It began at midnight, right? After a service at church which finished around 10 p.m., Johnny and I went to a high spot nearby to see the fireworks "down below". Photos do not do justice to such a scene of having fireworks going off in front of, behind and beside us. I was a tad worried about the latter one... Back home for a good 6 hours of sleep and then we joined some others at the house of one of our church families, Jacir and Lia, who invited several people to their home for almoço (noon meal). We were invited to go there at 11:00 but we didn't sit down to eat until about 2. However, while we waited we enjoyed the fellowship and conversation. Johnny was challenged to a game of xadréz (Chess) by Lucas, the hosts' son. Can you guess who won? :) Okay, now we're pretty hungry after waiting around for 3 hours. Let's eat! After almoço the young people played Monopoly or, in Portuguese, translated as "millionaire bank". Here are the 6 ladies that were there, most of whom have been my friends for several years...Evelyn, Patrícia, Ana, Lica, Lia and Lucimara with yours truly. This photo and the next are from Patrícia's camera. Around 4:00 Max & Patrícia and their 3 children went with us to hold a short service in the nursing home. Lucas & Evelyn accompanied with their flute and clarinet. The residents always appreciate the people we bring to sing, play instruments or give testimonies. Ten-yr-old Ana cheered the residents with her smile. Not as many attended this service since we went at a different hour of the day than usual but we trust that His Word will not return void. But our day isn't done yet! When we returned home we continued working on making some Bible reading schedules which we're making to give to the church folk. On Sunday (today) 40 of these were given. We do pray that they will be used to encourage an increased reading of the Bible this year.
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On December 18th I hosted a tea for the church ladies at our house. Each lady brought some goodies but I made a thing or two. An injured wrist kept me from doing as much as I wanted to. I had fun creating a few decorations. After a devotional about "The 3 Marys", we exchanged gifts. Always lots of fun, of course! What would a party be like without eating? Everything was very yummy! The only drink was tea...about 8 different kinds. And the ladies were fascinated with the little napkin rings that I made, just a little rose stuck into a keychain ring. Here we all are. There's Lucimara, Margarete, Lúcia, Luciana, Daniele, Maria, Tânia, Márcia, Ivone, Lica, Noelí, Vanessa and Lia. A bit crowded at times in our little place but that didn't bother them one bit, they seemed to love the close fellowship! Each lady brought packs of cookies to donate to the nursing home where we have a ministry. We know it won't take long for the 13 lbs of goodies to disappear when they are delivered! On December 10th we traveled to Caçapava in the state of São Paulo. It was supposed to take about 7 hours but we managed to spend an extra 3 hours to get there! On Saturday the 1-day couples' retreat was spent at a sítio out in the country. Look how rustic and beautiful the little house is...well, what you can see of it!Johnny spoke in 3 sessions that day to the 8 couples who came.A delicious lunch, afternoon snack and supper were served. Here Dona Fátima oversees the cooking of lunch.Guess what I did in my free time there?...How did you know?! This yellow orchid looked SO beautiful against the royal palm and blue sky.On Sunday Johnny spoke 3 more times, but at the church, Igreja Cristã Evangélica.This is Pr José Roberto, his wife Alice, and their son Gabriel.Monday found us heading back home. You don't really want to know but it also took us almost 10 hours to get back. Maybe this post should have the title of "The Long Road Home"! |
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