I'm Out of Here

Hi friends, neighbours and countrymen.
I am on VACATION!!!! I haven't left town yet, but in a few more hours (after some sleep I hope to find time for) João and I will be heading for the hills (literally) for some serious rest. We have rented a chalé in the mountains where there is nothing to do except sleep, relax and do nothing slowly. No internet or telephone. It is quite chilly there (this week it was about 30 degrees Farenheit) and we have only our love to keep us warm. Well not true, since there is a fireplace, we are taking a heater and bunch of blankets and lots of warm clothes. Our car is full to overflowing, since I am also taking our food (it's a resort area and expensive). I think I have just about everything ready to go, except a few last minute things we will still use tonight. We have packed just tons of books and can't wait to do catch up on reading. I have 30 films to watch, so if our eyes fall out, I don't know what we will do. Today I had extra drawing lessons and at the end of the session, did my first sketch of a live model. I only had a little bit of time to work on it, so now I have the project to complete during my holidays. That should also keep me busy. I'll show you the results when I get back.
I know you will manage to survive without my blog for a month, but wanted to let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. Just dropped out of the internet.
Hope you have as much fun as I plan on having the next few weeks.

The sad end to the sad story

You may recall that I mentioned some time back, a doctor who was murdered outside the gym where I do aqua-fitness. Recently the whole story came out and so the story comes to a sad conclusion. Seems his murder was paid for by a state senator! But for personal reasons. The doctor was dating the senator's ex-wife (read: divorced). The senator took that as an affront I suppose and so paid R$30,000 for the man's murder. The police officer hired two very inexperienced young men (paying them R$15,000) to shoot the doctor. Everything was carefully planned, including the exact spot where it would take place. They just didn't plan on a police car being on the corner because the policemen were taking a break, buying some fruit from a corner market. And so we now know what happened. I am sure the two gunmen will be convicted. Perhaps the police officer. But the senator will probably suffer nothing. That's the way justice tends to work around here. Or, has I call it, injustice. I have lost faith in the system and, in general, politicians. I must say that in my mind, the senator isn't particularly more guilty than the other senators who rob the public coffers to build houses and buy cars - they are directly responsible for the 100 or so deaths of children recently. The children died from dengue, as a result of "no money" for mosquito control. That's because our politicians spent the money to "kill" their rivals and other wonderful causes. One politician in another state, spent thousands to hire a jet and take his family on vacation to Europe and even said he saw nothing immoral in what he did! Great. If depriving our children of education and medical care, so he could take a vacation isn't immoral, what is? When oh when oh when will we raise up a generation of politicians who really CARE about people? Who refuse huge salaries? Who pursue the corrupt? Who refuse special privileges because they chose to SERVE? I am so tired and so disillusioned with the corruption and selfishness it makes my cry. But the mothers who children who are in their graves, have shed more tears, I know. The families who wait for their loved one to have surgery for cancer, until it is too late, have shed more tears. The children who dream of having a better life, but have no teachers or schools have shed more tears. Can we not put our tears in a bottle and pour them out at the feet of our politicians and cry NO MORE TEARS???

Happy Little Family

Yesterday we celebrated another birthday around our house. It was João's birthday. I had been looking forward to our family dinner for a while and was a little disappointed that I woke up with a cold and felt a little under the weather. Nevertheless, I was able to put together a decent pot roast supper. João asked for a lemon meringue pie instead of cake, so that's what I made. It was beautiful and to me tasted so good. He enjoyed it. I am not sure if the girls were so enchanted. But they did enjoy the pot roast. Since we had a pie, I couldn't very well stick a candle in it, so we improvised with another candle and had fun yelling/singing Happy Birthday as João pretended to struggle to blow out the candle. João got a lot of nice gifts. I could hardly wait to give him the guitar I bought for him. Our music minister helped me to pick it out. I think João likes it and was really pleased to receive it before his vacation when he will be able to use it a lot. There is a dinner at church on Sunday, as well as a "tea" on Saturday evening, so we will be stretching out the celebration over a couple of days. That makes it more fun that way.
I feel much better today and am struggling with the temptation to not snarf down the rest of the lemon meringue pie. Have a good weekend!

I'm not the one with time on my hands!

We have been having cooler weather and João and I have been finding ourselves humming Christmas songs. I find that really funny, as João didn't grow up with a wintertime Christmas. I know that 65 degrees doesn't sound "cold" to you guys, but it's cool enough to dig out long sleeved clothes and sleep under a blanket. It's funny too because most of our friends are just loving the weather, because we have had some great sunshine as well. I would have to say that, in general, May is the best weather month of the year (although that can vary).
It was a particularly busy week with our family life conferences and the guest speaker in our home. On the other hand it was also relaxing talking and sharing with him in our home.
At any rate, when I saw this video (trust me, I wasn't looking for it), I thought I have to put this on my blog. I think it is just hysterical. Maybe we can contract him to come to our church for a Christmas program, since we have such a hard time getting anyone to come to church on Christmas!
He has a whole bunch of videos playing vegetable instruments and I decided that he has a whole lot more time on his hands than I have on mine! The funniest is the cabbage. The broccoli is the most musical. I hope you get a chuckle out of this and don't feel like this is a minute of your life you will never get back. Monday morning hugs and kisses!

What a blast

I had just a great time at the youth camp over the weekend with the kids from church. They are a good group of kids. They were attentive, obedient and even let me sleep all night long. Hey is this April's Fool? No, it's the truth. I loved the kids and certainly got my quota of hugs.
They rigged up a slide of sorts, with heavy plastic on a hill. They poured water and soap on it and slid down the hill. It was really cold - at least to our Brazilian blood - on Friday. It was raining and about 65 degrees and there they were slip sliddin' away. I got a kick out of their resistance. A couple of people were worried they would get sick, but heck I figured they were young and strong and healthy and a little bit of chill and rain wouldn't hurt any. They got in on Sunday night and were really pooped. I only had my cell phone with me, so you can't get a good focus on the slide, but still I thought you would get a kick out of how I spent my holiday. And by the way I didn't slide as I didn't have appropriate clothes, although some of the girls offered to loan me a bikini. Fat chance (literally)!

Just so you don't think I don't do nuffin'

Yesterday was my last class with the "Radicals" or as you might call them "Volunteers Without Frontiers". I admire these young people greatly as they give up their "identities" to go and live among unreached people. Being young they can adapt and flow with the punches. At least that's the idea. They will certainly be in my prayers as they face innumerable challenges when they get to the field next year.
In their last class they each had to tell a Bible story with all the details from the Bible, without written notes, geared for people of an oral culture. The class took a lot of preparation, since oral culture is not exactly my specialty, but I really became convinced that we have geared our evangelism for the 20% of the world's population that is totally literate. Even in our churches here in Brazil it is probably much more effective to assume people don't really much like to read. So telling a story is much more effective than a three point sermon. But who will ever convince our seminaries of that?
My class was a 30 hour module that I found extremely challenging to teach in three hour segments since I had to model what I was teaching, meaning I had to teach through stories and oral methods, rather than use any kind of written or audio-visual material. In the end I felt I had begun to get the concept across, but the students didn't get enough practice to be really "confident" in the process. Even breaking them into smaller groups, it was hard with 27 people. Tuesday's class was a riot as they had to tell a story through song. You should have heard the songs. It was so much fun.
Today I am busy with this that and the other as I try to get ready to share four messages with our youth at their retreat. Since I will be with them at the retreat center, you can imagine how much sleep I'll get Friday night. I also must get the house ready for our revival speaker who will be arriving on Saturday. And I need to leave enough food for the family to eat while I travel. I am procrastinating by writing this post. I do that sometimes when I am overwhelmed with all there is to do. João has promised to vacuum and since that's the biggest house cleaning chore, I think I am basically okay on that score. I have made banana bread this morning, so at least I have something for our guest to eat for breakfast on Sunday morning. (If I can keep my family from eating it all up before then...) Next chore is to grocery shop. So off I go since I only have 20 hours left to get everything done! Since today is May Day, International Labor Day, I guess it's appropriate that I am laboring.

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!