Holy cannoli!!!
Welcome to our last newsletter of the summer! By the time you get this we will already be back in Minnesota! We hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with us! It has been a great honor and privilege to share our lives with you and what God has been doing here in Brazil!
Since our last newsletter our time has been spent preparing for English Camp 2009! Wow…God is incredibly good. We can’t even begin to truly describe all that he has done in these last few weeks. From July 20th-24th we were at a gorgeous camp an hour from the city with two teams from Nebraska and California. We also got to enjoy a few random people from Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and a native Minnesotan from Brooklyn Center! The way God puts teams together is awesome. The week at the camp was spent planning, prepping, and getting to know one another so that we could serve more effectively together come English Camp the following week! Having just come from our Cena trip the week before Laura, Bria, and I were pretty worn down with colds and the need to rest. God provided for us beyond what we knew because that week at camp was one of refreshment and fellowship. We had the chance to share our hearts and what we’ve been doing in Brazil all summer with a bunch of Americans who were excited to be in Brazil and ready to serve with us! It was amazing to see God break down barriers, strongholds, and open our hearts to his will (and this was before English Camp even started!) We went back into the city for the weekend to wash clothes, give the Americans time to spend in their host families, and pick up the kids and bring them back up to camp!
July 27th-31st was an INCREDIBLE experience for everyone at English Camp. There were 170 students ages 15-??? (Most of them were to the age of 21 or so but we had a few people in their late 30’s!) God had his hand on every moment of that camp. The students were all open to sharing their lives with us. Everyone was excited about getting to know one another, having a great time, and learning English/Portuguese! Bria and I were in charge of running the camp so it was an incredible experience for us personally to be challenged in our administrative abilities. It gave us a great opportunity to see camp from a different perspective. I cannot share enough how God used that week to change lives; including our own. There were great speakers, beautiful music, delicious food, skits, games, volleyball, soccer, and so much more.
On Thursday night we had our night of invitation. This is the night where we ask the kids to come forward if they desire to answer God’s call for them to make a decision whether it be accepting Christ into their life for the first time, recommitting their life to him, or just desiring to go deeper. The outcome was incredible. We had approximately 57 kids stand up and ask for prayer for numerous things. God really challenged a majority of these kids to go deeper in their faith. He called them to give more of their lives to him and these students answered that call. We will continue to challenge and lift up the students that we know God is knocking on their hearts but they have not answered that call yet. The week ended with a feeling of hope, encouragement, and deepened faith. We have made sure that each student that came forward has gotten connected with a pastor that can give them information about their church. Each of these students are being prayed over by people here and Americans that served with us all week. Would you join us in praying over the students that attended English Camp? God is not done working through this experience.
It is now our last day!!! Today we return back to the states. Would you all lift us up in prayer as we prepare to transition? We are so excited to see family and friends but we are leaving new family members behind here in Brazil. We have seen God’s faithfulness every step of the way this summer and we don’t doubt that he will continue to provide for us as we head back home.
Thank you for taking the time to faithfully walk with us through this journey. It has been amazing to have you serve alongside us even though we are in different countries! God’s loving mercies are new every morning!
Isaiah 26: 3-4
Blessings,
Anna, Laura, and Bria
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Heart of a Carioca...
These past few weeks have been spent preparing our hearts. God has blessed us with many one-on-ones with students. We’ve gotten the chance to dig deeper with many of them and hear their personal testimonies. It is amazing to see how God has broken down barriers and speak as friends in Christ not as visitors from the states. This encouraged us greatly especially as we set out to travel to Sao Paulo this past week with the Droogsmas to help with a ministry in the cities called Cena. Two of our roommates, Laura and Kristi, were able to go with the Droogsmas to Cena and a team from the states a couple weeks ago. They had an amazing experience and God put the desire upon each of our hearts to return to Cena as a whole team and serve again. God gave us this opportunity this past week to serve for five days. July 14th-July 18th. Throughout this past week God has stretched us beyond what many of us believed was possible.
Cena is a ministry that works with people who live on the streets. But these people are far different from any homeless man or woman that you might find in the states. These people live lives that we can barely imagine. Addiction to drugs drives them from their homes, destroying their lives and the lives of their families. Prostitution is a common profession in attempts to earn money to buy the drugs that they crave. Men become transvestites in order to make money. Old women, young women, and children sell their bodies so that they can buy a hit of cocaine for the equivalent of $0.50 in the states. We went out one night with some of the missionaries from Cena and saw first hand the destruction that drugs have caused in so many lives. There were literally hundreds of people in one city block lined up against the walls, walking around in a daze, and running around trying to find drug dealers amidst the crowd to buy what they need. It was an overwhelming sense of oppression and you could feel Satan’s presence in this block commonly referred to as “Crackland”.
Although we saw so much sorrow and sadness during our time visiting the streets our time at Cena was also filled with experiences of hope and new life. Cena is making a major impact in the area of
We also got to help with a number of children’s programs in which we played games, gave them a good meal, and shared a skit with them to teach them about what sin can do in our lives and the need to live for the Lord. It was hard to see the children leave at the end of the day knowing that many of them don’t have a family or a place to sleep due to their drug addiction.
The second to last day we had an amazing opportunity to visit the place they call “The Farm” that Cena has created for men and women committed to transforming their lives. It is a place that is two hours out of the city on a beautiful piece of country land. At the farm there are approximately 60 men and 40 women who have committed to a program that is designed to help them to leave their lives of drugs, prostitution, alcohol and hardship behind. The people have a chance to live a different life. They grow their own food and bake their own bread. They have a volleyball field, a soccer field, a beautiful lake, a garden, an orchard, and dorms that they sleep in at night. The atmosphere is that of peace, hope, and safety. The men and women receive intense counseling so that they can learn the tools to have a new life and to forgive themselves for the choices they have made. It was amazing to hear the stories of the changed hearts and lives of some of the people living at the farm. They have committed to releasing their addictions and supporting one another in the new path God has called them toward. We prayed over many of them crying out to the Lord to help them to flee far from the sin that once held them. We prayed that they would be protected when they leave the program after their 8 months of protection. Many slip back into their old lifestyles but God has saved hundreds from Satan’s stronghold. Every life that has been saved is worth the work that goes into helping these lost souls.
God is doing amazing things through this ministry. He has used the missionaries of Cena as disciples to go out into the darkness and take back those whom Satan has tried to destroy. We had an amazing experience working alongside these people in supporting their vision. It was a week of shocking reality in seeing the power Satan holds over this city but we left with hope in our hearts because there is light within the city of
Isaiah 58: read this chapter and enjoy! God is moving and he desires to use you and I!!!
Amen
Thursday, July 2, 2009
God's continued calling
So this past month in Brazil has been awesome....
We have gotten to do so many things, meet so many people, be apart of so many new things. We moved into our apartment, figured out how to buy groceries, get to different places to get daily items for living, figured out how to use the bus transit system and taxis (this is a continued work in progress), got started up the churches we will each be working at, and had many many meetings. This preparation time and these experiences have been a crucial part of paving the way for this upcoming month. We had met people, heard their stories, shared our stories, and have stepped up to go deeper. Now that we have established a firm foundation the Lord is calling us forward to run with what he's laid before us. This next month is a month to truly see the seeds we've begun to plant to grow. It is also a month of opportunity for us to challenge ourselves to go deeper with God, love deeper with God, trust deeper with God. He has a lot of things that he wants us to be apart of and we need to be on our game so that we don't waste opportunities or moments to glorify his kingdom and reach the lost.
You have no idea how much I appreciate all your prayers. They are felt big time. God is doing awesome things down here. This month is going to be really busy which I praise God for! Tonight we are spending the night in the city of Campo Grande. I have a one-on-one with a girl this afternoon and we are having a girls movie night with the youth group ladies this evening. I look forward to this opening up some great opportunities to fellowship and learn about where the girls are at in their walks with the Lord and see how we can encourage more of them personally. God has already begun giving us opportunities to go deeper with a number of the girls but this is a great way for us to really open ourselves to all the young women of the churhc.
When we go to Campo Grande we always stay at a couple's house from the church that we work with primarily. They are an AMAZING couple and God has used them in huge ways in my life already this summer. They have taught me about stepping out in faith, showing your love for the Lord through acts of service, and offering your life to him daily.
We come back tomorrow afternoon and then I leave again Saturday morning to go to a city called Niteroi to go spend some time with a youth group up there. The pastor is a friend of mine and my parents and he asked us to come speak to the youth about our faith. We come back late Sunday night from that. Pray that the Lord would use this time to help us encourage the youth, get them excited for English Camp, and challenge them to invite their friends to come with them so they have a chance to hear about who God is. I want to share my life however God calls me to so please pray for courage that I would be open with my struggles and trials so that I can speak truthfully about God's grace, mercy, and healing in my own walk with the Lord.
Then Tuesday morning I leave for the week to go to the city of Sao Paulo which is 6 hours away. We are going to go serve at a ministry called Cena which goes into the streets offering basic help to the homeless, drug addicted, transvestites, prostitutes, etc. It is an area which is referred to as "The pits of hell on earth". One of the worst neighborhoods in the world. I will need big time prayer for this. I will be seeing things that I could never prepare myself for. I know that I will be shocked but I am praying that I would be able to be involved in serving. That God would give me the strength to learn, to open my eyes to his working in these people's lives, and to see hope even in the darkest of places. We get back the following Saturday.
Then it's a week and a half to plan for our grand finale of English Camp week. So it's busy around here! It's busy but God is good. Time is flying by and there are so many cool things going on. In the in-between times of all these things the Lord has also presented us with the opportunity to work with a couple churches in different areas to put on programs to evangelize to children that live on the streets. We have put together a message based on God's desire to protect us, that he does not leave us, that he loves us and wants to be with us always. We are trying to bring a message of hope to these children. God has not forgotten them and that is part of why we are here this summer. Pray for these opportunities. That we would get the supplies we need and that Satan would not hinder us from doing God's work.
Thank you for all your continued prayers. I know I have a lot of things in here that I asked prayer for but prayer is absolutely crucial and we feel it from all of you every single day. You have no idea how many times you have saved us, protected us, and encouraged us.
Laura and Kristi both had an opportunity to go to Cena to see the ministry going on with the people there. Sharon, Bria, and I were all at peace with the fact that there were only two spots available to go and that God was asking us to hold back. But while the girls were gone each of us ladies had a growing desire to be apart of this ministry. By the time the girls got back each of us was praying that God would somehow provide a way for us to go. The missionaries told us it was a one time thing for now but they were potentially going to open this up to church teams in the future. Well I went for a run with Diane Droogsma (one of the missionaries that lives just down the road from us : ) and she started telling me about her desire for us to go to Cena! She felt that God was placing it on her heart and asked us to pray about it. Little did she know that each of us had been praying on our own that God would open this door if it was in his will. The next morning we had a meeting with the Droogsmas and they asked us in the meeting if we would be interested in possibly going back to Cena....ALL of us. Each of hearts jumped at hearing this. God is so good. He shows us every day that he knows the desires of our hearts and that he has plans for us. They may not always come in our timing or the way we expected but he is a God of glorious surprises. We look forward to serving him at Cena if all things work out!
I hope you are seeing God answering the desires of your heart on a daily basis. He does not ignore. He does not forget.
Love and Blessings!
Anna
We have gotten to do so many things, meet so many people, be apart of so many new things. We moved into our apartment, figured out how to buy groceries, get to different places to get daily items for living, figured out how to use the bus transit system and taxis (this is a continued work in progress), got started up the churches we will each be working at, and had many many meetings. This preparation time and these experiences have been a crucial part of paving the way for this upcoming month. We had met people, heard their stories, shared our stories, and have stepped up to go deeper. Now that we have established a firm foundation the Lord is calling us forward to run with what he's laid before us. This next month is a month to truly see the seeds we've begun to plant to grow. It is also a month of opportunity for us to challenge ourselves to go deeper with God, love deeper with God, trust deeper with God. He has a lot of things that he wants us to be apart of and we need to be on our game so that we don't waste opportunities or moments to glorify his kingdom and reach the lost.
You have no idea how much I appreciate all your prayers. They are felt big time. God is doing awesome things down here. This month is going to be really busy which I praise God for! Tonight we are spending the night in the city of Campo Grande. I have a one-on-one with a girl this afternoon and we are having a girls movie night with the youth group ladies this evening. I look forward to this opening up some great opportunities to fellowship and learn about where the girls are at in their walks with the Lord and see how we can encourage more of them personally. God has already begun giving us opportunities to go deeper with a number of the girls but this is a great way for us to really open ourselves to all the young women of the churhc.
When we go to Campo Grande we always stay at a couple's house from the church that we work with primarily. They are an AMAZING couple and God has used them in huge ways in my life already this summer. They have taught me about stepping out in faith, showing your love for the Lord through acts of service, and offering your life to him daily.
We come back tomorrow afternoon and then I leave again Saturday morning to go to a city called Niteroi to go spend some time with a youth group up there. The pastor is a friend of mine and my parents and he asked us to come speak to the youth about our faith. We come back late Sunday night from that. Pray that the Lord would use this time to help us encourage the youth, get them excited for English Camp, and challenge them to invite their friends to come with them so they have a chance to hear about who God is. I want to share my life however God calls me to so please pray for courage that I would be open with my struggles and trials so that I can speak truthfully about God's grace, mercy, and healing in my own walk with the Lord.
Then Tuesday morning I leave for the week to go to the city of Sao Paulo which is 6 hours away. We are going to go serve at a ministry called Cena which goes into the streets offering basic help to the homeless, drug addicted, transvestites, prostitutes, etc. It is an area which is referred to as "The pits of hell on earth". One of the worst neighborhoods in the world. I will need big time prayer for this. I will be seeing things that I could never prepare myself for. I know that I will be shocked but I am praying that I would be able to be involved in serving. That God would give me the strength to learn, to open my eyes to his working in these people's lives, and to see hope even in the darkest of places. We get back the following Saturday.
Then it's a week and a half to plan for our grand finale of English Camp week. So it's busy around here! It's busy but God is good. Time is flying by and there are so many cool things going on. In the in-between times of all these things the Lord has also presented us with the opportunity to work with a couple churches in different areas to put on programs to evangelize to children that live on the streets. We have put together a message based on God's desire to protect us, that he does not leave us, that he loves us and wants to be with us always. We are trying to bring a message of hope to these children. God has not forgotten them and that is part of why we are here this summer. Pray for these opportunities. That we would get the supplies we need and that Satan would not hinder us from doing God's work.
Thank you for all your continued prayers. I know I have a lot of things in here that I asked prayer for but prayer is absolutely crucial and we feel it from all of you every single day. You have no idea how many times you have saved us, protected us, and encouraged us.
Laura and Kristi both had an opportunity to go to Cena to see the ministry going on with the people there. Sharon, Bria, and I were all at peace with the fact that there were only two spots available to go and that God was asking us to hold back. But while the girls were gone each of us ladies had a growing desire to be apart of this ministry. By the time the girls got back each of us was praying that God would somehow provide a way for us to go. The missionaries told us it was a one time thing for now but they were potentially going to open this up to church teams in the future. Well I went for a run with Diane Droogsma (one of the missionaries that lives just down the road from us : ) and she started telling me about her desire for us to go to Cena! She felt that God was placing it on her heart and asked us to pray about it. Little did she know that each of us had been praying on our own that God would open this door if it was in his will. The next morning we had a meeting with the Droogsmas and they asked us in the meeting if we would be interested in possibly going back to Cena....ALL of us. Each of hearts jumped at hearing this. God is so good. He shows us every day that he knows the desires of our hearts and that he has plans for us. They may not always come in our timing or the way we expected but he is a God of glorious surprises. We look forward to serving him at Cena if all things work out!
I hope you are seeing God answering the desires of your heart on a daily basis. He does not ignore. He does not forget.
Love and Blessings!
Anna
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Faith is more then being faithful....
Ok...so I realized that my last blog was quite awhile ago...and it wasn't exactly the best view of what God's been teaching me. So I thought I would send out an update that has a little more to do with how God's been moving here in Brazil...
Well as I sit in my kitchen trying to update friends and family through email, facebook, and skype I look out the sliding glass door of our 7th story apartment and take in the sights of Brazil. There are mountains around us, the ocean is out to my left, Recreio shopping to my right...everything a girl could want! haha The mall is awesome because it has a fantastic little coffee shop and a great super market that fits our needs quite nicely. For example: Last night I made our little family penne pasta, with spaghetti sauce that I doctored up quite nicely with oregano and fresh garlic, we also had steamed broccoli, and homemade cheesy garlic bread! Thanks mom...I can't take the credit for my cooking genius ; ) God has provided for us in numerous ways by allowing us opportunities to make our apartment our home, eating meals that remind us of home, and keeping in contact with people who are our home and our life.
How do I express what God is doing in my life here in Brazil? Man that question could take forever to answer. I lean on God more here. Plain and simple. My friends, family, and loved ones are far from me. But God has given me internet so that I can communicate. He gave me skype so I can see their faces. He blesses me with encouragement from people every single day. The ladies here that I live with have become family to me. We lean on each other. When Laura, Bria, and I were in Campo Grande all this last week staying with a family we missed Sharon and Kristi a ton! It was so awesome to finally come back together and come back to our home. God has blessed me so fully with the ladies I serve with down here. I feel the love! God fills me cup every single day with his love many many times through all of you back home!
God is teaching me about how to be bold in my faith. That it isn't just about reading your bible and faithfully going to church every Sunday. Faith is about actions, it's about deeds, it's about stepping up to the plate when God calls your name. No hesitation, no fear of looking foolish, or wondering what God's plan is. I can't tell you the number of amazing conversations I've had with people by asking them what God has been doing in their lives. I have enjoyed encouraging the students of Campo Grande to step up and challenge one another to not just come to church but to be apostles and to bring the good news to their friends in school. We have an English Night coming up at Campo Grande on Saturday. We have invited kids from all different English courses and churches to come, to invite their friends, and to enjoy american snacks, music, games, and conversation. This is to get them excited for English Camp in July. I really want to challenge the kids of the church to use this as an opportunity for them to be examples of Christ to those who may be seeking or are lost! Please pray that they would step up to the plate!
I am currently reading through James with a young woman here that I have built a relationship with over the last few years during my time in Brazil. God has used this relationship to encourage me to seek out opportunities to share with other students. It is so important not to waste any time!
There are days when I am so exhausted trying to think in Portuguese, when I miss my family like crazy, and when I just wish I could be in my room on my bed or able to have a delicious Mexican meal : ) There are days when I just desire to be with people who know my background and where I've come from. Days when I wish that I could hug my boyfriend and have someone pamper me : ) But MAN let me tell you...God ALWAYS brings me to his throne. He ALWAYS speaks to my heart and helps me to tell him my heart's frustrations and he ALWAYS fills me with his love and strength. I truly have come to experience his provision in all circumstances. There is NOTHING that I cannot do when I look to the Lord of my life. He is the God that I seek to serve in all that I do. In every conversation, every hard moment, every moment that I am lonely, every amazing experience, every triumph, and every moment I learn something new. Faith is not just about being faithful. It is about stepping up to the plate. It is about taking the challenges that God gives you so that you can grow. He keeps asking me to flex my spiritual muscles and when I get tired I look to him to give me the boost I need. I have learned that my faith back home was real. That I truly desire to have him as Lord of my life. But it is here that I am learning how to do that in all that I do.
God is taking me, breaking me, fixing me, strengthening me, transforming me, refining me, celebrating with me, and pouring his love into me.
Praise Him with me in the ways in which he is working in your own life!
Blessings,
Anna
Well as I sit in my kitchen trying to update friends and family through email, facebook, and skype I look out the sliding glass door of our 7th story apartment and take in the sights of Brazil. There are mountains around us, the ocean is out to my left, Recreio shopping to my right...everything a girl could want! haha The mall is awesome because it has a fantastic little coffee shop and a great super market that fits our needs quite nicely. For example: Last night I made our little family penne pasta, with spaghetti sauce that I doctored up quite nicely with oregano and fresh garlic, we also had steamed broccoli, and homemade cheesy garlic bread! Thanks mom...I can't take the credit for my cooking genius ; ) God has provided for us in numerous ways by allowing us opportunities to make our apartment our home, eating meals that remind us of home, and keeping in contact with people who are our home and our life.
How do I express what God is doing in my life here in Brazil? Man that question could take forever to answer. I lean on God more here. Plain and simple. My friends, family, and loved ones are far from me. But God has given me internet so that I can communicate. He gave me skype so I can see their faces. He blesses me with encouragement from people every single day. The ladies here that I live with have become family to me. We lean on each other. When Laura, Bria, and I were in Campo Grande all this last week staying with a family we missed Sharon and Kristi a ton! It was so awesome to finally come back together and come back to our home. God has blessed me so fully with the ladies I serve with down here. I feel the love! God fills me cup every single day with his love many many times through all of you back home!
God is teaching me about how to be bold in my faith. That it isn't just about reading your bible and faithfully going to church every Sunday. Faith is about actions, it's about deeds, it's about stepping up to the plate when God calls your name. No hesitation, no fear of looking foolish, or wondering what God's plan is. I can't tell you the number of amazing conversations I've had with people by asking them what God has been doing in their lives. I have enjoyed encouraging the students of Campo Grande to step up and challenge one another to not just come to church but to be apostles and to bring the good news to their friends in school. We have an English Night coming up at Campo Grande on Saturday. We have invited kids from all different English courses and churches to come, to invite their friends, and to enjoy american snacks, music, games, and conversation. This is to get them excited for English Camp in July. I really want to challenge the kids of the church to use this as an opportunity for them to be examples of Christ to those who may be seeking or are lost! Please pray that they would step up to the plate!
I am currently reading through James with a young woman here that I have built a relationship with over the last few years during my time in Brazil. God has used this relationship to encourage me to seek out opportunities to share with other students. It is so important not to waste any time!
There are days when I am so exhausted trying to think in Portuguese, when I miss my family like crazy, and when I just wish I could be in my room on my bed or able to have a delicious Mexican meal : ) There are days when I just desire to be with people who know my background and where I've come from. Days when I wish that I could hug my boyfriend and have someone pamper me : ) But MAN let me tell you...God ALWAYS brings me to his throne. He ALWAYS speaks to my heart and helps me to tell him my heart's frustrations and he ALWAYS fills me with his love and strength. I truly have come to experience his provision in all circumstances. There is NOTHING that I cannot do when I look to the Lord of my life. He is the God that I seek to serve in all that I do. In every conversation, every hard moment, every moment that I am lonely, every amazing experience, every triumph, and every moment I learn something new. Faith is not just about being faithful. It is about stepping up to the plate. It is about taking the challenges that God gives you so that you can grow. He keeps asking me to flex my spiritual muscles and when I get tired I look to him to give me the boost I need. I have learned that my faith back home was real. That I truly desire to have him as Lord of my life. But it is here that I am learning how to do that in all that I do.
God is taking me, breaking me, fixing me, strengthening me, transforming me, refining me, celebrating with me, and pouring his love into me.
Praise Him with me in the ways in which he is working in your own life!
Blessings,
Anna
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Ahhh the life of a carioca
Hello!
Sorry I know I have been slacking off on blogging but I didn't have a good internet connection in our apartment until two days ago! So PRAISE GOD! We now have internet in our apartment. This is only one of the ways that God has taught us to trust in him during our time in Rio.
Thank you to each and every one of you who has prayed for us over the last few months and especially during our first official week in Brazil. It has been a crazy and awesome transition. We are slowly getting integrated into daily life here and it's awesome.
Here are a few of our routines:
-Daily walks to the Recreio shopping mall across the street from our apartment. They have clothing stores and everything like a regular mall but we like it because it has "Casa & Video" which is a store that has nicknacks for our apartment like rugs, racks for drying clothes, pots, pans, etc. We also like the mall because it has a "Sendas" which is a small grocery store where we can buy fresh bread, cheese, meat, delicious fruit, and of course the staples such as Guarana, pao do quiejo, and cookies.
-Going to the ocean. It is only a fifteen minute walk from our apartment and it is a GORGEOUS beach!!! Looking at it is beautiful and hopefully we will all be lookin like Brazilians by the time we leave in two months ; )
-Keeping our apartment clean: we have tile floors so it gets dirty quick and with no dish washer the dishes stack up quick. But we just got a washing machine today so we are living large!
-With only six Portuguese channels, no dvd player, and only one computer with internet we spend a lot of time reading on the roof, talking and getting to know one another (sharing some seriously hilarious and awkward moments), going on walks around the beautiful neighborhood, showering, and sleeping.
-We are always trying to learn more Portuguese! So we read billboards, read our books, and try talking to people to pick up more everyday!
It is cool because we each get to find a Brazilian to partner up with and learn Portuguese while we teach them English. I will be connecting with a woman named Luciana who is a physcial fitness trainer :) oh yeah. Hopefully I'll get to hit the local gym down the street where she works a few times. I have started running outside on different routes and I love it! We also have a gym up top but I haven't tried that one out yet. Our roof has a gorgeous view of the ocean, a gym, a coffee shop and a pool. I want to swim really bad but it hasn't been that warm and I'm pretty sure the Brazilians in our building would look at me like I'm crazy because it is their winter here. But those of you who know me know I really don't care about being crazy so I'll probably be taking a dip...I'll let you know how it goes.
I am sleeping well here (thanks for the prayer Brian : ) and my quiet time has been amazing. The Lord has been taking me through Mark and I am learning a ton. We are also doing a bible study as a group reading through Cast of Characters. It is a book by Max Lucado where he takes a look at different characters in the bible that God uses in big ways even though they seem like ordinary people. So far we have read about Joseph and Matthew. I would highly recommend this book.
Funny stories....you all know me. I am not much of a coordinated person. So besides the daily tripping over sidewalks, rocks, cords, and the other usuals I have had a few mishaps.
1. The first night I tried to make us some pao do quiejo for dinner. It's little mini rolls with cheese in the middle. Very delicious. But our oven doesn't have a rack in it currently and we didn't have a baking sheet or a pan without plastic handles that would melt in the oven so I tried to make an oven out of the stove. Needless to say it did NOT work and I burned the living daylights out of the pao, made our apartment stink, and caused us to eat granola bars for dinner.
2. The second night we got a baking pan and I jimmyrigged the racks on top of the stove to fit in the oven. So again....I made pao. It looked beautifully golden brown and delicious. But when I went to go pull the meal out of the oven I didn't open the door wide enough and it slammed back and scraped/burned my hand on it's way. I yelled out in a fit of joy as my hand started gushing blood and seared from the heat. Needless to say the pao was still good and the hand is finally healing.
3. The third night I was outside on a bench just across from our apartment because we don't have internet in our house trying to write a few emails to family and loved ones. It was the first time that I wore shorts outside even though it was chilly out. I figured I would be safe from mosquitoes. WRONG! By the time I finished my legs were feeling really weird. They were burning. So I hurried up and ran inside. When I got in the elevator and finally looked down at my legs I realized that I had been bitten ALL OVER! I mean I looked like I had a flesh born disease on my legs! It was crazy!!! So my roommates tried to help me by buying me some ointment for my legs but what I didn't realize at the time was that it was cortizone cream...which I just so happen to be allergic too. So I woke up in the middle of the night with a burning/itching sensation that I have never experienced before in my life. Praise God...I had one benadryl in the bottom of my suitcase. Now it's all good my legs are tan and normal...for now.
These are the basics for now. Much more has transpired but I cannot make this blog too long for the sake of my faithful readers. More to come.
God is good. We had a great time with the youth group saturday night and at the church service sunday evening seeing old friends and meeting new ones. God is setting up opportunities to work with differnt churches, possible opportunities helping homeless street kids, mentoring young adults, going and inviting local youth at English courses throughout the city to the Celivre church and so much more. So pray for the ministries that God is preparing for us. Pray for the students and people we will come into contact with. And pray that we would keep our eyes continuously focused on Him!!!
Thank you for all the prayer and encouragement. It has made all the difference in the world!
Blessings,
Anna
Sorry I know I have been slacking off on blogging but I didn't have a good internet connection in our apartment until two days ago! So PRAISE GOD! We now have internet in our apartment. This is only one of the ways that God has taught us to trust in him during our time in Rio.
Thank you to each and every one of you who has prayed for us over the last few months and especially during our first official week in Brazil. It has been a crazy and awesome transition. We are slowly getting integrated into daily life here and it's awesome.
Here are a few of our routines:
-Daily walks to the Recreio shopping mall across the street from our apartment. They have clothing stores and everything like a regular mall but we like it because it has "Casa & Video" which is a store that has nicknacks for our apartment like rugs, racks for drying clothes, pots, pans, etc. We also like the mall because it has a "Sendas" which is a small grocery store where we can buy fresh bread, cheese, meat, delicious fruit, and of course the staples such as Guarana, pao do quiejo, and cookies.
-Going to the ocean. It is only a fifteen minute walk from our apartment and it is a GORGEOUS beach!!! Looking at it is beautiful and hopefully we will all be lookin like Brazilians by the time we leave in two months ; )
-Keeping our apartment clean: we have tile floors so it gets dirty quick and with no dish washer the dishes stack up quick. But we just got a washing machine today so we are living large!
-With only six Portuguese channels, no dvd player, and only one computer with internet we spend a lot of time reading on the roof, talking and getting to know one another (sharing some seriously hilarious and awkward moments), going on walks around the beautiful neighborhood, showering, and sleeping.
-We are always trying to learn more Portuguese! So we read billboards, read our books, and try talking to people to pick up more everyday!
It is cool because we each get to find a Brazilian to partner up with and learn Portuguese while we teach them English. I will be connecting with a woman named Luciana who is a physcial fitness trainer :) oh yeah. Hopefully I'll get to hit the local gym down the street where she works a few times. I have started running outside on different routes and I love it! We also have a gym up top but I haven't tried that one out yet. Our roof has a gorgeous view of the ocean, a gym, a coffee shop and a pool. I want to swim really bad but it hasn't been that warm and I'm pretty sure the Brazilians in our building would look at me like I'm crazy because it is their winter here. But those of you who know me know I really don't care about being crazy so I'll probably be taking a dip...I'll let you know how it goes.
I am sleeping well here (thanks for the prayer Brian : ) and my quiet time has been amazing. The Lord has been taking me through Mark and I am learning a ton. We are also doing a bible study as a group reading through Cast of Characters. It is a book by Max Lucado where he takes a look at different characters in the bible that God uses in big ways even though they seem like ordinary people. So far we have read about Joseph and Matthew. I would highly recommend this book.
Funny stories....you all know me. I am not much of a coordinated person. So besides the daily tripping over sidewalks, rocks, cords, and the other usuals I have had a few mishaps.
1. The first night I tried to make us some pao do quiejo for dinner. It's little mini rolls with cheese in the middle. Very delicious. But our oven doesn't have a rack in it currently and we didn't have a baking sheet or a pan without plastic handles that would melt in the oven so I tried to make an oven out of the stove. Needless to say it did NOT work and I burned the living daylights out of the pao, made our apartment stink, and caused us to eat granola bars for dinner.
2. The second night we got a baking pan and I jimmyrigged the racks on top of the stove to fit in the oven. So again....I made pao. It looked beautifully golden brown and delicious. But when I went to go pull the meal out of the oven I didn't open the door wide enough and it slammed back and scraped/burned my hand on it's way. I yelled out in a fit of joy as my hand started gushing blood and seared from the heat. Needless to say the pao was still good and the hand is finally healing.
3. The third night I was outside on a bench just across from our apartment because we don't have internet in our house trying to write a few emails to family and loved ones. It was the first time that I wore shorts outside even though it was chilly out. I figured I would be safe from mosquitoes. WRONG! By the time I finished my legs were feeling really weird. They were burning. So I hurried up and ran inside. When I got in the elevator and finally looked down at my legs I realized that I had been bitten ALL OVER! I mean I looked like I had a flesh born disease on my legs! It was crazy!!! So my roommates tried to help me by buying me some ointment for my legs but what I didn't realize at the time was that it was cortizone cream...which I just so happen to be allergic too. So I woke up in the middle of the night with a burning/itching sensation that I have never experienced before in my life. Praise God...I had one benadryl in the bottom of my suitcase. Now it's all good my legs are tan and normal...for now.
These are the basics for now. Much more has transpired but I cannot make this blog too long for the sake of my faithful readers. More to come.
God is good. We had a great time with the youth group saturday night and at the church service sunday evening seeing old friends and meeting new ones. God is setting up opportunities to work with differnt churches, possible opportunities helping homeless street kids, mentoring young adults, going and inviting local youth at English courses throughout the city to the Celivre church and so much more. So pray for the ministries that God is preparing for us. Pray for the students and people we will come into contact with. And pray that we would keep our eyes continuously focused on Him!!!
Thank you for all the prayer and encouragement. It has made all the difference in the world!
Blessings,
Anna
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Beginning
Hey everyone!
Welcome to my blog! I thought I would create this so there is an easy way for me to update everyone about what's going on during my time in Rio! I am so excited to head out. Four more weeks! The Lord has been doing so much already and I can't wait to see his presence at work when we hit the ground in Rio. Thanks for following along with me. I hope you enjoy the photo's and information. Feel free to keep me updated about life from the U.S.!
Blessings!
Anna
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