It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

"Red sun at night, sailor’s delight” or so goes the old saying. Tomorrow promises to be gorgeous, but today was a wonderful day as well. I love this time of year when it is sunny and neither too hot nor cold.

I am happy to report that the family life conference ended well last night and Pr. Irland returned home this morning. I had a lot to do getting the house ready to receive my 9 students, and making lunch, especially since it was a very late night last night. I confess, I was tired this morning, and wasn’t sure I could get everything done. João was at church at a wonderful worship service commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Military Police of Rio. I had forgotten how much I depend on his help to get things done.

Nevertheless, everything was ready on time and surprisingly the kids enjoyed the food, right down to the cole slaw and baked beans. They even ate pickles. I think it was a very special treat, as they aren’t allowed soft drinks, sweets, or chocolates except on special occasions. I love young people, so I really enjoyed their company and getting to know them as “people” not just students.

It was their “final” exam, as they told stories from Jesus’ life and led in discussions. I was so pleased to see their progress since the beginning of the semester. As they commented on how they had learned to really “look” into God’s word and begin to interpret it on their own, I was overjoyed to see this class was not in vain and their lives had been touched. João even stuck around to hear their stories and commented that this group will definitely be contributing positively to the Kingdom of God. The guys really gravitated to João and seem to hang onto everything he had to say. I gave the girls a copy of my new book and the guys a copy of João’s book. It was a wonderful afternoon!

The living room needs another cleaning and the sink has lots of dirty dishes. The washing machine is full of dirty sheets and tableclothes and I have another dentist appointment to fill a cavity, so my week is ending with a big bang of WORK! I hope tomorrow, our day off, will be a little relaxing and I can get back to my routine of exercise and healthy eating (I don’t think sloppy joes and baked beans and chocolate cake qualifies on that score). See ya around…