"Glory - Jesus is GOOD!!" Jammin in the kitchen at Ammi!!

hanging out with cute lil punkins this morning. :-)

Brazil - Week One

Warning.  This could potentially be a really long post.  There is so much to tell about this trip!  For starters, it is A.MA.ZING! 

I spent the first two days in Rio de Janeiro seeing the two schools (seminary where my friend Margaret worked for many years), the hillside ministry she helped start, the beaches, shopping at Copacabana, and of course, Corcovado.  Oh, and eating fabulous Brazilian food!

Sophia, Lucia, Natalia, Cira, Eliana, Paula

On Tuesday I had 3 flights to Cuiaba, and then was taken to the Ammi Training Center near Chapada dos Guimaraes.  I am staying the the girl's dorm with the Ammi students.  I'll be honest...the thought was very intimidating.  I was going to stay in a room full of Portuguese speaking women, how are we going to communicate or get along?  It has been great!  It turns out that their are two girls that know English very well, and don't mind interpreting & teaching.  So the girls are learning a little bit of English and I am learning A LOT of Portuguese....and quickly!

The work has been going well, too.  I have done a variety of work here.  I've done painting, digging, putting up posts, more painting, more digging, cleaning, using my height to help hang electrical wire (not an abundance of ladders here), and most frightening, stripping wire and installing light sockets.  Yup, they let me work on electric and everybody lived. :~)  I do have several battle wounds to prove my work and that I am in a mosquito/bug/ant infested country.  I have bruises, sunburn, blisters, and so many bug bites it would be embarrassing to post a picture of my legs.  But as we say, "it's all part of the experience!" 

This last picture is how "we" fixed a light fixture that had no was to support a ladder.  It is Brazilian style and NOT OSHA approved.  We tied a rope to support the ladder on both sides and two guys held it up.  All went well...so well that he was doing little tricks at the top of the ladder waiting for someone to bring a light bulb.

There are so many stories to tell, but I won't try to tell them all at once.  That's all for now!

Tchau!
(pronounced "chow")