June 2009

June has been a month of fun and travel. At Vila Andrade, we took the students to the Zoo, which was enjoyed by all. At the Lar, we ended our second semester with a Reward day, and the students were excited to pick out their prize for completing their homework and adhering to the rules. During a holiday weekend here in Brazil (there are many holidays!) I traveled with a good friend of mine to the city of Curitiba, which is quite different than Sao Paulo. We also took a train ride through the mountains and a ferry to an island off the coast. At the end of the month, I made an unexpected trip back to the States to handle my house sale, and praise the Lord, it is now sold!

Vila Andrade Zoo trip

Lar Reward Day

Trip to Curitiba

Curitiba is a unique city in Brazil, known for its urban planning, good transit system, and has the most green space of any city in the country. It was very clean and the air fresh. The train ride took us through the 'Serra do Mar', the mountain range of the sea, and to a Portuguese colonial town of Morretes. The Ilha do Mel is named for the color of the surrounding water, said to be the color of honey. The trip was an enjoyable cultural learning experience.

Botanical garden

Opera house and 'The Eye' - an Oscar Niemeyer sculpture (he designed the captital city of Brasilia)

Ilha do Mel (Island of Honey) Unfortunately cold and rainy this day.

Train ride through the Serra do Mar

In the towns of Paranagua and Morretes

Sites in Curitiba and the art fair

Video of Volunteer Day at Vila Andrade

May 2009

Happy Mother's Day - Feliz Dia das Mães

The Lar Batista held a special Mother's Day event on the Saturday before Mother's Day, and mom's were treated to music, dance and a skit by some of the students, manicures, getting their hair done and even an exercise class. The students then served the mom's lunch, followed by door-prizes. I got to meet some of the mom's of my students, which was a treat. It was a special day for all!

Below the mom's look for cards their child made and are entertained by the students.

The many uses for recycled products . . .

A local company spent one Saturday volunteering at Vila Andrade working with the children as well as in the community on some of the homes in the favela - painting, fixing windows and installing a roof and a door. The children's project consisted of making a model city using recycled products. I spent five hours one afternoon cleaning and sorting recyclables for them to use, and the kids were quite creative in using many of the items to make their cities. The company also entertained with animal characters, face painting, and cotton candy, which the children really enjoyed. The volunteers helped make a positive difference in the lives of those in Vila Andrade this day.

The finished products . . .

April 2009

Easter Celebrations

My students enjoyed searching for eggs, opening them with the story to see what was inside and learning how their object related to the Easter message, making crafts and eating sugar bunny and chick shaped sugar cookies!

Lar Batista

Vila Andrade

We don't have the space at Vila Andrade to hide the eggs, so I had the students select an egg after I told them the color in English.

New House at Lar Batista

The new home at the Lar has finally opened, which has a kitchen, dining area, family room and separate quarters for the boys and girls. The kids love their new 'home'!

Lar Field Trip to Pico Juruguá

With 90 students and 10 teachers, two buses left the Lar for the highest peak in São Paulo. Once we arrived, we got to hike some trails, then we took the bus to the top of the mountain, for a beautiful view of the city and visited with some curious monkeys. Finally, we climbed around 500 steps to the highest point where some radio towers are, to see even better. It was a little tiring, but well worth the effort!

Afterwards, we visited a small indigenous Indian community that live right outside the park of Jurugua. The children there are learning a little bit of Portuguese but mostly about their own tribe in two small classrooms. They sang and danced for us, and we also saw them making necklaces and bracelets out of beads. We were all tired by the end of day, but it was a fun and educational trip.

The Indian Village

American Visitors with One Challenge touring Vila Andrade

Pastor Marcelo shared how he got into his ministry to the poor community, and the work being done at Vila Andrade. The ladies enjoyed looking through and buying some of the craft items the women of the church make to sell.

Re-Connecting with an old friend
My friend Clayton met me at Calvary along with his girlfriend Luciane, and we had lunch afterwards and caught up on the last seven years. We were actually able to have a conversation with each other this time, as earlier he didn't know English and I didn't know Portuguese! He is teaching music to children in a poor community near Restoration Ministries.

Fun at the Beach

One of my friends family has a home at the beach. It was nice to get out of the city for a break! Do you like our "Jesus' Angels" pose?

March

Classes begin anew . . .

At Vila Andrade, returning students learn how to tell the time in English, and new students start with the basics.

At the Lar, returning students put their first stickers on their reward charts and classes begin for new students.

Working in children's church at Calvary International and with volunteer Raquel

How to work on the Network - Brazilian style

You grab a ladder and go on the roof yourself (André working on new network connections at Vila Andrade).

Elevator shaft and platform - but no working elevator yet . . .

Hopefully we don't have to wait 'till the cows come home' to get it working (I knew I could get my cow picture in here some way!)

February 2009

Hurry up and wait

February has been a month of hurry up and wait. While initially told classes would be re-commencing at both project sites the first week of February, I have yet to start formal classes. In the meantime, I have been planning, cleaning and resting to get geared up for the coming school year. I have also been reconnecting with friends at church, below is me with a group of teacher friends having lunch after church one Sunday.

Crossing the Street in São Paulo
The following in an item I came across in the 'Gringoes' newsletter I receive (for foreigners living in Brazil.) It was in the "Ask a Brazilian" question section. I thought it was funny and quite accurate, as I have to cross the street whenever I catch the bus.

"Do those striped pedestrian lines at intersections have any meaningful significance in São Paulo...". Yes, it means "Run, Forest"!

If "designed to better enable the drivers to line up their targets" or not we will never know. But with 13 million people, 7 million cars and 4 subway lines, we can understand why walking on your feet in São Paulo requires a certain expertise.

Some exercises at home might be useful to keep safe:

1. Walk between the furniture, couch, table, everything. Just walk around. You can start doing this for 10 minutes a day.

2. Now, put some chairs in the way, spread some cushion on the floor, whatever it is that is big enough to represent a car, a motorcycle. Use your imagination, it‘s your house, you‘re alone. (If you can‘t have a private moment ask the other person to be the Bus for you, it could be fun).

3. When you think you‘re doing good, try faster. Get in shape, 20 minutes for a week and you‘ll rule.

4. Now run. Run! Jump over the cushions, kick your bus-friend, and run. (Watch your toes in here, remember you can‘t touch anything) Are you finally fast, brave and thin?

Then you‘re ready to be a pedestrian in São Paulo.

Flowers of Brazil

I thought this would be a good time to showcase some of the beautiful flowers and plants of Brazil. Enjoy!

January 2009 - Happy New Year!

The Land of Chattering Teeth
I was asked more than once why on earth I had decided to visit Minnesota in winter, especially this winter, what, with the endless days of -10, -20, -30 degrees? Well, I just wanted to see snow. Snow I did see, stacked high, blowing, in snowman form, with ice scrapers, and bundled objects running in and out of buildings to stay out of it – all foreign concepts to your average Brazilian, I might add! I endured the sub-zero temperatures because I was warmed by the company I visited during my visit home over the holidays.

Christmas with family

Below are pics from events with my family - Christmas in Albert Lea with mom, sisters, and nieces, and in the Twin Cities with brothers and sister-in-laws, Brett and Noel and family (boys sporting their new Brazil soccer shirts!) and Bart and Lydia, the newlyweds.

AWANA visit
How fun it was to visit First Baptist and see my friends at AWANA. I shared with them about what I was doing in Brazil and visited small groups to sign the 'missionary' page. The Sparkies and T&T'rs asked good questions and gave good answers on what it meant to be a missionary.

Other Fun Happenings on my whirlwind trip home . . .

Lunch with friends Nicole and Tonya with baby Sydney ~

Dinner with my goddaughter Madeline ~

Coffee with my niece Carli, the coffee Queen ~

Gymnastics meet with nieces Jordan and Jenna - yeah, medals! ~

Getting to know niece Emery Jane better, who was excited to open her chocolate surprise egg from Brazil with a toy inside!

Chuck E Cheese and story-time with niece and nephews Gabe, Anna, Ethan

And as fast as it came, it was over . . . .

Abby cat not wanting me to leave, again!

Last night in Minnesota sunset - good bye cold!