Oi Everyone from Salvador, Brazil! Things are starting to cool off some (meaning 70’s and 80’s as best we can tell from Celsius) during the rainy season which is our Fall and Winter. It’s a little strange having Autumn when it should be Spring. With the weather change, Matt and Mary have both been sick (nothing serious), mostly sinus, allergies, and stomach problems. Don’t worry. Our realtor, who lives downstairs, had just the thing. She brought up a Brazilian home remedy for us to drink. A new cultural experience, it was made of beat juice (red), honey (thick), onions and lemon juice. It looks like blood and smells awful! Our bodies are just adjusting to their new environment, the new foods here and the new remedies for both!

It’s also an adjustment to think in two languages and not be sure about which one needs to come out – response time in conversation is much slower at the moment. Of course, with Mary, her response time is faster, but she never knows if what she’s saying is Portuguese or her own language (a mixture of Portuguese, English, Spanish, and Italian). Good thing Brazilians are patient with us! We’re almost a month into language school and already we see how much we have to learn. It’s overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

Learning to think in a different way means adding new meaning to what you already know. Take the English word "hope" for example… In English, the definition of "hope" is more of a wish or desire. We "hope" that our shipment gets here, but right now we think maybe the boat sank. In Portuguese, the word "esperança" is awaiting something desirable and connotes a strong expectation. Spiritually, we hope for heaven; we hope for Jesus to return. Are we hoping with expectation? When we expect something to happen, we take action accordingly. What would that kind of spiritual hope look like in our lives?

God is teaching us many things lately. Thank you for sharing in our work, our joy, and our "esperança" for the church here.

I received an English lesson the other day when I went with Stacey to pick up the boys after school. I was standing holding Brandon's hand when a boy that was about seven or eight came up to us.

"Ele é americano?" he asked, pointing at Brandon. ("Is he American?")

"Sim," I replied.

His eyes lit up and he asked, "Você é Americana?" ("Are you American?")

Once more, I replied, "Sim."

He cracked a grin and said, "WWWWhhhhut issss your nay-meee?"

I quickly responded, "Valéria."

He looked disappointed and shook his head. "My nay-mee issss..."

"Oh!," I said. "My nay-me issss Valéria."

But by that point, I had lost his interest and he walked away. Apparently I don't speak the right kind of English. More specifically, I didn't remember the script that we've figured out that Brazilians learn in school. Anyone who claims to know any English knows the phrase "what is your name". That's usually all they know. But hey, it's more than we knew of Portuguese a few years ago.