returning home

The last security has been passed...I’m now sitting at the gate waiting for my flight to be called. We made it to the airport in 1½ hours. On a Sunday, there’s no traffic, but the closer we got to Recife, the worse the condition of the roads. Even though we arrived way early to check in, there was a huge line ahead of us already. We counted 3 separate tour groups of teens...probably all of them are going to Disney World. There are parents, sisters, and grandparents, all here to see their kids off, so the line is “padded” with many extra people. However, for the hundreds of us who will board the plane, there are 3 check-in agents and each person seems to take forever. We arrived at the airport at 8am and I just stepped up to the check-in desk at 9:20. Why it took so long for the others, I’ll never know, because I walked away at 9:21. Quem sabe?

Shalomir and Renan came with us because Drew was not so familiar with the directions. There’s just one highway to Recife, but once you get here the airport exits are not so clearly marked. Coming to pick me up last week, Drew got lost 2 or 3 times. The flight is late so we still have time to have a little breakfast – at least a coffee and a pao de queijo (bread with cheese baked inside it...a favorite of many Brazilians). When we get to the security gate, it looks crowded, but everyone is just saying goodbyes – many times over! I walked right through and on to the x-ray machines. Since my other suitcase was still too full to use as a carry-on, I had to check it, so I put my liquids in it. The US is the only place I’ve ever had to take off my shoes...never in other countries, however, they have to do a closer inspection of my bag. Turns out in Brazil, contact cases and contact solution are classified as liquids. In all the other countries, contacts and solution are classified as medication...I thought that TSA security would be the same everywhere, but obviously they don’t agree with me. Anyway, the security agent found a plastic bag in which to put my contact solution and 2 contact cases...then took quite a long time to examine my EPI pen...turned it over and over. I explained that it was medication in case of a bee sting. Remembering that I saw not one bee during my entire 10 days here...maybe she hasn’t either. No flies, one or 2 mosquitoes, and 2 wasps at the beach. Most beach homes don’t even have glass in their windows and none of the apartment homes have screens. I left my windows open all day and night and never saw any flying critters. It’s just not a problem at all – boy I sure wish we had this “non-problem” in Georgia!
Something I may have forgotten to mention is the fact that even though Shalomir and Maikol had a hot shower, it was in their master bedroom bath. Maikol hadn’t been feeling very well, so he was in bed most of the time...I would have had to ask him to leave. Plus, most mornings we left so early, that if I wanted the hot water bathroom, I’d have had to shower at noon, when we came back to get ready for lunch, so I just continued to take the cold showers. Fortunately, though, the water is not icy cold, like ours is, so it wasn’t quite the shock it could have been. Mainly, staying there was much more like being with family because from 21 years ago when we first met, every time I traveled to Brazil, I always stayed with the Saunders family. There are 2 biological children – Shalomir is the elder, and Joshua is a couple years younger than her. There are also 6 adopted children, all grown with children now. Naomi is the adopted child I know best because at one time I had considered adopting Naomi and her brothers, Abraham and Marcio. But instead, Drew adopted the 2 older ones, and Marcio went to another family who really wanted just him. He was such an adorable little boy...I fell in love with him instantly, but he had already been spoken for – just waiting for paperwork when I met him. Naomi is now around 26 years old and lives in Waupaca, WI. Guess how that happened? She had one child here in Brazil, and around age 1, the child became very sick and died. So Drew wanted to “distract” Naomi from her grief and asked if she could come visit us for a month or so. Since I’ve spent so much time with her, she’s more like a daughter to me and we were thrilled to have her there with us. That month turned into 6 months, at which time she had met a boy who asked her to marry him...which then allowed her to remain in the states on a permanent green card. Even when we moved away from Waupaca, Naomi had made so many friends there she wanted to stay. She now has 4 children and has remained right there in Waupaca. Right now, Drew is considering visiting her for a while until the visa problem gets resolved. His other option is to apply for a marriage certificate and hope he can get someone to “grease” the wheels a bit and expedite a license for him to marry Sueli immediately.

I’ve got so many little notes in my notebook, it’s going to take a while to sort them all out and categorize them. We talked more about when I come back with the group – things we want to do, places we want to take the group, and the work that has to be done. For anyone considering making this trip, please be assured that I will request that your hosts have hot water showers for you. That’s probably more common than not, especially in the homes of Cidade Viva church members, so don’t worry about the cold water. The meals will probably all be together in one place so you don’t have to worry about eating or drinking anything terribly unfamiliar to you unless you really want to. Another consideration is host families who speak English. With the school at Cidade Viva, and Drew’s English classes for the adults, that’s probably a non-issue. I’ve discovered that when in doubt, sign language works just fine. Everyone has bottled water but there’s no need to worry about brushing your teeth or taking showers in it. I remember on a trip to China (before the western world was even allowed in) we couldn’t even use the tap water for brushing our teeth...every night we received a thermos of hot water outside our hotel room door, and each morning we brushed our teeth with it, so I got used to doing that activity with warm water. But here it’s not so critical.
There is so much more...keep checking my blog, because I’ll be updating everyone on what’s going on in Joao Pessoa as well as more definite plans for our team trip.

countdown to romania

Wow, time is moving so swiftly I can't keep up with myself....today was spent trying on a lot of clothes...figuring out which things I need to bring for proper Romanian parliament wear, and which things I can "mix & match" for playing in the churches and other meetings....think I'm going to take the bigger suitcase! I've been putting things in a pile that I wanted to be sure to take, but now it's really time to begin packing....today for the first time I guess I had time to actually feel the excitement....I'm this way with all my trips. I wait as long as I can before getting excited....don't know why I do that, but I just do. I'm thinking this is the part where I should be getting nervous that I'll forget something, or not get everything finished before I leave, but I've got such a wonderful hubby who has taken most of the other responsibilities off my shoulders and pitched in to help around the house even more than he usually does. The only thing he's worried about is.....yep, killing my plants! He wants complete lists, diagrams, with pictures even, of what needs to be done. Well, he'll probably get a list! With all the rain we got today, he can probably coast for a while, though. We got a deluge, and it was really neat blowing across the valleys and mountains off our deck. God has given us a constantly changing panoramic view and we really do savor it. With all the rain we've had lately, everything looks so lush and green.....I am ever amazed at all the different colors of green that God has in his paintbox!

Found out yesterday that Terry has been invited to play in the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland this June and July!!!
Wow! I am so thrilled for him I can hardly stand it! He will sit "jazz chair" and enjoy seeing a bunch of the guys he used to play with when we lived in Wisconsin and here's the best part...the trip is entirely paid for! The money has been raised by the band in Wisconsin, and while in Europe, the guys will be staying in the homes of Rotarians.....the band will give ticketed concerts in London, Paris, and Montreaux....all the monies being raised by Rotary International to help eradicate polio around the world. What an honor for my hubby and I'm soooo proud of him. He has mentioned something about me joining him.....possibly in Paris, which is where we got married 11 years ago this May 1, so that would make it extra-special for me.

But, back to packing...are you a roller or a folder?

start packing...

Wow...yesterday we drove back from Nashville....had the most incredible time staying at our friends' house. Troy and Rhonda Madge have been friends since 3 summers ago when I met them on a missions trip to Ukraine. This weekend happened to be prom weekend for their daughter, and it sure was fun getting in on the excitement...nails, makeup, hair, gorgeous dress, and I think the rain stopped enough for Taylor to get in and out of the place without getting wet! Anyway, Troy and Rhonda know Beni Lup and also want to take a trip to Romania with me...Rhonda is anxious to go very soon...Troy has a trip to Ukraine this summer so maybe his Romanian trip will have to be delayed a bit. I write about them because Troy is going to be heading up a group of guys who will travel to Romania to build a house for Carla Preda, Beni and Eugenia's partner in their ministry! Carla is in need of a new and bigger place to live, and Troy's heart was touched by her story. Stay tuned because I'll let everyone know when that trip is as well...we'll be in need of guys who want to help. Troy also "loaned" me 5 months' worth of MAX because Beni and Eugenia have noticed they're feeling much better since they've been taking this awesome supplement, so I'll bring these 5 boxes this time, and whoever goes on the next trip can bring some more, and by then my next shipment will have arrived. On our way home, we went to my cousin's house for a shower for her nephew's fiancee....ended up staying into the early evening, so I did absolutely nothing in preparation for the trip. Ok, we did bring up suitcases from the basement!
Today seemed the best day to buy all the little travel-sized toiletries and as an early anniversary gift (our 11th is May 1, my travel day) Terry bought me a new camera! It has more "bells and whistles" than my little pocket point and shoot camera, and we've waited a long time before doing this.....so now I've got 4 days to figure out how to use it!!! On the way home, we took a wrong turn (still learning our way around) and ended up in a charming little town with a neat main street that had some cute shops. So, we took our walk there and thoroughly enjoyed it! I love those little serendipities!
So many of you have indicated either in person, or by email/phone that you'll be praying for me and I hope you know how much I really appreciate that. There have been other times when I have requested lots of prayer, and it is very evident when you do pray. God answers prayer, I know that, and I can't do a thing without total dependence on Him.

minus 2 more days!

Yesterday was a day of "errands", packing, and driving to Nashville for a Nashville Praise Symphony concert at Brentwood Baptist Church. It's always fun to play with everyone, but more fun to get to spend time with all our friends. This time Terry got to play because one of the regular trumpets couldn't be there. Wonderful to have Jim Gray conduct us playing his arrangement of "Simple Gifts", and of course great to see Camp and Fran Kirkland, David Winkler, and most of all, my fellow strings.....you guys rock! That said, I never did get to write anything yesterday about my upcoming trip....which, as I see by the calendar is now 2 days sooner. The sweetest people emailed me back and assured me of your prayers, and I am so grateful. Not knowing what kind of internet connections I will have while overseas or how long I will have, I would so love to have your comments on this blogsite where I can read everything all together.....that helps because many times depending on the village I'm in, there is just sporadic connection....i.e. read one email, try to go back to read another and poof! no more connection. So, thanks for subscribing and posting your comments here.
One friend, who had not been to Romania in 12 years, remembered being so sad at the conditions......since my first trip was over 20 years ago.....right after the coup, in fact, I have vivid memories of walking through the main business section of Bucharest and seeing totally empty storefronts. Funny story (well, not at the time) I flew in on Delta connecting through Frankfurt and when we got to Bucharest, my suitcase was nowhere to be found. Went to the apartment where I was staying with a lovely lady named Rita, and each morning I would call Delta. About the 3rd day, I received a call from one of the "higher up" officials who said, "don't worry about it, just go and purchase whatever you need and we'll reimburse you". Now that was a laugh.....as I said, the entire city of Bucharest had nothing to buy.......you had to wait in line at one store to buy bread. Then if you were lucky you could wait in line at another store to buy eggs, and possibly another store for milk. Where in the world was I going to buy clothes to wear? Those were very sad conditions, but today, the mood to me is hopeful. After the revolution, which started in Timisoara, the people, who were gathered in the square, began to shout, "There IS a God! There IS a God!" Jesus is the only hope for any of us, and they knew it then, and they know it even more today. In the churches Terry and I visited last June, there is much hope and joy! In fact, I wish everyone could take a trip of this kind, to see just how much the Romanian people love going to church and how joyfully they join in with the worship, especially the music!
I could go on and on about how much I love the Romanian people and how wonderful it is to be with my fellow believers........ well, just get me started!

countdown to romania

One day closer...spent lots of time just cleaning up old emails, watering the potted plants and veggies...my sweet hubby went to wash and vacuum the car! Boy did it need to be cleaned...don't know about you but I use the space in front of the passenger's seat as my personal office...frustrating to Terry when I drive, of course, as he has to find a place to "park" his legs and feet. Anyway, that's done. I guess whenever I plan to leave home, especially go out of the country, I become somewhat obsessed with "cleaning", whether it's the car, emails, closets, drawers, weeding the garden. Guess I don't want to leave anything unfinished. In that case, I should finish all the dark chocolate we have in the house as well! I'm getting more excited by the minute, and yesterday Terry finished writing my music out for me. I'll be taking about a dozen old familiar hymn arrangement accompaniment CDs to play at various venues on the trip. The last time we were in Romania and playing hymns at the churches, we were at first puzzled by the humming we heard, then realized it was the people humming along - in beautiful harmony, mind you - to our instrumental selections. Each time this happened, it was hard for us to hold back the tears, just knowing that we are going to share heaven with these wonderful brothers and sisters. So, I am very much looking forward to hearing that heavenly accompaniment to the songs I'm going to play. I'm also looking forward to seeing all my new friends as well...five of them are a great brass quintet we met who asked Terry for some arrangements...he has sent all the music for them to begin practicing, and they are so excited and grateful. Felix, I can't wait to hear you guys play! Also looking forward to meeting Eunice, Ligia's sister, with whom I've spoken on the phone...she was speechless when I told her I was coming, because she had been praying for someone to do music for the conference but it had to be someone with an instrument that could be carried in (not like a piano, harp, or maybe tuba?), so when Beni told her I was going to play my violin, it was a fun phone call. Ok, hubby's hungry...gotta go, but I'll be back!

10 days and counting

Well, just as we were praying this morning for my trip to Romania, our phone rang and it was our good friend Beni, who was just on his way to have a date with his wife and daughter at Starbucks in Timisoara. This is a new thing since our last trip, (the Starbucks, not the "date") and I'm glad to know I'll be able to get my mocha breve! I need to make a little correction because I did not fully understand my "mission"...I think I was so overwhelmed at playing in the Parliament that I confused a few of the facts in my little brain. Beni works with several members of the Parliament...I mis-wrote saying he was a member...and I have been invited by the Human Dignity Commission in the Parliament for the launching of that commission. I, of course, am not the only one...there will be speakers from the U.S. and other countries as well, and we'll all be adding our voices (violin too?) to "endorse" the idea of human dignity among the Romanian people...people I have come to know and love very much even since my first trip there over 20 years ago, when I discovered the daughters that God had waiting for me to adopt. The Romanians are very warm and loving...as are my 2 daughters, who are now lovely grown women...and always so hopeful. One of the vivid memories I have of visiting the country within a month after the coup is the sad, yet open and hopeful faces of the people I encountered on the streets of Bucharest, and even though there was absolutely nothing in any of the stores along the main avenue, many of the people who were walking home after a long day were carrying fresh flowers. They may not have had much, but they were determined to "brighten the corner" where they were, and that really blessed me. We who live in the "land of the free" just seem to find things about which to complain, instead of appreciating the little things...we all nod and affirm those who say "stop and smell the roses", yet, how many of us are actually doing that? God has blessed me with the curiosity to want to notice His creation...I'm always wondering which bird is singing that particular song...as an avid gardener, I love combining colors and textures in my garden beds...as a gourmet cook, I also love combining different herbs and spices to change a dish. I must confess I have almost never "obeyed" a recipe...I admit it. I'm always looking for a new and exciting way to do just about everything...don't even drive the same route if I can help it! I am so fortunate to have a husband who SAVORS life, and the little things...sunrises, sunsets, the myriad colors of green on the mountains opposite our deck...our morning cup of coffee...the list goes on and on...as I know he is already savoring the experiences I am about to encounter on this journey. I am so excited about my trip because it gives me the opportunity once again to be with people who know what they have and are very grateful for every second of it. May I continue to do the same.