Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre (roughly Happy Port) is the major city in the southernmost state in Brazil called Rio Grande do Sul, or great river of the south. This is my 4th or 5th visit overall. Greeted by my good friend Samir at rhe airport which like most of the city was inundated by major flooding last year. Am hosted by a couple, one a retired engineer, and his wife who has an art school on the premises. She specializes in mosaics. The property is like a museum with an overwhelming array of art works, antiques, artifacts and knickknacks. It really deserves a documentary. At night there has been a series of teachings by an Argentinian brother on the theme of the family. This church has about 1200 people. Seeing brethren from prior visits and speaking with new friends. One co.mon question that I receive is how have I learned Portuguese? I reply that I am still learning and not fluent. The actual answer is through various computer programs, periods of immersion and daily reading the Bible in Portuguese.

Grande Vitória

The churches in the greater Vitória metro area (Grande Vitória) purchased a number of acres in the country complete with a small pool for baptisms, kitchen, short term rentals, large meeting hall etc. This is called a sítio in Portuguese. I had the opportunity to visit there for the first time yesterday. The six churches involved have about one thousand people of which maybe half attended. There was a time of worship, visitors were welcomed, and a number of announcements were made about upcoming gatherings. Then a Brazilian missionary working in Indonesia was invited to speak. I was given the privilege of praying for him, in Portuguese, prior to his message. Brazilians are famed throughout the world for their prowess in soccer, and he has used this as a means to start a business as a soccer coach to support his evangelistic efforts. Saw a number of friends including Gilmar, Juninho, Pedro, Vinci, Samia, and others. It was a pleasant experience.

Itaguacu

Itaguacu is a small town in the interior of the state of Espírito Santo. (Holy Spirit). The name is indigenous and I have no idea what it signifies.I went by car with a couple Lauro and Gianni. He is one of the leaders of the church in Vitória and, like many Brazilian men, a jokester. The town is reached by an incredibly winding, sinuous road carved out of mountain sides. Not the most pleasant experience as I had thrown out my back that morning. This happens rarely and stems from a severe fall taken 34 years ago one New England winter. On the way we stopped at the town of Santa Theresa, so Lauro could visit someone in the hospital. Finally arrived about 6:15 and was greeted by Jeremias, the leader of the church there, whose daughter and son in law I know. There was a meeting of the leadership that evening. We were a dozen people. Lauro, a cancer survivor, spoke to them with power and anointing. I was asked to say a few words and showed examples of Peter and Paul's humility. Afterwards we had pizza and Jeremias tried mightily to have me drink coffee. His town is claimed to be in the center of the best coffee growing area in Brazil so I understand. On the way we passed many hillsides terraced with coffee plants, and most of the church works with coffee growing. Received prayer for my back which was experiencing significant pain. Returned at midnight concluding my adventure.

Cafe

Coffee (cafe) is extremely important in Brazilian culture. Indeed their first meal is called "Cafe da manha", or coffee of the morning. As I don't drink coffee I decided to explain this by saying that I was born on a different planet. The other day I mentioned how important I thought coffee was in Brazilian culture, and was directed to Luke 10:27 which refers to loving God with every part of us.(The Great Commandment) In the Portuguese version the four letters of the word "cafe" are replicated in the first letters of the 4 things that Luke mentions, as follows. C = coração, or heart in English A= alma, or soul F= força or strength E= entendimento or understanding Yesterday attended an initial meeting of a Bible study group. The leader, a young man, was both humble and well organized. I was impressed. Later, our host, labored for several hours making pizza from scratch which he cooked in his wood burning oven. Brazilian pizza features very thin crusts with tomato sauce, sprinkled cheese and various toppings. As usual everyone tries to feed me to within an inch of my life. Finally I had to say, "Eu não sou um Rei." (I am not a King.)

Desafios

Generally I like Brazil and enjoy Brazilians, especially the Christians, but there are some challenges.(desafios) One is the cultural imperative of almost constant eating. When Tolkien described Hobbits he said of them that they ate six times a day. Many Brazilians would make good hobbits. Normally I only eat breakfast and lunch.Try doing that in Brazil without offending or concerning your hosts. Another challenge is "troca" or change, which in eight visits I still haven't fogured out. In the US if I purchase something for $8 and give a,$20 I receive $12 in change with no problem.In Brazil except for larger grocery stores this is an issue. For some unknown reason the central bank, which issues the currency doesn't print very many smaller denomination bills so everyone wants exact change. A third is "barulho" or loud noise whether from people or dogs. Brazilian culture is very expressive, animated and loud. Because there is no concept of personal space the ideal is to gather as many people as possible into as small a space as possible which fosters their relationships. Sometimes this is too much for a cranky old gringo. Normally the blessings outweigh the challenges.

Jovens

Last night had a delightful evening with 4 young people in their 20's. I personally find that the generations have more interaction than in the US, but maybe that's just with me. Layanne, a young woman I had met in Brasilia, the capital, is now married to João (John) a very popular name in Brazil. She made a delicious meal. The 4 young people laughed and talked a mile a minute. Afterwards we played a game of Jenga with identical blocks in a tower. The idea is to remove the blocks one by one without the tower falling. Brazilians have a rush hour, and as in the US, it lasts many hours. Because words in Portuguese that begin with the letter "r" have an "h" sound, it's the hour of "hush."

Pregações

Preaching. Was invited to preach 3 times in 4 days, usually with little notice. Thank You, God for immersing me in your Word. The first was at a home group where I shared on the purpose of the trials that we face (James 1:2-4) of being conformed to the image of Christ. The 2nd was at a regular church in Vila Velha (old town). Here I spoke on dependence on God (John 15:5) using the mentions of Paul's companion in ministry Tychicus,to illustrate this. The 3rd was at another church in Guarapari, south of Vitória, in an idyllic setting next to a small lake. Here I shared on some of Paul's prayers for churches recorded in his epistles. How different the themes of his prayers are than what we typically pray for. In the home group there was no translator so I spoke in Portuguese. In both churches there was a translator, and as is almost always the case, it was their first time. I trust God is using their experience so that someone else can follow me. I am very thankful for the many brethren who have helped me in this way.