Well, if taking shelter from the rain at the bar down the street and using their restroom facilities all week seemed a bit odd, then today´s turn of events takes the cake! But, more on that in a sec.

It rained again in the morning, but we didn´t stop construction; we just sludged through the mud. And boy, was there a lot of mud! We urgently needed to finish the roof, so the team completed the 7 trusses that would hold the roof tiles. They are huge pieces of lumber arranged in a wide A shape, held together with steel panels and large bolts. I got to use a grinder to saw off the excess bolt length that stuck out from the braces. It was a Tim the Tool Man experience, indeed. Sparks were flying everywhere; it was awesome! 😉

Carrying the trusses was a 6-7 person ordeal, as they are very heavy. I have a bruise on my right bicep and both forearms to prove it. Once we brought the trusses into the church, we had to carefully lift them overhead to the guys on scafolding, who would then heave them into place in the roof brackets that were affixed into the cement blocks.

Our plan for tonight was to watch the Jesus film in the soccer field (read: dirt lot with a small goal on one side), but because it had rained so much, the ground was still muddy. A few of us had gone over to the bar to use their tile floor to put gromets on the canvas screen that we would display for the film, and while we were there, the owner offered for us to use the dancefloor for the film.

I couldn´t have thought of a more perfect solution! We had a full house, which was wonderful, and lots of the kids and their families from VBS came. The film was narrated (dubbed over in Portuguese with English subtitles) from the perspective of a group of children in Jesus´ time, as they witnessed events unfold.

The Jesus film in a bar. How awesome is that?!

Catching up on my notes …

We just returned from dinner & shopping in Guanapari, and we have another early start tomorrow. The construction team got rained out early this afternoon, so it’s great that we were nearly a day ahead of schedule.

This morning, I learned how to sling wall mud (the Portuguese term sounds like “sha-pee-skoo,” but I’m not sure how to spell it). It is slightly different from the brick “masa” mud, though more so in texture than ingredients.

I also swept a concrete floor with a ho, because that’s what you do when there’s no broom. (One of the locals found a broom later, which helped a lot.)

We crowned lumber (checked for a bow in the wood) & drilled holes for the roofing screws. I’m not sure if the roof goes on tomorrow or the next, but it’ll be soon. Hopefully, the exterior mud can be finished tomorrow, if the rain passes through tonight as predicted, and we can begin painting & assembling ceiling fans.

The VBS group was under a roof, so they continued their schedule. They had a great crowd from the community. The pastor said that he has already met a family who plans to attend the new church! We’ve had numerous passers-by asking about the building. They are amazed at how quickly it is going up.

When the rain really started pouring after lunch, most of the construction folks walked down the street to the bar to wait it out. We had already been invited to use the restroom there while we were working; I just thought it was funny that the church folks were hanging out at the bar. I enjoyed being in the rain for a few minutes while it was just sprinkling; it was nice & cool. Although, after the morning’s work, I sure could’ve gone for a cerveda (unsure of the spelling, but it is pronounced ser-ve-ja). 😉

I have to tell you about the Free Dog Pizzaria restaurant, and then I must hit the hay. We had an assortment from which to share on the tables, and it is all quite dissimilar from pizza in the U.S. My favorite was the ham & cheese & egg. None of the pizza had tomato sauce. They offer mustard, mayo & ketchup as condiments for the pizza (um, no thanks). Brazilians do not eat much processed food, so things like sausage & cheese are fresh. (In fact, juice is so fresh that you need to add a spoonful of sugar, or else it’ll pucker your cheeks at breakfast!) The veggie pizza had tomato, peas, corn & some sort of root vegetable chopped up on it. I thought it was tasty, but I was in the minority.

Today was our third full day in Brazil, but since at least 1/3 of the folks flying in from other parts of the U.S. had flight delays, today was our first day all together at the work site.

Some of us have spent the past two days hauling cement blocks from point A to point B, and today we moved them to point C & then back to point A. LOL, but that’s the nature of the work here. Need something sturdy to set stained wood poles on to dry? Fetch a pallet of bricks & bring them over, but then take them back later because they still need them for the walls! 😉

I think the best thing that I packed, besides trowels, was my lumbar support wrap. It has been a great help! My back is sore today, but I’m certain it would be much worse without it.

Besides hauling bricks, I also got to help with some of the masonry work again today. I learned the Portuguese words for “level,” “corner” and “middle,” as I used a hammer to bust holes in the cement blocks so they would foot over rebar, then filled the holes with masonry mud after the bricklayer checked to be sure the row was level. That was my favorite part of the day, hands-down.

I managed to scuff my calf in the same spot a couple of times as I was carrying blocks, but it’s nothing bad. As Monte Python would say, “It’s only a flesh wound!” 😉 Unfortunately, we have had a couple of injuries in the group, so please keep them in prayer: one guy cut his hands when he fell on some rocks at the beach, and someone today broke his foot. 😦

VBS starts tomorrow, so No. 1 stayed with that group most of the day to go over songs & dances & puppets. It sounds like a great program they have planned!

Wi-fi was spotty last night, so this is a belated post. I’ll try to write a Day 3 update later tonight. P.S. Brazil beat #1 ranked Spain last night for the Federation Cup.

…

My sinuses had to get used to a new variety of allergens, I suppose, because I had a headache late yesterday that lasted all night. Mango & eggs & a light, fluffy bread for breakfast with a stout cup of Brazilian coffee (& ibuprofen & Sudafed) helped a lot! 🙂

Day 2 has been great. We started off the morning with a bilingual worship service. I always enjoy hearing music in other languages, but there’s something about praise & worship songs that makes my heart yearn for heaven. I have been so busy, it’s actually been a couple of days since Nathan crossed my mind, but as we were singing this morning in Portuguese & English side-by-side, my eyes welled up with tears as I imagined getting to sing with my brother again someday, alongside these precious btothers & sisters in Christ.

After lunch, we went back to the work site. The VBS team went for a walk through the local neighborhood streets to let families know about the activities this week. No. 1 seemed to have a fun time as a clown. 🙂

On the construction site, I used a trowel to trim several clay bricks that were the wrong size, and helped haul blocks & large lumber poles. (They only use wood in the roof b/c of termites. Everything else is cement blocks.)

My hands are so filthy, even after washing & scrubbing, that I think I may need to declare soil samples when I go back through Customs on the return trip! :p

The kiddo is downstairs playing Uno & I’m seriously considering an early bedtime; I’m zonked! However, the Federation Cup (soccer) game between Brazil & Spain has just begun, and I can already hear people outside popping fireworks. It may be a long night.

I can’t promise to post daily updates, but as long as I have some downtime & wi-fi, I’ll try to post often. I’m swipe-typing on a tiny screen, so pardon any typos. 🙂

Today was our first full day in Brazil. I started out my morning with a yummy breakfast that included papaya & plantains (yum!), then on to the construction site to set the corners for the new church. Turns out, I’m not too shabby with a trowel! 😉

No. 1 stayed at the hotel with most everyone else, then after the construction team came back for showers & lunch, we took a shopping trip. We browsed the shops in the coastal city of Guarapari and snacked on Guarana (fruity soda) & doce de leite (caramel candy). The kiddo found a couple of souvenirs for himself, & we also bought some small souvenirs for his younger brothers, while we were out.

After dinner, I found some quiet time to stretch out on a towel on the hotel balcony & star gaze. I saw Scorpio & the Southern Cross. I loved how more & more stars became visible the longer I was out there.

Tomorrow, we’re going to church (in Portuguese, should be interesting!), then the kids’ team will work on VBS stuff while the construction team starts building roof supports.