Brazil Visit 4 Post 10

Following my adventure up the mountain, i have resumed walking along the beach. Saturday morning got off to a late start. About the same numbers of people were exercising, but far more were on the beach itself. Many Brazilians spend much of their free time at the beach. Of course, even in winter it is warm here. Sunday i started much earlier and the whole beach was comparatively deserted although i was practically run over by a bicyclist in the pedestrian area. These areas are adjacent but very clearly marked. Yesterday my host invited three young people to join us for the midday meal. One, now a married woman, had, with her parents, hosted me four years ago, although i had not seen her since. Another is a young medical student that i met at this year's missionary conference. We had an enjoyable time together. Last evening i went to one of the larger group meetings, with over a hundred people. On the way in I met a man who is a doctor, and was a pastor in the US, where he lived in the same area where i went to high school. He agreed to translate for me as i had been given the opportunity to share a little. As it happened, he was the other primary speaker, so he did double duty. I spoke a little on the theme of persecution, a subject rarely mentioned in the church in North America. I sat next to a young American woman, who is a childhood and continuing friend of the woman getting married today, as the latter lived in the US for seven years. The American woman does not speak any Portuguese, so I relived my first visit to Brazil, when i spoke no Portuguese and did not know the country or the culture. It can be overwhelming. Afterwards my host, another friend and i went back to the Syrian restarant described in a prior post. Apparently he really likes the place. At the meeting saw another young man and his wife, who live near Rio, whom i had not seen since my first visit four years ago. Was very nice to have a conversation and to be able to pronounce his first name correctly now. I am growing in my ability to communicate in Portuguese, but it is better to have a translator for larger groups in fairness to them. Today is the wedding, the third i will have celebrated in Brazil. This may be a little different as the bride has intentionally tried to reduce all the normal elements to a manageable level although she has nine bridesmaids. Afterwards i will go to another city, where i have stayed in the past. My host is one of the only Brazilians that i know personally that likes to walk for exercise as much as i do. Also he and his wife do not speak English, which is good for me. One of the reasons that i come here is to improve my Portuguese, but many want to practice their English with me.