Adventures in the Forest

 

I forgot to mention our exciting Sunday night program at church! I’ll try to explain the whole thing, but you can look at the pictures, too, as they are self-explanatory.

Many years ago, João wrote the lyrics to a children’s cantata, but he never found anyone to compose the music for it.

About 6 or 7 years ago I began work on a VBS program here in Brazil. As it progressed, I began to wonder if it wouldn’t be possible to work around the cantata. As I consulted with my editor and publisher, she felt it would be a good thing, since the cantata fit perfectly with the theme.

The cantata, that originally bore the title of “THE FALL”, was re-entitled “Adventures in God’s Forest”, also the name of the VBS. The music was written by a friend, who made an effort to write VERY Brazilian type music. The CD and book were published in 2008. They have since sold out. I received reports from many places in Brazil where the musical was performed. The concept was to study God’s creation and also learn about God’s redemption of creation. The musical tells the story of the perfect creation and all the love, and of the serpent’s temptation, mankind’s fall and how Jesus is the way back to Paradise.

I dreamed of the musical being done at my church. It finally happened, on a small scale at the end of last year. With the advent of our children’s minister, the decision was made to “upscale” the production and present the musical on a Sunday. This was the Sunday.

It was a cold evening on a long holiday weekend and we felt sure there would be few people. The church was packed, and that was amazing, especially since so many were small children who take up so little space!

The set design was amazing. The band that accompanied them was wonderful. The lighting and everything else, like costumes were perfect. The children in the choir were amazingly well behaved for such a long performance. I was impressed. And surprisingly I was emotionally moved by the story I know so well. When Eve came in like a bride with flower petals falling from the ceiling, singing “my love song”, I cried. When the nasty serpent (played by the state WMU leader!) tempted them, I hissed and called out for Eve not to fall for that line.

When they were all banned from paradise, and the wars began, I was so sad. It was a triumphal experience for me to see the “old, old story” told in a very new way. It was a dream realized and I was walking on air when it was over.   

I don’t have a lot of dreams anymore, so the few I do have are precious to me. It’s great when I see one of them actually happening while I am awake. I wonder how many more moments like this I will still have along the way?

Back to the Drawing Board

For several months now I have stopped my art work. I have a lot of excuses (oops, reasons, rational explanations?), but you know when you break a good habit, it’s hard to get back on track. When I stopped attending classes, I stopped producing. I probably shouldn’t have done that, but on the other hand, maybe I needed the break. I trust that when I get back from vacation in August, I’ll get back on track. The other day I did a drawing for the children during my children’s message. It was a kid’s drawing, and all upside down at that (on purpose), but it made me “homesick” to have pencils in my hand. So I picked up my colored pencils and started working on a cat portrait from my book “Realistic Pet Portraits”. 

It felt so good that on Friday the hours slipped away as I worked on the drawing. I am about half done, and on the hard part now, doing the background and the small details of the fur coloration, especially the ears, but thought I’d share my creation with you. If I get the details right and blend everything correctly, I think I will be pleased with the results. I really think the two things I love to do are pet portraits in pencil and human portraits in water colors. There are still many hours ahead on Miss Tabby, and then she will be filed away in my portfolio, but someday I would like to offer to do portraits of people’s cats, especially those who have lost their cats, so they can have a memory. But it’s funny, you also need to be either a good sketcher (which I am NOT) or a good photographer to catch just the right expression. I think I have a bigger chance of learning to be a better photographer than sketcher! I am working on that one, by practicing on Mia.

The good news on Mia is that after a thorough examination on Saturday, the ophthalmologist said she is finally well from her corneal ulcers and is off all meds. What a relief for the both of us. I am hoping she will now be willing to come back in sit in my lap again. She is very wary of me, since she knows my hands carry all the meds to torture her. It's been a long four months!

Speaking of Mia, isn’t she a cutie pie all decked out for the World Cup? For my American friends, The World Cup (soccer) is MUCH bigger than the Super Bowl. For one thing, it lasts an entire month and involves every continent in the world. For my Canadian Friends, it is much bigger than the Stanley Cup, because, well for the same reasons. Brazil goes nuts. The streets are painted in yellow and green. Horns and tee shirts and banners are everyone, ready for the opening ceremonies this week. During Brazil’s games, everything shuts down, stores, banks, business, etc. The only thing that happens is the GAME. I don’t plan on painting my face yellow and green, but I do plan on watching the games all dressed up for our team. You know, of course, that Brazil is the only team in the world who has won 5 times and is going for a 6th championship. Only Italy comes close, as a four time winner. Germany has three. In addition, Brazil is the only country to have played in EVERY world cup since 1930. So come on board and cheer with us. HEXA (six time champion) all the way.

The Big Table Swap

Hold onto your hats. If you can follow this information, your brain is working okay. Let me know if you don’t get it and than I’ll write more slowly. Elly received a table and chair set from her mother in law. When I saw it, I really liked the table a lot. It was an old door that had been made into a table. It was all beat up and looked really cool to me. Plus it weighed a ton. When I commented how much I liked it, Elly asked if I wanted it. I said sure, and left it at that. As it turns out, her mother in law had another table to give her and Elly was serious.  I, however, felt like my current chairs, kind of delicate and curvy would never go with the table and so let the idea die. She later told me, however, that she was also getting new chairs and I could have the chairs as well. They weren’t my favorite kind of chairs, but with some refinishing they would look good with the table. So the question remained, did I want to take the table?

I then asked João, thinking he wouldn’t agree, since the main issue was:  what would I do with my current table and chairs? They are a good set, but I have never been that crazy about the table, since it’s a glass top and I just don’t care that much for glass top tables. He asked our children’s pastor who is getting married next month if he would be interested. He was. So now, it looks like we have a three way swap happening. Elly goes to one side of town, and picks up the table and chairs from her mother in law. Then the mover takes her table and chairs and delivers them to me, where he picks up my table and chairs and delivers them to André. Got that?

Sounds cut and dried. Well it wasn’t. It seems the rather huge heavy table wouldn’t fit in the elevator and had to be hauled up 17 flights of steps. These were not professional movers either. There was the driver, a kid of about 13 and my son in law. They nearly died. I felt terrible. To make things worse, my current table also didn’t fit in the elevator either. (Our service elevators are just about useless. Our couches and refrigerator also had to be hauled up the steps). So the guys had to haul it down the steps. No one was real happy and I don’t think I got off to a good start with my “step” son-in-law. Fortunately all fit into the elevator at André’s building. 

Somewhere the chair cushions were lost and there are only two of them. I am hoping they find the others and I will have them redone to match my room. If not, I’ll just have all new ones made. In addition, I plan to redo the chairs in a distressed/rustic wood finish (the table is distressed, but naturally so!). Do you have a suggestion?  I am thinking of doing them white like the china cabinet, but I’ve also thought of something colorful for them as well (like the chest on the right). Nothing dark works with that dark red walls I have.

I am also wanting to get a large woven, round basket and fill it with ceramic balls as the centerpiece. The table is tall, so I want something low. Now I am enthused about framing my tulip paintings for the wall behind the table. I want to do it like a window frame, but I think I need to do a 4th painting for that to work out, so guess I had best get creative here. All ideas are welcome!

I Mean, Really?

 

As I was getting dressed in my workout clothes today, I was thinking about why it’s so hard for me to find workout clothes at the stores here in Rio. As you probably know, here in Brazil, and in Rio in particular, there is a virtual “worship” of the body. There are gyms on every other corner (no exaggeration, I pass at least 3 on my way to ByFit), vacation packages for plastic surgery, beauty shops galore, a new industry of cosmeticians, nail salons, waxing salons,  and so forth and so on. There is even a strict “code” of workout clothing that consists of skin tight lycra pants and matching bra-tops. Someone like me doesn’t fit into the mold of “body-beautiful.”  I am not young, skinny, tanned or even very fashion conscious.

Nevertheless, I want to workout and not stand out at the same time. I can understand

why some of my young friends who aren’t into the size 0, tanned blonde thing look, would shy away from the gym. It is very intimidating. Now that I am old enough to be the mother of all the instructors and I no longer have anything to prove, I have gulped down my pride and headed off to regular workouts. When I did aqua-fitness, it was not nearly as scary, since all the other students were older, unskinny, and somewhat “broken down” like I am.  Now that I am in the gym where folks are lifting over 100 pounds, running at 9 miles an hour and look like they stepped out of a magazine for physical fitness, I have whole new issues to deal with. The equipment itself is a little bit scary, as I saw a girl fall off one of the machines the other day, screaming for help as her legs hung up in the 60 pounds weights. She was okay in the end, but once in a while, I think of the injury I could sustain if I am not careful. I also have competitive issues. While I am huffing and puffing at 6K per hour, the gal beside me on the treadmill is off at 7 or 8 Km. So I want to push it up a notch, just to show I am not so decrepit and then I get a leg cramp. And there is the horrible music that is always playing, and the slasher movies on the TV’s to deal with, since the average age of those at the gym is about 21!

I mean, really, what AM I doing at this place that makes me so uncomfortable at so many levels? By the time I get there and warm up, do the exercises and come home and shower, I have lost a good 2 hours out of my day. Is it really worth all this sacrifice and pain. And yes, there is physical pain while I am pushing 20 lbs in the back of my legs or pulling down 35 lbs with my arms. Why am I doing this 5 days a week?

The obvious answer is that I want to get in shape. I want to feel better. I want to decrease my risk of heart disease. I want to have more energy. I want to build up my immunities. I want to sleep better I want to ward off osteoporosis. These are the benefits. I really do feel more energetic, have less body aches in the long run and actually feel like eating less and am finding that my clothes are looser. I feel better about myself. So despite all the strikes against someone of my size, age and disposition working out in a gym, here I am going every day. And glad I am!

Meeting with Friends

Have you ever been meaning to do something, I mean something fun and something good for you, but you just get too busy and it doesn’t happen?  It seems life gets in the way of living.

Since coming to Rio, we keep meaning to get together with other pastors to just kick back and talk and debrief. Although there are formal pastor’s meetings (and the wives are sometimes included), they don’t fit the bill. First of all, they are large groups and the meetings are formal.

So we see our pastor friends and we always say: “Let’s get together some time”. And we both mean it because we need and want that contact. It just doesn’t happen, however. Either our schedules don’t match up, or we just forget about it, or we are all busy.

Last week, however, one of our colleagues invited us over to his house for lunch, together with several other pastors and their wives. Ostensibly, it was to celebrate his birthday, but it was also close to João’s birthday as well.  There was birthday cake and all.

The lunch was lovely, but even better was the sense of community. Jokes only we understand. Singing all hymns and choruses. Sharing common problems that come with the pastorate. Just chewing the fat!

What was just to be a luncheon, turned out to be almost a whole day affair. 

So a big thanks to Laurindo e Loyde, who invited us (photo to the right) for time away that we badly needed with our peers. There has been a date set for another get together of this type in June. Here’s hoping it happens and we can actually attend. Here’s hoping I will take a little more initiative and invite other pastor’s over to our home. We need that. They need that. We all get by with a little help from our friends, right?

 

 

There is a Season for Everything

“Turn, turn, turn” is echoing

in my mind this morning. For those who don’t recall, this is a song by Pete Seeger, popularized by the Byrds, based on Ecclesiastes 3. I love Youtube because I can watch these old videos and recall the things from my past. The song is strange because it is taken directly from Scriptures and I never read this passage without hearing this haunting melody in my mind.

The reason it was on my mind is because last night João and I had supper had Elly at Bernardo’s apartment, to celebrate João’s birthday.

When we set up the “date” for Tuesday night (because they were travelling on his actual birthday), I didn’t realize that it would be at their house, not ours. I didn’t even think about, I just assumed it would be here. So when I did realize that, I felt an new “era” had been ushered in.

It was so neat, however, to see them all settled into their new apartment, full of everything all new and pretty. Seeing our little engineer preparing a fancy (and delicious) meal with everything all decorated and the two of them all comfy in their home, was such a nice feeling. And we certainly can’t forget their “big” 12 pound boy, Galileo. I always feel like Mia is a miniature cat after I am around him.  

So there you go, this is the season for them to be adults and begin their married life. It is also the season for us to continue to put down roots into our married life and invest in our relationship as well. For right now, we are at a similar place in our lives. I wonder when the balance will tip again?

Miguel Pereira

For quite some time João and I have been talking about taking a drive a couple hours south of Rio to visit a mountainous region of our state. Supposedly (and I don’t know according to whom), the region has the 3rd or 4th best climate in the world. Because of the altitude it stays cooler than Rio (which is illogically very hot, even hotter than some places much closer to the equator).

One of the members of João’s Sunday School class is a travelling salesman and knows that part of the state quite well, so he offered to go with us on our day off and show us around. We all agreed that we would make the trip this Friday.

We were up bright and early (well early anyway, as the sun wasn’t up yet and I certainly wasn’t bright at that time of day) and headed out. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Bright sun, blue sky and not too hot.

We took the scenic route, so we spent most of the day in the car. We certainly saw some beautiful scenery and got in lots of gabbing along the way.

The mountains, or to me rolling hills, looked a lot like a bed that had been messed up with lots of pillows and had a huge green fuzzy bedspread thrown over the top.

It was definitely a far cry from the hustling bustling big city of Rio. The cobblestone streets and slow pace was so nice, as was the quiet and fresh air. I really don’t think mankind was ever meant to live in our concrete jungles, since the advent of cities came after the fall of man and in every instance always led to more sin. The further we get from God’s creation, the further we move from the Creator.

The older we become, the more João and I think about retirement. We are looking for somewhere to live. The problem is here in Brazil that the rural parts of the country are very much  “underdeveloped”, with inadequate health care (which we will need as we grow older), schools, transportation. So we are looking for that utopia that offers a lovely climate, lots of green space, a slow pace of life AND some basics like health care, internet, etc. Do you think we’ll ever find it? Although we had a lovely day off on Friday, I don’t think Miguel Pereira is an alternative for us. I know God will show us just the right place at just the right time.

Finally and at last!

THE wedding of the year has come and gone and I have not written or posted anything of this event so long on the making.  Consequently, I have not written any other news as well. However, I know that almost everyone who reads my blog has also seen my photos and comments on ORKUT and/or FACEBOOK. In addition, it was a day so full of sentiments and emotions I have not wanted to write out everything. So I have made an executive decision to write just some comments and add some photos and then move on!

If you want to see some of the official photos of the wedding, you should visit the photographer’s site here. The photos are just gorgeous as was the wedding. No wedding is ever 100% perfect, of course, but Elly’s wedding was wonderful and beautiful. Basically everything went as it should! I have never    seen such a beautiful bride. She really did look like she stepped out of a magazine. It was also a totally new experience for me to have a hairdresser and makeup artist come to my house and “fix me up”. I felt like a movie star, myself. I felt so very honored and surprised that Elly asked me to walk in as her step-mother. I didn’t expect that, and it meant more than you can imagine! Throughout all of her planning, Elly always tried to think of others. I was glad she enjoyed her wedding so much, since she worked so hard to keep so many people happy.

Before, during and after, we were so flooded with emotions. I remembered so many things. I recalled the day we tried on wedding dresses. And the day I arrived with the dress from the US and Elly jumped up and down with joy. But reaching even further back, I remembered so many other events.

When Elly and Bernardo returned from their honeymoon in Bariloche, Argentina, we picked them up at the airport. And there they were… an “old” married couple. It’s hard to believe, that after so long thinking about the wedding, that it has already happened and they are now enjoying being newlyweds.

And so life returns so normal? Well, not exactly, for our family was still here at the house for a few more days and we enjoyed their company. As soon as they left, I had to get totally back to business finishing writing the VBS. I worked literally day and night for about 8 or 9 days and finally was able to turn in the whole shootin’ match by the first week of May. What a relief to be out from under that pressure. I am starting to feel like a real person again.

Back to the real world again, I have been investing in my workouts at the gym. Today I had an evaluation and I am doing well! I am now doing a whole new “routine” on new machines and all, so I figure I’ll be sore again for a while! I have had to buy all new workout clothes (makes me real sad) as my old ones were falling off of me. I have conceded to Brazilian fashion and am wearing skin tight pants (that’s all I can find) and somewhat less tight tops, although it’s hard to find anything to really fit my large size 14 frame, here in Brazil where skinny reigns(for example Elly bought a size 4 wedding dress and had to take it in dramatically for it to be small enough). 

Sunday past, was Mother’s Day and as you know not always the easiest day of the year for me. I did okay this year. First of all, I had the wonderful memory of being allowed to participate in Elly’s wedding. In the second place, Sissy bought me beautiful tulips that meant SO much more than you can imagine. In the third place, we had great worship services at church. In the morning, the children’s recorder choir played for us. That was so sweet.  In the evening, the new group in our church, “Friendly Hands”, performed for us. This group has learned Brazilian sign language to begin a ministry with the auditory challenged. We have already seen fruit, as one person in the group has been baptized. 

Now you are slightly caught up with me and having done that, now I am free to write more often, with shorter entries. I hope I am disciplined enough to do so.

Bride Alert

Crisis! The bride is sick. Well she has a cold. She has a fever. She feel crummy. This cannot be. We had our rehearsal today and she had a red nose and sore throat and felt feverish. Poor baby. She only has a couple of days to feel better and enjoy her wedding day. I hope she will be okay SOON. The rehearsal went well and everyone is very congenial.

The music for the wedding will be beautiful and very emotive. Made us all sniff at the rehearsal, imagine the wedding itself. 

It appears that things are pretty well taken care of and lined up for the wedding. She and her fiancé are extremely well organized. The last few details about the music and flowers were hashed out today. Her very pregnant wedding director is having her baby on Monday, so will not be at the wedding. Her able assistant however, was there today and will be present on the day. I think all the questions and doubts were ironed out this morning.

After the rehearsal we picked up João’s suit that had been tailored and also Sissy’s dress that had to be hemmed.

Yesterday I spent a record breaking 4 1/2 hours at the beauty salon. I should have come out looking like a beauty queen with that much time spent. I did an over all color to wash out the gray (and yes I am letting it grow out, but I did decide it needed something since the color was so washed out from the sun), which took about an hour. Then I did very delicate and fine highlights, and although they are few it did take over an hour for that. Then my hair being in very bad shape from using a straightening iron so much and being colored, needed a deep conditioning treatment and there goes another hour. Then there was the cut and blow dry. Glad I  didn’t plan to do anything else.  Listening to everyone’s opinion. I did decide that this is no time to go radical, so you’ll not notice a huge change, although my hair is “brighter”, shinier and definitely “shaped up”, since I cut off about 2 1/2 inches. As is custom here in Brazil, I am having someone come to my home the afternoon of the wedding to do the makeup and hair. It is someone from the salon I use, since it will not be open (the wedding is on a holiday here).

Life does move on, and so must I as I have to finish preparing my Sunday School lesson. I write my own lessons and reproduce them for my students, so I have a little more work to do that most teachers. That being said, off I go.

Pimento cheese sandwich

Most of the time I am perfectly happy here and don’t miss much of the US or Canada.  While Denny was here, I realized again that I’ve gotten so accustomed to things here, I don’t see them as different or odd. Still there are throw backs now and then. Today I stopped by the corner market to pick up a snack supper for the family. I walked by the bakery department, unfortunately for me, and nearly started drooling. There can be nothing as enticing as freshly baked bread. I am on a “no eat white stuff” kick right now (for good reasons), but there’s no reason the rest of the family has to suffer, right? So I picked up some fresh French bread (as most Brazilians do around 5PM). Then I wanted to get something to put on it, like cheese or ham. I got some yoghurt for me (yeah, it’s white, but it is no sugar or additives) and my eyes fastened on some cream cheese made with dried tomatoes. I love cream cheese. I love dried tomatoes. So what could grow wrong with this mix? Got home and my family loved their very hot fresh bread. After João and Sissy had both left, I found there was still one piece of bread left. OH DEAR. Where is my resolve when faced with fresh hot French bread that I will just have to throw out tomorrow, because it will be all icky and stale? I walked out of the kitchen and back to the computer, but the bread danced before my eyes. I am the first to admit that self-control is not my strong suit. Consequently I felt like a magnet was drawing me to the bread. I gave up and went to eat a piece of it (yeah, right… like I can eat a piece of bread). I thought of the fluffy cream cheese and decided to go all the way. I spread it on and took a bite. Man, it was like I heard choir bells ringing. It was sooooooooooooooooooo good. I mean seriously delicious. That cheese spread tasted just like pimento cheese to me and I am addicted to pimento cheese. I don’t see how it could have that taste, as it is white cream cheese with tomatoes, but just to make sure I spread it thickly on the bread and ate it carefully and yes it tasted and smelled like pimento cheese (only there were no pimentos!). Go figure. It was definitely comfort food for me. Even writing about it is making my mouth water.

Things are moving on for the wedding next week. Just 7 days away. My current crisis is my makeup, my eyebrows to be specific. Momma was right. If you pluck your eyebrows too much they won’t grow back. I did so 40 years ago and they didn’t grow back. Now that full eyebrows are in style, my little pencil thin guys don’t cut it. Worse than my almost invisible eyebrows are penciled eyebrows. Now those are nasty. I just read that castor oil makes them grow fuller. I know it’s far too late to think about that now, but has anyone heard that’s true? I might just check it out. But then if this vogue model, can have teen-ainsty eyebrows, then why can’t “eye”? It’s not like I’m going to use Rograine on them or anything. And besides that I do have more important things to worry about.

Father of the Bride

Isn't he lovely? Well, perhaps a better word might be “handsome”. Finally, finally my husband was willing to take the time to got out and chose a suit to wear to walk his daughter down the aisle. I love the suit he chose. It’s really very nice, and the tailoring looks good on him. It’s a really nice fabric as well.
The shirt we chose is just beautiful as well. I was well pleased as they also will tailor the shirt – something we never do, but should be done for him, since he is so small. We will pick up the suit next week, after they do the sleeves, take up the jacket slightly and hem the pants. Sure seems a lot easier for men than women! He will get his hair cut, but I guess that’s about it. No hair color. No hair cut. No nails done. No purse or jewelry to worry about. No makeup to plan. Lucky him.
The other good news of the day is that I took Mia back to the eye doctor and he says her eyes have healed really nicely. There is some scarring, but he prescribed an ointment for me to apply a couple of times a day to help with that. The important thing is that she has no more pain, and she can see just fine. I am happy about that.

I Am Not Right

I have read stories of women who were highly insulted when they received pots and pans as a gift for Christmas or their birthday. Not me. Today my new stainless steel pans arrived and I was so excited! Christmas in April. New pots and pans and all shiny and pretty. I must not be right!

Still look at these brand new pans and tell me they are not beautiful. Just makes me want to cook something. (Now I know I am NOT right.)

In our current campaign to live more healthily, I finally made the decision to spend the money on some decent pans. Not top of the line by any means, but certainly not a cheap set. I have been using the aluminum set that I have had since arriving from Canada. I used to have stainless steel, but when we came from Canada, we couldn’t bring everything we owned and so we were given a nice set of aluminum pans. Still, with everything I have read about aluminum I have been uneasy about using them for quite some time now. I have researched and looked around until I found the best set for the money. This set seems perfect for me right now, with the steamer, and also the pan for heating milk or water. I don’t have very much cabinet space, so I can’t get a huge set of pans. I would like to have a nice stainless steel wok and good frying pan, but those can wait for now. 

This afternoon I finally made it back to the gym, since my back and stomach have finally quit hurting from my stomach problem. On the way home, I began looking for some healthy alternatives for deodorant and shampoos – without aluminum, thimerosal, formaldehyde, tricolsan and parabens. I continue to be shocked at the reckless disregard for our health allowing the presence of substances that are more than proven to be toxic. Well, I’m not fanatic about this, but I would like to do what I can to eliminate at least some of the bad stuff. By the way it’s hard to find anything without these pesticides and chemicals. I will keep trying. In the meantime, I think I scrub down my new pans (with vinegar, of course) and tomorrow we’ll have something good to eat made in shiny new pans.

Fur Balls, a Harp, Easter, Esther and a Flood

I think about adding entries to my blog frequently, but then life gets in the way and it just doesn’t happen. Easter Sunday night I had to leave church suddenly as I was sick as I looked somewhat like a cat getting rid of a fur ball. It took a while to be relieved of my fur ball! I was extremely grateful to the wonderful church administrator who missed a good part of evening worship to bring me home and risked having his brand new car being baptized with human fur balls (but I managed to hold on until stepping into my own kitchen). I wasn’t really sick or anything and after Sunday evening, it was just a matter of getting back on real food again. Whatever it was, I am glad it left as quickly as it came. Consequently, that little monkey wrench, put me a day behind in everything, as I spent Monday recuperating.

In addition, my magazine editor wrote reminding me the third study on the book of Esther was due. ARGH! I had forgotten. I am publishing four Bible studies on the life of Esther for our women’s magazine. Studies one, two and four are basically written, as they are based on messages I shared at a conference last year. Number three is not. So I have had to stop everything else and work on that. I finally have it outlined and will finish today. The first study was “In the Spa with God”, the second was “I Am Jesus’ Flower” and the last is “Purim Parade” (to give you a loose translation). The response has been amazing. I have been writing articles and Bible studies for years for “Visão Missionária” (try 20 years or more), but I have never had so much positive feedback. Charles Swindoll inspired me for the third study I am writing and it is about God’s Surprising Sovereignty.

You may be wondering about the title for this entry… or perhaps not. At any rate, I want to mention the “harp” part. Our music ministry has monthly concerts for the community. Last Thursday it was a harp concert. The harpist was accompanied by a violist and a flautist, in both duets and trios. I love the harp. Who doesn’t? (Well I can’t imagine my nephew the rock band guitarist liking a harp, but who knows? Hey, sis, ask him what he thinks of harps!) The real show, however, was the violist. He put so much emotion and feeling into his music. The harpist was Scottish and reserved. The violist was a passionate Brazilian. She was technically great and loved watching her. He, however, made music and I loved hearing him. I want to live my life for Christ in the duet of the both of them. Passionately in love with Christ and doctrinally prepared to love Him as He really is! What a treat these concerts are for my ears and my heart.

Easter was a treat. Here in Brazil it isn’t much celebrated in evangelical churches and I have always missed that. This year, our celebration was terrific. We began celebrating Jesus’ resurrection with the baptism of 12 believers who symbolically reenacted the resurrection through their baptism. That was followed by the Lord’s Supper in which we recalled Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. The choir sang a portion of the Messiah (an Easter piece) and the sermon that ended with the refrain “It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming”, led us to rejoice in the victory over death and sin. No chocolates, but pure joy!

Monday, after Easter, the city of Rio paid the price for our extremely hot and humid summer we have experienced. Two cold fronts double headed the heat that built up over these last few months and we had the worst rainfall of the last 40 years. The city that is fragile at best, showed the results of a poor sewage system, precarious construction on shacks on rocks barely covered by earth, and an accumulation of litter and dirt on the streets. In other words, the city flooded. Unfortunately the rains didn’t stop, continuing on Tuesday all day, and off and on Wednesday and even as I write we are having scattered showers. Monday night João was trapped at church, but was able to leave his car there and take the subway home at 11:30PM. Tuesday the city shut down. I’ve never seen anything like it. You couldn’t get anywhere. We began to have mudslides. There are thousands of people homeless (and I mean tens of thousands) and over 100 deaths. It is sad and depressing. It just shows, again, that you just can’t keep go on doing whatever you want (read: government officials robbing money meant for caring for the city; people invading mountains to build homes in areas of risk; citizens throwing their trash wherever they want, etc.) and not pay a price. The Bible tells us that the salary for sin is death. Rio has received her full wage this week.