July 4, 2009

Bom dia! We arrived yesterday at about 6:40am Brazil time. After 2 flights, passport check, and customs, we were very relieved to see Seth and Kari. The flight to Atlanta was short and easy. It was Lindsey's first flight and she said it was better than she expected. Then the long 9 hour flight to Recife began. We all sat in one row and watched movies, played games, ate, and got little sleep. We were ready to land, but it wasn't as bad as we thought it could've been. Lindsey did fine on this flight too. She didn't really like the turbulance or the lightning outside. Coming down was the hardest part for her, because her ears were bothering her. Last but not least was the hour drive to the Alcance. It was just a small glimpse of Brazilian driving and towns.
Today we visisted some of the local churches that were planted because of Tele's ministry. We learned how the churches reach out into the community by the Living Stones ministry, which takes kids in in the afternoon and feeds them lunch and helps them with their studies. It was interesting how they churches were really "community churches", very involved and truly an outreach. They were small but were making a big impact.
After that, we went to get ice cream and returned to the Alcance for lunch, which was burgers, the first non-Brazilian food we've had. The food here is really good, especially the monkey and the alligator tongue. haha.
This coming week begins the medical camp. Yesterday, we had to pack all the medicine we brought in, dividing it into individual bags and labeling the contents for individual families. We will be providing medical treatment for a few poorer communities. We will be in 3 churches and the dump. We were all talking about the amounts of medicine these people will recieve, which is 30 pills of most things like tylenol, allergy medicine and antibiotics. To us in America it seems like so little, yet to the Brazilians it is so much. It will be a neat opportunity for all of us. On Friday, almost all of the group that came down with us, except for the five of us are going to return to Indiana. After we drop them off at the airport, we'll be dining in a real Brazilian steakhouse and shopping in Recife.
We have made lots of friends here, most of them bilingual, and we're learning Portugeuse through them. We have gotten to know all of the Moraes' children and a couple other children who live here at the Alcance.
That pretty much sums up our trip until now. Tonight the children from the school here at the Alcance will be putting on their "End of the year program" whicch will be neat to watch. The program will include different cultural foods, festive dancing, and some english speaking that the children have learned. Also tonight we will have our second devotion. In devotion time someone gives a short lesson and we sing a couple worship songs. Seth has been playing the guitar for us and Eli has been singing. Tomorrow we will go to a morning and evening church service.
Right now our main prayer request is for the upcoming medical camp. Also we need to develop some entertainment for the families while they wait. We have two days to plan how we will entertain. Also this is going to be something we have never experienced before, already we have been going through some culture shock. But the medical camp will be a whole new ball game. Just pray that God will be with us as we share with the Brazillian people.

Thanks for reading! We will try to get pictures soon!