Brazil Visit 5, Post 3

Tuesday was a long miserable day of travel beginning at 6/30 in the morning and ending after midnight. Now I had prayed for suffering the day before along the lines of 1 Peter 4:1. "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking because whoever who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." Unfortunately the stress of travel was probably not what Peter had in mind when he wrote the verse. Madrugada is the word in Portuguese for the time period between midnight and sunrise. This happens to be Brazilians favorite time of the day. I am staying in a small city ( Carangola) in the interior of the state of Minas Gerais. ( General Mines). Carangola lies in a little valley surrounded by hills and steep cliffs. This is my second visit. I think that Carangola has more dogs than people. I counted eighteen on my walk this morning. The streets in this neighborhood are quite steep providing very good exercise as I chug along behind my 29 year old friend Thiago. It is summer here so quite hot. I am not adjusted as it is winter in the US. The roosters crow early, and they with chickens, cats and dogs roam the streets looking for food. The family with whom i am staying has a sixteen month old boy who can already do things on a cell phone, plug a cord into the wall, not to mention continual movement. Two nights ago i went to a "grupo caseiro," ( house group meeting. A brother named Gilberto shared on the theme of tribulation. Last night we went to a neighboring city called Espera Feliz, where i was asked to teach on the kingdom of God. Apparently this made considerable impact, obviously the work of the Holy Spirit. This morning we walked to an open air market, held every Friday, and Thiago purchased vegetables and other fresh items. A little river winds thru the town and we walk over many old bridges. My Portuguese slowly improves but often I don't get the details. Tonight I am asked to speak to a group of married couples.