Guiapari

As is usual my sense of how things are spelled is sketchy unless i see it enough times. In the city of Guiapari, a coastal town enjoyed by Brazilian tourists, my new friend Junio, a Brazilian missionary serving in a smaller Asian country, and I are hosted by Vincente & Ana, parents of Laura, a three year old. The next morning they serve the classic Brazilian breakfast- coffee, yougurt, bread with thin sandwich meat and cheese accompanied by coffee cake. They live close to the beach. Junio & I walk the boardwalk, six kilometers in all (3.5 miles). We are the first ones to assemble. Very gradually over the next several hours other A team members arrive. Mateus (2 and a half), our youngest member, enjoys playing in the sand and surf. We are surrounded by vendors hawking food items, beach wraps (like a thin sari) sunglasses and other things. Eventually about fifteen A teamers are huddled talking to each other. They can do this all day.
   Lunch calls and Junio & i return to Vincente's home. Ana has prepared the classic almoco- meat, beans, rice and salad. Later we go to the gathering. The church is only about 30 people but they have rented a nice, carpeted hall in which four or five hundred believers gather. They come from all over the region, and i see many friends ( Marco A & Cida, Hid & family, Vanessa, Asaph & Karen, Gilmar & Ana and others.) We have powerful worship, four different elders speak, other people give testimonies, we see a video of church members, the A team is introduced, and I am asked to speak a sentence in Portuguese to show that I can. Liliani, an English teacher, has taught me a Portuguese tongue twister which translates to "Three plates of wheat for three sad tigers. In Portuguese most of these words begin with the same sound, and they have trouble saying it. I don't have the same difficulty because we have this sound in English.
     Finally my friend Vinci speaks and i am encouraged that whereas I only got about 20/30 % of what the other speakers said, I understand about 90% of his message. Everyone has a different rthymn to their speech and i have heard him many times. He also pauses for emphasis so I can catch up. At length we lay hands on and pray for the two new elders.
   The next day we go to a large home with a swimming pool. Eventually about one hundred people gather. The classic Brazilian barbecue goes on literally for many hours. The church serves us. People continually circulate with food, beverages, and the slightest need is attended to cheerfully and immediately. No king received better service. I have a good conversation with Asaph's namorada- she does not speak English- and another with two sisters who do. One lived in the US for 3.5 years. I am introduced to many people whose names i wish i could remember. Mateus gives me a present.
     Eventually i am told that the A team is about to leave. This is difficult to believe because it is not yet dark and we don't seem to be able to travel until then. However by the time we are finally assembled it is in fact dark, and we proceed with eighteen people in a 15 passenger van. The A team changes with our younger Vitoria based members dropped off, and a missionary family from Africa added. Even our faithful driver changes. Wender is from a different church but we have integrated him into our family, and God has impacted his life.
     We go to Coqueiral where i was a month before and have another meal with the church there. Four homes have been opened to our expanding group. I am in the home of my good friend Marcos. The hospitality is amazing. My room has a couple of chocolates. One is white and star shaped. I enjoy white chocolate and almost bite into it before i realize it is soap.