Jeff and I enjoyed our time in the US
immensely, but there were just a few items that made us homesick for the
country where our children were born.
9 things we missed while away from
Brazil:
1.
Warmth! Jeff and I survived the Snowmageddon
(aka - Snowpocolypse or SnOMG) winter 2013/2014. We made it. We laughed
constantly about how God chose THAT winter for us to come back to the US. Shesh. I
mean really, why did we have to suffer that horrible winter?! So in the end, we
felt like great warriors who triumphed over... boredom?
2. My sweet neighbors!
We have the three best neighbors on the planet: Pastor Ricardo (Kattia & 2
awesome kiddos), Pastor Assuerio (Miriam & 2 awesome kiddos), and Pastor Anselmo
(Carmem & 2 awesome kiddos). Hmmm, notice a trend? All of our neighbors are
pastors and all have two kids. Wait... and all of us have a boy and a girl.
Eerie... well, we're missionaries, not pastors... so yeah , it's not that much
like a commune...
3. Dear sweet friends!
We have great friends who we missed dearly! Lots of ministry people, lots of
special times we've had! Lots of inside jokes that we tried to explain to
people in the US that didn't make a lick of sense. Flirates. Bungalow. Monocle. See you tomorrow.
4. Fruit! Mangos,
pinapples, guava, graviola, pina, shall I go on?
5. The mosquitoes! Ha!
Just kidding! For real though, nature. So beautiful here. Watching the horizon
at sunset turn from blue, to orange, to pink, to gray over the tops of palm
trees as swallows and sparrows dart across the sky. I actually have no idea
what kind of birds they are, but they sure are pretty. And from all the swooping
they do, it looks like they're destroying the mosquito population.
6. People offering to
help when I'm out with the kids alone! Seriously. One of the best things about
living in Brazil. Strangers aren't worried about offending me because I might
be that doon't-you-dare-help-me-I'm-perfect-I-can-do-it-all-my-self-mom. When I
am out juggling the shopping cart, a screaming 3 year-old, and a 7 month-old
strangers help. Every. Single. Time.
They might push the cart for a second. Try to talk to my whiny little
darling. Or a store clerk (who I've seen dozens of times) might offer to hold
my baby. It's nice.
7. The strangers I see
smile at me! Maybe it's because I walk around with two of the cutest little
kids ever, but I prefer to think it's because eye contact between two people
warrants a smile.
8. My bed. my couch. my
table. my rocking chair. my hammock. A bit materialistic, but you get the
point, right? When you go without
something like your own home for a while, the gratitude you have to God when
you return (and finally settle back in) just
explodes out of your heart. :)
9. Watching God work in
amazing ways! Have you heard us say that God's work is ON FIRE in Northeastern
Brazil? Because, dude (may I call you dude?), it is like God is setting the
hillsides of people's hearts on fire like sugar cane in harvest season...(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6GgMN4B_Wg)
okay that metaphor might not translate... to anyone... what I'm trying to say
is that God is moving in amazing ways in Brazil and I can see it. It's powerful and amazing, just being present
to witness what He does is a gift. I love hearing about the sports ministry
stories of our Athletes in Action friends,
who got saved at church, what God
is doing with the school, the Living Stones Ministry, and in the lives of those
around me.
