Brazil

Our family had the opportunity to travel to Brazil last week to visit another SAM ministry. We went with another missionary family, our good friends Placido and Toni Mercado and their two children, and our Brazilian friend Ivan Costas. Let me just say there is NO WAY we would have done this trip alone. From Santa Cruz to our destination city in Brazil, it was around 1000 km, one way. Not only is it a long way from here, but about 9 hours of the trip in Bolivia is on a dirt road. And not just any dirt road. Imagine driving along a dry creek bed at 60 km/hour. No wonder our windshield almost fell out and had to be duct taped back on for the journey home - no kidding! Travel in Bolivia is so different, and crossing borders is always interesting. I heard that 80% of the drugs in Brazil come from Bolivia. So you can imagine the check points we had to go through. Three times on the Bolivian side we all had to get out of the car and answer questions. And twice on the Brazilian side we had to get out, unpack the car, and have our suitcases gone through in order to be cleared to proceed. We also had to clear immigration on both sides of the border (and not at the border as we North Americans would expect b/c that would be too easy, but in border towns where we had to go hunt for the offices) and then register our cars in Brazil. Whew—it exhausts me just to type about it. BUT, it was totally worth all the effort, the 52 hours of travel, the bumpy, dusty roads.....It was an adventure for sure.



The reason for our trip was to visit a Bible training center that SAM has in Brazil to train people from indigenous communities. It was fascinating to see. The students come from all over Brazil to study the Bible in order to return to their people and share the hope of Jesus. Not only do they study the Bible, but they also learn practical skills. In the afternoons, teachers and students alike work together on projects such as maintaining the property, planting and cultivating a garden, and cooking in the dining hall among other things. It truly is a picture of community, with students, teachers and missionaries living, working, eating and learning together all on the same property together.

April 19 was The Day of the Indian in Brazil. To honor that day, the school had a big celebration. This was our main reason for going, to be a part of this. We arrived on Saturday, the celebration was Monday. You could sense the excitement in the air. The students were practicing their dances and starting to paint themselves with their traditional paintings from their particular community. All or our family decided to get painted as well, Bubba, Georgia and I with a kind of paint that lasts three weeks (although I seem to be the only one still with dark paint on :) and Sam and Ty with less permanent paint. During the celebration, the students performed different dances, all in traditional ways, but the words that were sung gave glory to the One true God. It truly was an experience that none of us will ever forget.

Dia del Indio

Sick Kiddos, part II and then some

So after our last post, Ty came down with dengue as well. His wasn't as severe a case as what Georgia had, but he did spike a fever of 103.5. Thankful for Tylenol!!! He missed 2 days of school and then it was Easter Break. Happy to report that he is doing fine now. OUr next adventure began last Wednesday when Sam fell and hurt his wrist. We were thinking it was just a sprain so iced it and gave him ibuprofen, but the next morning he woke up at 5:30 with it really hurting. So...off to the ER where we found out that he broke his wrist! So now he has a cast almost all the way up to his shoulder for 3 weeks, then they will change it to a smaller one. It doesn't hurt him anymore, it's just more of an annoyance. That and he has to miss playing in his violin concert tomorrow night. He was going to play a solo and play Vivaldi's 4 Seasons Winter in the orchestra. Oh well......Praying for no more accidents or sickness!

This past Sunday, Easter Sunday, was voting day here in Bolivia. Up for election were governor and mayor. Since we have resident visas, we were required by law to vote. On election day here, they have what is called a "paro". What that means is that no one can drive anywhere unless they have special permission. Also, public gatherings are not allowed, so no church for Easter Sunday. I have to say it was definitely a different Easter, but a memorable one. We voted in a third world country, marking our paper ballot with a pen, standing at a table with a piece of cardboard propped up around it, then deposited our ballot in a cardboard box. Oh, and they had me registered under "Freeman" instead of Massey b/c here women don't take the name of their husband when they marry. So.....after having to explain why my name was listed under Freeman instead of Massey as my ID card states, they let me vote.

We are continuing to be involved in both the professional class ministry and ministry to the Ayore. English Bible Study continues to meet in our home with new people coming every week. It is a blessing to have fellow missionary Chelsea Kautz teaching this class in our home. Also, the church service continues to meet once a month with between 25 and 30 Bolivians each time. And we are blessed to be able to meet with Bolivians one on one over coffee to fellowship and encourage them in their life and in their faith. Their issues are the same as ours, jobs, marriages, family, kids. We're praying that God will continue to use us here to point our friends to Him, the only one who can truly bring comfort and peace.

We ate lunch one Sunday at a place outside of town that also had pony rides :)