My reading sessions today went very well. Seeing how excited they are to be there is very encouraging, and it makes me feel very satisfied with all the hard work we've been putting into this trip for so long. I didn't have any new readers (a couple signed up late, but they missed their sessions), but I'll have plenty next week.
Tonight we had dinner at the Shorts' home with Danny and another missionary couple, Chris and Theresa (plus their far-too-cute 4-year-old daughter Sara... I can't remember their last name). After dinner, we had a short time of worship and Chris shared some encouraging words and prayed for us and the work we're doing.
Tomorrow is our first day of rest since we began working. We're going to take some time to get to know the city a little better. Kensey and I are planning on going with Chris to a bible study. It will be in Portuguese, but he promised to help us understand the gist of things. Sunday, we'll be worshipping with the local church that the Shorts are a part of. It won't be their normal Sunday (as if we'd notice)--it's the church's 10-year anniversary, and they're celebrating with a traditional Brazilian... something. We don't really know all the details, but it should be an adventure all the same!
It's been a rewarding week, and I'm thankful that we have some time to rest and refocus our energies. Have a great weekend! (And don't tell me ANYTHING about Lost. We can't watch it online here! Tragedy!)
Friday, May 16, 2008
Rice and Beans and Spaghetti
There's a little cafe-like place in the same building as the Escola de Biblia (where we're doing our reading sessions). It's great because it's so close, and the food is very good. Everything comes with rice, beans, steamed vegetables, and spaghetti. Yeah, evidently that's kind of a side dish here. The thing is, you have to tell them the day before if you're going to eat there, because each day they buy the food they'll need for the next day. We forgot to tell them yesterday, so it looks like we'll be searching for lunch somewhere else.
My reading sessions have been going very well today. Christiane told me that it's hard to learn English because not many people here can speak it well enough. But she is very interested in learning. I'm glad that we're able to help her for free.
Two new readers for me today: Gilmar (the second one) and Allan. I'll see them this afternoon. Bom tarde!
My reading sessions have been going very well today. Christiane told me that it's hard to learn English because not many people here can speak it well enough. But she is very interested in learning. I'm glad that we're able to help her for free.
Two new readers for me today: Gilmar (the second one) and Allan. I'll see them this afternoon. Bom tarde!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
First Sessions (and Lots of Rain!)
Today we had our first one-on-one reading sessions. I didn't have any in the morning, but that gave me time to do some team errands and prepare for my busy afternoon.
One thing you need to know if you're planning on coming to Brazil this time of year: it's the rainy season! It rained off and on all day, but it's a different kind of rain than we're used to in the southern US. It doesn't really storm; it's more of a heavy drizzle, even when it's really coming down. Even the weather here is more relaxed than the States!
I had four readers today: Christiane (a young woman), Giovanni, Gilmar, and Andelson (all men). I think I had every level of English speaking skill today, from practically fluent to just learning. I even added a reader (another Gilmar) who spoke so little English that it took me 10 minutes to figure out that he hadn't already signed up to read! I'll be meeting with him tomorrow.
Everyone is very eager to learn English. They all wanted to sign up for as many sessions as possible, but I had to limit them to make sure I have time for my other readers. I've still got about 12 more people to begin reading with! Even though some of them don't understand the language very well, they are willing to struggle through as long as we are patient. But it's so fun helping them learn, I don't think we could get impatient if we tried! They're awesome to read with.
Some are Christians, some are not, some aren't sure. The great thing about the LST program is that they want to keep coming and talking to us even if they don't agree with us. For example, Giovanni is trying to improve his English for a job. He doesn't believe everything in the bible. He mostly likes the parts about being a good person, but isn't so sure about some other parts. But he's very interested in psychology; we had a discussion today about how Jesus thought. How cool is that?
God is doing a lot of work in His people in Recife. We don't even have to do the hard part. I was so nervous before my first session. I had no idea what to say or how it would go. But God makes it easy for us. All we have to do is be open to allowing Him to work through us, and He does the rest!
Thanks for your prayers! Please pray for my readers. And leave your comments! :)
PS - Please especially pray for me and my morning readers. I've never been much of an A.M. guy, but I hope their sessions won't suffer because of it. :P
One thing you need to know if you're planning on coming to Brazil this time of year: it's the rainy season! It rained off and on all day, but it's a different kind of rain than we're used to in the southern US. It doesn't really storm; it's more of a heavy drizzle, even when it's really coming down. Even the weather here is more relaxed than the States!
I had four readers today: Christiane (a young woman), Giovanni, Gilmar, and Andelson (all men). I think I had every level of English speaking skill today, from practically fluent to just learning. I even added a reader (another Gilmar) who spoke so little English that it took me 10 minutes to figure out that he hadn't already signed up to read! I'll be meeting with him tomorrow.
Everyone is very eager to learn English. They all wanted to sign up for as many sessions as possible, but I had to limit them to make sure I have time for my other readers. I've still got about 12 more people to begin reading with! Even though some of them don't understand the language very well, they are willing to struggle through as long as we are patient. But it's so fun helping them learn, I don't think we could get impatient if we tried! They're awesome to read with.
Some are Christians, some are not, some aren't sure. The great thing about the LST program is that they want to keep coming and talking to us even if they don't agree with us. For example, Giovanni is trying to improve his English for a job. He doesn't believe everything in the bible. He mostly likes the parts about being a good person, but isn't so sure about some other parts. But he's very interested in psychology; we had a discussion today about how Jesus thought. How cool is that?
God is doing a lot of work in His people in Recife. We don't even have to do the hard part. I was so nervous before my first session. I had no idea what to say or how it would go. But God makes it easy for us. All we have to do is be open to allowing Him to work through us, and He does the rest!
Thanks for your prayers! Please pray for my readers. And leave your comments! :)
PS - Please especially pray for me and my morning readers. I've never been much of an A.M. guy, but I hope their sessions won't suffer because of it. :P
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Goooool!
Okay, I just had to share this.
There's a soccer game on TV (more than one, actually). The funny thing is, every time someone scores a goal, you hear shouts rising up from the entire city. Viva futebol!
There's a soccer game on TV (more than one, actually). The funny thing is, every time someone scores a goal, you hear shouts rising up from the entire city. Viva futebol!
Meet the Readers
I decided to start a blog to let the whole wide world know about what's going on during our mission trip to Recife, Brazil. Actually, I saw that Kensey did that, and I decided to steal her idea. You can see her fancy picture-y blog at kenseylynne.blogspot.com. I don't have pictures yet, but you'll see them once I take some.
We've been here for about two days now, and we're just getting settled in.
Yesterday (I think!), Randy and Kathy Short, the missionaries hosting us here, picked us up at the Recife airport. Our flights were all good, and we and our belongings were all in tact. Also with them was Danny, an American (from Nashville, even) with whom William and I are staying, and Christina, a native Brazilian hosting the girls. I was kind of hoping to stay with a Portuguese speaker before we got here, but after meeting Danny, I don't think we could ask for a better host! We spent the rest of the day resting and getting introduced to life in Brazil.
Earlier today, Randy took us on a short (Short?) tour of the city. We went to a national park with a great view of Recife. It really gave us a good idea how big the city is; 4 million people live here! Unfortunately, we don't have time to take a million readers each, but we'll do what we can.
Then we had our information sessions. We met the readers and told them about the program. They signed up for their first reading sessions. As of now, we have about 60 readers among the four of us! Some of them are almost fluent in English; others struggle to make sentences. Luckily, God speaks Portuguese. He knows what they need from us, and He'll provide it for them. One-on-one reading sessions begin tomorrow. I'll let you know how they are!
We're very excited to get started working with our new friends. I'll try to post updates as often as I can. Please pray for us as we begin reading tomorrow!
We've been here for about two days now, and we're just getting settled in.
Yesterday (I think!), Randy and Kathy Short, the missionaries hosting us here, picked us up at the Recife airport. Our flights were all good, and we and our belongings were all in tact. Also with them was Danny, an American (from Nashville, even) with whom William and I are staying, and Christina, a native Brazilian hosting the girls. I was kind of hoping to stay with a Portuguese speaker before we got here, but after meeting Danny, I don't think we could ask for a better host! We spent the rest of the day resting and getting introduced to life in Brazil.
Earlier today, Randy took us on a short (Short?) tour of the city. We went to a national park with a great view of Recife. It really gave us a good idea how big the city is; 4 million people live here! Unfortunately, we don't have time to take a million readers each, but we'll do what we can.
Then we had our information sessions. We met the readers and told them about the program. They signed up for their first reading sessions. As of now, we have about 60 readers among the four of us! Some of them are almost fluent in English; others struggle to make sentences. Luckily, God speaks Portuguese. He knows what they need from us, and He'll provide it for them. One-on-one reading sessions begin tomorrow. I'll let you know how they are!
We're very excited to get started working with our new friends. I'll try to post updates as often as I can. Please pray for us as we begin reading tomorrow!
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