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.
It's so nice to be able to read about your time in Brazil ... it makes you not feel so far away. We miss you, but can see that you are having a great time learning and experiencing life. Being in other countries definitely does make you re-evaluate your priorities. We feel the same way when we visit families in Mexico.
ReplyDeletePlease say hello to the kids for us! Salvador & Lukas miss them.
Jenny,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to hear from you. When I switched email addresses, some of the emails from my address book did not transfer over-yours being one of them. I have been wanting to get in touch with you. Thanks for reading the blog. Noah and I were just talking about you guys today! Tell Ramon and the boys hello and please send me your full email address when you get a chance. Hope you are enjoying your summer!
Love,
Shelley