Old Friends/New Friends

João and I had a safe and wonderful trip into the "interior" of the country, as we traveled about 820 quilometres, one way, to preach a revival. We left on Thursday morning, and I was especially anxious to get to São Paulo to see my dear friend Marilene, since we planned to spend the night with her and her family. Our visit was way too short, but it was just great to be in her home - finally!
We got away at a decent hour in the morning and had a longer drive than the previous day, but still it wasn't tiring. This time it was João who was excited to see old friends, as we would be staying with a couple who had been his friends in Iraq (where he ministered from 1981-83). He baptized the father and the son in the Euphrates River in Iraq. To the right is the couple as they were in Iraq and to the left is the couple today. In addition I have added the photo of João baptizing Domingos in the river. There are certainly fruits that remain in our ministry and this is a wonderful example, as Domingos is a deacon and vice-moderator of his church. He is the one who invited us to come and preach. So it was very meaningful to me as well to get to know these very special people in João's life. João preached from Friday through Sunday at First Baptist Church of Passos, in the state of Minas Gerais. What fun on Saturday night when another family that João had baptized in Iraq drove over from a neighboring town to be present at the worship service!
After two years of serving at First Baptist of Rio, we (or maybe just me) had forgotten that our church is not exactly the norm. It is a "capital city" church and a large one at that. This visit took us both back to our real roots in church life and we loved it. We had forgotten about the constant buzz of people moving around, a standing room only crowd, children crying, etc. It was kind of challenging at first, especially when you are used to the solemnity of our church. But it was great to see so many visitors and many decisions. My children's message was something new for them and it started off small, but it definitely grew larger. I had a lot more kids than I have at our church! I think you can see on João's face, his joy at sharing with these wonderful people.
The three days in Passos flew by ever so quickly and Monday morning we needed to hit the road early, but it was hard to tear ourselves away. I think, in my heart of hearts, I am really just a kid from the country and city living is not exactly all it is cracked up to be.
We didn't leave as early as we should have, and also chose to take the route recommended to us by the "natives", sort of off the beaten path, but some 200 quilometres closer. It was a beautiful drive, but it didn't take too long before we had regretted our decision. Less miles, but not such great roads. In fact, some just plain horrible. We had detours and we changed roads dozens of time, so we had to drive with the map in my lap and constantly be alert. Then there were the trucks driving 15 kph up the mountain and no place to pass. Monday definitely dragged on and on, as we sang "This is the trip that never ends". I took this shot on one of the straightest and best stretches along the highway. I am glad I didn't have motion sickness on the hairpin turns, as many years ago I traveled this highway and I did get sick. By the time we got into Rio, it was dark and the traffic was horrendous and my poor husband had to tangle with bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour after driving over 10 hours. We were two tired kiddies. I still haven't unpacked, as I was too tired. Today I had to teach my seminary class. I didn't even feel like eating, much less fixing lunch, so we ate on the delicious cheese we bought along the highway. (Minas Gerais is famous for its milk and cheese products). So our grand adventure is over and we are back to our routine. I am washing clothes and getting ready to teach tomorrow. João is at a meeting at church. The interlude was wonderful, but it is always good to be back home again.

I am alive!

Really I am alive. After my April Fool's joke, I figured I'd better give everyone a cooling down period. Seriously, I became so involved in the classes I was teaching (actually still am teaching) that just about everything else went by the wayside. I just about quit cooking (thank goodness for being able to call for take-out) and cleaning (really missed that), doing e-mails and definitely forgot about my blog.
My class, a 30 hour module, is about Storytelling and Oral Cultures. To sum it up, it was a class about transmitting the content of the Bible to people who either have no written Bible or who cannot read. The class is for our "radical" missionaries of the World Mission Board (Brazilian Baptists). These are young people (in their 20's or early 30's) who will go and live in cultures, living as the people live. They will be going mostly to unreached people groups. So they will plant rice, build their homes, fetch water from the well, etc. Through incarnational missions, they will share the good news. And now, hopefully, they know how to take the Word of God and tell it has a story that the people can repeat and tell as well. It's an exciting concept. I am no expert or even amateur on this subject, so it took a lot out of me to prepare and teach, especially since they were three hour session. I had to model the method, so I allowed no books or notetaking in my class. Everyone had to listen and remember! They actually need a lot more work to be effective, but hopefully I have given them the tools to go one and work on their storytelling skills.
Of course there have been other things happening in my life. Some good, some not so good. I have continued my drawing lessons and feel I am making some actual progress. My hand drawing is from yesterday's class. It's a slow process. I mean, it took me over three hours to draw my hand. But it does look like a hand. Rome wasn't built in a day and after six lessons, I don't expect miracles either! But at least I am producing something that looks like something! Last's week chair was a struggle and you won't be seeing any photos of it.
Recently Sissy was quite ill and kind of scared us. But after two hospital visits and tons of blood work, they think she might have had dengue fever. Dengue fever is still raging as an epidemic with over 100,000 cases in the city. If you consider that only 10% of the people with the illness present symptoms, that means that probably almost a million people actually have had the disease. At any rate, Sissy seems on the road to recovery and no longer seems in danger of bleeding out on us!
Tomorrow João and I are taking off for "parts unknown". Well at least to me. João is preaching a revival (protracted meetings) in the southwest part of the country. We figure it's about 11-12 hours away. So tomorrow we will drive as far as Marilene's house and spend the night. She moved to São Paulo in June of last year and I have yet to visit her house! I am so excited. Then Friday we will drive 7 hours (or less I hope) to Passos in Minas Gerais. We will return on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday I teach my last two classes for the "Radicals"(Missionaries Without Frontiers). Hopefully things should calm down some in our lives as we prepare for .... VACATION at the end of the month. I have already packed on suitcase for vacation, but who says I am excited???? We are going to the mountains where it is cold. Yes, cold. Sometimes it even gets down to 5 or 6 degrees (Fahrenheit), so I mean cold even my North American standards. Actually it will probably only be around 40 degrees most of the time. But since I don't even have any long sleeved clothes and house will not be heated, I think this will be a challenge!!!!
The night has arrived and I have much yet to do before we travel tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know I really am still alive. And well. And happy.

Oh no!

Today as I was checking messages and photos and other information on the social network we use the most here in Brazil, Orkut. I began to panic. In the upper left hand corner the regular logomark of Orkut was there (see design to left), but with the word Yogurt instead of Orkut (see screen photo of my actual page on the right). People often confuse those two words, but still I knew something had to be wrong. I checked João's computer and Yogurt didn't appear. I knew what that meant. I had been cloned. That meant my e-mail, my password, everything was GONE. All would have to be canceled. And sure enough as I checked things out, all my identities had been stolen. My computer had been invaded by a hacker. Not only passwords, credit card numbers, banking information, files, everything was stolen. What do you do? Where do you start with a problem of this kind of dimension? Let me tell you it is a panicky feeling. So, let me give you a word of advice if you face this situation: Check the calendar and make sure it's not April 1. Gotcha! Orkut played a joke on all of us and changed the logomark to Yogurt for a day. And I played a joke on all of you. I wasn't cloned at all. My computer wasn't hacked, although you may want to hack me to pieces! Happy April Fool's Day.

Stupidity+ Corruption = Dengue!

We are currently in an epidemic situation here in Rio. The govt, in a singularly brilliant move, reduced funds last year for mosquito control. Now, a sickness that was once eradicated in Brazil, is on the warpath. To top things off the city, state and federal govt.'s are all fighting over who is responsible for the problem. In the meantime our children are dying! Now you understand that "classic" dengue (or as it is often called "Bone-break"fever) isn't fatal. You kinda wish you might die. I've had it twice, I can attest to that! You ache and itch and feel sick and have a fever that makes you sure you will explode. Your eyeballs feel like they are going to pop out of your head. And you cannot take most pain relievers, because this little bug uncoagulates your blood. So taking aspirin can be somewhat fatal. There are basically two types of dengue, which is probably why I have had it twice. You are afforded some degree of immunity if you have had it already. But the children don't have that luxury. And for some reason some people get a hemorrhagic type of dengue, which is often fatal, but at the least horrible, since you start bleeding everywhere. The only treatment are transfusions and hopefully your body will react and you won't bleed to death. We have had over 100 deaths, mostly children. They are not sure why some people respond with so much bleeding. I used to hear that this was what happened if you got the disease a second time, but that's not always the case (as I am proof). I confess that I am angry. Angry at so much corruption in our government that puts our lives at risk. And angry at the stupidity. This is not a poor person's disease. The Aedes aegypti mosquito (the same guy that spread malaria) doesn't discriminate - bites the rich and the poor. Our public and private hospitals are over flowing - so much so that the army has set up field hospitals to deal with the dengue patients. I am stunned at how many people I know that have and have had recently dengue. Right now I am concerned about our minister of music's little girl (Rebeca) who has a very low blood platelet level and we are anxious that she might hemorrhagic dengue. She is only 8 years old. Pray for her. Pray for our city. May this be a lesson that draws us together in integrity and honesty and real concern for our people's well-being.

Now what does that mean?

Quick, tell me! What does the word "Maundy" mean? Of course you know it is "Holy Thursday" before Good Friday. But what does "maundy" mean? Someone asked me and I knew it was from latin (sort of) and that it referred to the Thursday before Friday and that it was a liturgical word, but the exact meaning?
Well here it is straight from Wikipedia "The word Maundy is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. Maundy Thursday is the name for this day in England. It is therefore the usual name also in English-speaking Protestant Churches that originated in that country".
So now we all know.
In addition I discovered there is an interesting tradition in England related to this day: "In Britain it is still customary for the sovereign to give 'Maundy Money' to a number of male and female pensioners - one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age. The money is contained in two purses: one red and one white. The white purse contains specially minted coins - one for each year of the sovereign's life. The red purse now also contains money, in lieu of gifts which used to be offered to the poor. Up to the time of James II the sovereign also washed the feet of selected poor men." (http://www.thisischurch.com/christianinfo/maundythursday.htm)
What ever did we do before Google and wikipedia?

Maundy Thursday

We found a new and exciting way to "celebrate" Maundy Thursday at our church this year. It was João's idea and I helped him in the implantation. We had an all night prayer meeting, in which we "re-lived" the events in the last hours (Thursday - Friday morning) of Jesus' life. As we read the Scriptures, we found 13 events and so we divided this into 30 minutes segments, with a couple of coffee breaks in the middle. Different people were in charge of each 3o minutes. Each person had a different style. We had discussions, films, dramas, "sermons", powerpoint, simulations etc. in each presentation of the event, followed by prayer. The prayer was in varied forms, silent, group, individual, etc. We began with the washing of the feet, in which we prayed for humility. I was in charge of the last supper, so we had pita bread, pure grape juice, and some dipping sauce for people, as they sat at their tables to eat, talk, sing, discuss the meaning of the bread and wine and pray for true communion and unity at our church. Although due to church practice here in Brazil I had to carefully emphasize that this was NOT the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, to me it was a lot closer to what Jesus really intended than what we do with our measly little cups and squares of bread. But then, who am I to argue with long years of church tradition?
I had never managed to stay for an all night prayer meeting before... stay or stay awake, either one! I did nap in the evening before leaving (since it was 10-6), so I was wide awake when we started. Around 5AM I was fading pretty fast, as the lactic acid started its famous build up and my legs and arms were killing me. But we ended at 5:30 to then sit down for a breakfast together. When we left after 6AM, it was light and safe for everyone to travel.
As you know, it's not all that safe to be out on the streets in the dark and late at night here. So when people showed up for the prayer meeting, they knew it was going to be an all night affair! We had no idea of how many to plan for, as this was something new. The church, in the past, has had all night prayer meetings. And small groups continue to do so, but not as a church-wide event. We thought maybe 40 people would be really good. Just in case the administrator and I decided to set up for 80. To our total surprise, people just kept coming and we ran out of room for the first part (we changed rooms after the Last Supper). We had way more than 100 people. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of people, for a church of our size, but really it is for a new event, for an all night prayer meeting (in what many people consider a dangerous part of town) and before a LOOOOONG holiday weekend when everyone travels.
The night flew by in a hurry and I loved it. It was great to study the WORD, pray together and enjoy the communion of the saints. We had lots of young people and lots of old people, so the mixture was just terrific.
I admit I was plenty sleepy Friday morning and I hit the sack for about 4 hours as soon as I got home. Friday night I also didn't need anyone to rock me to sleep either. It was more than worth it. I loved the experience and I hope some time in the near future we will be able to promote more experiences like this.
I hope you have a wonderful celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord planned . God bless!

An Artist in the Making?

Because I believe it is important to stretch my horizons and try out things I have NEVER done before, when a friend who is an artist invited me to participate in her drawing class, I hesitated, but eventually accepted. Now you need to understand I am not now, nor have I ever been artistic. I was seriously traumatized by my art classes in school, especially when my teacher gave me some terrible comments and grades on my work. It was because I was so afraid to fail I was terrified and so I was totally inhibited. Consequently I never did a thing with art and steered clear of it. So Gabi's invite was a chance to test out some of my new found freedom from fear (yes I did finish reading the book on fear). I decided to give it a plunge. I did 3 drawings in the first class. The scan at the left is my 3rd drawing. She said to just look at the lines and draw the lines, not draw my hand. So that's what I did. And you know what? It actually looks like a hand... even looks like my hand ( I think my family will attest to that). I don't know how to contour or shade or anything, but I got a start with not being so afraid of paper and pencil. Yesterday the task was to reproduce a Picasso. But here's the catch. It would be upside down and I would have to draw it upside down (the picture, not me!!!).
Ok, now tell me which is the original and which is mine? Yeah, right, like it's hard to tell!!!! But still the result is pretty good. It is an amazing process, because I covered up the picture and just did things a line at a time. Surprisingly, the lines met up (like on the chair, without even knowing that I was drawing a chair). It took almost 3 hours and I stopped before finishing because my hand my killing me. I tend to clutch at my pencil in a death grip. But I'll tell you one thing, you totally lose track of time and forget everything happening around you as you draw. It is really fun. And I am meeting new people, as there are 3 others in the class. They, however, have experience in drawing.
Next week another upside drawing. The whole idea is to learn to "see". She says we think we can't draw because we don't know how to look at things with our right brain and really see and reproduce what we see. Maybe it will work and I'll learn something new. Hey, maybe you can even teach an old dog new tricks...

Life is Short

We all know that we could walk out the door and be hit by a car. Our mommas told us that so that we would always wear clean underwear, right? (By the way the one time I did go to the hospital for a car accident, I did have on old holey underwear. Figures, huh?) Today I was reminded of the fragility of life. I don't write this so you'll worry about me or feel sorry for me, because what happened could happen anywhere, anytime. I write it as a catharsis for me.
Today as I was happily cooling down at the end of my aqua class, there was a loud noise, like an explosion. Then suddenly the teachers came rushing in with children under their arms. The front staff came rushing to the back of the academy and began yelling for everyone to get down. Now how do you get down when you are in the pool??? The noise ended and there was a momentary silence before panic set in. The people begin rushing to the front. Not me. I stayed warm and safe in the pool at the back of the academy. When things calmed down I got out (the last one) and asked what happened. My teacher looked pale and said a motorist had been shot and killed in their car in the front of our academy. Then I was pale. It was rainy and João had said he would come early and pick me up in the car. I rushed out in the rain in my bathing suit to see what had happened. There were police cars (all shot up may I add) and a silver car with the driver slumped over the steering wheel. My curiosity ended there. Selfish as I am, I could only be thankful not to see our blue car anywhere nearby. People were in tears and everyone was shaky. We all knew that it could have been someone we loved in that car and that somewhere a family lost their father, husband, son... It made for a sad morning. We still don't know what really happened. We know the police were right there (which never happens) and they caught the men on a motorcycle who fired the shots, by lobbing grenades (thus the explosion we heard). So we don't know if it was a "hit", or the poor man was a innocent bystander of the drug wars. My mind just kept thinking about what if it had happened a few minutes later when João was driving down the street. So he gets some extra hugs and kisses today. I was reminded that life really is fragile and I gotta love every minute we have together. Have you kissed someone you love today?

P.S. I post this note later today to say that I heard in the news that this was a paid killing. The man was a doctor and investigating frauds in the health care system. Two people were hit by the escaping assassins, and had broken legs, but are okay. The assassins are currently in police custody.

A Writer's Essential Tools

I am deep into my writing, as my deadline is this Friday, the 15th. I must turn in 15 devotionals for next year's devotional book for the Woman's Missionary Union of Brazil. And yes I AM procrastinating by writing in my blog. BAD GIRL. I have just finished my first devotional, always the hardest. I have, by the way, done all my homework and all my research. My passages, however, are not particularly easy ones to make "devotional". Now that I am in the swing of the style and the number of words I am allowed, I think things will flow more smoothly. I can hope, at least. So you won't hear from me for a few days until I finish this task. You will notice I have all the most modern and essential tools at my fingertips. Most important are the several translations of God's Word that serve as my ultimate source and guide. I do need a few more things, like my computer, to make a go of the writing. And chocolate, of course, is an absolute MUST. Do you have to write anything? I mean, like answer an e-mail or two? Give yourself some brain food. Eat chocolate. (By the way I have also been on a diet of fish to feed my brain power as well - but I tell you I much prefer chocolate).

Life Goes On

Yesterday I went back to the place where I worked for 5 1/2 years, before going to Canada. It is always a strange experience to "go back" where you used to be at home and find you are a stranger. I had been invited to a worship service of gratitude for the arrival of a very special baby. Debora, the mother, had worked for or with me, in my department. I had seen her date and then marry Wellington. I knew they dreamed of a family and upon discovering that they both had fertility issues, shared in their grief. The adoption process seemed impossibly long and difficult and then the baby they awaited was stillborn. It seemed to be one crushing blow after another. They had almost given up hope when Isabelle was born, unwanted and unloved by her family. Debora arrived home from the interior of Brazil with Isabelle, Christmas day! They still have the long road of the legalities of the adoption process, but after all they've been through, that seems not so complicated. Everyone shared in the joy of her birth and home-coming. Surely she will be very well loved and nurtured in the Lord. Her name means "Consecrated to God". I was so pleased to be included in the joy of this worship service at the office where we prayed and rejoiced together. It reminded me, again, of the necessity of taking the "long point of view" and not focusing on the disappointing now.
I have just finished reading a book "Polishing God's Monuments" (you can click on it in the column to the left that lists the books I am reading) that deals with this very issue. It is one of the rare books that I feel changed my way of looking at the world. Basically the author reminds me that we don't get "through" the hard moments pretending like it is not happening, like everything WILL be the way we want, etc. He says we must turn and see how God has acted in the past - in the Bible, in our own lives, in the lives of others - and make those into monuments to God's faithfulness and sovereignty. In the moments of pain and doubt we we must turn and look to who God REALLY is (that is the process of polishing the monuments) and trust even when we don't understand. It is not about manipulating God with our faith. It is about trusting in the big picture of who God is. And now I have another story to add. God has given to this young couple the child they so desired. Praise be to God. God did not give to João and I the child we desired, but he also removed the desire to have children. Praise be to God. God is good.

Let the Good Times Roll

I think João has finally made his peace with having a cat around the house, especially since they are fans of the same soccer team! Here they are in deep discussion about Flamengo. You see, Flamengo won a championship on Sunday night - 2 x 1, in a turn around in the last time period. Then they won again last night. Wow! Do I have two happy "cats" around my house, or what? It is always fun when your team wins.
In addition to the championship, we had other things that gave us a great weekend. Our Sunday services were just great - a real blessing both morning and evening. The morning was the 5th anniversary of one of our "choirs", a young people's group. They did a bossa-nova/contemporary kind of arrangement of "He's Everything to Me" (that one of the group members composed) that would have knocked your socks off. Fabulous. They helped with the congregational singing and it really felt like we soared above the stars in taking our praise to God.
Our evening services was also special, as a member-pastor turned 70 and brought in his whole family for the service, right down to providing a choir. They filled the church. It is a rare sight to have our church full for Sunday night and that was exciting in and of itself. The choir - all family members - also inspired. Especially with a contemporary arrangement of a number of songs from the Messiah. It was an unusual Sunday, for sure. I think it left our new minister of music with his head spinning!
The youth group, "Aviva-voz" (Live or "revived" Voice ) also put out a CD with their songs, and I have included a link to the arrangement I made reference to earlier. If you click on the "pink" mp3 player to left, you will be able to hear their recording. However, the recording is not of the same quality as their actual singing, as they did not record in a studio. They made the recording to help them with funds for a missionary trip they plan to make to Germany to share Christ with the Muslim population there. They have invited me to go with them and I am praying about this. I am really divided on the issue, so I am praying for "one" mind to know what to do. (The trip will be in July.)
I would hope that your week was as joyful as mine. Grab a friend (like Mia and João did) and sit down and chat about YOUR good times!

Phew!!!!

Have you ever caught someone on the phone who has just gotten in and had to run to answer the phone? They sound all out of breath? I sort of feel rushed in that kind of way. When you are "really" talking to someone, you can hear it. When you are writing in 3rd person, you can explain it. Since I write in first person, I just have to ask you to imagine it! These are busy days, and the need to add to my blog has been a "dull roar" in my ears for a week now, but since I now have some really cool pictures, I decided to take a few minutes and share about last Sunday.
I just can't quit smiling as I recall the morning service. Our new minister of music was installed or inducted, whatever you want to call it. We are calling him our "prime-minister" (the first associate minister in the history of our church).
The church was packed, literally standing room only. That is always a thrill! The full orquestra was present and WOW were they ever on top of their "game". I know that most people think there will be a praise band in heaven, but me I think it will be an orchestra!
Eduardo and his family (the new minister) were all there. During the children's message I called them all up and put them in the middle of the circle and we prayed for the family. That, for me was a moving moment. As was the moment when he led the congregation in singing "Shout to the North". Another high point was when I presented Renata (his wife) with a small vase of flowers and then every choir in the church gave her more roses until she had 5 dozen red roses. It was a beautiful scene representing our support of her. The most moving moment was when Eduardo shared his "commitment" to the church. He was so emotional, it was hard for him to speak. But when he shared of his commitment to the pastor and to support him in all decisions, I looked up and saw my husband dabbing away the tears, it really was touching. Of course, it's kind of tough to top 1700 people singing Handel's "Aleluia" with a full orchestra!
We have no doubt that God has brought Eduardo to our church and will use him in wonderful ways.
When you have prayed and yearned for something so long and you see it come to fruition, there is a special sense of fulfillment that is overwhelmingly joyous. It's the kind of day you will replay in your mind when things get hard! It's important to have those "memorial" moments (I call them "Ebenezer" moments").
On Monday evening we also had another special moment. We were invited to attend Margaret Johnson's "going-away" worship service. She is retiring after 38 years as a Southern Baptist Missionary. (she only has 11 years on me, if I hadn't resigned from the board). She had the service at the Women's Training School where I taught from 1989-1996. I hadn't been in the chapel for many years and when I walked in so many memories rushed back that I started crying. I finally remembered so many wonderful times (When I left the school, I was so tired and burned out and unhappy, I forgot all those things) and especially missed the former director, Elizabeth Oates (who is now sitting at Jesus' feet). Margaret's service was well-planned (she would never do any less than perfect, would she?) and VERY meaningful. She wanted no preaching, just a worship service of thanksgiving to the Lord. We sang and read scripture and remembered. When it ended, no one wanted to leave. I have never seen a more "God-honoring" going-away party. I felt richly blessed to have known Margaret and to have participated in this worship service.
So I end this post today with the words of the Dennis Jernigan song, Thank you, Lord

For all that You've done, I will thank You
For all the You're going to do
For all that You've promised
And all that You are
Is all that has carried me through
Jesus I thank You

My favs

I have no idea why, but I love the movies. I can remember rushing home from grade school to watch the afternoon at the movies, featuring Francis Farmer as the hostess (the poor dear, I thought she was just a hopeless drunk, having no idea she had been lobotomized). I loved the fact that with my quarter I could go to the movies on Saturday at the Emerson and see lots of short movies and afford snacks on the side. Now those weren't very auspicious movies to start off my taste for movies... I mean Shirley Temple festivals, and "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" weren't exactly masterpieces of cinematographic style. Still I hung in there and as I grew older, I got to see some better films like "Dr. Zhivago". I even began to realize I really liked some movies enough to want to see them over and over, like "Wizard of Oz", and some I just thought were so awful I didn't have to stay to the end, even if I had paid more than a quarter - like "La Dulce Vita".
So as I thought back on all the movies I had seen and liked and hated and even just loved, I wondered if I could compile a personal list of movies that I would like to see more than once and that actually meant something in my life. I mean it seems like anybody who is someone has done so and I find I don't often agree with them. So I have sort of categorized some of my favourites. Now, you need to know that the order is random (I have no all time favorite movie) and that I have perhaps forgotten some wonderful movies. Other "great movies" didn't make my list because frankly I don't like them (like the "Bicycle Thief" that I just hated), I find they didn't age well and I never want to see them again ("Gone With the Wind"), just too violent or dirty for me (Godfather), I just didn't "get" it (what the Sam Hill was "Space Oddessy 2001" all about? ) or I found them just plain overdone ("Titanic" - please don't make me listen to Celine Dion again!!!).
So here goes my list of 'Peggy' movies.

Classic/Black and White Movies
Casablanca
The Wizard of Oz
Citizen Kane
How Green was my Valley
To Kill a Mockingbird
Stairway to Heaven (other title: A Matter of Life and Death) - A very strange story, but lovely too.
The Best Years of our Lives (Such a sweet ending)

Foreign Movies
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (One of my very favorites!!!)
It's a Beautiful Life
Feast of Babette
Como Agua Para Chocolate
Chocolat
Rabbit Proof Fence (a real surprise for me - an Australian film)
Kite Runner (one of the few new films to enter my list, this is an all time must see movie)

Brazilian Movies
O Homem Nu
O Partilho
Estação Central
Tropa do Elite

Comedies
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (one of the few films I have seen more than 5 times and still seems fresh and funny)
Ground Hog Day (I've only seen it about 4 times, but ditto on the comment above)
The Bucket List (A comedy that made me cry)
Forrest Gump (another comedy that made me cry)

Drama
The Color Purple
Schindler's List
About Schmidt
Chariots of Fire
Paradise Road

Animated (I never was a cartoon fan, and most Disney movies just weren't my cup of tea. I absolutely hated and still can't stand Bambi!)
Beauty and the Beast
Finding Nemo
Cinderella

Action (Surprisingly this category actually entered in, but you'll note there is no horror or scarey movie category, because I hate that kind of stuff)
The Indiana Jones trilogy (One of my biggest disappointments was to show one to Sissy and to find she really thought it was boring - I still love all three of them)
The Ring Trilogy (No I don't have a thing for trilogies, as you will note Star Wars is not on the list, although I loved them when they first were issued, but now they just seem hokey).

Musicals
Singing in the Rain (A musical that isn't STUPID like most of them)
An American in Paris (how can you lose with Gershwin?)
Sound of Music - as ooey-gooey as it is, it had to one of the most important movies for my youth - I lived and breathed that story.
Fiddler on the Roof (especially since my husband loves it so much)
My Fair Lady
Mary Poppins

Romance (Chick Flicks)
Green Card (I really love this story for some reason and almost no one else even remembers it)
An Affair to Remember (I know, it's embarrassing to like such a tear jerker)
Somewhere in Time (Oh, what a romance!)
When Harry Meets Sally (I still laugh - you know when).
Shadowlands (wow, this one really made me cry)
A Portrait of Jennie (I saw parts of this movie during all my childhood, but don't think I ever saw all of it until last year. I maybe its only fan, but it has to one of the most romantic stories ever)

Feel-Good / Inspirational Movies
Bend it Like Beckham
The Bishop's Wife
Amazing Grace (despite the fact that it is so mixes fiction and fact)
The End of the Spear
Second-Hand Lions
The Ultimate Gift
Mr. Holland's Opus
The Dead Poet Society (I liked it a lot better when I was younger, but it did impact the way I taught).

Did I leave anything significant off the list? I'll go back and add it, if I did. Let me know what you think in the comments column.

Uma Vez Flamengo, sempre Flamengo

Yeah, well I do know my headline is in Portuguese! It's just there is no translation that does justice to the phrase, that is a line about a Brazilian soccer team, that has it's headquarters here in Rio. It's a nationally popular soccer team and their theme is once you are a "flamenguista" (fan of the flamengo team), you will always be a flamenguista. We have had my nephew Thiago (James) here for a few days and he is a fanatic for the team. My husband and his brothers are all fans of the team. So we thought it would be really cute to dress up Mia as a Flamengo fan. They are famous for their red/black color scheme. Hey, you have to admit she is just a doll. I think she would make a much better mascot than the team's buzzard!
We've certainly had a lot of fun with the kids being here (niece and nephew) and done quite a bit of sight-seeing with them. They are really good kids. Right now they are Christ the Redeemer statue. When they get home, I know Thiago will want a photo-op with Mia and her Flamengo shirt, and he in his as well. Hope you got a nice smile out of Mia, the soccer fan!

How 10 cents nearly cost me R$300

First off, let me tell you how much I am enjoying these days of relaxation. Just a few minutes ago I was laying on the couch with a good book and listening to harp music, with Mia curled up on my lap. Ah.. this is the life! I have even been getting a few things done. I have emptied and cleaned all the cabinets and drawers in the house, as well as cleaned the stove, fridge, and washed all the windows. Aren't I just little Susie homemaker? In all my cleaning I became thoroughly disgusted with my vacuum, as it has really been losing it's power. The suction is just pitiful. Never was the greatest, but lately it's just been useless and I find it easier not to use it. I began looking online for a new vacuum and was shocked to discover even a little simple model like mine was well over R$100 and the model I really wanted (upright) was over R$2,000! I settled on a R$300 model. But before spending that kind of money, I decided to give it one more chance.
I have frequently cleaned the hoses out with water and big globs of junk came out. The bag was new, so what could be the problem? Then I noticed that there was nothing in the bag at all after sweeping all day. I ran water through the hose and out came more gunk, so I decided to blow on the hose with all my might. Out popped a 10 cent coin. And voilá... my vacuum works again. At least as well as it ever worked. What a relief. Cleaning rugs by sweeping with a broom is not fun and very dusty. I don't remember picking up a coin at any time, but it happened. Just glad I found the problem. Makes life so much easier when I can actually pick up dirt instead of spreading it around.
I have pretty well finished my housecleaning, but have enjoyed the "mental" break it provided. I have read 3 full books, watched 3 really fun movies (if you haven't seen the "Bucket List", do so, it is so uplifting) and had lots of cuddle time with Mia. Tomorrow João comes home together with his brother and niece and nephew. Today I baked cake, made granola, and made various other food items as well as grocery shopped to get ready for my house guests.
So time marches on and my holidays are nearly over. Still I must say, life is good!

So you noticed!

At least one person noticed the new photo on my profile. And yes it is a photo of me. Even my husband who was here when I took the photo says he can't recognize me. So he took a shot of me this morning in the daylight and you get a better idea. The hairdresser was nervous about cutting off my locks, as most
Brazilians don't like short hair, so he didn't cut it as short as the photo I had with me, but it is very short in back and longer in front, so it gives the illusion of not being so very short. What a relief!
Yesterday was Elly's 24th birthday and we had a small get together for her. I got, finally a photo of the three of them. Good looking crew, isn't it?
She's a really special girl and we were so happy to be able to spend part of her birthday with her. So that's the scoop!

One woman's meat,another woman's poison.

Since we returned from São Luís last week, the weather here in Rio, according to me, has been WONDERFUL. It has been rainy and cool. Today, the sky is blue with soft white puffy clouds and the temp is 23C (or 73 F), which is just about perfect. We don't even need fans right now. In the middle of January when it would be 90 and above with horrible sticky hot weather we have had a week of miracle weather. I see people in long-sleeved jackets, etc. Everyone is cold. I just love it. I feel like it is a gift of life. I feel so good. Just had to share my joy.
Now you know, of course, that not everyone feels this way and of course I sympathize, for as much as hot weather makes me feel sick and tired and ache all over, I know most Brazilians feel that way in the cold weather. So they are miserable, especially the students who are on their summer break and want to go to the beach.
Carnival is arriving and people are heading out by the droves for the beaches. If the weather doesn't change, it will make for some unhappy campers, that's for sure. Carnival is officially on Monday and Tuesday of next week, but starting today people are heading out of the city. Sissy will travel to the beach tomorrow. João will head to his parent's house. I will stay here with Mia and perhaps not step out of the house for 6 days. I plan to read and write and clean house and iron, but mostly just hang out in my hammock and enjoy days of not having to report to anyone and having no schedule. Oh bliss. Now if it would just rain and be cool for me, I think I would be in heaven :)

Running Scared

Have you ever started a book that is so good and truthful you just didn't want to put down, but found that it is so intense you had to put it down? I bought the book "Running Scared", by Edward Welch, based on a review I read on someone's blog. And they were dead-on! It is a challenging, wonderful book. For I long time now, I have come to believe that anxiety and fear are the consequence of sin. Yet I have done nothing about it in my life. It seems I half-heartedly confess my sin and then jump right back into my old patterns. And my anxiety often makes me nasty and angry and impatient. It keeps me up at night and makes me jittery by day. I don't know where were to hide from it, or where to hide it away. It is definitely not a pet I wish to have by my side day by day, or even once in a while. I could try the excuse that I am just made this way, but I very much know better than that. By the time you are 55 years old, you are responsible for who you have become.
So yesterday I decided the time had come to begin reading this book by a Christian neuropsychologist (it is NO self-help book, though). He recommend reading a chapter a day, and only moving on when you have shared with someone what you have read. So today you are my guinea pig.
The book is so well written you feel like you are listening to a friend who has melodious beautiful way of expressing himself. Everything he says resonates, makes sense. He talks about the fact that no one has to teach us to be fearful and that our fears grow as we get older (darn! I thought age counted for SOMETHING besides wrinkles). "What was once a small family of worries quietly conducts an aggressive breeding program to become a teeming community of palpable fears and private anxieties" (p. 21). Oh so true, isn't it?
But then he really scared me (no pun intended), because he suggested I start listening to my fears to discover they have meaning, a personal meaning. I want to ignore my fears and make them go away. He suggests, however, that my fears will speak about what I most value and love. Aside from my fear of losing those I love (which is quite sizable), most of my other fears don't reveal very nice things about me. I guess I just have to face that I really am a dirty grubby sinner saved by grace and I am still on the very long journey of trusting God. So until I reach my destination, guess I live in the "world of fear".
So I will trudge along and try to bring my hidden fears and anxiety to the light because, as he says: "the more blessed you will be when you hear words of peace and comfort."(p. 28) I am ready for that blessing.

The City of Tiles

I haven't written, of course, because I was traveling and the access to the internet was extremely precarious. It's funny, sometimes I complain about life here in Rio, but when I get away from here, I miss all the conveniences of the "big city". Things like a hot shower (where we stayed there was only cold water... argh!) and taxis on every corner and high speed internet.
Anyway, for 10 days we were up north (so far north that even though it is summer here in Rio, it was winter in São Luíz) in the capital of the state of Maranhão. The only real difference up there (just 3 degrees from the equator) between summer and winter is that it rains every day in the winter. That it did - rain every day. I had a permanent frizz to my hair and it was so humid most of the time I just pinned it up.
Mia was not anxious for me to leave and she jumped in my suitcase, as it to stop my travels. I did travel without her, and when I returned she pretended like she had never met me before. I was met with very cold indifference!
We had a good plane trip up, although it seemed to take forever. The day after we arrived to took off some time to visit the historic center of the "city of tiles". São Luíz is names for Louis the 14th, and was originally a French colony. It seemed to stagnate for years and years and due to the neglect, the colonial architecture has remained virtually undestroyed in the historic part cof the city. Many of the old buildings are all of ceramic tiles, which has become the logo mark of the city.
It definitely made for an interesting day visiting the old buildings and walking the narrow cobblestone streets. And it was all up and down hills and steps. In some ways it reminded us of Quebec City.
We found the people just delightful and so friendly. We asked someone where to eat and they walked us to their favorite restaurant. Can't beat that, eh? It was a 16th century building, that was unfortunately too dark to photograph. The streets were narrow and often it was impossible to get enough perspective to get a good shot. We even visited a food market that had the most interesting "smells". I couldn't get over the huge bags of cashews (you'll see them in a photo to the left)
All in all in was a great day.
After that day, things got busy. The next day (Wednesday) was the pastor's wives meeting, where I shared the opening address. In the evening we went to the music minister's conference. On Thursday I attended the women's meeting in the day and at night returned for the music minister's concert.
On Friday the convention began in earnest. This year they decided to only have business sessions in the afternoons. Morning and evening would be for inspiration. The Bible study leader was fabulous. I definitely had a spiritual banquet with real food with him. Can't say the same for the other messages... they were mostly "fluff", with lots of stories and a ton of emotion thrown it, but no real "meat". People ate that up, of course, which is fine, I suppose, but I was very uncomfortable with most of the sloppy speaking and theology and careless worship. The music was way too much and way too loud. Some of it was okay, but definitely what I call "popular" and nothing to really make you think. I know it was a convention for the masses, but made me homesick for my church here in Rio where the worship helps me sense God's presence through my body, soul and mind and not just through my emotions. I feel farther and farther away from where the Baptists are heading these days. I have become grumpy, demanding, old and set in my ways or something or the other. I just don't like 3 hours of standing and swaying and crying and extended invitations. It does stir people, but does it result in transformed lives? I am not sure if I want to go back to a convention if this is the best we have to offer (with the exception of the Bible study leader, that was definitely worth it all).
So the convention droned on Friday and Saturday. Sunday, João preached at two small churches and it was GREAT! I felt so at home at the churches. The people in São Luíz were just wonderful. So we had a very good day on Sunday.
Monday and Tuesday the convention continued on, morning, noon and night. Monday night was the missions night and I always love seeing the missionaries, although this year the board president took it upon himself to talk forever, so we only got to hear two missionaries. Oh well.
By Tuesday, I had had it. It was hot. I had listened to all I wanted to hear. I was tired of cold showers and frogs in my bedroom. I was itchy from so many mosquito bites. I was ready to go home, which we did on Wednesday afternoon. I was pleased, however, that there was enough time on Wednesday to walk on the nearby beach and take a long swim in the pool. That was just what I needed.
We headed home in the afternoon and arrived in our home sweet home around midnight. I was happy to take a long hot shower and sleep in my own bed. Carnival is next week and we usually travel to visit João's parents about 8 hours from here. Today I decided that I will let João go on his own and I will gladly stay home in my air conditioned bedroom. I definitely like my comfortable home. I think our niece and nephew (young adults) will be coming down from Vila Velha, while João goes up. This way I'll be here to host them.
It rather sounds like I hated the whole experience, and I did not. I loved the city. I had lots of fun seeing so many old friends. I would hate to count how many hugs I gave and received. I enjoyed the company of the group of Baptists with whom I traveled from Rio. We made new friends. I learned so much from Dr. Luiz Sayão, who taught the book of James. It was great to see the beaches of São Luiz everyday and have time away from the rush, rush, rush of Rio. It was even good to be away from the internet and rest my brain. We ate some really good fish and shrimp as well.
I suppose my disappointment with the denomination was so overwhelming it has tended to color the whole experience. The picture of the ruins on the right is kind of how I feel about the way the convention is going...
Nevertheless, I made an important decision about mentoring and spiritual responsibility, that will certainly change the direction of my life. Someday soon I will write more about that.
I am glad I went. I am glad I am home.
And that's the truth!

Mia the coffee cat

Don't ya just gotta love a cat who is into the java? Seriously now. Because it turned hot again this morning, I made my traditional iced café latte. It is seriously good on a hot morning. Mia was being particularly pesky this morning, wanting my attention full time. I gave her several long loving sessions, but as I have said before I do have a life! So I went to the computer to work on my sermon for the pastor's wives convention in São Luiz, Maranhão (by the way if you don't hear from me in a while you will know that the ten days we were at the Baptist Convention up there I was in internet withdrawl). Mia began to cry to get into the computer room, so I opened the door and up she jumped onto my desk. Unlike Sadik, however, she hasn't quite gotten the hang of sitting quietly on my desk to keep me company. She prances in front to the screen, paws at the screen, plops herself on the keyboard, lies on my written text, is generally a nuisance as I work.
Today, however, she decided to check out my coffee. She is not really much of a people food cat (with the notable exception of ham), so I figured once she got a whiff of the coffee she would be out of here. Would you believe it? She sniffed and then she began to imbibe. She loved the coffee. She licked the ice. Then she dipped in deeper to get a more serious buzz with the espresso coffee with hazelnut flavoring. I did a double-take when I saw her guzzling away on my latte. I guess I will finally have someone to join me in my morning cup of java. Have you ever heard of a coffee drinking cat before???

Decoration days

We have had a respite in the heat here in Rio. I can't believe we are enjoying such nice weather in January. We have a missions/evangelism project going on at church. The youth are out visiting all the neighbours (population 20,000) and are terribly grateful for the nicer weather - no rain, nice temps.
Because of the lower temps I actually ventured out to downtown to buy some new furniture for our apartment. Laugh if you will, but when it gets hot here, it is like downtown is boiling. Your feet get hot walking on the sidewalks and your head feels like it is going to melt your brains.
Anyway I enjoyed my excursion. I was able to finally get the bookshelf for my living room and also a dresser for my bedroom. It has been hard for me to find what I wanted, but I had previously visited this store and knew they had what I wanted. The furniture is built of real wood (which seems to be a difficult thing to find these days!), called "demolition" wood, since it is taken out of old farms and then rebuilt into furniture. It even smells like real wood. The style is old-fashioned, not modern and I like it. So now I have someplace to put books and CD's and "stuff" in my living room. I love the glass doors since it protects things from the heavy layer of dust I fight with on a daily basis. In addition, we finally had the tulip painting framed. We love the frame and feel like it adds a lot to the painting. It deserved more attention.
I was especially pleased to find a dresser I liked - with a marble top - for my bedroom. Most people use the built in drawers in their built in cabinents in the bedroom. But three little drawers just weren't enough for me. Guess I have too many clothes. But I hated the daily jumble of trying to find things for me and for João as well. I spent my afternoon yesterday adjusting 'drawers" in a very literally sense. I am already quite happy with being able to just grab things without having to take the drawer out of the closet into the light to try to find matching socks.
I know the walls are bare in the bedroom, (hopefully you can't tell), but perhaps now that I finally have the furniture I can concentrate on getting pictures framed. That is an expensive process. My philosophy is that you only buy what you can pay cash for, so that's why it's been slow going on getting the apartment fully furnished. I kind of have the impression that by the time I have everything the way I want it, we will be retiring and have to downsize to our small apartment in Vila Velha. That's life, isn't it? Take things one day at a time.

For Unto Us a Book is Published

It's here, it's here! The Vacation Bible School I wrote over the last few years has been published and is in print. Today they gave João a copy as he was walking (while I was in aqua class) at the WMU office. I could hardly wait to get it home and look it over. I was so excited. For those who don't read Portuguese, the title is: "Adventures in God's Forest" and it's a VERY Brazilian book, full of information about the Amazon region.
To accompany the book, is a CD with the Cantata that João wrote the lyrics to many years ago. We finally found the perfect venue for this beautiful story of God's creation and redemption. A former co-worker from the WMU wrote the music and it's just great. The tunes are very Brazilian and easy to sing. I have put an mp3 player link at the top of left column. Just click on the pink arrow in the mp3 player and you'll hear our favourite song on the CD. It is the song: "Paradise" that has the children and Adam singing about how happy Paradise was. I think you will enjoy it. João and I sat and listened to the CD several times. We just can't help marveling over the joy of seeing our "child" being born. It is such a wonderful sensation. And so exciting that I just had to share it with you. Hope you enjoy it too!

Don't Have Enough to Do

After looking at some of the changes on my blog, you might conclude I don't have enough to do! It's not that I don't have anything to do. It's just that I don't want to do it! How's that for an explanation?
So I redid how my blog looks. And I experimented with adding in some gadgets that are kind of fun. For instance you can see my weather here in Rio. And if you type in your area (postal) code, it will even give you your weather forecast. How's that for cool?
I added in a crazy cat who does nothing more than follow your cursor and purr and move around some. Totally useless, but funny.
And for those who are not yet addicted to YouTube, I added a YouTube gadget. You can chose from the drop-down menu if you want the videos recently view, or most popular, etc. I warn you though, you will have to do some censoring. If you click on the video screen you can see the video in another, full-screen, mode.
There are a lot of gadgets and goofy stuff you can put on your blog. I experimented with clocks and games, but it got a little busy. Which is exactly what I REALLY need to do right now. So I guess I'll bite the bullet and actually take down my Christmas decorations. Have some fun today, okay?

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig Jig Jig

I arrived safely home back in Rio this morning. The flight from Cincy to DC was eventless, other than a two hour delay (I am always grateful for 5 hour layovers). I had enough time in DC walk from one terminal to another and then grab a bite to eat. I picked up a disposable cell phone and spent the rest of my time talking to my mom, my sis and my hubby. I also chatted with the Brazilians (it is so wonderful to be with people who will really talk to you).
The flight out of DC left on time and I was fortunate to have two seats and be able to put my feet up. Can't say that I slept much, but I seemed not to be too terribly sleepy. I did sleep some, of course, and that really helped the long flight seem less long. It was a bumpy flight and that kept people from getting up and walking around and so things were pretty quiet.
We actually arrived in Rio about 20 minutes early, so by the time I did police, my bags, and customs, I was leaving the airport about the time I expected to arrive. I was pleased to have my cell phone with me and be able to call João and let him know I had arrived and make contact as I moved the various stages of the customs, etc.
I was glad to see my own little house. Mia ran right to me. No punishment for me. Just for João, since she refused to use her litter box while I was gone. (BAD KITTY!)
I unpacked, ate some lunch and then went soundly asleep with Mia on my tummy. It is hot here. I am really feeling the heat. I have things pretty well organized from the trip and will shower and get ready to go to church here in a little bit. I am having a hard time adjusting to the fact that it is 7PM and still so light. Funny how just two weeks throws off all your instincts.
I wish you a very joyful 2008. I know mine will be since joy doesn't depend on circumstance. Fireworks to you.

I'm leaving on a Jet Plane

In about an hour or so I will be heading off to the airport to go home... although that doesn't make much sense. You see, when I left Brazil some days ago it was to come home. So I came home to the US, so that I could go home from the US. Therein lies the dilemma. As they taught me many years ago, the only time I am really happy is on the plane, coming home or going home. It's a strange sensation, as I am always missing someone.
I am not anxious to leave my family here. I am anxious to see my family there...
Yesterday was our 15th wedding anniversary and we both forgot until late last night. Isn't that funny? That, however, does not mean he gets out of a nice dinner somewhere next week, when I finally get rested up.
I should land in Rio around 10:30AM on Monday morning. That evening will be the big New Year's eve celebration at our church. Hope I can stay up that late after an all night plane ride. The church service ends at midnight and then there is a supper. We have been invited out afterwards. I wonder if I'll have the get-up-and-go? We'll see and I'll let you know. Have a Happy New Year.