Sunday, June 17, 2007

Friday and Saturday

Alright where to start? This is going to be a catch up.
Friday: I did it!! Heather and I got up early and went walking in the park near the apartment. While she did Portuguese class I made by first trip to the church by myself. It is about a 45min to an hour trip. A walk to the bus stop, ride on the bus, then a walk to the church. I had to go and meet one of Katherine’s readers and then one of Andy’s. Andy’s reader was a no show. Katherine and I were going to go the store to buy groceries for sack lunches that we were going to hand out on Saturday night to the street kids and adults in the area. When we were ready to go we realized that Lindsey had taken all the money with her and she would not be back until three. Oh well. I went to catch a bus home and I ended up missing my bus 3 times. Well I made it home and had time to eat a quick bowl of chicken spaghetti and Heather and I were off to the store. We took a taxi to SAMS CLUB to get some photos printed for VBS. Due to card problems we could not buy the groceries that we gathered while waiting for the prints therefore we walked down the street to a store called Hiper. It is pronounced E-per but is defiantly a hyper store. It is owned by Wal-Mart and it looks the same just a different language on the isles. It is soooo crowded. Our short trip to the store turned into a 3 hour trip due to check out lines. We got back home with an hour to spare before Youth Night. Youth Night was good. I still have a hard time getting into it because of the language barrier and in a new crowd I am not the most social person. Katherine and I went down to the store and got the stuff for Saturday night and then I helped get ready for the meal that they serve every Youth Night. After dinner we played ping pong. Brazilian scoring is pretty interesting. Randy was the Champ.
Saturday: Today I had a hard time getting up. I felt like a Zombie most of the morning. I felt lazy just reading and writing. I was supposed to have language class but due to things that came up Rebecca had to cancel for the day. Heather was gone up to the church and I was chilling at home. Randy had to go run errands and Jen and Kelton were going to the store. I decided to tag along. Maybe some movement would wake me up. Jen, Kelton and I were dropped off at Hiper. I really didn’t think I would be back there twice in the same week. We talked to Heather on the cell phone and discovered that she had taken the wrong bus from the church and was now way off track. She caught another bus and met us at the store. Turns out that she was supposed to take Pituba R1 or Pituba R2 but she just heard that she needed R1 or R2. It was kind of funny. Anyway she made it to us. We caught a taxi home, unloaded everything, ate lunch (Kelton wanted eggs so I made a scambled egg sandwich) and I had time for a quick nap before small group time. Small group was good. I read out loud in Portuguese so did Katherine (the other English speaker). The lesson was also over Jesus feeding the 5000 which is the same story Heather is teaching at VBS on Sunday. After small group we went to the church and split into groups to go hand out food. It was Heather, Matt, the LST team and me. Matt, Beth, Katherine, and I went in the car while Heather and the rest went walking down to the park. Heather’s group gave out one sack and then they were bombarded by kids and two adults. They gave out all their lunches in a matter of minuets. We drove to a few spots and gave out all of ours. There was a large group of kids with their mothers near my bus stop, two men and a very happy older woman on another corner and two girls with a baby on another. The street kids here go out in the road when the cars are stopped and they juggle or do tricks with sticks (like the black and green ones Dwight got from the Caribbean). Sometimes people will clean your windows or wash your cars for coins. We try to help them out when we can. They are always there. After we were done Beth, Heather and I went to dinner. We went Joia which is a sushi lounge. It was great. We got yokisoba and sushi. It was a very nice place and surprising cheap. (We did split one plate between the three of us) After dinner there was an English praise and worship night at Matt and Mary’s. It was great for all of us to worship together. Beth from the LST team is leaving on Sunday to go home for Medical school and Andy and Katherine are leaving on Wednesday. While I listened to the stories that were shared I got to thinking. I have had a good time here but I feel like there is something that has been holding me back from really diving into the experience. I think that this internship has been something that I felt that I had to get through. Granted this though has been in the back of my mind so I was not aware of it before now. I hope to change this mindset. I just need to find my place here.

1 comment:

Dwight's Mom said...

Wow, busy sounds like the way to go.
We have had a weekend of Wii in celebration of father's day and, a continued celebration of D's Birthday. We miss you, but life is "all good" knowing you are doing God's work. Let's see, how many days are left? Enjoy every minuet of this time God has set before you. Learn all that is put before you, even singing songs in another language. Know we are thinking of you often.
Mindsets are sometimes hard to get by. God is pretty good at helping as long as your listening. That you have recognized this thought can only be good. God will work through you, I am sure. We pray for you everyday and for the specific needs you mention to us. Go with God and stay safe. Love, Patty :-)