3 WEEKS

Three weeks. We’ve been here three weeks – sometimes it feels like we just got here and sometimes it feels like we’ve been here for ages.

This week we mostly had practices for the program. I was grateful that I didn’t have to help teach much, because I got pretty sick on Wednesday and spent the day in bed. I feel like I’ve adjusted to the school just in time for it to let out.

I can’t help but wonder what next semester will be like, when the English classes are really mine. I’ll have another Brazilian teacher in the classes with me, but I’ll be doing the teaching. I feel confident. The curriculum is great. I know what changes I want to make and I know generally what I want to do with the daily lesson plans.

I know a few phrases that will help me in classes. “Senta” (sit down), “Esta Feio” (that’s ugly – teachers use if a kid has some “ugly” behavior), “Chega” (that’s enough), “Muinto bem” (very good), etc. And the kids know a few phrases in English about obeying: look, listen, close your mouth, very good, etc.

The kids are really pretty good and they are excited about learning English. Today was our program. We did the “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Here are some pictures.

- Lindsay

Celebrate!

It has been especially exciting to be down here during the World Cup. All of Carpina stops for 90+ minutes every time the Brazilian team takes the field. Everyone watches the games. The shops, grocery stores, and restaurants close, unless they have a TV. I really mean everyone. Even the police vanish. The crime rate goes pretty much down to zero so it’s ok. We had to even let out our afternoon class at the International School early for one game and cancel it all together for another game. The day before each game the kids color all of their activity pages green, yellow, and blue (Brazil’s colors). Yeah, Brazilians like soccer.

Brazilians really like to celebrate, not just for soccer. Take for instance this holiday they have Saõ João (celebrating the apostle John). The holiday was actually yesterday, but they had been celebrating it for about a month before we arrived!

It’s remarkable how the Community Churches come together for these different celebrations. Often all these celebrations can really damage the family. Some people make them excuses to go get drunk and party hard. Community Church makes everything family oriented instead.

It seems like Brazilians are looking for something “more” to fill their lives, something to get excited about. You and I know, God really wants to give them something to be excited about even after they put away the decorations. It must feel so empty to not have any hope to celebrate every day. I pray that those who are lost around us here can see the real reason that we have for celebrating. Our salvation is our real joy and the churches here really know how to show it.
They really live out Philippians 2:1-4

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

They love through their actions. They show that they care about the conditions of families. Everyone takes turns serving each other. They aren’t perfect, but the pastors and leaders here are striving to have the same love and are “one in spirit and purpose” to reaching others for Christ.

Some Goodies from the Internet Cafe

Already Burnt??

We have been here less than a week and I already burnt my feet.

Ok so I burnt them while I was fishing in the ocean on Sunday morning.

That's right the first Sunday here I went fishing and Lindsay slept in.
The Community Church holds church on Sunday evenings here.

Fishing was really fun and I caught a huge fish. Ok so maybe it was a small fish

Things have been going great with helping the Ministry so far. I have spent most of my time these last few days at the Cafe/Print Shop downtown Carpina (about a mile away from where we live). I was able to bring down my desktop computer and my laptop so we are using them in the Print Shop.

Roberto (the guy who runs the ministry Print Shop) and I spent a lot of time making the place look proffessional by getting the computer ready for the Print Shop to use. The Print Shop is also a Internet Cafe. Tele said that it is the only one in Carpina with laptops and a wireless network (we brought one down with us)!

The Cafe Impresso/Print Shop is a new ministry about 4 months old that has already been a huge blessing down here. Tele and workers here are able to witness to the customers and it is also a blessing for communication with churches in the US. They have high speed internet so we can use a program called Skype to call telephones in the US from our computers for cheap. You can also call computer to computer. If you want to talk to us get www.skype.com. Our user name is JeffRoyT or just search for Jeff Turner.

Lindsay has been helping out at the International School and will be taking over for Rachel Winzeler in August as a full time teacher there. She has been enjoying it a lot.

Both of us our starting Portuguese lessons this evening. After Brazil wins their first game of the World Cup (playing right as I speak)!

post by Jeff

Location: Carpina, Brazil

Well we're finally here!
We left Wednesday at 2:30pm and arrived at 1:50pm on Thursday.
It was a pretty long exausting trip, but worth it. We went a different route this time, but it didn't end up being any shorter of a journey.

We kinda did a hop through the north of Brazil.
We stopped in Manaus then went through Belém, then on to Fortaleza where we had a 4 hour layover,

(Jeff napping at the airport)

and then finally switched planes to go to Recife. Then we drove 45minutes inland and we were in Carpina.

It was all a bit overwhelming. We both were doing just fine, until we got off the plane.
I (really just me - Lindsay) crashed just a little. I guess I hadden't really had time to adjust. I was fine and all of a sudden I realized what we were doing. I started to miss family and friends a bit.

(a group of our friends at a favorite pizza place in the US)

That lasted a couple of hours until I ate some sticky sweet bread - and I remembered that Brazil wasn't so bad! :)

Today was great. I met our afternoon class at the International School. They are a really bright bunch and ages 5 to 10. They come in the afternoon after school to learn English so that they can start school in the next semester.

(some of the kids in the class with Karine, Rachel, and Rachel's sister Ana who came down with us from the US)

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
- I Chronicles 29:13

Saying Farewell

We have our plane tickets in hand and we are repacking our stuff to make sure nothing is over 50 pounds as per the airline restrictions. Then off we shall go to BRAZIL on June 7th. We are having a final farewell party at Brookville Road Community Church this Sunday June 4th between 2pm and 5pm Please come and see us. *Edit Thanks to everybody who came to say goodbye to us!!

Prayer Requests
Safe Travels
Packing
Our hearts being prepared to leave
For Family left behind