard it read publicly. (Isn't it amazing how that happens sometimes? It's even more amazing when it just so happens to be the exact verse you need at the exact time you need it.) It has so much more meaning for me now than it ever has. I am a foreigner, literally. Being a foreigner is not easy. Having surroundings you know and understand, a place you can feel fully connected, is an invaluable gift, more precious than we usually realize. When you are in a place that is unfamiliar and incomprehensible, you can feel vulnerable, lonely, and lost. And that's exactly how it feels to live without God. Thankfully, because of His grace and the sacrifice of Jesus, we are none of those things! We have a family and a place to belong, no matter where we are, what we're doing, or what is happening around and inside us. We belong to God's family. We are loved unconditionally. We have reason to hope genuinely and profoundly. And those are the best feelings in the world.

Pirates and Rednecks and Mummies Oh My!

Halloween will never be the same for me. I don't usually celebrate this holiday aside from carving a pumpkin and/or watching a scary movie. So I wasn't expecting to do anything this year considering I would be in a country where halloween isn't a big deal. I'm so glad I was so wrong. Warning: due to a great two days and lots of pictures, this post will be long.

Thanks to one of Halloween's biggest fans (besides my good friend Charity), Samantha Jewell, Cris and I teamed up with the American missionaries to throw an LST costume party. We held it on October 30. First of all, any party here in Brazil will be a good time. If you want even more fun, add costumes. We told everyone not to dress up as anything evil and to be creative. Despite the fact that so many thought they had no idea what wear, they did a great job with the costumes. I have only a very tiny creative bone in my body, so coming up with costume was not the highlight of my month. In the end, I decided to go as...a Brazilian (very tiny creative bone, remember?). When I told some of my Brazilian friends this, the first thing they said was "Don't wear a bikini!" Haha, no worries there. I went all out, dying my hair so I wouldn't be so "blonde" and even painting my nails as the Brazilian girls do, red on the fingers, clear on the toes. I told them to enjoy it now because they probably will never see red nail polish on my fingernails again. It just doesn't work for me. I completed my ensemble with a pair of jeans folded up at the bottom, really high platform shoes that felt like I was walking on my tiptoes all night (yes, it hurt. and yes, I took them off before the party was over.), a borrowed yellow shirt that said Brazil, and a pair of earrings I bought here on my trip last year (one side is just a ball that hangs and the other is a long layer of feathers and jewels). Everyone looked so good! Here are a few of my favorite costumes.

A family of caipiras, Brazil's version of the "redneck"



Who knew a pink flower, a soccer player, a redneck, Christmas, and a hardcore motorcylist could be such good friends?



Pirates and Mummies are only friends one day a year



Ok, so it was really hard to choose just a few pictures. You have to see the rest of the costumes in my Facebook album.

As you can probably already tell, it was a great party! We kicked it off with a mummy-wrapping contest. They took the task seriously. Poor mummies.

Mummies don't need to see or breathe, right?



The winning mummy



Then, probably the best part of the night, we got to enjoy each other's creations with a costume fashion show. The next time you are involved in planning a costume party, you MUST do this. The winner was Cyndi as the woman at the well, or "a mulher samaritana" as they called her in Portuguese. Although Greg made a great Roman philosopher. Check him out showing off at the fashion show.



Then we took a break and ate hot dogs, cookies, and cupcakes. To end the festivities, everyone went trick-or-treating door-to-door in the church building. Hearing shouts of Trick-or-Treat, or more accurately, Chick-o-Cheet, has never made my ears happier.



Then we ran out of candy so we said a prayer and everyone left, which was good because we were all exhausted from the fun of the evening.

Yesterday was the official day for halloween. And I enjoyed it immensely. What did I do? I slept in, went to the beach, and had some acai. That my friends is the best way to spend halloween. I hope all of you had a great holiday. May God bless you during November!

P.S. I might get CNN in English so I can watch the election results. Woohoo! Unfortunately, that depends on if the cable guy comes before Tuesday. Cris and I think he'll show up at 8 am on Wednesday morning. Hopefully, the USA has a new president by then. Happy Voting!

Little Monkeys and Tiny Guitars

Yesterday I rediscovered how much I love nature. Now, I'm not one to spend every possible moment outside, but I do love the serenity and peace of God's creation. And I have really missed spending time outside in nature. This may sound weird coming from someone who lives 30 minutes from the beach. I guess by 'nature' I mean trees and plants and other such greens. You know, the kind of nature you'd find in my part of Arkansas. Lately I've had strong urges to go for a bike ride, go hiking (oh Mt. Nebo how I miss your closeness), or just take a walk in a peaceful place. But I can't. It's hard to do so when you live in a city of a million without a car. Or so I thought.

Enter Parque dad Dunas, a.k.a Dunes Park. With its trees, trails, music, and monkeys, it makes my heart smile. So now that I have my own bit of familiar nature, I don't miss Arkansas as much. (No dear loved ones in Arkansas, that does not mean I miss you any less.)

I want to give you a glimpse into the greatness that is Parque das Dunas. Since I forgot my camera, my fellow LST intern Cris graciously agreed to allow me to copy her pictures from Facebook to have as my very own. Cris, I and both of my blog readers thank you. Now for the pictures.


A mama with her baby.
Notice the baby clinging on
to it's mother for dear life.
Well, when mom is jumping from tree
branch to tree branch, your life does
depend on your grip.



Another monkey. Just chilling in the tree. Or preparing to pounce on some prey.



Meet Diogo, lead strummer of the non-singing musical group "Diogo Guanhabara and Macaxeira Jazz." He got down on the mandolin. Charity, this one is for you.



Say hello to his little friend.
Diogo's rocking the baby guitar.









So, when would you like to enjoy the music and monkeys of Parque das Dunas?

The Price of Being Valuable

A little over a month ago, my wonderful Dad who I love so much mailed me a package. At the post office in Harrison, AR (where international mailing is about as common as someone voting Democrat), the post office guy asked how much the contents of the box were worth. My dad said nothing, which was pretty much correct. There wasn't anything of great monetary value in the box. So PO guy says, well I'll put $100 so if it gets lost, you'll get that much in insurance. It was a nice thought. I appreciate PO guy's concern for the potential loss of my package.

So, I have been anticipating my package's arrival for about a month (ok, more like 3 but more so when I found out it had actually been sent. :) I love you Daddy). So, on Tuesday, when the doorman told me he had something for me, I was so excited. I thought my box had finally arrived. No. Instead, I got a card from the great people at the Church of Christ Student Center (CCSC) in Russellville. That was such a great surprise!!! It put a big smile on my face. :D See?

**If anyone from the CCSC reads this blog and signed my card, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

So, no box on Tuesday. I thought maybe Wednesday would be the day. When I got home Wednesday, the doorman flagged me down. I thought for sure he must have a box to give me. Again, no. Instead, I got a slip of paper informing me that my package is at the post office in Natal but that I can't get it until I pay the taxes on it. What?! Taxes?! In the words of Andy Jewell, YOU...HAVE GOT...TO BE KIDDING ME! Poor PO guy. I'm sure he doesn't mail packages to Brazil very often. So he probably didn't know that here they charge taxes on packages valued over $50 and that the taxes are 60% of the value. So, multiply $100 by the exchange rate (which varies hourly) then multiply that number by 60% and you have the amount I will pay in taxes. In dollars, I will pay about as much money to get my box from the post office as my dad paid to get it there. Oh well, I'm just SOOO happy to finally get my box!

So, FYI, if you ever want to send me anything, make sure you don't put a value on it over $50. Better yet, just don't put a value on it at all (unless it really is that valuable. In that case, you might want to reconsider sending it by USPS). Oh, and it takes packages at least a month to get here. Just so you know.

But if you want to send me something, anything, please feel free. I love getting cards, Facebook messages or wall posts, emails, blog comments...really any communication from the people I love so much back in the good 'ol USA.

Answers come in handy

On my Facebook profile, I have an application that gives me a daily Bible verse. It is aptly named "Daily Bible Verse." Today, the verse was 1 Peter 3:15.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (NIV)


This verse really reasonated with me when I read it. Especially when it says "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have." I have to do this all the time (as I'm sure many of you do). Is it easy? Not always. Sometimes my readers ask me questions that I've never thought about before. In those cases I don't have a previously thought-about answer. Thankfully, the Lord usually provides me with words. But sometimes I do have to say "I don't know." There's nothing wrong with this. I don't know all of God's secrets. But it is so important to my work here to have an answer for my hope in Christ. Really, it's vital to all of our lives, whether you work for a church or you work in a garage. This answer can greatly impact the Kingdom of God and someone's eternity.

The last part, "with gentleness and respect," is important also. If we do not respect others, they will not respect us, perhaps to the point of not listening or outright rejecting what we have to say. Now, I'm not the best example of gentleness in an intense discussion or argument (as some of you know from experience. Sorry about that). But I'm learning, as I hope we all are.

I don't think it is completely a coincidence that it was that particular verse that I read on my profile today. Here's why. Yesterday, I had a 2-hour long conversation with a reader about why I believe in the Bible and he doesn't. We discussed his doubts, and many times he wanted me to give him an answer or at least give him some thoughts to help him find answers. I had never talked about some of those topics before. (Plus, my voice wasn't 100% because of this darn cold.) Thankfully, the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to guide the conversation and strengthen my voice, from the questions that came to my mind about the lesson to the words that came out of my mouth to the understanding that both my reader and I had of what the other said. Some of the questions I asked him about the lesson were ones that I had never thought of in 4 years of LST work. Coincidence? I think not. It was so obvious to me during and after the lesson that Holy Spirit was there. It also helped that the Lord had taught me about the answers to some of my reader's questions in previous college classes, Bible classes, random conversations, reading sessions, and my own studies. It was a great lesson for me to learn the importance of the wise words in 1 Peter 3:15.

I will leave you with a quote from one of my readers today. This is from a conversation about making the choice to follow Jesus. "If we stay in the middle, He (God) will throw up."

Growth before birth

I think I've mentioned this before, but just in case you forgot, I'm going to tell you again why I like living here longer-term. Growth and development. It may sound like I'm talking about a fetus or a toddler. Not exactly. I'm talking about adults. They just happen to be at the fetus stage of their Christian walk. The seeds have been (and are being) planted. Now we're watering them and hoping to see signs of faith and commitment begin to grow. And I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that I get to watch it all unfold. Witnessing this growth is one of the greatest blessings in life.

Yesterday, one of my readers, who has studied with 2 other LST workers since starting in June, began to study the Bible in Portuguese with one of the church members!!! He has been interested for a while and has participated in many activities with God's people here. I knew it was just a matter of time. So, of course, I was very anxious to find out how the study went. I didn't have to wait long. During our reading session tonight, he told me that during the Bible study he learned that every kind of knowledge could be found in the Bible. He said it with such wonder and amazement and excitement that it made me love and respect the Bible all over again. It made my heart very happy. I'm really excited to see this reader grow in his knowledge of the Bible and his love for Jesus. And what a joy it will be to see him some day become a beautiful baby!

Jesus had siblings?!

I wish you could meet my readers. They are wonderful! I really enjoy talking with each of them. I’m sure you would too. We talk about all sorts of things from English words to American culture to international affairs. And, of course and most importantly, the Bible. To give you a little insight into what goes on in an LST reading session, I’d like to share a few excerpts from some of our conversations. Both of the following exchanges happened in two separate reading sessions with the same reader. I’m going to call him Thiago (which, by the way, is the Portuguese form of James). I look forward every week to reading with him. We share a lot of laughs during our sessions. He comes twice a week and has such an excitement for learning English. He also has developed some good relationships with some of the people from the church and is learning a lot about the Bible and its Truths, as you will see. For now, I’m going to give you some of the more serious conversations. I’ll post some funny stories at a later date. Enjoy!

Excerpt #1
After reading about the angel telling Mary that she will become pregnant and give birth to Jesus.

Me: So, what are your thoughts about this lesson?
Thiago: I agree with this. I think it’s true. But [thoughtful pause] I don’t think Mary is still a virgin.
Me: (after a few seconds of shock) Well, I don’t think she’s still a virgin either.
T: Really?
Me: Yes, she had other children.
T: Mary had other children?!

(Apparently the Catholic church here in Brazil teaches that Mary is still a virgin and Jesus’ brothers and sisters talked about in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 8 aren’t actually his real siblings. They’ve come up with several reasons why, but I don’t know all of them.)

Excerpt #2
During the lesson about Satan tempting Jesus in the desert/wilderness. Right after reading “Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”

Me: What does this mean?
T: That we should only worship God and no one else.
Me: Yes, we should only worship God and Jesus.
T: Jesus too? Why?
Me: Because Jesus is God also.
T: What?! Jesus is God?
Me: Yes, He is.
T: No, He’s the Son of God. Not God.
We then have a brief discussion of how Jesus can be both God and man and continue the rest of the lesson. At the end:
Me: What did you learn in this lesson?
T: I learned that Jesus is God and God’s Son. But I don’t think I agree.

Followed by a brief discussion of why he doesn't agree.

(Well, Thiago dear, it is just fine if you don’t agree yet. I’m just glad that you have now heard the truth that Jesus is God as well as God’s Son.)

I’m very anxious and excited to continue reading with Thiago and to see what else God has to teach him through me. I hope you enjoyed this peek into the work God is doing here at the Comunidade de Cristo church in Natal. May the Lord give you this week a glimpse (or hopefully more) into the work He is doing where you are.

Life

I've never been much of a city-watcher. But then again, I've never lived on the 8th floor of a building overlooking a city 20 times bigger than the largest town I've lived in in the last 23 years. When I lived on the 5th floor of Summit (or Nutt, as I refuse to call it) at Tech for 3 years, I liked to look out those big windows and see what was happening on campus. Unless it was the 10 minutes between classes, I usually saw nothing of interest. Not here. Now, I enjoy standing on the balconey of my apartment or staring out my bedroom window and watching the city of Natal. I always see something interesting, from a soccer game to a couple fighting on the street to a campaign parade, as well as the occasional helicopter. As I stare out at the city I now call home, with its dark alleys, decorative apartment buildings, and beautiful people, my heart fills with thanksgiving, and I am in awe of the God of the impossible. The God who whispers words of love and redemption and hears and understands words of faith and praise in all languages. The God who has perfect plans for each of His children and loves them all equally and unconditionally. Yahweh. Our Creator. Our Father. Who brought me here to Natal, Brazil, for a reason I have yet to fully comprehend. As I take in the beauty of Natal and contemplate the mysteries of the divine, I am overcome by a sense of calm. Life is right.

What attracts you?

No, I don't want to know about your preference for blue eyes and a good heart. I actually want to know what attracts you to God? Why do you love Him? I've been pondering this since a conversation I had with a reader yesterday. For me, it began when I experienced God's love through His people as I was growing up. Today, while His love is still the foundation of my faith, it's also His consistency. He is the same today as He was 1000 years ago and as He will be in 1000 years. I never open the Bible and discover that He's not who I thought He was or that He's not who He portrayed Himself to be. He IS and He never changes (James 1:17). And His presence is constant as well. He never leaves me (Heb 13:5). The second I start to think He has, He shows me otherwise. Yes, God is the one constant in my life. And in an ever-changing, ever-decieving world, this is very Good News! And you, what attracts you to God?

Now, I'm sure you're wondering about that thought-provoking conversation. We were reading from Luke 12:23-31 about seeking God's kingdom. We started talking about what that means and why we should do it. Somehow, the question "What attracts you to God?" came up. His response was "Here (the church). You. These classes." Wow. How humbling is that? This person has been reading for a few months with several different Americans. He has visited the church many times, coming almost every week now. He also has studied the Bible in Portuguese with one of the missionaries. All because he saw something in the people he met at the church and through Let's Start Talking that attracted him to God. It seems that the love we, God's people, show to others greatly influences God's kingdom (as evidenced by pretty much the entire New Testament). This just drives home the point that we are God's representatives, His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). We can attract people or we can drive them away. What affect does your life have on people?

Great News!

A few posts ago, I introduced you to Francisco. He was an LST reader who decided to give his life to Christ and was baptized last month. He was so excited about his new Life that he went and told his good friend, Geraldo, about Jesus. Well, last night Geraldo also gave his life to Jesus. How beautiful! I, unfortunately, did not have my camera. To see pics and read a bit more of the story, click here read my roommates's blog.

Hopefully I will write many more posts like this one in the future!

I'm not fluent yet...

I'm learning Portuguese. It's a daily process. One that will continue every single day that I'm here. I have a lot to learn.

For example, in my last post I said that the theme of the retreat was, in English, "Defeating Giants." Well, after reading my roommate's blog (who is fluent in Portuguese), I realized that I was wrong. The theme, translated into my mother tongue, is "Facing Giants."

Just thought I'd let you know. :-)

Retreating Brasilian Style

This was a weekend of firsts. My first Brasilian retreat. My first Brasilian roadtrip. My first time to travel outside Natal. My first experience with the Brasilian birthday custom of breaking a giant balloon filled with candy (and flour, in this case).

Yes, it was a very fun, interesting, and tiring experience. We left bright and early at 5:30 a.m. on Friday and returned at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. It was an 8-hour roadtrip. We went by omnibus, which is like a cross between a church van and the economy section of an airplane, complete with DVD player. We only made two bathroom stops on the way there and one on the back. Chris Buxton, you would be proud. :)

The theme of the Retreat was Desafiando Gigantes, or Defeating Giants. The main text was taken from 1 Samuel 17. (I'll pause while you get out your Bible and read.) Even though everything was in Portugese and not much was translated, I understood a lot of what was said. Or I at least got the main idea. By Sunday morning though, I was so physically (from lack of sleep) and mentally (from trying to understand everything that was happening) exhausted that I could hardly force myself to listen to the message.

This weekend I did learn that Brasilian retreats are a lot like and a lot different from American ones. I can't exactly pinpoint all of the differences (except for the obvious language and meal differences) though. Sorry. A few things I noticed, though:
~We only had cold water for showers, and I didn't hear anyone complain.
~Brasilians are loud and very, very loving.
~Hammocks apparently make wonderful beds.
~Fun happened naturally.

So, as you can tell, Brasil and Brasilians are great! Here are some pictures so you can see it for yourself. God bless!




All the Natal girls


The whole Natal gang

Parabens!

Yesterday was the first time I had celebrated my birthday outside of Arkansas. I was wondering how I'd feel about. I had nothing to worry about. Let me tell you, Brazilians know how to take care of a person, make them feel loved, and how to celebrate birthdays! I heard "Parabens!", which means "Happy Birthday" in Portuguese, countless times. Here are a few highlights:

~Getting a mango from a friend (Yes, there's a story behind it. But I think you'd have to be here to apprecitate it.)
~Getting a hug from every person I saw.
~Being sung to in Portuguese by an entire church.
~Being sung to in Portuguese, English, and French.
~Walking into the church auditorium to shouts of "Surprise!" and "Parabens!" followed by the birthday song in Portuguese and cake and Brazilian hotdogs.
~Seeing my number of Facebook wallposts increase substantially
~Knowing that my family got the gifts I sent them on my birthday ;)

It was a marvelous day. I am truly blessed.

Remember in my last post when I said that Francisco had a hard life? When I wrote that, I knew only part of the story. You can find out more about Francisco on John Jewell's blog (he's one of the missionaries here). Go here to read the blog post about the baptism.

Leave It In the Water

I have great news!!!! One of Ryan's readers was baptized last night. Francisco started reading in June with the LST team from Oklahoma Christian. He continued with Ryan, and was having Portuguese Bible studies with one of the missionaries when we got here. Last night, he decided to give his life to Christ. Praise God! His life has not been easy, but the love of Jesus conquers all.

One of Ryan's other readers, who is not a Christian, witnessed the baptism. Afterwards, I asked him what he thought about it. He said, "It is beautiful that he left his sins in the water." Not only did one reader gain a new life and salvation, but another reader witnessed it and recognized the beauty of it. Praise the Lord for the work He is doing here in Natal, Brazil!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Right now, it's winter in Brazil. For all of you Arkansans reading this, forget about what you think winter is. Here, winter basically means it rains a lot. For instance, it started raining yesterday morning (it's currently 2:30 am here. no, I don't know why I'm still awake.). And it hasn't stopped since. It poured all day long. Torrential downpours at times. In fact, I'm listening to a torrential downpour right now. It's actually quite beautiful. And this isn't the first time we've experienced this kind of rain here in the last month. Parts of the city are underwater. I keep expecting Noah to roll up in the ark any minute.

In case any of you are wondering why I'm living here in Brazil for an entire year, let me share something with you. Last Thursday, I was reading with a guy. He's been doing LST since last September, about 10 months total, so he's already read Luke and has moved on to Acts. We were reading in the Acts workbook about Peter and John getting in trouble for healing a man (see Acts 4:1-22). In this passage, Luke quotes the psalmist (Psalms 118:22), referring to Jesus as the cornerstone (or capstone). We discussed what this meant for our lives. Then he said something that made my heart praise God. He said, "I don't have a Bible. But I think I will buy one so I can read more about Jesus." That, my friends, is exactly why I'm in Brazil with Let's Start Talking.

Imagine how life-changing it would be for you to hear something like that as a result of you talking to someone about Jesus. It's possible with a little thing called short-term missions. Think about it. I know a great mission organization that would love to help you. Just go here.

What does Jesus see?

I have amazing readers. I have been praying for mainly two things: 1) that God will use me to share His Word with my readers and 2) that He will give me words to speak and questions to ask. I have no doubt that He will answer #1, but little did I know that He would use my readers to answer #2 (well, I knew He would, but not to what degree). Let me give you an example.

One of my readers, let's call her B, is a strong Christian. Before continuing, please read Luke 7:36-50. In this passage, Jesus tells the story about the money lender to make a point. One of the questions in the workbook asks why Jesus tells the story. B said something like this: (keep in mind this is a loose paraphrase, the original was in broken English.) "Jesus wanted Simon to know something. He compared the man who owed the most to the sinful woman and the man who owed the least to Simon. He is the money lender. Jesus saw them differently. When he looked at them, he did not see the things they did. He saw what was inside their heart, the reasons why they did what they did."

This conclusion may seem elementary to you, but I had never thought of this passage in that way before. I never thought to ask "What did Jesus really see when He looked at them?" Usually, I assume Jesus saw that she was sorry and believed because of her actions. But no, Jesus did not see the woman's sin nor her actions. He saw a truly repentant, believing heart. And that is why He forgave her sins. Because of God speaking through B, I have a little more insight not only into this story, but also into the man Jesus. And I have another question to ask my other readers, one that may help them to see Jesus in a new, better way.

Thank you for your prayers! Know that God hears you and He is answering, sometimes in the most unlikely ways.

What a week!

Oh. My. Goodness. This has been the best, craziest, busiest week of my stay in Brazil. (Granted, it is only the 3rd week. But it was crazy busy nonetheless.) I counted, and I have 14 readers, which is more than I should have considering I'll be taking some of Ryan's when he leaves. But I do have some really great readers! I also got to go furniture shopping and now have a new bed and a closet!!!! I got a great deal on them too. Now my clothes will have a place to live. Til now, they've been hanging out on top of suitcases, the bed, and anywhere else I can put them. It will be really nice to have everything organized (someday). All I need now is a desk and my room will be complete.

Last night, Ryan and I had our first LST party. It was awesome! The theme was an Ice Cream Social. I started by explaining what an ice cream social is. Then we played the Human Knot Game, where people stand in a circle and randomly grab hands then have to undo themselves and remake a circle. We played twice. It was great. Then we played my favorite game, Hand to Foot. It was SO FUN!!!! Then we taught them to chant "I scream. you Scream. We all scream for ice cream!" Once they mastered that, we brought out the ice cream. We had Neopolitan ice cream with sprinkles bought in the States, small gummy things, and chocolate and caramel sauces as toppings. It was de-licious! While we ate ice cream we just talked with our readers. Everyone loved the games and the ice cream. It was an amazing night. Afterwards we went to a nearby burger stand with some readers and ate the best burgers in the world (no offense Chris Buxton). And now I'm completely worn out. Today is going to be a day of rest. It's a perfect day for that since it's raining and has been all morning.

God is so good!!! He is here, working, and has been for a long time. Please continue to pray for us as we share His Word with some very special people. Someday soon I'll tell you more about them. For now, just lift them up in prayer. Thank you!

With lots of love from Brazil,
Lacy

My New Home

Ok, here it is. For those of you who don't have facebook, I'm finally going to give you a glimpse of the place I now call home. I have no idea how well this (putting the pictures on here) will go because, as I'm writing this, I can't tell which picture is where. I can tell you that the caption is below the picture. Oh, and no pictures of my bedroom on this post. I have yet to get any furniture besides a bed.



my bathroom (i knew it wouldn't do to leave this one out)
except now there's no mirror and it's more organized



the 'dining room' (aka, the table behind the couch)



the kitchen




the living room and the balconey (complete with hammock and incredible view of the city)

Forget the box...just think outside

I have been reminded every day since arriving here why I love Natal. I've met a lot of my new readers and their friends/family members/significant others. Some of them I'm already pretty good friends with already. I just love Brazilians.

For example, tonight the current LST team from Oklahoma Christian University had their farewell party. I started the party talking to a reader who shares my interest in linguistics. We talked about American English and British English and Brazilian Portuguese accents. Boring for you maybe, but interesting to me and Bruno. After the party, I talked to my future reader Ana Mara and her brother Hermony (er-mo-knee) who I met on Wednesday and saw a movie with last night. We, along with a church member and Ryan, talked and laughed for a while then started taking pictures. When pretty much everyone had left the auditorium, Ana Mara, Hermony, and another reader Tiago gave us Samba and Hip-hop lessons. Samba is a traditional Brazilian dance. Yes, we danced in the church (don't worry, not suggestively, and I was horrible at it). Then they helped me with my Portuguese. It was like we'd been friends for a long time.

Speaking of learning Portuguese, I have been. I've learned all sorts of good stuff. When I speak it, people shout "Ay Lacy! Esta falando Portugues (You're speaking Portuguese)!" like they're really surprised that I actually know words in their language. It's great. I keep being called cute when I speak Portuguese. My favorite words to learn are English words with Portuguese pronunciation. For example, Microsoft Word is pronounced worgeye; download is downloagey; powerpoint is powerpoinchey; milkshake is milkshakey; and internet is internechey. My absolute favorite is facebook, pronounced faceybookey. I love to say it how they say. Then we crack up for about 5 minutes.

I start my reading sessions on Monday! I am SO EXCTIED about it!!!! Please pray that the Lord speaks through me and that He gives me the wisdom I need to respond to my readers. The first English worship service is tomorrow, which, of course, I'm REALLY EXCITED about!! I loved our ones last year and can't wait for tomorrow! The firt Portuguese worship service is also tomorrow. You guessed it, I'm SUPER EXCITED!! The confraternizacao (like a meet-and-greet except you kiss everyone on the cheek) is my favorite part. I've been looking forward to it for a year. Praise God that He brought me back to Natal! Though, of course, I miss my family. I love you family and friends!!!

With muito amor (much love),
Lacy

P.S. I got the title of my blog from a t-shirt a reader was wearing tonight. Isn't it great?

In Brazil Again

I made it! It took us 26 hours to get here, but the flights and layovers were well worth it! It's so good to be back. I've seen so many people I know from last year. I'm so happy to see them all again. I'm remembering why I love this place so much!! I start reading sessions on Monday. I'm so excited!

Right now I'm sitting in my living room, looking out at the lights of Natal. Our apartment overlooks the northern part of the city, and in the distance, we can see the ocean. Not much of it, but enough to count. It's a nice apartment. I like it alot. And I have a great roommate, Cris. She's been here since September doing LST work. She's been a huge help. I'm so thankful for her.

This is so surreal. I can hardly believe I'm here. And that God wanted me to come back. I am blessed beyond anything I'll ever deserve. Have a wonderful day! Deus te abencoe (God bless)!

The Journey Begins Again

Hello Blogreaders!

I began this blog last summer as a way to keep family and friends updated on the happenings during a mission trip to Natal, Brazil, with Let's Start Talking. Almost one year ago, I posted an entry for what I thought might be the last time. Thankfully, God had other plans. In one week, I'm heading back to Natal to spend one year sharing the message of Jesus, making new friends, and helping many Brasilians with their English.

AND I'M EXCITED!

My visa is ready, and (hopefully) I'll receive it today or tomorrow. I have my plane tickets. Hopefully I won't lose them. Now all I have to do is pack. How do you fit a years worth of stuff into 2 suitcases and a large carry-on? Very carefully and very tightly.

Check back for updates on the work the Lord is doing in Natal, interesting stories from life, and deep, wise insights into the life of a pilgrim. Have a wonderful day! May God bless you all so that you can be a blessing to others! Tchau!