The End.

Well, folks, this is it. In a matter of hours, we will be on a plane headed back home. Okay, we'll be on a plane headed to São Paulo, then to the States, and eventually back home. What you are reading now will very likely be the final post on this blog. If I get a chance at our Dallas end meeting, I might post again, or maybe when I have a day or two at home to see everything from a different perspective. No promises, though!

Our last weekend has been a good one. Friday night was our final party. We had lots of pizza and games, and everyone really enjoyed themselves. A lot of our readers came to say goodbye, and we even got some neat presents! We also posed for so many pictures that my eyes still have dots in front of them. All of our readers were so great, and they all told us how much it meant to them for us to come and share our time and our faith with them. I'll miss them a lot, and I will continue to pray to God will keep working in their lives as He has during our time here.

Oh, and exciting news about Christiane! I think I told you before that she traveled to another state a couple of weeks back to take a test for a job. She was my very first reader, and my very last session on Friday was also with her. When she came to the party, she told me that she got the results from her test--and she got the job!! Actually, when she told me, she just said, "I win!" I am so happy for her. Not to be selfish, but it was really cool to have that kind of bookend to my experience here.

Today, we went to see the sunrise over the ocean. That's what we went to see, but we really saw some very nicely backlit clouds. Later in the morning, we spent some final time on the beach. The tide was very low, and we walked around on the reef. We found a spot where the waves were hitting against the side of the reef and sat near the edge. Let me go on record as saying that I thought it wasn't a great idea, especially for Kensey. The waves were pushing me around, and I'm a bit heavier than she is. But, to appease William, she decided she needed to join him out there, and I went along, too. That adventure lasted about three minutes, at which point a huge wave came and pushed us all along the reef for a few feet. William and I felt some pain, but nothing we couldn't laugh off. Kensey was destroyed.

Destroyed.

Okay, maybe that was dramatic. She cut up her feet a little, and got a nasty scrape on her elbow that will probably leave an awesome battle scar. But she's a tough girl. She walked it off, laughing the whole time. As bad as I feel for her, she refuses to accept my pity. Now she's got a story to tell and some Spider-Man band-aids to show off.

We spent the rest of the day at Dayanne's house with her and Pietro. We had lunch and dinner there, watched a Brazilian comedy, and played some card games. Kensey won first, I won second. I also learned that I'm not good at making sad faces, which I count as a strength. Dayanne and Pietro have been really great, and we've been lucky to be able to spend time with them over the past weeks. We'll really miss them!

Now we're almost all packed and ready to go. Tomorow, the church will have a big farewell lunch for us, and whoever wants to (including some of our readers, we hope!) will go with us to the airport to see us off. Kensey will probably cry, and I will try to find a couple of last-minute souveneirs.

In case you're interested, here's our basic schedule starting tomorrow. Our flight from Recife to São Paulo is at 4:30p. We will get into Dulles airport on Monday morning, then it's off to Dallas for our end meeting. We'll be there with a few other teams who are finishing their trips. We will stay there overnight and leave for home sometime Tuesday afternoon. There's a short stop in Atlanta (because who has direct flights anymore?), and then back in good ol' Memphis, Tenn. sometime late Tuesday, maybe early Wednesday.

Thank you so much again for reading our blogs and keeping in touch with us during our trip. We have been greatly encouraged by your love and support, and the trip wouldn't have been the same without you. We are all very excited to see you again!

Thank you for being a part of our adventure here in Brazil. I hope that you all will have similar opportunities, and that you'll let all your friends and family be a part of them, too. Wherever God leads you, know that everything done in Him and for His will can be an adventure. Whether He sends you to another country, another part of your city, or even to your church, Jesus has promised us life to the fullest in Him, and I honestly believe that God wants us to be able to feel like our lives are exciting and meaningful, even if we have a routine that we're used to. Never give up on the idea of adventure, and never doubt His ability to equip you for it.


PS- I did take a fair amount of pictures here, though nowhere close to Kensey. I'll probably put them in an online album soon, and you can see them then, if you're interested. I'll post the link here when I do that.