Blast From the Past

I went on a retreat during Carnival, and we had a "noite infantil", or kids' night. We (as in all the folks on the retreat, ranging from 17 to 35 years of age) had to come up with a costume of a cartoon that ran when we were little.

I had an excellent time and went as Betty Rubble, from the Flintstones. It was quite an easy costume to make (I bought a double sheet and cut it out), and the series ran here in Brasil, so the Brasilians knew who I was. The myriad of costumes consisted in Punky Brewster (Punky Baker here), Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, Chapolin, Chiquinha, a smurf, the Incredible Hulk (green body paint and all), Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan & Tinkerbell, well, you get the point.

Sunset Beauty

I went to see the sunset last night at Arpoador (the rock between Copacabana and Ipanema) with a friend of mine. It set behind Vidigal and Dois Irmãos. To say the very least, it was breathtaking. I have never been to a place where people applaud the sunset, but here they do (at least at Arpoador). It struck me that many of them may not even know Whom they are applauding.

Update

This last month has been a good one. We have been visiting churches and have found them all for our teams this year. We know where all the medical teams are going (unless something changes, which may happen, but we hope not). We currently have 23 teams signed up to come this year, spread over 26 weeks. We have 1 week off the in the middle of the summer and 1 week that we are going to AGM (which is still called Mission Meeting here). We have some time off from teams in May as well; our teams don't stop from the end of May to the end of October (with those 2 weeks off I mentioned).
We have a volunteer in this week, Stephanie, who is teaching some of our interpreters English. If you've met any of them, you know that they already speak very good English. So what are they learning? The more complicated nuances of English that we never think about, like phrasal verbs (put up, put on, check out, take up, give back, etc.). I am teaching another group of about 5 people who don't know tons of English but really want to learn. They're beginners in English, so I am giving the class in Portuguese. Let me tell you that I never thought I'd be doing that! It's been really good for my Portuguese, though it makes my brain tired.
Carnaval starts (officially) on Saturday, though the parties have already begun. Carnaval is, unfortunately, the only thing many people think of when they think of Brazil. It is a time of revelry and general partying (along with the parades) before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. Many churches here take retreats away from the city of Rio during Carnaval.
Between now and the end of April, we will be getting ready for our teams to start – visiting/revisiting churches, organizing medicines, unwrapping Bibles, cutting senhas (tickets to enter the clinic), etc. I'm sure there is much more to be done.
Next month, we have tentatively planned another all-Brazilian clinic (we had one last month as well), which I am looking forward to.
Continue to pray for us as we prepare for our teams – for all of the planning that has to be done (still), for the churches we will be working in, for the areas we will be working in, the teams that are coming, and the people we will meet. We couldn't do anything without your prayers!
For He alone is worthy.

There's a novela here whose characters insert English words in the middle of their conversations. The words are being used correctly (thank goodness), but I must say it's weird to hear "hunny" and "no stress" in the midst of Portuguese.

A little drama, anyone?

Okay, so I think I am destined to have dramatic Valentine's Days. Not the good kind. Here is a run down of the dramatic ones I have had:
One year I was in the ER with a migraine.
One year I locked myself out of my house.
Today was equally dramatic, though the drama has been resolved. Any guesses on what will come next year?
Anyone else got any V-Day drama? Bring it on!!

Pictures of home

I have been here for 4 months and have just realized that I haven't put any pictures of my apartment or the area surrounding it up for anyone to see! So, here goes:

The pic on the left is of the outside door of my building. It feels a little like a dorm. The box to the right of the door is what people have to buzz to be let in if they don't have a key. I am safe. Yay! The pic on the right is the outside of my side of the building.

I love the surroundings I am in; they seem like the jungle in the midst of the city. As it happens, Rio is home to the world's largest urban forest, which I happen to live in the middle of (or actually on the edge of, but living in the middle of the woods sounds more exciting). Every once in a while I will see monkeys running around in the tops of the trees. I truly live in the midst of paradise.

Flower Power

So this is what we did yesterday afternoon. My boss went to the CADEG (again, the long drawn-out translation) and bought about 8 dozen roses. We made 3 flower arrangements like this one (mine has 3 dozen roses in it) for less than 40 bucks (yes, that's US dollars, and that's total, not each)! And, since I love fresh flowers, I have found yet another reason to love this country.

Finally

A day at the beach. I mean, an hour at the beach. It's been raining so much here since the beginning of the year. Between that and running around trying to get things prepared for our volunteers (which of course was all done on the sunny days), there hasn't been much beach-friendly time. Today finally worked out.

BAD fashion news

I'm sad to say it, but pantsuits are back. Not the great-looking two-piece suits. The onesies. For ADULTS (well, for women). Without straps, most of the time. They are all over the stores here. I thought about getting one, but I am not sure I want to become that Brasilian.

Small but wise

"Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer...." (Proverbs 30:24-25)
As I walk around the school where I live, I am always absolutely amazed when I look down at the ground. I can see leaves and flower petals seemingly moving themselves along the ground. Yup, you guessed it. It's the ants. Carrying things that are 10 times their size. They work to build their homes, they work to bring their food home, yet they are so small. God made them a mighty example to us to be diligent, doing one thing at a time.
I think that our culture has been seduced by quick fixes and instant results. We must remember that even though God put His plans in motion from the beginning, they are still not done. How many years has that taken? And He's God! Why do we, who are not God, think we can get things done faster than the One who has chosen to spread the fulfillment of His plans throughout human history?
I tend to get overwhelmed at not seeing what we would call "results" of the workings of God in my own life. But then I remember the ants. They carry one leaf or petal at a time, seeming futile, but full of purpose.

Train ride

I went with my language tutor today on a train trip. We are trying to take advantage of every type of public transportation here in Rio. There are several types of trains, from the old ones with wooden benches down the sides and lots of handles hanging from the ceiling to the new "chique" (fancy) ones with cushions on the seats and an outer appearance like that of the Disney World monorail. It's really not that different from the metro (subway), because the train here is used as more of a commuter train than an actual "trip" train.
There are people who walk up and down the train selling drinks and candy, and people who sell newspapers ("to pass the time on your journey").
We went all the way out to Santa Cruz, the last stop on the train. We started at Central do Brasil, one of the most famous train stations in Brasil and the subject of a 1998 movie (Central Station, in English -- watch it to get a little touch of Brazilian culture. See info about the movie at IMDb.com). The train station is just like any train station in Europe, filled with newsstands and little food stands to buy pasteis (pastries). People are everywhere, hustling and bustling through the station on their way to bigger and better things.

Exciting news....

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows set to be released 21 July 2007. Thanks to Team Redd for the info.