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!