7 de Setembro

Today is Brazilian Independence Day. We decided to make it a weekend for the church family to be together. Yesterday after worship we had a potluck followed by a devotional.

Then today, about thirty of us headed to the beach. We had tables and umbrellas reserved and we sat and talked and ate and swam and chased kids. The weather was just perfect--not a cloud in the sky! Here are some pictures from today:

Here's Russ with our lunch--a big red fish, slightly battered and fried. Amazingly this was the smallest size available. We didn't mind too much, it gave us more to share.


Lucas and Cristina, two of our members.


Russ and Jackson flying a kite.


There were several chess matches. I would have never thought to play chess at the beach.


We rented this pool for the kids to play in. It kept us from having to chase the kids down every five minutes.

Washing the Dishes

When we first got married, we were both in college and we divided a lot of the household chores. We decided that I would cook and that Russ would clean up after dinner. I'm not the best housekeeper in the world and washing dishes is pretty low on my list. It was our system for over nine years. At times it was a bit of a challenge for me, since Russ wouldn't always do them in a timely manner, but he would eventually get the job done and I rarely had to touch a dish. When I did, I had a hard time not feeling a little resentful, though my problem was less with Russ than the task itself.

A couple of weeks ago we decided that in this season of our family life, the time had come for me to start doing the dishes. I wasn't thrilled about it and only suggested it because I knew it was the right thing to do for our family. And so for the past two weeks, I have faithfully done the dishes, leaving a clean sink at night and even treating our cleaning lady to a clean sink a time or two!

Yesterday as I stood washing the dishes for the umpteenth time that day (we had a potluck at church today so I spent yesterday cooking) I realized something. I didn't feel at all resentful. The once-hated task has become part of my routine and I do it without thinking about it.

So what's changed? For me, the "why" has changed. Now when I do the dishes, I'm doing them as part of my conscious choice to do what is necessary for my family. It's not a burden someone else put on me; it was my choice to take it on.

Hmmm...it seems to me that there's a word for what I did. It's a word that's often maligned and misinterpreted but I'm going to go ahead and use it anyway: submission. Are you still with me or are you cowering in fear of the s-word? When we choose to submit, it is an act of love and comes from a desire to do what is best. No resentment necessary!

Obviously, when the topic of submission comes up, most of our minds run to the subject of women in the church. But, as I was reminded yesterday as I scrubbed pots, we are given the opportunity to submit and transform our attitudes all day long. It's yet another way to follow the example of our Master.

This morning Jackson and I walked to the mall, a good 25 minute walk. It's not a particularly hot day but it's cloudy so it's just kind of steamy. When we got to the mall I let him out of the stroller to walk around a bit. He ran to a TV display in an electronics store. We stood watching for a minute. As I was standing there, I started experiencing a delayed sweat. I often don't sweat while I'm outside but instead once I get into the cool again my face starts sweating buckets. And that's what I was doing, in the middle of the mall. All of a sudden a Skate Canada commercial came on the TVs we were watching. It was the weirdest thing--sweating profusely while watching figure skating!

(Sorry for all of you who are disillusioned by my admission that I do, on occasion, sweat. I promise most of the time I just "glisten", as a proper lady should. But when you live in Brazil, sometimes you just can't help it!)

Yesterday was a bit of a break for me since we didn't have English class. It was, however, our monthly ladies' lunch and class. This month we had two of our members, Veronica and Jaciara teach, which would have been awesome except that Veronica is my number one lunch maker. I decided to make lunch this week to help her out. In the process of cutting up tomatoes for the beans, I sliced my finger open and now I have a bandaid on the tip of my finger which greatly interferes with my typing skills. I'm using my backspace key a lot today! Anyway, they did a wonderful job teaching--they were both really nervous--and it was one of those classes where everyone ends up crying, which for a ladies' class is usually a good sign!

Another Sermon Done

It was a slow start to worship service today, because a 10-K race turned around RIGHT IN FRONT of our building, so all the buses were locked in traffic until well after our normal start time. Still, there were over 2,000 race participants which was impressive.

I got to preach about service today; it went well. A sweet sister said it was the first message from me that she could completely understand! Happy language learning, i guess.

Finally- my son was in my arms when I dropped a juice box and it splattered across the white tile floor. Unprompted, he looked at the mess and said "dang." Way to go Okie! Maybe I should watch my mouth....

Seven Quick Takes

1. Jackson has been sick this week. Nothing serious, just a fever. The only way to keep him from running around the house is to plunk him in front of the TV. So it's been a couple days of Blue, Dora and the Backyardigans for us. Good times. He's feeling much better today. No TV!

2. The team weight loss competition is going well. Everyone has noticeably lost weight. Sadly, Russ and I have yet to place in the weekly top three losers but I'm glad to rejoice with those that do.

3. Speaking of that, this week I made this soup and I am madly in love. The flavors were really balanced and the pumpkin gave it a really smooth texture.

Since we can buy very little canned stuff here (a blessing, really!), I used dried black beans, homemade pumpkin puree, fresh diced tomatoes and homemade chicken stock. Maybe the recipe would have tasted different with all canned stuff.

4. We recently bought our tickets to go "home" for Christmas, except we're not going to Winnipeg. I'm only a little sad about that, because instead of freezing up in Canada, we're going to meet most of my family in Southern California to celebrate Dave's wedding. Not bad at all! Then we'll do a week with Russ' family in Oklahoma, with a day or two in Texas thrown in. It'll be a lot of travel for just two weeks but I can't wait!

I do have to say, though, that this trip is 95% about family. While we'd love to see all of our peeps, we want to focus on our families. We will, however, be taking a furlough a few months later and will be happy to visit with you then!

5. Sunday was the last English class of our ten-week course. We handed out about 30 certificates to people who had 80% or better attendance. Now we get a couple of weeks off and we'll start again!

6. The weekly English Bible study I attend started up again this week and I'm glad. I've really missed it. I've decided Jackson is too big to bring with me anymore, so figuring out what to do with him is a bit of a challenge. Too bad his grandmas don't live closer!

7. We went to the zoo last week. I've been meaning to do a separate post about it but just haven't gotten around to it so here's a few pictures:




(They're growling at a panther.)

The zoo was certainly the smallest I've ever been to and the habitats were certainly not very elaborate but it was free and Jackson loved it so I have a feeling we'll be going back often. And it is a BRUTAL walk (built into a huge hill) so it's awesome exercise, too (especially when pushing a stroller and wearing a backpack, not to mention carrying a toddler).

Pictures from Team Retreat

Okay, I promised pictures from our team retreat WEEKS ago, so here you go:

As usual, we played a lot of cards. Jackson is already learning some mad cribbage skills. He's not very good at Rook yet since we usually played after the kids were all in bed. Oh, and we also played a ton of Ticket to Ride.


The beach, the beach, the beach!


This is Joelia and Nadir. I love them. They were our babysitters for the retreat and having them made such a difference. They went for a walk with Kelton and they found the Hugest Coconut Ever. But the coconut water from a fruit like that isn't very tasty. You want a little one that will be nice and sweet. But it was crazy to see!


Joelia and Nadir were amazing with the kids and gave us a chance to catch our breath.


With this many kids around, we tended to eat in shifts. Here's Jackson and Samuel. You can see the different in their personalities here!


As the kids get bigger, we're starting some new traditions. We had a team talent show (I'm going to spare us all the embarrassment of posting pictures of the actual "talents"). Kelton was our excellent MC.


And we followed up the talent show with a game of Ring Around the Rosie.


Finally, I think the kids' favorite time was when we got out the parachute. (Okay, maybe the grownups enjoyed it a little, too!)

7 Quick Takes

A blog I enjoy reading has a regular Friday activity: Just post seven short items, they don't have to be connected at all. I feel the call to blog but don't have anything major to say, so I thought it would be a good day to try it. Here we go!

1. The chicken fajitas were pretty good. The cilantro-lime coleslaw was AMAZING. Even Russ loved it, and he's not a coleslaw eater. The rest of the week's menu ended up less than exciting though I did make beans in a pressure cooker for the first time and was quite pleased with the result. (We are going to have to get our stove fixed before I can use the pressure cooker again. The heat is just too high.) So many of our meals were centered around the beans I made. We had fajita "bowls", then I refried the leftovers so we could have them for another meal.

2. Next week we're spending the week with Jerry and Lynn Jones. They're going to present their marriage seminar to us and then help us learn how to teach it. It's an amazing opportunity and something that can potentially become a great way to help families here in Salvador.

3. Yesterday I was incredibly frustrated when someone I've been trying to do business with essentially flaked out on me. It was a major disappointment because it's to do with something really big. At times like this, it's hard to keep from getting angry and doing or saying things I will later regret. The world tells us that we have every right to be mad and vent. But I've got to keep a cool head and just move on.

4. Jackson has a major Cheerio addiction right now. He calls them "rice", which is a little confusing, because he also calls rice "rice". I don't know why he started doing that. I keep the Cheerios in a big glass jar that used to have rice in it and in fact says "RICE" in big letters on the side. So it was a little weird when he started doing it but I am under no illusions that he's taught himself to read at 17 months.

5. Speaking of Jackson and his vocabulary, watching him develop is awe-inspiring. Yesterday's word of the day was "baseball". It's now what he calls the Wii when he wants to play. He watched Kelton and some of the daddies playing in real life on our team retreat and now the video game seems too make more sense to him. He used to just swing indiscriminately but now he waits for the pitch and then swings. Yes, this generation is differrent.

6. I am really struggling to keep my church work part time. The challenge for me is that much of my work is done on the computer so it's always available for me to work on. When Jackson and I are home, it's tempting to sit and work while he plays (or watches Backyardigans).

7. I'm making cinnamon raisin quinoa to go with lunch. Yum.

A Fun Idea

I just sent this email out to many of our supporting churches. Then I was thinking about it and realized that there are lots of people who might be interested in this who aren't connected with our main supporting churches. So why don't you give this a look and prayerfully consider it!

Hello dear friends of Salvador,

Our team is looking at hosting a supporting friends and church campaign next summer. This campaign is for all of our friends, family and supporters who are interested in serving the church here in Salvador. The idea is to combine the efforts of individuals, families and smaller groups from churches into one larger, more effective campaign. Our team receives lots of visitors each year who love us and love the church here. We feel that to combine the efforts of the individual visits would utilize those who come to serve in ways that are most useful to the church here in Salvador. You could come and serve with others from the US and Canada in a way that would leave a lasting effect on your Brazilian brothers and sisters.

Dates: JULY 5-13, 2010 (not including travel days)

Costs: Your costs would include your plane tickets, food, lodging, and transportation

What will the campaign do?: This campaign will focus on evangelistic outreach to our neighborhood, physical labor working on our church building and homes of our members, and a special event reaching out to families.

What we need right now from you: Right now we need to find out if there is enough interest from our supporters to host this campaign and start working on the myriad of details.

If you are interested in coming for this week of service next summer we need to know ASAP. Your response is not a commitment but will let us know if we should go ahead with this campaign. We would also like to know your level of interest, from “That would be fun, maybe”, to “I think we might really like to do that”, to “Sign me up, I’m coming!” So if this is of interest to you please respond back to me (porter AT missionsalvador DOT com) or to the missionary family you support.

We know that the Salvador mission team has a great cloud of witnesses praying for us. As a team we would like to thank you for all that you do to keep us here on field serving the Lord in this way. We would love for you to come and see first hand what God is doing here in this marvelous city and take part in His work.

In Him,

Jennifer Porter

Showdown

Our team has decided to have a showdown of sorts. We're all needing to shed some pounds so we've having a biggest loser-style competition. Everyone is getting into the competitive spirit. We started on Sunday and will go until American Thanksgiving.

I'm trying to cook good food for our family and I have a bit of an addiction to food blogs. Throughout the next couple of months, I'm probably going to be posting links to many of the recipes we try, not so that this blog becomes a food blog, but to share the yummy stuff we eat and also so I can keep track of all the stuff I've made.

Like for breakfast this morning, we ate baked oatmeal. It was crazy delish. Jackson is absolutely nuts for anything with dried fruit in it.

Tonight we're having crockpot chicken fajitas with a spicy cilantro-lime coleslaw (I've already had a few bites of the latter and it's AMAZING!)

Anyway, I'm sharing our challenge with you all so you're not all of a sudden confused by all the recipes I'm posting and, more importantly, to add even more accountability. It's one thing to try to lose weight; it's another to do it and actually TELL people about it. It drives me to succeed even more!

p.s. We're not just eating better, we're working out, too, which is why my abs are killing me and I have HUGE blisters on my heels.

Recipe for a Team Retreat

2 babysitters
6 miscellaneous pool "floaties"
1 big green lawn, suitable for running around
3 days worth of awesome food (including this and this
Rook cards and Ticket to Ride
2 hammocks
10 lbs of junk food
1 broken toe
trips to the beach, as needed

Combine all in a big house. Garnish with a silly talent show, bubble-blowing and a giant parachute.

Pics to come.

VBS Night Five

Night Five was all about our relationship to God's creation.

Here's Diana cutting out an egg carton flower


in the class she and big sis Piedade taught about recycling.


Here are Heather and Ana Paula


and Ana Paula helping the kids do leaf rubbings.


Finally, there was Cintia (or the back of her head, anyway!)


and her mom Cristina, who talked about plants and helped the kids plant their own seeds.


At the end of the evening we had a slideshow with pictures from the week, which we showed again yesterday during church. We also took time to recognize everyone who had helped out during the week--about 25 people, which for a congregation our size is huge! Thanks again to Heather and Alicia for all their hard work and to everyone who joined us in prayer!

Pause

I still haven't uploaded any pictures from the last night of VBS. It was our biggest night yet and the kids got to show their work off to their parents.

Oh, but that's not why I'm blogging.

I wanted to say that yesterday, my mind was MILES away. 6592.8 miles to be exact.

This was happening:

That's my "baby" brother, Dave and his new wife, Liz. (Liz is the one in the white dress.) And that's my dad behind them.

Dave and Liz met while touring with the African Children's Choir, though they are neither African nor children. They've been off the road for a few months and now they've started out on a new road together. Metaphorically speaking, anyway. They will be living in Washington.

So that's where my mind was. I wish I could have been there but it just didn't work out for us to get up there in time for the wedding. Sigh. But I'm sure my parents, grandmother and sister did a good job representing the Turner side.

So, Dave and Liz, congratulations! When are you coming to Brazil?

VBS Night Four

I still don't have pictures from night three. I'll post some when I do.

Last night was about our response to God's creation.

Jenn taught a class about praise.




Heather's class was about people in different countries. Specifically she talked about a far away land called "Texas". She made strange food (Ranch dip) for the kids to try.


There were a bunch of letters from kids just like them that live in that exotic land.


In another class they talked about love.
These three, Andreia, Ana Paula and Viviane, threw glitter in everyone's hair and told us we were blessed. I'm glad I'm not the one who had to clean up that classroom!



There was an enormous bowl of Jello for snack time.


And I have to mention that Heather has been doing a great job with the singing.
See? She's got joy like a fountain!

Tonight is the last night and the kids will be doing a special presentation for their parents. Please pray that we will be able to follow up on the relationships built this week!

VBS Night Two

Tuesday was night two of VBS. I am just now getting around to posting because I had some health issues yesterday. I also didn't get any pictures of last night but I'll try to steal some from Alicia or Heather...

They learned about birds and painted with feathers.
This is Ceara, Travis and Alicia's little girl. Isn't she grown up?

Most of the teachers have been our young professionals. This is Gabriel, he's kind of a gentle giant.

In another class they learned about seeds.
This is Leia. She's not even a member--she's Heather and the Porters' Portuguese teacher and she had helped translate all the materials so she helped out. It's been a good opportunity for her to build relationships with some of our members.

After the lesson, the kids painted with vegetables and fruit.


Jackson is too little to go the classes so we make our own fun. I let him paint while the kids were busy listening to their lesson. It was his first time painting and he had a ball!


There was another station but I didn't get any pictures of it. Oops.

The highlight of night two was snack time at the end. It was a special night for a special girl.

This is Alicia, daughter of our church secretary Andreia. She's got a huge smile on her face because she came downstairs to discover this:
All her friends waiting to sing Happy Birthday!

The kids are having a great time and every night we have new kids show up! Please pray that our last two nights will be even better than the others!

VBS Night One (or part of it, anyway)

This year we're having our first full-scale VBS. Heather and Alicia have been planning for months and they've really done a great job. The theme is "God's Creation" (so poor Heather has been subject to many stories about when we did a creation VBS at Mayfair). Here are some highlights from the first night (We skipped out early because JT was being a toddler so I only got pictures of some of it):

A little parachute fun!


Jackson thought it was great and jumped right in!


Space. Jenn talked about the planets...


and then the lights went out and the blacklight came on...


for a little fluorescent crayon fun!

(I wish I'd had more time to play with my camera to get decent pictures of this!)

Cintia and Lorena taught about animals


I'm sure they did an awesome job but we had to leave before they got going.


But the star of the show was Piedade. She taught about sealife.


Piedade actually lives across the bay on a large island, but she spends a lot of time here in Salvador helping her daughter who's a single mom. She got really into her lesson and managed to come up with all kinds of great sea creatures to show the kids.


When anyone asked, "Where did you get all this stuff?" she would just say, "On the island." as if that were enough. Everyone, kids and adults alike, were so impressed and intrigued by the stuff she brought.


Tonight there will be new centers with new surprises. Please pray that we don't have rain like we did last night. Pray that kids from our neighborhood will show up and that they will get a glimpse of our God through the lessons and through the way we act.

Independences

Today is Bahian Independence Day. The state of Bahia celebrates Brazilian Independence later in the year, but it took a few extra months after Brazil's independence for Bahia to be fully free of the Portuguese. Some might say it's because of the Bahian tendency toward procrastination (which, after four years of living here I certainly would be the first to admit that does sound like a valid reason). The truth is that Salvador was the first capital and a major fortress and it was the last Portuguese stronghold. (Feel free to make your own spiritual application at this point--it would make an excellent sermon illustration, I think!)

Bahian Independence Day is flanked by Canada Day and American Independence Day, so our team always celebrates with a Red, White and a Little Bit of Blue Party. (Bahia's colors are also red, white and blue.) It's an excuse, as are all our parties, to make all the food we miss. So yesterday it was banana pudding, coleslaw, potato salad, strawberry pretzel salad, deviled eggs, and so on...

This year we were also blessed to have a number of visitors, bringing the total number up to 27. We've got Dan and Becky still, Matt's parents and Mary's mom are here and Scott, Rachel and Chris Perkins from Abilene made a quick stop here on their way down to the inauguration of the new church building in Itu.

We managed to wrangle all the kids for a picture. This was quite a feat, as it seemed all afternoon there was always someone sleeping, nursing or crying. But we finally had everyone awake and happy-ish and we acted quickly.



Somehow we even got a group shot!


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If only life were all parties and fun. We also found out yesterday about an accident that happened in Bolivia. A bus carrying youth from the church in Cochabamba rolled, killing three girls and injuring everyone else. I got to know the women of the team that works with that church a couple of years ago and I can't imagine what they have ahead of them as they deal with the aftermath. The team has set up a blog with more information and ways to help. Please join us in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Bolivia.