first full week of work!

I'm not sure if I could love this place any more, unless I was able to bring my family and friends to be here with me. I know I already mentioned how great our neighbors are but I just want to reiterate just how helpful and welcoming they are. Weekends are rough around here with little to do and not a lot going on and they have been wonderful about welcoming us to join them for breakfast, lunch, or just to hang out. They have allowed us to use their washing machines multiple times along with their internet for Skype sessions. It makes me stop and wonder just how welcoming people are in the States to new people in a neighborhood or church community or just any setting really.. I notice a big difference and I am so grateful to God for placing us on a street full of such kind people. 

A few minor concerns about the safety of the house we live in- with all this moisture the walls of our house have become damp and actually quite a bit of water runs down them. Due to this moisture in a closed space, we have found quite a bit of mold in our kitchen, on the ceilings and walls, and under our sink. Sunday we spend all morning scrubbing with vinegar to try and get rid of some of this, especially since Megan has an allergy! So far though God has taken care of our health.

After Mass Sunday night we sat in on the group of young people from the church; it was more for high schoolers but they want us to participate and incorporate some of what we do in the States with our young adult group. It seemed a bit unorganized and a little chaotic but I think its great to see some young people with a desire to gather together and at least sing a few songs of praise. We will see where our role falls with them but if nothing else, it will be nice to be a part of something from our sister parish. 

This has been our first full week of actually working 3 days in Erval and 2 days in Imbau which is crazy that almost a month has passed since we have been here and yet we are just now getting into a routine. At Erval this week we have started both photography and capoeira classes. Our first photography project was the idea of the PETI coordinator- we are going to make a calendar of pictures that shows off their town and then we are going to sell them for the year 2013 and the money that is earned will go towards buying stuff for them at PETI. I am really excited to see how it turns out! Megan did a great job trying to teach the basics of capoeira to lots of younger kids who really were struggling to pick it up. They enjoyed so much more the handstands and cartwheels aspect of the class even in the very muddy grass. We have also done quite a few house visits to get to know the stories and situations of these new kids- some of them are really heartbreaking. You would think I would get used to it but that has yet to be the case. :( We have come up with dozens of ideas for where donations we have received can be used so once again, thank you for all your support, both monetary and with prayers. 

At the old PETI in Imbau we are searching out in what ways we can best be of assistance as they are pretty on track. We plan to continue with English on Tuesday, something they are faulting, and on Thursday's Megan and Matt are going to take advantage of the computer house the government has opened for the public to teach the kids the basics of computers instead of just allowing them to search youtube videos and play games. We are also having a meeting next week to discuss the large amounts of money that are sitting in the bank in a PETI account that we can use for a variety of supplies and materials that the teachers are requesting. It is a complicated story and process but hopefully if we keep insisting that it be used, we will finally be able to make some improvements and allow for changes in the system at PETI. It is great to see these kids still but it feels more like we are visitors as opposed to teachers with them. This is actually a great thing, meaning they are doing so well on their own. I know it is early, but I am already having feelings of wanting to be in Erval maybe 4 days a week instead so we feel more productive but who knows. 

I have been praying the rosary weekly with Dona Rosa and yesterday as we were sitting drinking coffee we talked all about the sad reality of how little emphasis is put on families these days and the truth that so many families without God at the center are crumbling. With that in mind, I have been praying a lot more for not only all the sad, broken homes and families here in Brazil, but for all those around the world. May God continue to bless all of you and your families back home!

Don't Get Too Used To These Frequent Posts :)

Wow, the weather has taken a little turn for the colder which only seems worse when the sun stays behind the clouds. We are surviving with heated blankets and constant trips to the gym to warm ourselves up! Some of the perks of the cold include fewer bugs in the house and lots of green tea. I caved and took my clothes to a laundry mat as our washing machine is not working and 2 weeks is about the longest I could go without getting replenished. I thought she would have a dryer with her business but apparently not as I took them to her on Friday and I am still waiting for a call that they are ready! This is not cheap so I am hoping we can figure something out soon or I might start hand washing. With the kids still on vacation through this week we have had a lot more downtime to get things organized and it has given Matt some time to get adjusted here in Brazil. 

We spent the whole day Thursday in Reserva, a nearby town about the same size as Telemaco Borba. The director of the PETI in this town invited us there to show us around and what we quickly learned was that another motive of the visit was to convince us to come help them with the PETI there! Overall it was a great day spent getting to know government figures such as the mayor and visiting all kinds of programs in the community working with the poor. It made me realize just how important our expansion is and the potential of how long we could continue our work here in Brazil just within a 30 mile radius in other cities. It made me excited to think about where Project Discovery could be in a few years if we continue in the direction we are headed now! 

We went to the new PETI twice this week again and had a great time with all kinds of minute to win it games including attempting to move a cookie from your forehead to your mouth, throwing balls between your legs to get them in a bucket, and sorting through a full deck of cards. It was a ton of fun and the kids did a great job cheering each other on! We took this opportunity to give the winners some of the donated winter clothes that we brought down this year before the warmer weather hits (hopefully soon!). 

I have been getting back into my fight class as well, Muay Thai. I have been able to do it a few times and so far I have avoided any bloody noses or extreme bruises! It is great exercise and I am loving the chance to get back into and see all the old people I did the class with last year!

I have missed two birthdays this week in my family but I hope both mom and Marcos had amazing days with the rest of the family- I'm sure you guys celebrated in style! I have been eager to talk about my family and allow the new kids we work with to learn a little more about my life back home in the States. I am really looking forward to skyping with them tomorrow night and catching up with them!! I have really missed them! 

I continue to be so grateful to God for each day here and every moment that I get to spend with my friends and the kids- they are a constant reminder of how precious every child is in the eyes of God and how blessed I am to be in their presence! God never ceases to amaze me!

We Made It!!

The trip was a little longer this year because I opted to take a bus ride from Sao Paulo all the way to the small town we are living in this year, Imbau. It was a three bus, thirteen hour trip but I was in no hurry and I loved having that contemplative time to myself. I arrived Tuesday night a little after Megan and Matt and quickly got a traditional Brazilian sandwich and caught up with Katie all about what has been happening in the three weeks she has been here with her sister Sarah. This may get confusing but the last two years we have lived in Telemaco Borba and worked in Imbau; this year we are living in Imbau and working still in Imbau but also in a city town 30 minutes away called Erva de Cima. The PETI program we have been working with in Imbau, the one that Katie started, is doing really well on their own this year- they are organized, with new teachers and lots of planned activities. This has always been our goal and it is so exciting to see it come to completion! Katie and Sister Rose (the American nun we know who has lived here for 50+ years) have been doing some research to discover what other places were in need of our help. We settled upon this new place, Erva de Cima, another PETI program that has been asking us to work with them for a few years and this year we finally feel that it is time to spread our resources to other places. We went there for the first time on Thursday and as we rode the extremely bumpy 30 minutes, my nerves were mounting as I thought about how this year all that happens and what we begin will be without Katie there as the leader. She was my inspiration to ever get involved in the work here in Brazil and I so admire all that she has accomplished here so to think of her leaving really left me upset. I have tried to avoid dwelling on it but being here with her, it hits me all the time and I am afraid to let myself get to comfortable with her presence. However, God is amazing and after visiting this new place, I was so amazingly excited about the potential and all that lies ahead that I now feel more at peace about her leaving. The new kids are adorable and the teachers at this new PETI are just so appreciative that we will be there, working with them, that any small idea we have seems to excite them a lot. Everything we suggest appears to be a big improvement for them so they are on board. The program is extremely organized and the kids are really well behaved the only thing the teachers are requesting is more ideas and activities as they find it hard to get resources in their small, isolated town. And isolated it is- no supermarkets, schools, or really anything. They all travel about 20 minutes to a bigger town for those things. One downside will be never being able to escape during lunch and get a break as there is no where to go like we have here in Imbau but maybe that will be a good time for house visits or going to the local church to pray the rosary. For now our plan is to be at the new location Monday, Wednesday, Friday and to stay in Imbau on Tuesday and Thursday. There is nothing about this new start that doesn't make me so excited and grateful to God for taking care of my fears. 

On Friday I went to the pray the rosary with Katie at the home of the sweetest older woman, Dona Rosa, someone she has been praying with once a week since last year. I went a few times last year as well and she knew my parents all those years ago when we lived here in 1992 which is neat. This was Katie's last week with her and Dona Rosa asked if I was going to continue praying with her; how could I say no to that offer? So I will be going every Thursday morning in Katie's place to pray with the holiest woman with the biggest heart and kindest smile.. doesn't get much better than that! 

We got to spend one full day with our old kids at the PETI in Imbau and it was amazing to be with them again and I think it makes me so appreciate my language abilities that I am able to just jump right back into conversation with them and catch up on their lives as if I was gone only a few weeks. Everything with them is so easy and effortless, they already know us and feel comfortable with us and it is always such a blessing to be in their presence. They are bummed to hear that we will not be with them everyday but I know that things are so much improved and that they are enjoying the new teachers. It will be great to still see them a few days a week still and keep up those relationships. 

I am loving our relationships with our neighbors, a lot of them being English speakers. They are all so welcoming and kind to us and have offered us help in any way possible. This Sunday we had lunch at one of the families homes which was nice as Sunday's tend to drag on and most people are with their family all day so it was nice to feel like a part of a group and they even let us do our laundry there as we have yet to figure out our washing machine. We truly feel like we are a part of a neighborhood here with people who make us feel safer and more at home. 

Megan and Matt trying to figure out our washing machine!

I took Katie and Sarah to Curitiba on Monday to see our friend Marcela briefly before sending them off on Tuesday morning for their return to the States. I knew it would be hard to say goodbye as I can't imagine being down here without the one who ever got me involved in this work but I also know that such happiness awaits her back home. These first couple days without her have been strange; I know some days will be easy and other days her lack of presence will really hit me hard. For now I am trying to embrace this change and see it as God's call to be me to branch out and really use all the talents he has blessed me with. 

Finally got settled in my new room now that we send Katie and Sarah back

Today we once again returned to the new PETI at Erval de Cima but with pouring down rain, the day started with only a few kids. By the afternoon we had around 30 kids to play with and we spend the day playing relays, making bracelets, and playing cards. It was fun just to spend time with them as we are still getting to know them, and their crazy names.. you would not believe some of them! They are still so eager to learn and embrace everything we offer and their energy is very contagious. Matt, Megan's boyfriend, has been great. He is the perfect learner combination of Megan and I- he loves to study the language a lot like I had done but he also loves to take every opportunity to use what he knows like Megan had been. Matt really puts himself out there and I think quickly he will be formulating sentences and speaking with all the Brazilians! 

Our new PETI kids racing in a relay with hats, gloves and scarves!

We still have a few weeks of vacation for the kids here (their winter break) and so our schedule will be a little off but it will be nice to have some down time to get started on my classes and start preparing ourselves for the upcoming weeks at both PETI's. I have been praying the rosary daily this year and so if you ever have any special prayer intentions, please let me know and I would be glad to add them to my list! We are all so grateful for another year of wonderful support from everyone back home… it never gets old to us, so thank you!