Trash Talk

One of the "little" things that I enjoy about this country is the trash pick-up. I know that's weird, but stay with me. In São Paulo they picked up our trash three times a week, and I thought that was great. Then we moved here, and they pick up trash EVERY DAY! Yes, every day, except Sunday, they come by and pick up trash. They even work on most holidays. This seems like a little thing to many, but it makes a huge difference in the cleanliness of our city. With the heat and humidity, if I forget to put out the trash one day, it gets pretty nasty by the next day. Imagine a whole week!

Recently we got our property tax bill (which the renter has to pay, by the way--another post for another time). We were looking at it and noticed that there was a charge for the trash pick-up on it. We didn't even know that we paid for it. It was the equivalent of a whopping $17....a year....to pick up my trash...every day!  What a bargain!

Brass Duet

Jeremy arranged a duet for the boys to play for a special service where we were recently invited. They worked hard to get it together, and did well. They are really improving. I didn't get to video at the church when they actually did it, so this is a re-do at home.

New (to us) Vehicle

We have been praying for a while that the Lord would allow us to get a different vehicle that would be more appropriate for the more  rugged terrain of this area. It is not an exaggeration to say that there are no cities in our state that have all paved roads, and even the ones that are paved are usually full of large pot holes.  More than once we have had to swerve off of the highway to avoid these holes, or other vehicles swerving around the holes or other obstructions. The highway has no shoulder, and many times there is quite a drop off from the pavement.

We wanted a vehicle that would sit up higher than a car, with larger tires and 4 wheel drive. After much searching, the Lord led us to this vehicle.

This week we were finally able to finalize the deal and bring home our new (to us) vehicle.

 2007 Mitsubishi Pajero TR4

Aside from being safer for our family, it will also allow us to have more flexibility in where we travel.  There are many remote villages and people groups in this part of the country, and we are praying about opportunities to take trips into these areas to reach these people.

No Caption Needed

Judson with his friend Caleb

A Fifteen-Year-Old's Dream

It is a custom here in Brazil for a girl to have a big formal celebration for her 15th birthday. This custom (from what I understand) originated from the European tradition of a girl have a "coming out" party to introduce her into society as a candidate for marriage. This is no longer the purpose of the party, but the tradition continues. Of course not everyone of this age has such a party, and some are much more elaborate than others.

For those families who are involved in church, many times the ceremony becomes part of a church service or involves a time of preaching, much like giving a charge to a couple at a wedding ceremony. This weekend Jeremy was invited to be the speaker at one of these birthday celebrations, so we were able to go and participate. 

 The ceremony resembled a wedding in many ways. In fact, the girl was mistakenly referred to as the bride more than once! She wore a formal gown, and had nine friends who wore matching formal dresses and walked in before her. They also had escorts dressed in tuxedos. The church was decorated with flowers, all color-coordinating with the dresses. Her parents each said something about her, and they presented her with a Bible and a piece of jewelry. 

 After this ceremony there was a reception with appetizers, a dinner, desserts and cake, just like a wedding reception. {This was definitely on the more elaborate end of the party spectrum!}  As is customary for parties in Brazil, the dinner wasn't served until about 10:00 pm. We stayed as long as we could, until the boys were literally sleeping at the table. We didn't hold out for the cutting of the cake which we heard happened around 12:30 am. 

It was an interesting experience, but made me glad that I don't have a daughter who would expect something like this!

Fun "Foto" Flashback

A perfect explanation of why we finally gave up the fight and just keep Judson's hair buzzed short now! 

July 2008

Church Building Dedication

Last weekend we were invited to the Igreja Batista Bíblica do Vale (Bible Baptist Church of the Valley) in Itapuã do Oeste to help with the music for the dedication service of their new church building. This is the church where we spent about four months when we first moved to Rondônia, and the people there are very special to us. 

 Tom and Cindy Brewer have been serving in Itapuã for about sixteen years.

Saturday evening was family night with pizza and a church service. 

It rained hard that evening, but despite that there was a good crowd. Many people come to church on foot or by bicycle on dirt roads, so rain can really be a hindrance.

We really enjoyed meeting the Brewers' home pastor, Pastor Jason Gaddis and his wife Angie from Southwest Baptist Church in Oklahoma City who came  to preach for these special services.

 They were very kind to our family and they were a great encouragement.

The new auditorium was full on Sunday morning.

It was a fun weekend catching up with old friends.

 

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve and thankful for a safe trip there and back.