DIVINE APPOINTMENT NUMBER TWO

It is Friday night and I have so much to share from the week! I will only be sharing one story tonight as I am exhausted and need to spend some time celebrating the end of our course on Islam! Yes, we finished this afternoon! It has been a long but wonderful month of intense schooling. We took our final exam at 2:30, said goodbye to a couple of the Americans who were headed back to the states, and now we are preparing to eat some dinner and reflect upon the past month! I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog but probably won't write until Sunday or Monday after Marko has left for the mission trip to Foz Do Iguacu. The kids and I are not going on the mission trip like we had planned. I will explain the reasoning next week. For now, I am just going to share one quick story:

On Wednesday of this week, Marko and I went into Belo Horizonte with our friend, Sylvia, and her daughter, Anna Victoria. Our purpose was to get a CPF number which is equivelent to the United States Social Security number. It is a very important document to get if you plan to stay in Brazil for any length of time. Paperwork in Brazil can take days to acquire, so we had very little expectation of getting our request that night. Actually, we expected to have to go back to Belo two or three more times. We prayed just before getting on the bus which would take us into the city. After an hour bus ride, that was more like a roller coaster ride, we ended up in downtown Belo sick to our stomachs! We found the appropriate office and with Sylvia's help made our request. Fifteen minutes later we had our CPF numbers in hand! We were incredibly relieved and thankful. This was seriously a miracle!

We did a couple of other errands and decided to take a break for dinner. As we were standing at a cross walk waiting with literally mobs of people to cross the street, an African American man came up next to us and said hello in English. Obviously our language stood out from the rest of the people and it caught his attention. It turns out that he was from Kenya where English is a common language. It also turned out that he had been a pastor at CTMDT in the recent past. In fact, he remembered Sylvia. Now, the reason this is so amazing is that Belo Horizonte is a city of 3.5 million so the chances of us running into him at that moment in time were slim. We stood on the side of the street talking for twenty minutes and here is what we learned:

Sammy Mudanya Junior was preparing to move back to his native Kenya to campaign for the 2012 Presidency. He is actively involved in politics in Kenya. He has political connections in Africa, and in fact, his uncle just had lunch with the Rwandan President recently. The reason we consider this a divine appointment is because Marko's brother, his wife, Jennifer, and their two daughters, Lian and Anna, will be moving to Rwanda in September. I won't go into detail about what they are doing because I am certain I will give wrong information, but suffice it to say that they hope to work with the local government to help start profitable businesses in the country of Rwanda. So, all that to say that we feel that this divine appointment with Sammy might have been for their sake. Dano and Jen if you are reading this we will get you the contact information shortly!

Well, that is the story of the night. I must say goodbye and God Bless You. Look for the divine appointments in YOUR life. It might surprise you how often they happen if you just pay a little closer attention. I know that I will be paying more attention to the seemingly "chance" encounters in my life that really are the hand print of God.

Much love,

Shelley

DIVINE APPOINTMENTS

My dear friend, Danielle(a teacher at the kids school), sent me the following quote today from the book "Wild Goose Chase": "God is setting up divine appointments all the time and as long as our motives stay pure, and our spirits stay sensitive, He will make sure we meet the right people at the right time." I love this quote, and it is perfect for the story that I have to share with you this evening.

Marko and I have been looking at rental houses in the vicinity of CTMDT. We have been offered the opportunity to stay here at the school if I stay on to teach English to the Brazilians, however, we think we would like a place of our own. As we have said, the students and the staff here at CTMDT are amazing, but this is like a college campus, and college aged students are NOT quiet! We get to bed really late every night due to the noise level, and our alone time is next to none! Based on those facts, we have decided to pursue finding a house to rent.

When you rent a house or apartment in Brazil it comes like an empty shell. I know I shared that in an earlier blog. You have to buy everything before moving in. Well, we looked at the one house a week or so ago, but it just did not feel quite right. Last week Marko was talking to an American, Rachael, who lives here full time with her Brazilian husband. As Marko was sharing that we are looking for a house, Rachael's eyes lit up and she got what we call "The Holy Spirit Goosebumps". She has been staying with a family two blocks up the road who are planning on moving out in the near future. The couple, Anna Paula and Leonardo, have a testimony that is similar to ours and they are just waiting for paperwork to go through so they can move to Portugal with their two children. Rachael took us by the house and we knew immediately that this was the house we wanted to live in. We stayed for five minutes and then left with hope in our hearts.

Yesterday, we were headed into town for breakfast. We decided to walk by the house (which we call "our house", so we could show it to the kids who hadn't seen it. Leonardo was out in his yard when we peaked in the gate. He came over and insisted that we come in and have breakfast with them. We were looking forward to eating eggs in town, and as Americans, we also felt like we were imposing, however, we had heard that it is rude to say no when invited to a Brazilians home, so we accepted. Well, what started out as breakfast turned into eight hours of food, fellowship, and prayer. This was truly a divine appointment! It was amazing how similar our testimony was to Anna Paula and Leonardo. They feel like God has been preparing their house for us. They even plan to leave just about everything when they move which is unheard of! There is so much more I could say, but my whole family is with me at the moment and I cannot even concentrate! I will sign off with some pictures and a requests for prayer regarding this house. It is very small and very simple but it is perfect for us. The whole house is the size of our master bedroom back home, but we love it! We want a completely different life here in Brazil. The yard is big for Brazil, and there are several fruit trees including a couple of banana trees! Oh, one more thing to note is that the house is directly across the street from the school we are planning on having our kids attend! Was this a divine appointment? I believe in my heart that it was!

ARAB FESTIVAL

Friday night the students at CTMDT held a fundraiser for our upcoming mission trip. They hosted an Arab Festival so that we could experience more of the culture we are learning about. It was very well done. There are many talented students at this school. The kids helped with some painting and Gabriella even joined the dancers for a show. She was adorable! The kids had a blast dressing up. The costumes were pretty picked through by the time I got to them so my head dress is pretty boring as you can see! The festival was complete with Indian food which was a big hit. It was a lot of fun and such a great way to continue our education! Marko and I were the oldest people at the party, however, and we were ready for bed at our normal 9:00 time. The problem was that the party did not even start until about 8:30. They do things really late here! Often times restaurants don't even open for dinner until 7:00! We finally had to borrow a refrigerator and go to the grocery store because as most of you know, the Jukanovich's eat dinner around 4:30 or 5:00! Going to bed with a full stomache was not working for us! I honestly think I have gained five pounds in a month!

School is going really well. Marko and I are enjoying being back in school after twenty plus years! I am so proud of Marko. He got a 98% on his first test! He would probably be mad at me for posting that, but I think it is worth reporting. Those of you who have known Marko for a long time know that school was not easy for him. It is not that he wasn't smart, but just that he was a typical boy and did not do well in the standard school setting. I think that it is unfortunate that students like Marko get stuck in classrooms where you have to sit still and listen to someone all day. Schools need to take into account the different learning styles of their students. I know that there are many wonderful teachers who are great about identifying their students learning styles, but I also know that with class sizes the way they are, there is only so much you can do. I will get off my soap box now, but being the mother of two busy boys, who take after their busy dad, causes me to be aware the struggles boys often have in school. I believe that this new season of our lives is one of education for Marko and I. I consider my husband to be very intelligent and It makes me so happy to see him excelling at school! I can vouch for the fact that school is intense and we have to study hard. We had our second test yesterday and are waiting to hear how we did. We have one more week of class and then we are off to Southern Brazil for our mission trip. More on that later...

BELO HORIZONTE STREET FAIR

On Sunday, I had my second experience with the largest street fair I have ever seen. Four of us gals took the local bus into Belo Horizonte. It was an hours drive on a standing room only bus (fortunately, we all got seats). Unfortunately, the man next to me was hacking up a lung the whole ride so I am praying that I won't get sick!

We were dropped off in downtown Belo where we stopped off for a quick breakfast at one of the local restaurants. Breakfast typically consists of numerous meat and cheese filled pasteries. The pasteries are amazing here. I think that they are all made fresh and lack the preservatives that we are so used to back home. I am not one to eat pasteries (especially in the morning), so I ate my protein bar while the girls ordered their snacks to go "Pardeleva". I don't have my Portuguese dictionary with me at the moment so I know that I spelled that wrong!

We then walked several blocks to the fair where we split up into two groups and spent the next two hours shopping. I bought several souvenirs and a late birthday gift for Noah from Grandma Barbara. Overall it was a very productive morning. I even managed to avoid the porta potties this time. We figured out that if you pay $1.00 at the local restaurants you can use a clean bathroom! There is even a lady in the bathroom that cleans each stall after every couple of uses! Now that is more my style!

As I am sitting here writing, I am having a bit of deja vu. I am remembering that I already wrote about my trip to the fair as I was sitting by the pool with the kids on Sunday. Sorry about that but now you just got an expanded version of my experience in Belo! Now I will talk about the kids!

The are doing really well. Noah and Gabriella seem to be doing better with homesickness. I know they will have days like that and so will mommy and daddy. Overall they are doing amazing. Marko has become friends with the kitchen staff here at CTMDT and is their little helper. The staff: Saju, Zuma, and Seeda, are all very nice and go above and beyond to help our family. They even make me special meals if I ask so that I don't have to eat the nightly pasta that they serve. Saju (male) brings Marko with him to the grocery store and they come back with their arms full of food. Marko, as you can imagine, loves his role as helper. In his spare time he is memorizing scripture with his brother and sister, doing homework, and designing his new store. Yes, he is planning on building another store when he gets home! This one is much bigger and will double as a guest house! We are still trying to figure out how to pay for this new project of his, but we fully intend on supporting his efforts. You should see his designs-they are amazing and we are so proud of him!

Noah is of course wowing the students with his gymnastics abilities. He runs, jumps, climbs, and flips over anything he can at CTMDT and is enjoying his freedom. He is playing a little soccer with the locals here and there which we know makes Grandpa Terry happy! He is his tender little self and snuggles mommy and daddy whenever he gets a chance. He is doing really good on his math homework but it is a struggle to get him to read or write! He would rather be jumping across rooftops (another one of his goals in Brazil)! YIKES!

Gabriella is a bundle of energy as always and is especially loving her freedom. I am actually a little concerned about the lack of structure in her schedule right now. It will be hard when school ends for Marko and I and we get back to a more normal schedule. She runs around here like she owns the place and hangs out in the school store where she knows that she is going to get free snacks from Saju, Zuma, and Seeda! The locals are spoiling our kids with love and with sweets! Gabriella is doing really well in school. I have the kids doing homework every morning and she is such an eager student! I love that I don't have to nag her to do her homework.

Well, we are off to town for dinner so I will say goodbye for now!

Shelley

NOAH'S BIRTHDAY

We just got back from dinner and I wanted to share some birthday pictures with you. Noah turned eight years old today and it was a great birthday for him despite the fact that he did not have you; his family and friends with him. We had a birthday party for him in the school cafeteria and some of the students even did a puppet show for him. He loved every minute of it! He was spoiled with little gifts from the students and has been enjoying his new toys today. We went swimming in the afternoon and are now getting ready to watch a movie.

Today I had my second coffee experience in Brazil. This time I took one of the locals with me so that she could tell the Barista exactly what I wanted which was an iced mocha with rice milk. They don't have rice milk here, so that was not an option. I ended up with a cappuccino shake made with milk. It was the size of a kid cup, and was again made with a packet of cappucino! It was o.k., but not good enough to drink on a regular basis! The first thing I will do when I get home is make an iced mocha with rice milk! Anne, you better be enjoying them for me because I am having some serious cravings!

Ezra, one of the students here took a few of us to get pedicures today. It was $6.00 for a pedicure! I will be ruined when I get back to the U.S. for certain things. The cost of living is so much cheaper here! We looked at a house to rent yesterday. It is a two bedroom house a few blocks from CTMDT. The cost would be $300 American dollars a month plus utilities! Pretty depressing isn't it?! You have to buy all of your own appliances and furniture, but those items are also very cheap. We are praying about whether to stay at CTMDT or move into this home. There would be benefits to both and we just want to "Wait upon the Lord" in making our decision. We have one week to decide. We have a meeting on Monday night with some of the staff at the school to talk about about our next step after the upcoming Mission Trip, as well as whether or not I will be teaching an English here at the school. We hope to make our decision about the house after that meeting.

I don't think that I ever mentioned the street fair that we went to last weekend. If I did then sorry for being repetetive! It was the most amazing street fair I have ever been to. It starts at 5:00 in the morning and was totally packed by the time we got there at 7:30. There was a large group of us that went. We had about ten Americans and five Brazilians to help translate for us. It was quite the experience. The kids were with us which made it hard to shop. It was so crowded that we dared not take our eyes off of the kids. I am going again tomorrow morning with just the gals to buy some souvenirs! I have to say that the porta potties at the fair made the ones at home seem like glamorous powder rooms! I will do all I can to avoid them tomorrow! Enough said!

Enjoy the pictures!

HOMESICK

Last night was the first time the kids were feeling homesick. We went to dinner at our favorite hamburger place, and on the way home Noahs started to cry. He curled up on his bed and cried himself to sleep. This was heartbreaking for me. Gabriella started to cry when she heard her brother crying. I think that Noah is feeling sad that he won't be able to celebrate his birthday at home with friends and family. We are going to plan a party for him in the hopes that he will have a special birthday. The Brazilians love to throw parties, so I think it will be easy to get lots of help! Both of the kids woke up much happier today. I think it will help to get them in a local school where they can meet some friends. There is a school across the street that we are going to look into. The school year starts on August 1st. Marko and Gabriella are looking forward to school but Noah (not surprisingly) does not want to go. I am praying that once he tries it he will love it! I have been homeschooling the children every afternoon. They seem happy to do their school work and I am hopeful that they will continue to enjoy learning.

The students here continue to amaze me. They are so loving towards our family. They are eager to learn English, and I am teaching English to one of the students in the afternoons. We are picking up on a little Portuguese but are so anxious to become fluent. We have worship every morning before class and I love to listen to the locals sing in their native language. It is so beautiful. We recognize some of the songs and can sing along in English. Brazilians are passionate about God and about life. They worship in song and dance with abandonment. I get teary sometimes just watching them. I pray that I would become more passionate about God and less concerned with the things around me.

We are on a twenty minute break between lectures right now and I have to go. I am going to skip this lecture and spend time with the kids. I will post some pictures of the students worshipping. I hope it will touch your hearts. The picture of the students with their hands on the wall is very touching. We were praying for the countries that are the most oppressed by Islam. There were lots of tears that day.

KIDS "DO" THE DARNDEST THINGS!

Well, I promised some kid stories, so here they are: Our first week here when we were staying in the hotel in Belo Horizonte, Noah got a bloody nose down at the pool. Daddy asked Gabriella to get some toilet paper from the bathroom (which was right next to the pool). Instead, Gabriella decided that it would be better if she got some toilet paper from our room (on the 8th floor)! Mommy, who was up in the room, was quite surprised when her five year old daughter knocked on the door! We had to have yet another converation with our independent daughter about not going off by herself-EVER!

That same day, we were walking into town so daddy could get a haircut. We stopped at a shop which had a barber shop on one side and a clothing store on the other (the two were connected). While daddy was getting his haircut Noah and Gabriella decided to investigate the clothing store. Mommy had stepped outside for some fresh air (truthfully there is no such thing in Brazil). To my horror, I turned around to see my two younger children in the store window with their hands up a mannequin's dress! There they were, right in the store window which happened to be facing the street! I ran into the store, told them to stop, and then asked them what they were doing- to which they replied: "We just wanted to see if our hands would reach all the way up to her neck"! I sighed with relief over their innocence and told them that I did not want them to do that again. Of course they wanted to know why and I had to come up with some reasonable answer that would placate them. I don't remember exactly what I said, but it seemed to work. We have not had anymore mannequin issues to date!

Our kids know that they are not supposed to go near water when mommy and daddy are not around. There are two pools on the campus and we take them swimming twice a day. The rest of the time (while we are in class) they are not to play near the pools. Well, our little girl decided that she would just walk across the bar stools that are in the shallow end of the pool (by herself-in her clothes). As you can guess, she fell in. She hit her chin on the cement bar stool and soaked her clothing. When we found out what happened, and imagined what "could" have happened, she was in big trouble! Grandparents, please do not worry too much. I think we have finally made the rules and boundaries clear to our wandering child!

One of Noah's goals in coming to Brazil was to climb a coconut tree and pick a coconut. I had no idea how serious he was until there was a group of us talking down by the pool. All of a sudden I hear this "Hey, mommy" from what sounded like far away. I turned around and looked up in the direction of the voice. With absolutely no shock (considering the source) I gazed up at my younger son and laughed as I saw his tiny figure thirty feet up in a coconut tree with the thumbs up sign! Our friends, on the other hand, as well as the grounds keepers, were a little more frightenend than I was. We ran to the base of the tree and told him to come down slowly at which time he got his first lecture about climbing trees in Brazil. Unfortunately for him, he was only about ten feet away from picking a coconut. Fortunately, he found one on the ground and one of the locals opened it for him so he could drink coconut milk the native way!

The last kid story I have is that our next door neighbor (in the doorm room next door) came up to us and told us that our kids are "so quiet". He said he never even hears them! Marko and I laughed and told him that it was probably the six inch cement walls between our rooms! Never have we heard our kids described as quiet!

Well, that is it for now. Hope you enjoy the photos!

SATURDAY MORNING

We are thankful for a weekend. It was a pretty intense week with thirty hours of school, plus and additional two hours of studying a night. We have three more weeks of school for a total of 120 hours of class. I really enjoy learning and the subject matter is fascinating. We should know a lot about the Muslim faith at the end of this journey. There is so much to share but it would not be appropriate on a public blog, so we will share what we have learned when we get back to the states.

We are humbled by the people here. As I have said, they are so warm and so filled with joy. They live simple lives and they are truly happy. It really causes me to examine my own heart and my own life back home. Do I live a joyful, relaxed, purpose filled life, or do I succumb to the ways of the West and live my daily life rushing from place to place, doing this and that, wondering where the joy is? I know that I am guilty of the American way. It is so hard to "not" get caught up in the busyness. Taking care of my house alone is a full time job. Here it has been refreshing to live opposite of what we are used to. Our room is small, there is no yard for me to take care of, the staff cooks all of our meals, and laundry is but a fifth of what it is at home (because we only have one suitcase of clothes each)! It has been a nice change of pace and it will be interesting to see what changes we will make in our lives when get home.

Not only are the people joyful, but they are very affectionate as well. It is not uncommon to get a dozen hugs a day and kisses on the cheek as well. What I love most is that the men do not seem afraid to show affection or emotion towards each other. The young men here (college age) are always hugging and comforting each other-something that American men would do well to emulate.

The food is incredible, but it has been hard getting used to the changes. For instance, they actually eat cake for breakfast(as well as lunch and dinner)! Carbohydrates are a huge staple in Brazil-even more so than at home! For breakfast every morning we are served fruit, panini sandwhiches made from white bread, cake, coffee and juice! Can you say CARB-LOAD?!! They have the most amazing eggs here, but they don't typically eat them for breakfast. They are instead served at lunch or dinner with meat. Boy am I missing my daily scrambled eggs with salsa and feta cheese! Marko and I are going to try to find a way to boil some eggs on a regular basis. Our bodies are just not adjusting well to this current breakfast diet! Lunch, on the other hand has been pefect: some sort of meat with rice or potatoes and a green salad. Dinner, if we eat at school, is delicious, but again is a lot of carbs. They offer a lot of pasta and fried foods. Most of the fried foods at least have chicken in them. A couple of times a week we just walk to one of the nearby restaurants where they typically offer buffets. There is not a set price on the buffets, instead, you fill your plate up with whatever you want and then they weigh it. You pay according to the amount of kilograms your food weighs. You can get a full plate of food for about $6 Reis or $3.00 American dollars! Speaking of food, it is time for us to head down to that carbohydrate breakfast! Next time I will share some funny kid stories!

IT'S NOT STARBUCKS!

Well, I had my first coffee experience in Brazil, and it was not quite what I am used to! We had a twenty minute break from class the other day so Marko and I walked the short distance to the "one" local coffee shop with some of the other American Students (there are only about ten of us). We had heard that they had the best coffee in town and that we might even be able to get a latte! Now, I had not had a latte in a week so I was REALLY looking forward to this! We got there and realized that it probably wasn't a good sign that there were small individual packs of Cappuccino on the shelf, but we did see some "real" coffee in the shop as well, so we were hopeful. Well, you guessed it, we got the packs of Cappucino-not quite the Starbucks experience that we are used to! We were in a hurry to get back to class because our friend, Professor Josh, does not like people to be late and afterall, we are the only Americans. We attempted to tell the Barista that we wanted our latte's to go but she just kept giving us ceramic cups and telling us to sit down! O.K., so you have to know that Brazilians are not in ANY hurry. They are a very laid back people and not at all like we are accustomed too! Needless to say, we were late for class and it was not like we could sneak in the back door-there are no back doors (so much for fire codes)! We had to walk in front of the entire student body (200 of them) as well as in front of Josh as he was lecturing! Not a good example to have the late people be the Americans. To make things worse, we got a not so subtle admonishment in front of the entire student body (just a gentle reminder-not pointing figures of course) that we should respect the Professor and not walk into class late! O.K., So can we say embarrassing?! We wanted to crawl into a hole! So much for that latte experience. I don't think I will be having another until I am back in the states!

I have so many stories to tell but we start school at 8:00 and are in class for 5-6 hours. I will have to write more later. School is intense but we are learning a lot about Islam. I am thankful for the education we are receiving, and we are thoroughly enjoying our time with these amazing people!

CTMDT

We arrived at CTMDT (The Missionary School) on the 4th of July. This is where we will be spending the next month in training. The school is like a small college campus and is fully protected by a cement wall. It is a very serene place with old architecture, a variety of vegetation, and two beautiful swimming pools. Our room is a large dorm room with three sets of bunkbeds and I feel like I am back in college! You cannot put toilet paper down the toilet and the only hot water is from the shower, but we are enjoying the "simple life". My biggest concern in coming here was that I was told that we would have to do laundry by hand! Can you imagine doing laundry for five people-by hand?! Fortunately, the staff had pity on me and they are allowing our family to use one of two washing machines on campus. I was so thankful I wanted to cry! They do not have dryers, so it is old fashioned clothes pins on a clothesline for drying. You won't find me complaining!

The people are lovely! The average age of the students is around 18 and the majority of them are local Brazilians! They are as eager to learn English as we are to learn Portuguese! It is pretty funny trying to communicate, and we are hopeful that by the end of our time here we will be able to communicate to some degree!

Our plan is to stay a month, however, I was just asked to teach English to the Pastor and his wife for an additional three months. I am praying about whether or not to accept this job. We are relying on the Lord to direct our path.

We were surprised today when Josh and the other staff called us up on stage and introduced us as a part of their staff. We are going to be on staff with i2 Ministries for six months while we decide what direction we are going to take. We were also informed that all of our expenses (here at the school) are being paid for by the ministry! We get all of the benefits that the other staff get including housekeeping and free food whenever we want! We were so honored and blessed and thankful to God for His continued provision.

I need to go study now. Fact of the day: There are roughly 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today and 300 million (15%) of them are radicals.

Our kids are adjusting well. The students play "football" with them and love to touch the tops of their heads (It appears to be a cultural thing).

OLA FROM BRAZIL

After 24 hours of traveling, we made it to our Hotel in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where we have spent the last three days. We are currently waiting for a van to pick us up and take us to CTMDT, the missionary school where we will spend the next four weeks. Traveling went well despite the worst turbulance we have ever encountered!

It is important to note some of the financial details of how we were able to get here. Three weeks prior to our intended departure date, we did not have our airplane tickets or the money to buy them. Thanks to generous donations from family, friends, a local church, and an accidental house fire, we were able to pay for not only our tickets, but our stay at CTMDT as well. I must explain the house fire: Grandma Barbara's house caught on fire and Marko was the general contractor on the job. The insurance company paid him to manage the renovation. It goes to show that there is truth to the saying "Good comes out of every bad situation"!

There are two big contrasts that we have seen between North Americans and South Americans. The first contrast has to do with the attitudes and countenance of the Brazilian people. When we got on our plane in Los Angeles to depart for Saul Paulo, Brazil, there was an amazing exuberance coming from the passengers. The noise level was such that I had a hard time hearing, but the noise was not bothersome at all, it was very pleasant in fact. This is where we first got a glimpse of the joy the illuminates from this culture of people. They are full of energy and laughter. In fact, they even laughed as we were going through turbulance as if we were on a roller coaster ride! I, on the other hand, had a hard time keeping my dinner down, and the look in my eyes elicited more laughter from those passengers next to me!

The other contrast has to do with customer service. Not to be down on my fellow Americans, but I have been very disappointed lately with customer service in general. Brazilians customer service is to be admired and duplicated. Where North Americans seem to expect tips, South Americans often refuse them. They shake their heads and say "Nao, it is my pleasure".

Portuguese people are crazy drivers! I don't think there are very many rules of etiquette in Brazil. It appears that the speed limits are not enforced, and pedestrians don't seem to have the right away. In fact, there are very few cross walks which is quite frightening when walking with young children. We are keeping our kids very close to our sides!

Overall, we are thoroughly enjoying our time here and we look forward to what the Lord has in store for us. I will post some pictures as soon as I figure out how. Marko has nicknames me the "computer terrorist" and says that I did not even need special training to earn the title! I do seem to struggle with not messing things up. I have already lost this post once. I pray that it actually work this time! Until next time...

Adeus!