Hello, My Name Is…Part 1

This post is long overdue. My apologies. For a while now, I’ve wanted to introduce you to the people I’ve spent my time with over the last year. The first part of this post will focus on my readers, and in the second installment you’ll get to meet my dear church family. Now, I have some pretty great readers. Some of them I’ve been reading with since last July or August. Others started reading with me after reading with the other LST interns. The rest have started within the last 3 months. There are others that I’ve left off because the list is already pretty long, and they stopped coming several months ago. I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as I have!

Alberto
Alberto works with computers for the local police agency and teaches some computer classes. He is married with one son, Carlos. I have read with him since July. He had become pretty active at the church and was studying the Bible. Since the summer vacation, he has been very busy, so we haven’t seen him as often. He really wants to return to the church very soon though.

Alecio
Alecio is one of my newest readers. We’ve been studying for about a month. He is a lawyer here, originally from Sao Paulo, and is very intent on becoming fluent in English. He and his wife have twin boys, and he LOVES hanging out with them on the beach or in the park. So sweet!

Anthony
I have been reading with Anthony since March. He is a grad student studying for his Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering. He has been to the USA several times, so his English is really good. We read our lessons directly from the NIV Bible so he will be more challenged. After one lesson, he asked if we could read more from each chapter of the Bible, so now we usually read an entire chapter, or at least most of it. He seems to have an interest in learning more and has been to our Sunday worship services several times.

Bruno
I met Bruno when I first got to Natal. He studied with the first LST team of the year and continued with Greg. When Greg left, I began studying with him. We are currently in the 3rd LST book, John. Bruno studies English (as his major) at the local federal university, and his English is very, very good. He is very intelligent and has very interesting ideas about the world and religion.

Demetrios
Demetrios also began reading with the first LST team of the year. He read with one person from each team. He studies computer engineering at the local university.

Erick
Erick is my newest student. He is really funny and likes to talk a lot. We always talk about the most random things. When we finish,he'll say "What more?" He is studying medicine and hopes to become a brain surgeon. He studies with Marcos, also on this list.

Fernanda
I have known Fernanda almost the entire time I’ve been here. We are currently reading the Good News books. When I first met her, she was very confused about her religious beliefs. Now she seems more sure about her faith in Jesus and may have started attending a church with a friend.

João
João is a very quiet guy. He works in education and always comes to our lesson fully prepared and with a story about what activity he did over the weekend, usually involving traveling to this hometown and rockclimbing or swimming. I began reading with him after the last LST team left in August and then again after Greg moved off to Panama.

Karlos
Karlos, or Karlinho as I like to call him, was a grad student in Engineering. He started in Cris’s basic English class. His English was too good for that class, so he scheduled with me. We began reading in September and didn’t stop until he got a job and moved away a few weeks ago. I enjoyed my reading sessions with Karlos very, very much. He came every week with really hard English and Bible questions. I was blessed to watch the Lord change his heart over the several months we studied together. Karlos became friends with many of the church members, came to our worship services, and began studying the Bible. I am praying that he finds the church in his new city and continues his studies. He promised me he would.

Kleber
Kleber is another grad student in Engineering and is friends with Karlos and Nathalee, both on this list. He is a very interesting guy with equally interesting ideas about life and religion. Kleber teaches Ergonomics at a local school and hopes to become a university professor soon. You can tell just by looking at him that he loves reggae music and surfing.

Marcos
I began studying with Marcos after Cyndi left. He studies medicine with my other reader Erick. He is a super nice guy who always has something interesting to say about our lessons.

Marinho
He is one of the sweetest readers I have. He is a nurse at the police hospital here and recently married his wife, Pollyanna. Marinho is very interested in growing in his faith and has good insights into the lessons. He always tells me “Good job!” after I read the lesson, which is always a nice thing to hear.

Nathalee
I met Nathalee back in July. She is also a grad student in Engineering and is friends with Karlos and Kleber. She is a Christian already but hopefully learns a little something during our lessons.

Sueley
Sueley is great! I love her. She is so funny and loves to talk. We always end up talking about random events in the world or in our lives before we start our lesson or after we end. Then she’ll say, “Lacy, you talk a lot.” She has a strong faith in Jesus and usually teaches me something. I will miss her very much when I leave.

Thiago
Thiago also began studying with the first LST team of the year, then continued with Cris and Cyndi. I started with him after Cyndi left. Thiago lived in Ireland for a year, and I enjoy hearing his slight Irish accent as he reads. Thiago also has become friends with several of the church members and comes to our worship services occasionally. He is currently taking several theatre and dance classes and masquerades as a real estate agent during the day.

Thompson
In June Thompson began reading. When the LST team left, he began studying with me. By the time I leave, he will have read through Luke, Acts, and part of John. Thompson is a physical education student at the local federal university. Around the church he is known for his hair and the way he flips it to get it out of his eyes. If you look at the pictures, you’ll understand why. Thompson is a pretty interesting guy.

Victor
I began reading with Victor after Cyndi left. He studies computer engineering at the local university and is getting close to finishing the Luke workbook.

I have pictures of most of these very special people in a Facebook album. I hope you'll check them out!

I hope you have enjoyed learning a little about some of my readers. Please pray for them. They really are great, and I will miss them VERY much when our lessons end in 2 weeks.

FYI

Exactly one month from today, I will be leaving Natal. It is going to be unbelievably hard to say goodbye. Ok, that's all I'll say about that. I don't want any tears tonight.

Before I came to Brazil, I remember wondering What did people do without microwaves? I don't know what I'd do without one. Well, now I know. Live normally. I have learned in the last year that as long as you have an oven and a stove, microwaves are handy, but unneccesary. Now that we have one (though still in the box), I can't think of anything I'll cook in it. Popcorn? But I learned to cook that on the stove, and it's much better that way.

We have a new roommate. His name is Gus Gus, and, though he isn't quite as cute as his namesake, he certainly isn't ugly. I met him the night he scampered from under my bed to behind my closet. He has been elusive, but we've spotted him in the living room, on the stove, and in the oven. We don't enjoy tiny droppings on our cabinets and utensils, so the little thing will soon be deceased. Poor Gus Gus.

Hopefully by the next time I post, we'll be in a new, bigger, Gus Gus-free apartment!