Our Last Week

Our trip to Ouro Preto was fantastic. It is a gorgeous town with hills reminiscent of San Francisco. There is very little level ground there. We toured some churches and museums as well as an old gold mine. It was a good way to allow the students to provide translation for us. We had a very nice worship service yesterday and then spent the rest of the day hanging out.

This morning, it was back to work. We are beginning the last week of the program. Team Three has taken on a personality all its own, as did the other two teams. There are sayings and expressions that have taken hold. A couple of ours are “To the Batcave!” That means it is time to get back to class. If some of the students are lingering behind, you’ll hear one of them yell, “Get the lead out!”. Then there are some hanging on from other teams…one we hear often is “Run Forrest, run!”. For better or worse they are picking up American English slang. It’s a trip to hear them try to use some of it in conversation.

There are two unique things Jenn has brought to the classroom. One is a mailbox. All of the students and team’s names and addresses are written on index cards on the wall. Each person takes a different card everyday and writes a letter to that individual. They then have to address the envelope correctly and put it in the mailbox. Daily, at 1 pm, there is mail delivery. Everyone looks forward to it. It has been a great way for the students to practice their reading and writing skills. The other thing she began just today was debating. Someone was accused of a crime and the students were split into two groups. With the help of their language helpers (who were only guides…the students did the debating) the students had to present their case. One group argued that the defendant should get the death penalty and one that she should not. We were all surprised at the depth of their arguments and at their confidence and ability to speak and debate with each other. We will be doing these every day this week.

Sometimes, there are mild misunderstandings because of accents. Here is a recent example. Words were spoken that drove fear into my heart….Daniel said “I found a spider in my room.” Early in our stay here I asked one of the students if he had seen any spiders here (to prepare myself). He said that in all the time he had been in this house he had never seen a spider. I slept well after that conversation. But last night…it was a different story. After Daniel announced there was a spider in his bed, he grabbed a jar to go down and catch it. Two of the gals, Irene and Cristy went down with him. They came back up first and said it was a tiny spider. I felt some relief. Then Daniel brought it up in the jar. Holy smokes….it was a huge wolf spider (I think). UGH!!!! I knew then that there were some sleepless nights in my future. This morning, wondering if he had a bad night, I asked Daniel if he saw any more spiders last night. He said, “No…just a lisa and I chased her out of room.” There is a Lisa on our team. Now I know Lisa and I know there was no reason for her to be in his room…then it dawned on me that he was saying lizard…not Lisa. There was a lizard in his room. We all have stories like these.

Then there is the serious side of things. One of the students revealed yesterday that her siblings had made fun of her as a child and that she knows she now protects herself and does not talk about her feelings. She said the program has helped her begin to do this and she knows it is good for her future ministry. A team member has realized that God brought her all the way to Brazil to break through some of her walls of protection as well. This is the thing I love most about these trips…the way God works in each person, molding them into who He wants them to be. The interior work here seems accelerated because all the things we used to define ourselves or create security are stripped from us and we are left unguarded and vulnerable. You will see some people close off as best they can and others who yield to what God is doing. It is beautiful to witness.

And in closing, I want to share one students’ story with you. Her name is Cristy. She is a petite little thing from Guatemala. Her desire is to go to India and work with Muslim women. She loves giving manicures and massages and her plan is to work in a gym in New Delhi that caters to Muslim women. She will provide those services and while doing so, begin to build relationships. Although she knows going to India, as a single woman, is a hard life, she has a heart for the women there who do not know about Jesus.

Ok...enough for today. Thanks for joining us on this incredible journey.

Grace and peace,
Deb