When Days Fly...

I am still in disbelief at how quickly the last few weeks of my time in Londrina are going. I have really been enjoying spending time with lots of different people and talking more and more with friends, before my impending departure. A lot of people don't realize I'm leaving so soon, nor that I'm not coming back. And when they find out, my schedule quickly becomes full of going here, doing that there...and I love it.

This weekend was full in that way. On Friday night I went to Talita's house to watch a movie. It's a Brazilian film and I didn't get to finish it because we started it late after talking too much. So that was a fun evening. Saturday was incredibly busy, with a lunch in the afternoon with another missionary who is visiting, and his Brazilian brother-in-law. Then I ran out for some ice cream with one of the directors of WEBB, and then she dropped me off at church for the adolescents meeting, where I attempted to teach some more English to very non-attentive teenagers. Not my forte, let me tell you, haha. Then I came home for a quick snack and ran off to hop on a bus out to Micah and Marla's neighborhood to go to their church for their Saturday night Bible study. Interestingly, Marla was telling me that like a participatory Bible study is a very foreign concept for Brazilians. When they introduced it to their church, it was a real hit because people weren't used to being able to give their own insight into a passage. Even on Saturday nights, at prayer meetings and during regular church services, it's always the same schedule of praise, preaching, and praise to close. So for there to be a time for everyone to read the same text and have the same opportunity to talk about it is really a unique thing and has been very popular too. I think that's great, and it was fun to sit in on one of them. Anyway...Sunday was thankfully a very lazy day and I think I actually stayed in my pajamas until about 4:30 in the afternoon. It was marvelous. Then church in the evening, and we had some people over to the apartment for pizza and Dutch Blitz afterwards. Always a pleasure.

This week I have a Thanksgiving party at WEBB, tonight. They offered to give me a free Portuguese grammar lesson in thanks for my help, which really I am very grateful for. I was starting to think more and more about how much I've done and how much I've paid to do what I have done. And that didn't really make too much sense in my head, but I just wanted to let it go. Shortly after I decided to not say anything, Adriana invited me out for ice cream and then said, "well, your Portuguese is great, you don't need anything else huh?" And I answered truthfully, "no, I need to learn more." Haha. I have found myself stumbling over the 'conditional' tense. Like "I would go" or "I would have done," etc. I have no idea how to do that. So we marked a time for me to meet with my dear teacher Jemima on Monday morning to learn about the conditional tense. Phew.

I can't imagine how people just drop into a country and learn a language with no formal training included. I hear the future tense all the time, and I understand that it's future, but I can't remember it later when I want to use it. I really need to learn it in an organized format, and after I do, it totally sticks. But for now, I've been digging around for ways to say things, and I would rather just get that verb tense out of the way. I'm sure there are many more anyway. Ai ai ai...

I'm really looking forward to this weekend as well. Joaquim is coming one last time to Londrina, and we are going to help at the camp together. The McKee's are having their pastor from their home church in Ireland visit with his son, and Priscila had mentioned to me a few weeks ago that they will need some extra help while he is here just so they have a tiny bit more time freed up to spend with them. There isn't much that I can do except a few little things that Priscila and Nigel have to juggle, like working at the canteen or watching their 3-year-old son, Dillan, that I can easily take over. I of course was looking for a time that Joaquim could come and knew that he would love to help at the camp as well. Plus there's that added bonus of getting to swim in their olympic sized pool during free times. That's never hard to agree to. So, Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be lots of fun with that. Then on Sunday night I'm singing at church with my friend Nice.

I have a little bit of a cold, and if it gets any worse or doesn't let up by Sunday night (both of which are possible) my singing voice will be less than lovely, to say the least. Plus, working at the camp always requires more energy for longer days, so I would appreciate your prayers that I would be back to normal soon!

How long do you wait to swim after Thanksgiving dinner?

I have never had to ask myself that question before, but today it was valid.

Thanksgiving was different this year, and very warm. To be honest, I was dreading thinking about my family gathering together and me being with people who aren't my family, though they be Americans and though there be turkey. But today was a lovely day and I really enjoyed it.

All the OMS Missionaries met at the camp around noon to celebrate an early "dinner." We had the traditional American-style meal with lots of turkey, potatoes, beans, pecan pie, cranberry sauce, stuffing...it was delicious. We shared what we were thankful for, and we just had a nice meal together. It didn't feel much like Thanksgiving aside from the food, because it was about 85 degrees out, and while eating my stuffing and mashed potatoes, I was a little warm.

After lunch/dinner, most people went home, but I stuck around with Micah and Marla. We all went swimming with the McKee's for a couple hours, got some sun, and then returned for some more food, some ice cream, and a few rounds of UNO. It was really a lovely day and a lot of fun. I was truly grateful for so many things, just being able to be here being a big one. In the last few days I have seen even more clearly how God has ordained my time here in Londrina. And even though Thanksgiving was different this year, I have just as much, if not more, to be thankful for.

This evening I sat at my computer, munching on some chex mix that my mom made and sent to me, waiting for my family to "call" on skype. When they did, I was greeted by lots of curious faces surrounding my dining room table at home. Though most of them were a little weirded-out by the computer screen and webcam, it was nice to see some familiar faces in my familiar home. Including hearing Tim ask me if I speak Brazilian. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without that.

It was a great day to remember why I am so grateful, and while it was a bit warmer than I am used to, I wouldn't trade this year for the world.
Besides, tomorrow may be the first time in my life that I am brave enough to go Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving. : )

"Pronto para ser quebrado"

On the 10th, I will be done with OMS.

So, what am I doing until then? I'm trying to focus more on people. Thanks only to some ridiculous miracle, I am able to talk well enough with people to get to know them better. I am just trying to be involved in as much as I can to give God as many opportunities as possible to use me. Of course He can do whatever He wants, but I'm learning how to make myself more available to that.

Last week I went to the camp to work for 2 days and it was nice to get to know the McKee family better. They are in charge of things at the camp for about a year and a half. They're Irish and Brazilian, but have lived in Ireland for about 15 years or so, so all the kids have these adorable little accents. It was really nice to get to know them and to feel like I was helpful for a couple days. Because they have been here for just under a year as well, they really understood what it was like to be new and to be considered short term. They're leaving in July, so because they're not career missionaries, they were able to offer some insight, and just some "I know how you feel" about the struggles of knowing that everyone knows you won't be here for very long.

Coming back downtown was a little hard, because although I feel comfortable here after living here for 3 months, but even though I pay rent and for my share of food, etc. I still just feel like a guest, and that can sometimes be hard. I can understand the other perspective too, but I am learning now that I really need to step up and make my presence known sometimes. I am easily looked over and forgotten because I'm the small short-termer, and for the first couple months that would leave me just sad and confused. Now, it's really not a big deal, I just open my mouth and no one means anything personally, it's just natural to forget the bottom rung on the totem pole.

Last night I had the pleasure to go to a different missionary church, Jardim Veneza. That church had a picnic at the camp while I was there, so I had met most of the people just a few days before, which made it the perfect time to go. Marcli and Marcos picked me up in their VW bug, which I had heard about, but didn't realize that it was 40 years old. No joke, it was made in 1967. I felt slightly like I would die if we got in an accident, and I am still sure that would be true, but it was certainly an adventure. I went out to dinner afterwards with a very sweet family and Marcli and Marcos and Adriana, who I've run into on the bus a few times. It was wonderful to talk with them and get to know them better, and enjoy the evening with them. I'm sort of sad that I only have 3 sunday nights left, because I would love to go back to that church. Hopefully I can go one more time. When I got home, Pastor Jhonatas, Vanda and Anderson were at the apartment eating some dinner, and Jhonatas asked me if I made sure to tell everyone at Jardim Veneza that I belonged to the Central church, and was just visiting. Ha. I really feel like I belong in the churches and with the Brazilians. But with the Americans, I can't say the same thing. You know what? That doesn't matter at all.

This morning I only worked at the office for an hour, because busy work is done quickly and hard to come by...and Marcli was supposed to come cut my hair at 2, but I finally called her and 3:30 and I think I understood that she'll be leaving soon to come here. However, phone calls are terribly difficult to understand, and she talked very fast. So...whoops.

I'm starting to realize that I have no idea what I want to do when I get home. I'd be looking for something permanent and stable and like "a real job"...but what? Any ideas/guidance is always welcome. ; )

Acampamento Jovens

This weekend was another crazy one, but it was a great time. The Central church had a youth camp from Friday night to Sunday afternoon...the youth here is not the same as in the US. "youth" actually refers to anyone between 15 years old until whenever they feel like stopping...there were married couples there who were in their early thirties, and everyone in between.

When we left on Friday, it was absolutely pouring. No joke, the street was flowing with water. The drive there was slow and really dark and then as we got closer to the camp, which was an hour away, on back country roads, the fog settled down on top of us, and we couldn't see a THING. It was kind of nerve-wrecking, but we arrived safe and sound, and started off a fun weekend. We got there around 10pm and had dinner, and the festivities didn't end until about 2am, and I didn't get to sleep until 3 or 3:30...then the wake up call sounded at 7. Ai ai ai. Saturday was pretty sleepy, that's for sure.

We had a costume dinner on Saturday night, and I was a Care Bear, along with Gwen and 4 other girls. "Ursinhos Carinhosos." It was funny and just goofy...we did a dance that was ridiculous and my mask's eye-holes were too close together, so I was nearly blind. But I suppose it was endearing, and it was fun. Easy, too, because Vanda did all the thinking and the work, and I just wore the costume, haha. The perfect plan.

The first night was really a blessing. I was sitting with Maria and Nice outside the dining hall, and they were singing some songs while Maria was playing the guitar. Apparently Nice had heard me singing "Shout to the Lord" one night, so she begged me to sing it, and I did...then they sang it in Portuguese, while I harmonized in English. I was closing my eyes and singing when I heard whispering and shushing close by. I opened my eyes to see about 15 people standing by, telling each other to "be quiet while Christine sang." The next day, this funny guy Erivelton begged me to sing again, and he jokingly put on sunglasses so no one would see him cry while I did, and then on Sunday morning he asked Pastor Jhonatas if I could sing before the chapel. So I did, and while everyone was yelling "one more, one more!" he said "you can hear one more at church tonight, at 7:30." They were planning on arriving at church at 6 and have a snack, and they wanted everyone to stay for the service. So, many more times on Sunday it was announced that I was going to sing, as an incentive for them to stay. It was kind of funny, and I'm still not sure how that happened, but I know a few people stayed just to hear me last night, so I'm glad my song was able to be used that way. All thanks to my mom who sent me the playback track. ; )

This week will be...interesting. Tomorrow I'm going back to the office again, to work with Gwen. I guess I'll be rooting through their archives and organizing things and doing a lot of busy/dirty work. After having a month at WEBB, this sort of feels like...back to the drawing board, to be honest. But this is something that needs to be done, and I am the measely short-termer who gets to do it. I will also talk with Gwen tomorrow about my schedule for the rest of my time here. I want to be as productive as possible, and be doing as little following around as possible. Because following around is not productive. I think that makes sense. At least to me it seems fairly logical. So I'm praying for some good direction tomorrow, so I can use my time here as best as possible, and figure out a good cut-off date. I'm still not sure exactly when I will leave and go to Assis...it depends on when/if my family comes, and other factors that I feel like considering, such as if I get bored because my schedule never actually gets figured out. We're hoping that is just a worst-case scenario.

Here's my story...

Well, 2 days ago I went to Cascavel to renew my visa...It seemed a pretty self-explanatory process. Joaquim was supposed to call Milton at 9am, he did, and Milton said he would be there that morning. So, we left for Cascavel and drove an hour to get there, we found the delegacy pretty easily, thanks to his mom, and went in to chat with good old Milton.

During said talk, it was discovered that I was missing a necessary document. My entry card, which I filled out and had stamped by customs in Sao Paulo. In fact, I'm pretty certain I threw that away a couple months ago. Bad idea, really. So I nearly had a heart attack because I needed that for the renewal, and...I really really really don't have it.

Milton said to go pay the fee at the closest bank, to make some photocopies of my passport, visa, and flight itinerary, and come back before 12 or 12:30, when he was leaving for lunch.

It was about 11...so Joaquim and I left quickly to find a bank and a xerox place. We waited in line at the bank for almost 30 minutes, and between driving around looking for a place to make copies and a parking spot near said copy place, we made it back to the delegacy at about 12:20. Cutting it close, if you ask me. We were literally running through oncoming traffic in order to get there by that time. So we met with Milton again, gave him the copies and the form I had to fill out, and he and Joaquim made some necessary small talk. Milton apparently used to live in Assis Chateaubriand, on the same street as their church is, and said that he used to see Joaquim's dad driving the kids from Lar to church.

Let's just say it was a definite miracle that Milton "knew" Joaquim, or at least was connected with him a little bit, because, although I was missing that one document, he then reached for a stamp...pressed the rubber onto the ink, and as we waited, holding our breath, he pounded it onto a blank page of my passport. Then he signed it, dated it for February 14th, 2008 (10 days longer than I actually deserve...YES!!!) and placed another sticker on it to guarantee, signed that sticker, half on the sticker and half on the passport, and handed it back over to me, telling me to look for the paper I'm missing, and if I can't find it just let him know and he will "dar um jeito." Meaning, it won't matter that I don't have that paper, because he is still approving (or rather, HAS APPROVED) my visa renewal anyway.

It was a STRESSFUL morning, with not a little worrying and wondering, but God was really taking care of that...and He even gave me a gift of 10 extra days. Because I renewed the visa 10 days before it expired, I would have lost 10 of the 180 days I'm allowed to be in Brazil...so the Lord graciously softened Milton's heart to extend it for 100 more days so I can stay the full time I am able. Nothing less than a miraculous gift.

Now I'm back in Londrina for about a month. Today I've been working on power points...I'm not sure what the rest of my time will hold, but I am going to a youth camp this weekend with church, which will be fun. And I hope to spend some time with some of the other missionaries during the next month to see what they do as well. This week I will sit down with Gwen to kind of plot out what the next month will look like. Then in mid-December (the date to be determined...) I will go back to Assis Chateaubriand and stay there until Valentine's Day. (If that's not ironic, please tell me what is...ha.)

Stamped

I GOT MY VISA RENEWED!!

It was definitely a blessing and a miracle, and I will tell the story later. But I wanted to at least let the news out, for everyone who was praying for me this weekend...your prayers were appreciated, heard, and ANSWERED!!