Let’s be blunt: Are you the type of friend others want to talk to and confide in, or do you tend to redirect conversations back to yourself?
Home from Brazil
We’re home! I’m trying to make myself stay awake a little while longer, because even though it is only two hours’ difference, the return trip has wiped me out. I’m looking forward to a long night’s rest in my own bed.
The house was a wreck when I got home, so I’m glad that I decided to take tomorrow off as a jet lag day and not return to work until Wednesday. Between catch-up laundry, housekeeping, meal planning for the rest of the week (& hopefully a nap at some point), I’ll have a full day at home tomorrow. (I tried to lower my expectations of what the house would look like, based on past experience with the other parental unit in charge for just a couple of days, so at least it wasn’t a terrible disappointment to find that my low expectations were met after being away for a week and a half while he stayed at the house with the kids.)
Thanks for the prayers & encouragement while No. 1 & I were in Brazil! I’ll try to post pictures soon.
Prayer prompt for Monday, July 8
Think of someone who has it better than you (in your opinion). Take time to pray for their invisible “thorns” and curb your jealousy.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is spoken in Portugal & Brazil, of course, but some other countries like Mozambique & Cape Verde also speak it. I don’t have the bandwidth to research it in depth right now, but one site I glanced at said that it is the 6th most common language in the world, and another said 8th place.
Portuguese is considered one of the romantic languages, and it really is beautiful to listen to. Vocabulary-wise, it has many similarities to Spanish. For example, Iglesia means church in Spanish, and the Portuguese word is Igreja. (<<I think those are spelled correctly, but I'm going by memory). One of the gals on the trip speaks fluent Spanish, and she can understand just about everything she hears in Portuguese, though she doesn't speak it.
Certain sounds in Portuguese resemble French or Italian to my untrained ears, just judging by the way one's voice inflects and the rhythm of sentences. Some sounds, such as the way X is pronounced like a soft Ch, even remind me of Chinese.
I am going to miss this place. Brazil is a beautiful country with so much potential, yet so much need. Gorgeous beaches are bordered by inexpensive cement homes, practically one on top of the other, with no aparent zoning or property lines. (I was told that code enforcement has gotten more stringent in recent years, and the code officer stopped by the church a couple of times while we were building.)
I hope we can come back again!
Prayer prompt for Sunday, July 7
Which extreme describes you more: Self-sufficient or self-depreciating? How can too much or too little self-confidence hinder our faith?
Oh, I could never … (Prayer Devotional for the week of July 7, 2013)
Twelve years and seemingly another lifetime ago, I “only” had two kids, and I was stressed out big-time. One was toddling and the other was an infant, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a decent night’s sleep. I knew a friend back then who had five kids, and I remember thinking to myself, “How in the world does she function?!?” God has an ironic sense of humor sometimes, and I have since eaten my weight in humble pie.
I don’t believe that God plays tricks on us or puts obstacles in our lives just to trip us up, but I do think it is unwise for us to say things like, “Oh, I could never …” and compare our lives to others because when we do, we are not only limiting ourselves, but we are also placing limits on God’s ability to work through us. No one sets out to experience grief or hardship; we’d all enjoy skating through life burden-free, but it doesn’t often work that way.
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about having a “thorn” in his side. When I’ve heard sermons on this passage before, they usually focus on living with hardships, etc., but I think that something Paul says in v. 7 is particularly relevant. He says that God permitted the thorn to keep him from becoming conceited. You see, Paul had made quite a name for himself, what with his miraculous conversion experience and missionary track record. Had he not deliberately pursued humility, he could have easily become the early church version of a televangelist.
You know the cliché, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” Isn’t it silly how we compare what we see externally in other people’s lives with our own internal stress and mess? It’s not a valid comparison, because everyone has “thorns” that they are dealing with in their lives. Some people just cover it up better than others.
As difficult as it is to accept sometimes, it’s not always up to us to figure out why seemingly bad things or trials happen in our lives. Sometimes, we are simply called to make do, and not only function in survival-mode, but to really thrive and give God glory through how we cope. I have a lot to learn from Paul. It’s not in my own strength that I manage day-to-day, but it is through God’s grace.
Brazil, Day 8 (Saturday)
As I swipe-type on my tiny phone screen, there is a concert happening down on the beach, and they have quite a sound system! We can hear the music clearly all the way up in our room a block away, so we opened the balcony door to enjoy the ocean breeze & the free show! 🙂
It’s hard to believe that today is our last full day here. We went back to Guarapari this morning for a few souvenirs & snacks from street vendors, then we came back to the hotel to get ready for the church dedication this afternoon.
The dedication was special. The church was overflowing, so the Americans (& several Brazilians) stayed outside. My behind is so tired of sitting on concrete, but it was worth it to be there. The pastor was very thankful, and I got hugs & cheek-kisses from several folks before we left.
Tonight, we’re packing & saying our goodbyes to others who leave at earlier times tomorrow. It will be nice to sleep in! 🙂 Once we get home on Monday & I have a chance to sort through things, I’ll try to upload some more pictures. Thanks for all the prayers this week!
Brazil, Day 7 (Friday)
We had less than two hours to do any interior work in the church before the floor guys began laying tile this morning, so some of us tried to finish varnishing the windows while others put another coat of paint on the still-not-totally-dry stucco walls.
While the tile workers were doing their thing, we varnished the outside of the windows & put a base coat on the front of the building. We aren’t even going to try to paint the sides or back because the mud is far too damp still.
The VBS group hosted a health fair & clothing giveaway in the neighborhood. They did glucose & blood pressure testing & gave away packets of toiletries & toothbrushes, etc.
Although there is more that we had hoped to do, the rain prohibited us from putting some finishing touches on the building. We’ll leave all of the paint supplies for the church to touch up later.
Tonight for supper, we had a traditional Brazilian barbeque in the backyard of the hotel. The food was scrumptious! A local group did a performance, which looked like a mix of taikwondo & break dancing. They also did the Brazilian samba, and several of us went out there & had fun pretending to know how to dance. :p
Prayer prompt for Saturday, July 6
It’s one thing to go to church. It’s another thing, entirely, to BE the church. Which describes you?
Prayer prompt for Friday, July 5
Imagine if someone from another country showed up to your home today. What might seem odd to them? How could you make them feel welcomed?
faith, sweat & tears 