reflections and news from the Salvador, Brazil mission team
Announcing the Mission Salvador Church Warming. For more information, email the Quireys.
That's right--for those who haven't heard, we are now in the final days of our preparations. For pictures of our building and the work being done on it, click here.
I know that monkey entries are always popular. So world, meet Caco. He lives behind the Itinga church building (in a cage). We were very excited to get to pet him and hold him. He's a sweet little thing, a little nervous (something about being dropped on a child set him on edge), but overall, a good pet. Maybe I'll look for one at the market...
We haven't been updating here recently (but I'm sure you noticed that!). Most of us now have our own blogs and are posting our hearts out there. Pick a link below to find your favorite Mission Salvador family's blog! (Our apologies to the fans of the Maberys- they don't have a blog yet)
The Parkers
The Porters
The Quireys
The Sasses
It's not to say we'll never post here. We'll use it more as a digest. The best of our best posts, that a larger audience may want to read, will still make it to this blog. Until then, enjoy!
***EDIT***
Never ones to be left out, the Maberys now have a personal blog. Check them out!
I've lived away from home for a while now- for almost nine years I have lived in a different country than my parents. I've gotten fairly used to it, but there's one thing that remains difficult- being sick.
Today I woke up feeling mostly fine but by lunchtime I felt pretty lousy. We headed home at about 3:00 and I was experiencing crazy chills. I was walking down the street with goosebumps. I went straight to bed and fell asleep. At about 7:00, Russ headed out to buy me Tylenol and a thermometer. My temperature was 40 degrees (about 104). I have spent the afternoon aching and moaning and all I have wanted was something comforting! I didn't think to bring "sick clothes" with me when we moved here! When I chose which clothes to pack, I wasn't thinking, "And a sweatshirt and my fuzzy socks for when I have chills." I had to improvise- I instead wore my workout clothes and two pairs of Russ' socks. I couldn't make our apartment any warmer because we don't have a heater. We barely have any blankets. I lay wrapped in our two little quilts with beach towels pilled on top.
But the worst part about being sick like that is that my parents are far away. Russ does a wonderful job of taking care of me, but it's just not the same. Russ can make suggestions as to what I do, for example insist I take a shower, but he just doesn't have the clout of my mom and dad.
I don't know if anyone else on the team has felt this way yet, but they will. I've felt it many times before. And it doesn't get any easier.
Thanks for putting up with my pity party. My fever has broken but I am probably still a little delirious. I just thought I'd be honest about how it feels to be far from home and feeling so bad.
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.
