* I am not coming home early, no worries!! someone else (cough, caleb?) posted that bulletin. sorry about that!!*

So much for weekly updates. Little computer time does that too you. But now you can hear all about the last month or so, in book form! 

Finally being slightly oriented to what is going on, who I know, where I am going, etc, I can give you a more full picture of life here. 

ABBA. 

ABBA has a boys house, Casa Eloheim, a girls house, Casa Nova Esperanca, and a house for teen boys, The Republica. The boys house has around 5 street kids living in it, very sweet, fun boys. The girls home, my house, has one so far (Jennifer), maybe 2 more on the way. The boys are all mostly younger, 8 or 10ish. Jennifer is 12. The Republica has teen boys, 14-17. The teens are the kids who never got back into their families, so they live with Tonni, an ABBA worker. They work or go to school and some pay rent.  

Workers. Most work in a specific area, such as the boys house, girls house, etc. But we've been very short staffed the last few months so people trade off and on when needed. Julia went back home to DC and Shana went to Chile for a friends wedding, leaving me alone with Jenny. (Sandra works here too, but doesn't live in the house. So Thomas recruited a few more volunteer women for the week. Lydia, a recent Moody graduate, is coming on Saturday to live here for a while, so I will have another American around. (I thought I was getting away from Americans, laughs are on me……grin. J) In the boys home they have a married couple, Mike and Heidi, Germans. They also have a few young adult Brasilians, Célio and Ester and another nice guy whom I still cannot grasp his name's pronunciation, much less the spelling. But he's a nice guy. They are all single. Then there are the Smoaks, my connection to Brasil. Thomas works (most often in the yard, haha.) here in the girl's house with us, Susanna is still busy with 5 month old darling Violet and 4 other kids. The best thing is when Susanna calls and says, "Hi, this is Susanna." I think to myself, "So is this." Or when Thomas introduces me to someone and they ask if I'm his wife. Ha! 

The other organizations I am involved in: 

First there is PACA. (Pan American Christian Academy.) This is where missionary's kids go to school, and other brasilians who can afford the private (but better) education. Incidentally, it is located directly across the street from where I live. We can borrow their internet in the library if kids aren't in there for class, we borrow there soccer field for walking when so desired, and we borrow their teachers to hang out with. Why are so many of my friends everywhere teachers?? 

Churches are next. We have to take Jennifer to a Pentecostal church that is about 20 minutes away walking, but we sometimes also go to Sampa and a Baptist church just around the block from our house. We would generally go to the Baptist church, but that's where the Republica boys go, and Jennifer likes older boys. Sampa is a more westernized church, but they play Andy Stanly videos and if I want to actually hear a message I understand, it's good to go there. Moses likes it when I go there as well. The Pentecostal church has great people, but they don't have overheads or a projector for anything, so I usually get very lost. The pastor's son, whom I knew was a PK before anyone told me, plays drums and is named Caleb. How's that for ironic? The Baptist church plays a lot of Vineyard songs I know by heart, so I understand what I am singing in Portuguese. Basically, they all have pros and cons.  

Ruth. Or, as they say in Portuguese, Rute (Hoochie). Ruth lives on the same street I do, has lived in Sao Paulo for 20 years, and is American. She is not an organization, but she teaches English to business people. I had the pleasure of meeting a few of her students, so I had a brush with Brasilian business people and the American Chamber of Commerce. 

People: 

I had thought I was coming to work with ABBA. In part, that is very true, but there are so many other people through these various avenues I have met that some chunks of time are spent in entirely different circles. This is good and bad. Good, I have plenty of people to get to know and spend time with. Bad, well. It is hard enough trying to learn names in Portuguese. Trying meeting 10 people a day. And remembering all their names.  

First, we have all the ABBA people. Sadly, because we all work constantly and some have school or families, I don't spend much time with the Brasilian ABBA workers. Remember, most of my fellow workers are Americans. But I see them at the meeting on Wednesday and that's refreshing.  

Next, is Ruth and all her friends. Most are students and Sampa people. Her students are all Brasilian, so I get a taste of the nationals there. Sampa people are a mix of Brasilian and American. Moses is actually Peruvian but his cousin in from here.  

Then the PACA staff are fairly close to my age and most that I know are single, so we spend some time with them. Some are brasilian, the rest Americans from all over the states. I've been borrowing books from the English Lit teacher to fill my book hunger. That's been nice! 

Then the various church people. Some are involved in ABBA or at least know of it, some are neighbors, and some are from Favelas. (Shanty towns) Occasionally a random person from a Brasilian church meets me and speaks to me in English; that always throws me for a loop.  

I still don't know who all the people are, but there is much more of a full community sense going on here than I ever experienced. It is grand to meet and learn from people of all ages, backgrounds, countries, and lifestyles. It keeps me more stimulated than just being with people like me. 

Oddities: 

1. Walking in to class with Ruth, her student asked me if I was going back to school in the states. She then proceeded to say, "You're in high school, right?" (I'm still trying to decide whether I can find any good in the fact that I still look 17 to everyone.)
2. Money is written in the form of $4,00 if something costs 4 dollars. That comma still gets me sometimes- "it costs how much??"
3. I know why they make beans and rice together all the time. Forget about poverty, forget how plentiful they may be. I now know the truth. It's because the beans hold the rice together! I mistakenly forgot to add beans to my plate last night, and hard the hardest time eating the rice alone. But when you have them both, it sticks together perfectly. They're better together. (Like Charity and I.)
4. I now cannot fathom eating without a knife constantly in my hand. I had to go without once and it felt so strange! I've never used a knife so much in my life, and I don't think I can ever go back.
5. Josh and Julia took a street dog back to the states with them. I didn't even know you were ever allowed to do that!

What I like least about Brasil: 

1. Rusty, our dog. Now don't get any fond ideas of My Dog Skip, or Lassie, or Benji. This dog is the epitome of stupid. Born on the street and not a wit in him. The last street girl living here decided she wanted a dog. I wish she took him with her. Not only does he do that annoying jumping that some dogs are so good at, he does it on you as well. When you try to scold him, he thinks you are playing. He cannot stand still- the word "stay" means nothing to him. (In English or Portuguese.) He smells, barks anytime a man is nearby, and likes to decorate the lawn with bags of bathroom garbage. Uggg.

2. Mosquitoes. It has been determined by Entomologists that the blood of some humans is more attractive than others. Haven't I always said mosquitoes, really, really like me? It is so true, and so painful. The first few weeks were the worst; scores of large welts all over my arms and legs were a normal sight.

3. Spiders. Usually parents make that one mistake in movie choice for young children, you know the kind of movie a child should never watch? Mine was Arachnophobia. It may be a cheesy movie to some, but at the age of 7, I was scarred for life. Try as I may, spiders never cease to freak me out. Especially while sweeping and suddenly feeling a web brush your arm, and next thing you know something small is brushing the top of your head. (I killed it out of anger for how terrified he made me. And for safety, of course)

4. Men honking their horns at anything and everything that moves. Honestly, just stop.

5. Safety. Being, according to statistics, Sao Paulo is the most dangerous city in the world. We are told not to walk around after dark. We are told if you stop at a red light and kids are around, they just might hold a knife to your throat and demand your valuables. Within Ruth's first four months here, her family was robbed in their home. Isaac Smoak was once mugged on my street on his way home from a ball game at PACA, and they took his new watch and shoes. Moses, from Sampa, just two weeks ago was mugged and driven around and had his stuff stolen. (he asked for his call phone chip back because of all his information on it- and they gave it to him!) Just last week someone was in the yard of one of the PACA teacher's yard- he had to scale the fence to get in. Never have I lived in so much constant alertness. Utah compared to Sao Paulo is like a Zoo compared to Africa. Here you can't sit in your car too long or you might get mugged. There are certain times in the evening/ night that you'll most likely get robbed if you are riding a bus. Sure, it may be overplayed. Yet at the same time, everyone knows someone who was mugged. I already know three people personally! It's just such a different approach to life you have to adapt to, very different for me. By nowI kinda like the security of Utah.

6. Dogs. In general, Susanna doen't even like dogs. Very few earn my respect. Here, they are everywhere. Loud and always barking, pooping, smelling. Many nights I have to fall asleep to my ipod just to drown out their noise. Don't Brasilians eat dogs? When's the next Churrasco?

Jennifer: 

Once the newness of living with us wore off, so did some of her easy-going spirit. She's quite often bratty, loud, rude, disrespectful, moody, and flirty. Oh, yeah. How did I forget? She's an adolescent. So much for getting away from teenagers. J She does, however, have the added issues of diabetes, mother in jail and father who knows where. She's obviously had way too much freedom in her life so now she hates being told what to do, and she also dislikes not being the constant center of attention. Whewh. God knew best when he gave us one to start with. But now she gets way too much attention and acts fairly spoiled, so I am praying for more girls.  She did start school this week and that's great, she's smart and loves to learn. It does mean for me, however, early mornings again. I get her up, give her breakfast, and walk her to school- an hour walk total for me. I feel so grown up, like such a mother! At night before I go to bed I make sure the pantry is locked, the outside doors are all locked, everything is in it's place, and Jennifer is in bed without a book. I wash any leftover dishes, shut all the windows, turn on the outdoor lights, make sure all the garbage cans were emptied, etc. Like they say, a woman's work is never done, eh? How did my mother do all this with nine children? Wonder woman that she is!

Food: 

So far, my food projects have been bread, biscuits, Brasilian style beans and rice,  "salad", omelets, and more. My first rice and beans were a hoot. Since it always tasted so bland when others made them, I decided to add more salt and garlic than they did. Susanna has a hard time measuring and knowing when enough is too much. Even worse, we had visitors from the states over for lunch. I knew it was all way too salty, but everyone ate it, thankfully the guests didn't know I made it and Julia was very gracious. Susanna is much more careful now. We've also had many different people cook, and they all cook differently and different combinations of beans-rice and meat. (Some make salad, which here is generally vegetables cut up and placed in a dish together, but in piles. Not mixed or tossed.) 
 

Difficulties:

Lack of stimulation either from people, events, or media does cause boredom. So having the different groups of people around is good; gives you plenty of choices. Missing out on the big events in my family's life (wedding, new baby, car accident, sister in town, birthdays, etc) is hard as well. 

This week Shana has been gone, and over the weekend I worked alone with Sandra. Church was just Brasilian, so my weekend was all Portuguese. It helped me progress, though I ended with quite the headache. Still, I am disappointed in how little I can communicate. I try hard but my head doesn't retain as much as I would like. Some people just aren't as adapt at learning foreign languages in the first place……… 

Sometimes I just want the comfort of my family and Macey's. Being known, well-liked, and needed is nice. Often I feel useless here, or just out of the loop. The comforts of the US itself I don't mind missing; it's not hard living here. It's not the Bush. But I do feel very cut off from the news, from the world. Isolation in one of the biggest cities in the world is an odd occurrence! But at the same time, I know God wants me here and even the small, insignificant things are for his glory, so I praise him that I can serve him anywhere. 

As much fun as I have sometimes and as many people as there are to be with, this is still a sacrifice in many ways- there are nights when I have nothing to do, and have to just be. There are times when I just want to watch a movie, or surf the web, or have my sister make a prank call on one of my friends. Sometimes I want to just take off in a car and do something, and I can't. So don't think I'm just living the high life and being a careless missionary- please no! I enjoy the good things and try to praise God during the more difficult times.

That is plenty for now. Thanks for reading and please, tune in next time.
 
ps. here is a link for some photos I finally uploaded if you care to view: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaNmrZy2ZNWLlQ&notag=1