Saudades

On my last day here, Drew arrived about 8am because we were supposed to leave at 8:30. This whole week he has had some business emergencies, so many of our appointment times had to be changed. But he brought over some papaya, delicious ham, and a thermos of coffee from Sueli, which I enjoyed while he was on his call.
Stopping to pick up Sueli, we drove out to the Casa de Salem, where Helio was volunteering this morning. There were several young mothers with their babies, waiting for the doctor. One of the biggest problems in the favelas is there are so many babies being born. The clinic offers free birth control, but the girls forget to get it! Helio showed us around the small building – there is a dental chair and some equipment, and another office where he sees his patients. Sueli’s sister, a pediatrician, was going to meet us there to see what she could do for them. We got a call that she was blocked from coming by a big truck that was stuck in the mud – up to the axels. So we drove to the end of the street and picked her up. She spoke with Helio and decided the days she would be available to volunteer.
I heard a lot of rain in the middle of the night, and early this morning it rained as well, but by now it was clear, sunny, and hot. When we left Casa de Salem, we had planned to go to the beach, and Sueli invited her sister, Bete (Elizabeth), to come with us, so we dropped her car off at their parents’ home and continued on to Praia do Sol (Sun Beach) for, as Drew puts it, “the best crab and shrimp anywhere”.
The trip took about 40 minutes, and there weren’t very many people there because it’s not a protected beach (no life guards). So we had the place almost to ourselves, though the longer we were there, the more people continued to arrive. There are many little shacks in the area, all with different colored tables, chairs, and umbrellas in front of them. Each one tried to outdo the other with the decibel count of their music. The bass was pounding so loudly the grains of sand were jumping (ok, so I exaggerated...what can I say, I was raised to speak in Baptist!). Evidently one shack finally won because the others turned their sound systems off. This place is owned by the parents of Sueli’s daughter’s boyfriend (got that?), so of course we had to eat there. The server brought beers for everyone (when in Brazil...), and crab soup for me and Drew – the two sisters didn’t have any. But they loved the crabs. I prefer my crabmeat out of a can or casserole dish...seems like a whole lot of work and messy hands for such a little payoff! I managed to navigate my way through just one crab, and I’m sure it was good, but to me it was just annoying! Shortly, a plate of shrimp and French fries arrived as well...Drew doesn’t eat crab. (ok, then, how could he assure me this was the best crab on the beach???). Every place that we've had shrimp, it's been served with the shells on. I seem to be the only one who peels it - everyone else just chews the shells too. (eeuw!)
We washed our greasy hands off in the ocean, which was muito agitato (very rough) today – probably from the storm last night. The water wasn’t as warm as yesterday at Besso Beach, and the color was brown from all the sand being swept up by the big waves. Sat back down at our table and continued our conversation, Sueli and I in the sun, and Drew and Bete under the umbrellas, which had to be tied down because it was so windy. One thing I noticed here is that everyone discusses and discusses things over and over again. It’s all about the relationship, which I’ve mentioned I appreciate.
Had to get back for a 4:00 meeting with Sueli’s brother-in-law, Ricardo, a lawyer who just happens to hold the position of “vice-mayor” in the town council. The hope is that he will be able to help Cenca in some way. Maria Jose, Sueli’s eldest sister, is married to Ricardo. Their son Bruno greets us at the door, and surprises me with fairly good English. Ricardo and Maria Jose don’t speak English, so 2 conversations take place at the same time...the 2 couples in Portuguese, and Bruno practices his English telling me (and showing me on his computer) about a project in another poor community that he and some friends have been working with. They have built houses and hope to add a sport court soon. They’ve done a lot of work already and he asks me if “my people” will be interested in helping their project, called Um27 (One twenty seven, for James 1:27 – the verse that talks about helping the widows and orphans). I always feel humbled and overwhelmed at the same time, because I am only one person, but when I join with others in the body of Christ, we can accomplish so much. I also feel a huge responsibility to return as I have said I will – many times - with groups of enthusiastic people willing to give their lives away – people who will commit to an ongoing relationship with these who are so needy.

On my last evening here, “the fam” (Drew and Sueli, Shalomir, Michael and Renan) treated me to a Churhascarria! Sal e Brasa (Salt and Ashes.....literal translation). The salad table is huge and I have to remind myself not to fill up on salad, because the waiters keep coming around to our table with skewers of different cuts of meat, which they will slice right there for us. This particular restaurant also has a sushi bar. We eat until we have to be rolled away from the table and can’t even think of looking at the dessert cart. While we’re all together, Michael calls Marta (his sister) so we all talk to her. She’s on her tour to the south of Brazil and Chile, and she’s FREEZING! We’ve seen pictures of the snow and ice on last evening’s news. Marta is more than excited and prematurely appreciative of what “my group” is going to do for Cenca.

Outside the Churhascarria, goodbyes are said – Sueli can’t come with us tomorrow because her son is returning from a church retreat and we all think she needs to be there for him. So, it will be quite a while before I see my dear new friend again and our parting is emotional.
I will be sad to leave my friends...21 years is a long time to know someone... especially in the case of Shalomir who was just a little younger than Renan when I first met her. I watched her grow up during the years I traveled frequently to Brazil. She is so smart and capable, and has matured from a girl to a lovely young woman who loves interacting with people, and a very caring mother for this little boy whose biological mother could no longer care for him. In fact, his birth mom was one of the first girls Marta helped raise in the orphanage she started – the Shalom House. Kinda completes the family circle in a way. Just reminds me how we’re all connected and God has given us the responsibility to care for each other.

I'm already filled with saudades (there's not really a translation except it just means "missing") for my new friends and not so new friends, and the people for whom I hope to help make a difference. I've traveled all over the world, and love every place I've been, but somehow, Brazil is different. Each time I leave this beautiful country, a little piece of my heart stays behind. Please think about coming with me on this mission trip in the fall. Your life will forever be changed.

If it's Saturday, this must be Maragogi

What does it say about me that I always sleep much better when I’m in another country? I had a great rest and awoke around 7:30 Brazil time...6:30 “body” time, which, for me is sleeping in. I moved slowly and quietly to get out of my bed, and Marta said “Bom dia”. Guess she was already up and just waiting for me. We made our way to the restaurant, where we had the most glorious array of fruit. Besides seeing my friends here, 2 of my very favorite things about coming to Brazil are...no great time changes...during DST they’re just one hour ahead of us, and all the exotic fruits. I’ve seen some of them at the farmer’s markets around Atlanta, but some are still found only here. There was the usual watermelon, papaya, and kiwi. We can sometimes get goiaba (guava) but it’s not nearly as good because here it’s just hours from being picked ripe. As a rule, I avoid pineapple because it’s rarely very sweet. But the pale slices lured me in and their sweetness only made me want more...juicy, too. These are wild pineapple (ananas) in contrast to the cultivated ones (abacaxi). Cashew fruit (yes, fruit, with the nut attached to it) is an acquired taste, and I enjoy another called pinha (“peen’ ya”) that doesn’t have a translation. There was graviola juice...also no translation.
Drew and Sueli joined us about an hour later and after we had all eaten as much as we could (10 days of this kind of eating???) we all decided to walk on the beach. The tide was out so we just meandered toward the coral reef, which creates a natural boundary. There are many places called piscinas naturais – natural swimming pools, which occur when the tide goes out just a little and there are hollows in the sand that retain the water. It’s warm and clear, though the sand is dark and dotted with seaweed and driftwood. Guys drive around in dune buggies, hawking rides all the way out to the water...I’ve done that and it’s a lot more fun in the sand dunes of my favorite beach, Genipabu, in Natal.
When we finally turned around to come back - ooops - we noticed the tide had come in a bit – fortunately not terribly high, since none of us had swimsuits on. Before we made it all the way to the beach, it began to rain and by the time we got to some semblance of shelter, it was pelting us pretty hard. There were quite a few people by the bar so we all crowded as best we could, ordered some fishcakes and beverages. We stood for quite a while, drinking, but never receiving our fishcakes. When questioned, the bartender said, “oh, we didn’t make them.” No other explanation. Gotta love the communication here.
Since it was lunchtime, we all just decided to eat some real food – Drew and Sueli needed to get on the road, so we didn’t linger long. With hugs and kisses (we’re going to see them Sunday afternoon) they drove off, and Marta and I came to the reception area for the only available internet connection, sat here for longer than I imagined and had a coffee and some “sweeties” before she got tired and went back to the room. When I finally left, it was late in the afternoon, but still time to read on our veranda before dinnertime. Marta is an excellent tour guide and checks on her “children” (a group of 17-year-olds on holiday from school) very often, hanging out with them, going to the pool, gym, being a good mother hen.
Dinner was good, and the array of desserts just too enticing to ignore. I try to take just one bite’s worth of each flan and torte because they’re all delicious. After dinner we sat in our air-conditioned room and she “introduced” me to the projects she’s working on...she’s been working with female prisoners, teaching them English and the Bible, but that work will pause for a while, as she’s stretched much too thin. Her main work is called Cenca, where hopefully my team will come and help renovate in October. There she takes girls and women off the street and teaches them a trade like making jewelry, cutting hair, manicures, sewing, and, in the future, cooking. They learn English as well. Marta’s heart is probably bigger than all of Brazil and another love of hers is working in the slums. There are orphans and also kids who have parents, but no place to go during the day, so we’ll be able to go and meet them too. She is just one person and I sincerely hope that reading this might help ignite a fire that will bring us together as a team to come alongside her.
When I’d seen every picture on her computer we decided to watch some of the show in the outdoor theater of the resort. Evidently the young people working here are also given the double duty of being the “singers” and dancers in the show, and quite obviously the costume budget was a little less than that of Disney World (ok, a LOT less). But they were definitely enjoying themselves and loved being able to entertain us. The big thing is the fog machine...in between every number was the exact same music, same length of time, and lots of fog! Milli Vanilli has nothing on the one gal who lip-sync-ed to an American song but kept forgetting to keep the fake mike close to her mouth. Afterward, they invited everyone to come up and take pictures with them. You'll be very surprised that I declined.
Sleep came easily to me...Marta went out to spend some time with her kids again.

on the road again...

Ok, so not quite yet, but in less than a week, I'll be in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, one of my favorite places on this earth. I know I'm called to minister to the orphans and I love that calling.
Having adopted and raised 14 internationally adopted orphans, my calling kept me at home for most of their childhoods. I loved that too. For a couple years, I did teach elementary school, but once the children began arriving (4 by birth also), I was so thrilled to be able to be a stay-at-home mom so I didn't have to miss any of the fun! Yes, it was fun! I have to admit, I've never had a "terrible two"...I always called it the terrific twos because I was having such a good time. How is it that no matter what I'm writing or thinking about, it always comes back around to my kids??? Guess that's where my heart's always been.
But, back to the trip. Hopefully all my paperwork will be proper and acceptable when I have my appointment at the Brazilian consulate in Atlanta on Wednesday...because Thursday I leave! So, I'd appreciate everyone's prayers for things to go smoothly because there is no margin for error!
This trip is somewhat exploratory, though I've been to Brazil many times and this particular lovely place a couple times. There is a girls' home that needs updating, renovations and additions, so my "job" is to take pictures, measurements, interview Marta, who runs this home, and find out exactly what needs to be done. I'll then bring all this info back home to our church, The Red Sea, and recruit some men who will go back with me in October to do the building. Though I've led quite a few tours, beginning in high school when I worked for a travel agency, I've not done a builders tour, so this is new territory for me. But as Terry always says, "since when did that stop her?" I'm just naive enough to jump in with both feet and think I can do anything! Of course one of my favorite verses is "with God, all things are possible." (Mark 10:27)
For today, that's all, because there is last-minute shopping to do, packing to organize, and writing homework to finish before I leave. Thank you for praying with/for me as I make the final preparations for this trip.