One Month 🇧🇷

Today marks one month of my life in Brazil.

The longer I am here the more clearly I see how Brazil is a land of opposites. Extreme beauty brushing shoulders with extreme poverty. Pet dogs bathed daily with fancy collars and t-shirts (they even sell meat flavored wine here to celebrate with your pooch) living in gated communities. Pathetic strays with ribs jutting out and open sores festering, waiting just outside that same gated community. Even the “rules” I have been given seem to contradict themselves. When offered food always accept. Never eat food unless you know how it was cleaned and prepared. Always look up when walking: know who is in front of you and who is behind you, pay attention to what they are doing- always look up.  Always look down when walking: pay attention to places where snakes camouflage in the road and scorpions borrow- always look down. In a place where contradictions are so blatant, it is such a blessing to have a God is constant and sovereign, a God who sees the poverty and the strays and is moved with compassion.

In my personal life, I have been working through the struggle of losing my independence. I have been meditating on Psalms 46 and in my devotional time this week I have been meditating on Matthew 16:25, “For whoever would save his life shall lose it: and whoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Before I thought the verse meant that if you give your life to Christ you gain eternal life. And, yes that is true, but I have been gaining a better understanding of how much deeper the message is. Giving my life may be something as simple- and as difficult- as giving up my right to do my own grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is probably one of the chores I most detest. Yet, when I came to Brazil and needed to rely on someone else doing that for me, it was hard for me to let go. But this week I began to release control. I think of it  like the Brazil version of Amazon- text John a picture of the shampoo you like and he will bring you home something similar within a few days. Amazon is a great thing, and the Brazil version is an acceptable second choice. This past week I also read Corrie Ten Boom’s autobiography The Hiding Place. Her testament and her faith was inspiring and caused me to ask myself hard questions and regain my focus.

Anna is very excited. She approached the principal of a local public school about starting Bible classes there. He was very excited to have her come. He said he was Catholic but didn’t understand the Bible and though it was wonderful she wanted to teach children how to understand the Bible. The school is tiny. Grades k-6. 60 students from a very poor community. The school has been robbed three times this year and vandalized. The state doesn’t mow the lawn so they can’t play outside because of the dangers in the tall grass. Please be praying for the school, the principal, Anna, and the students. I am hoping that maybe my schedule after the New Year will allow me to go with Anna. I would like to see first hand what a public school in Brazil is like and I would love to be part of sharing Christ with the children there.

In September, Anna and I are going to start a Bible study together. We go to church a lot, but all the messages are in Portuguese. Even though I am studying my Bible on my own and streaming Fellowships Sunday services, it is important to have someone to study with.

It’s hard making friends or meaningful connections when I can’t communicate more than pleasantries. I am a little frustrated. I spent this past year taking online classes daily and being tutored by Anna for an hour and a half every week. I was hoping to be more fluent than I am. Some days an entire day goes by without me having a single real adult conversation. The closest thing would be talking to Isaac about Pokemon, which is almost like a foreign language. I registered for online classes again and will start them on Monday. I am hoping it will help.

Thank you for your continued prayers,

Rachael