Rio

This will be a very quick blog as my family is waiting for me to get home in order to watch a movie! For those of you who have been wondering, Marko did not go to Nigeria. We knew that it would be a miracle if his visa got accepted, but it did not even make it to the Nigerian Embassy for review. I think we were both somewhat relieved considering the last minute planning that was involved. It is highly likely that he will have another opportunity to travel to Nigeria with i2 Ministries in the future.

I flew out to meet my sister, Kristin, in Rio last Thursday morning for some "girl" time. We had a fun, but very busy three days! The only relaxing we did was to spend one hour in the sun on Copocabana beach! We managed to do lots of touristy things including: The Statue of Christ, which is the most amazing piece of art I have ever seen, Sugar Loaf, The famous Rio Futebal Stadium (at the moment the name is escaping me), the famous "Carnival" street, and a local Catholic Cathedral. We listened to Samba music at a local restaurant, drank Coco straight out a coconut (well Kristin did anyways), and even went to a futebal game where we sat in the direct sun. It was about 95 degrees and we were dripping with sweat! Lots of fun!

Kristin then flew into Belo Horizonte with me where we went directly to the local street fair which is very crowded. Our excursion did not last very long as we had to carry our luggage around the sales booths and we were not exactly popular!!! Kristin actually got shoved and sworn at. I had a backpack which was slightly easier to manuever in the narrow streets. We decided to leave before causing a riot! We hopped on the local onibus and headed for home. Kristin spent the next three days with us, experiencing life in Santa Luzia. It was so great to have "family" around for a few days. The kids loved seeing Auntie Kristin, but I think it made them yearn for home. Saying goodbye was tough but we know we will see her again soon.

I did not have my camera in Rio so you can thank my sister for these photos!