Am I the only one that is having a hard time believe that it is almost the start of October? I can only imagine all the beautiful nature changing back in Indiana where as here it just keeps gets hotter and my face just keeps getting more burnt. :) As much as I hate the inconviences of rain it would be really nice to have a little shower to cool things off!
This past weekend the girls traveled to another state, Santa Catarina, for an event of capoeira. I was originally hoping there would be space in the car for me to tag along and see another city but that didn´t work out so I stayed home for a much needed, tranquil weekend. They didn´t head out until late Friday afternoon so they were there to help with our store at PETI and then work with the English students who retook the test of Saturday. Friday night was the birthday party of our host family´s daughter so I got to be a part of the celebration and meet some family and friends. I also got together with another great friend Marcela, who stayed with us in the USA last year and who unfortunately I have not had the chance to see too much this year.
Saturday morning I administered the English test for our students and I was so pleasantly surprised! It was obvious that they had studied on their own as well and if I was to guess I would say they all passed this second time around- we will see! Saturday afternoon was full of household chores, laundry and sweeping etc. then I got to skype briefly with Maria before spending the majority of the afternoon at our new favorite coffee shop. I had my own little Bible study, taking advantage of all kinds of books the girls have with a scripture followed by a little reflection. It left me with such a sense of peace and love for the Lord- could not think of a better way to pass a day alone! Then to top it all off I headed to church with another great friend, Niza. I have gone with her before and really loved the message and Saturday evening I once again was warmly welcomed by everyone and really enjoy the praise and worship music and message delivered by the pastor. He is very energetic and passionate about his work and he made plans to come visit our kids at PETI in a few weeks with the youth band to talk with our kids about the importance of faith in God- I am so excited about this! The girls ended up coming home early Sunday morning as their driver had to attend the funeral of our friend´s mom. Bruno, a young boy from the gym who does capoeira with the girls, had already lost his dad so please keep him and his siblings in your prayers. After Mass we went to a festival of religious music at the culture house- it was really awesome to hear some great music and see a great turnout of people from the city!
Monday I did English with several small groups focusing on the days of the week. We brought down so many worksheets this year and we are just now starting to use them. They came in handy to switch up what we did in English- a little verbal learning and then some extra worksheets to reinforce what we learned. Tuesday was a special treat for everyone as the circus was in town!! We got cut a deal to take our kids there, both the morning and afternoon groups. It was a smaller, amateur circus with only 4 people doing all the stunts but our kids could not get enough of it! Their oohs and awes made it all worth it. Many of them couldn´t stop talking about how cool it was to go to the circus for the first time. That night many of them returned on their own being drawn in by the contest of the ´ugliest man in the city´ competition! The winner got 5 kg of sausage :) Wednesday I spend the whole afternoon with Lucas again trying to figure out his arm. The doctor took off his cast then requested another X-ray but we didn´t have the proper paperwork to get it done for free so he had another cast put on and we scheduled another appointment for next week- quite frustrating the public hospitals here in Brazil!
Today was my last day teaching English Thursday mornings at the other private school in Imbau. I did not expect to arrive to a dark classroom with kids hiding to surprise me with cards, confetti and hugs.. it was very special! My two months with the students there flew by but I really enjoyed having the new experience- it gave me a perspective of what it takes to teach English as a foreign language but I think my favorite part about it was just forming relationships with other kids in the town! This afternoon we got to see the new baby sister of one of our students. Her name is Gabriela and she was born 6 days again- she was too cute!
Now that my teaching ended, I am looking for a new activity to fill my Thursday afternoons. I am open to just about anything- I am going to check with the Social Center to see if they know a family that could use some extra help with things around the house, with young children, anything really. It is exciting to think about all the ways God could use me for the next two months!
Muay Thai is still going great- leaving me with lots of bruises but I love the change up in my workout. I am actually headed to that class now! Rogerio only came that one day to the program so please continue to keep him in your prayers. His was given the blood test as well and now the government is just waiting for space to open up in a treatment center in Curitiba to put Rogerio and his brother Juliano, as long as he doesn´t run away again. Let´s all pray that this happens soon so that they can get the help they desperately need. The young girls in the family seem to be enjoying life in the orphanage. If you ask them if they prefer to live in their house or the orphanage they will tell you the orphanage but if you ask if they prefer to live with or without their mom, they say they prefer their mom- that is just the way it goes, unfortunately they can´t have both.
I just want to wish a happy 25th wedding anniversary to my parents this week! I could not feel more blessed for the example of a loving, faithful relationship that I have. If only more of our kids were exposed to this kind of love in the house. Wishing you 25 + more years of happiness and love!! Happy start of October to everyone!
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