great week!

What a productive week it has been. With some off time and an inconsistent schedule these last few weeks, Megan and I decided Sunday night that we were going to dedicate ourselves this week to getting back into the swing of things and really get things moving.

On Monday we had English classes all day in Erval de Cima. We have been teaching them some random information such as colors and the months of the year but we decided it was time to actually select the ones that are showing potential and move past the basics on to some more complicated yet beneficial learning. We worked on teaching the pronouns along with the verb 'to be' in English. I think the whole concept is confusing to many of the kids and it is times like this that I wish my Portuguese was even more advanced to be able to better explain the process of conjugating verbs. However, we were able to get the point across and by the end of the day, the kids were finally starting to get it! We just recently starting going to Erval de Cima on Tuesdays as well and this past week we had our first speaker come to visit the kids. Agusto, the owner of FISK, an English school in a nearby town, came to talk with the kids all about the importance of studying, not just English but in general. He was so great with all the kids, even the younger ones which I think sometimes are harder to reach. We have also selected 10 or so students that will begin to study English at his school, hopefully soon; right now we are just waiting for the government to assist us in transportation for the kids as they will have to travel 30 minutes to reach the town the school is in. Agusto pulled those kids aside on Tuesday and talked to them all about what the course will entail, the amazing opportunity this is, but also the reality of the difficulties that come from learning a new language. We are so excited that he has partnered with us to allow our students this chance to extensively study English. Same as our students from Imbau studying English, we are looking to have these kids sponsored by Americans with the price being $150 per book. If you or anyone you know is interested in helping sponsor one of the kids, please let me know! The kids are so thrilled to get started!

Agusto talking with our kids!

On Wednesday we decided to try something new in the morning as there are much few kids. We had the older kids partner up with a younger child and read to them for 30 minutes. It took me back to my days in middle school when we had 'book buddies' and we would read with the little kids once a week. The older kids were great and everyone seemed to enjoy the quiet time, including myself as I got some homework done! It was really neat to see the younger and older kids interact as that does not happen too often. Then we finished with capoeira classes in both the morning and afternoon. Not everyone loves the class but it gives them a bit of physical activity and teaches them about a sport that has a lot of history in Brazil. 

One of the older students, Emile, reading with Larissa

As you all know, we have two boys from Erval participate in a capoeira class in Telemaco with Megan on Thursdays; starting this week we have two more children coming to partake in capoeira on Tuesdays. We selected two siblings, Bruna and Jonaton to start up these classes as they both have shown a strong interest in the Wednesday capoeira classes Megan gives. They also are one of the poorest families we work with and this seemed like a great chance to get them out of the 'house' they live in and treat them to something new. Megan has been dying to have a girl come train with her so this all worked out so perfectly. It is a little more work for us, now having kids sleep in our house twice a week, as the other two boys will continue on Thursdays, but it is nothing in comparison to seeming the kids get so excited about something and show a desire and passion to learn and challenge themselves. We are so grateful to the capoeira instructor as well for allowing them to train for free at the gym. Also, it makes me so grateful that we can afford our own place this year so that we can do things like this and have children stay with us. It will be exciting to see how well they progress from now until December!

Also this week I worked with kids to finish a photo project that has taken us awhile- the calendar of photos taken by the kids that we will sell to earn some extra money to travel and buy necessary things for the kids. We now have allowed all the older kids the chance to take pictures and this week we had all the kids vote on their favorite 12 pictures that they think are deserving of being in the calendar. Now that the pictures have been chosen, we will get to work on making the calendar. It is exciting that 12 students will get this recognition for the photos they took! 

Example picture of one of the photos that will be in the calendar

Friday we went back to our 'dia de beleza' or beauty day in which all us girls gathered in one of the classrooms, put on some music, and did our hair, makeup and nails. We had such a great time! One of the other teachers has taken a manicurist course so she was designing all kinds of beautiful flowers and lady bugs on the girls nails. We also have a lot of talented girl that were helping out with the younger girls and I even got my hair braided in a fish tail braid- made me think of my sister Becca and all the crazy braids she does on her hair! Us girls had such a fun time also chasing the little boys around with makeup brushes threatening to give them a little color :) In general we had such a productive and fun week!

All the nails done :)

Next Friday we will already be traveling to Aparecida de Norte and Rio de Janiero with the church group. We will leave Friday early morning and return Monday early morning so please keep us and all the travelers in your prayers as we journey to a place with so much religious background and faith. We are so excited to be taking 3 students with us as well! My special prayer request is for my dad and all the men on the CHRP retreat this weekend that God may draw them closer in relationship with Him and with each other, that these men may leave even stronger in their faith and prepared to be examples for all other fathers, brothers, sons, and men in their lives!