tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30793793156643915932024-03-13T00:48:20.080-03:00Mermaid TalesCharity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-28453181555577176432016-09-20T15:24:00.001-03:002016-09-20T22:21:11.927-03:00House Repairs<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All through August, the sound of men’s voices talking,
laughing and even sometimes disagreeing filled the house. The deep rumble of the cement mixer, the
jackhammer’s pounding and the puffing of the painters’ compressor frequently drowned
out the voices, but somehow the cement mason’s radio managed to blare out
advertisements and popular songs above all the other noises. This cacophony began
promptly at 8:30am and ended abruptly at 5pm every workday. Although our ears
ached by the end of each day, the noise was proof that repairs were being done
on the house – and we are immensely thankful for the way that the Lord has
blessed and directed in this big step!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our house before repairs.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our house, number 63 on Rua Hygino Langhi, was built in 1998.
Ten years and several coats of green paint
later, we moved in. Over time the green paint faded and someone added spray
paint to the décor, but these were least of the problems that we set out to fix
last month. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Zaccheaus and helpers mixing cement.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sr. Renato our realtor and civil engineer introduced us to
the necessary workers. Zaccheaus, the cement mason, was the first to start work on July 29<sup>th</sup>. He immediately rented a jackhammer and began
breaking up cement in three different places. The sidewalk was the largest and hardest area
that he had to work on. The original sidewalk was a thick layer of concrete
covered by granite tiles, but by the time we moved in the granite tiles had
been covered with another, thinner layer of concrete.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">New sidewalk being laid. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Time and use cracked all three layers of the sidewalk in a
variety of places and it was beginning to crumble. Zaccheaus spent two and a
half days removing the worst part of the sidewalk and then mixing cement and
laying a new one. He then gave us the responsibility of "watering"
the sidewalk several times a day to prevent the top layer of cement from drying
out quicker than the bottom layer. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Work on the ramp.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Zaccheaus also broke up a narrow swath of cement on the back
veranda, as well as almost half of the ramp which goes from the garage to the
downstairs. Our house has two floors and there was a long crack along one side
of the veranda and various cracks in the ramp that were allowing water into
David’s bedroom and the catch-all room, which we call the shed. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Laying the asphalt.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ki0JGU5ZGI/V-F1EmPzjAI/AAAAAAAADp4/PKL-vBvUnawEm37pmXaQzrSGhtG1SgEAgCLcB/s1600/IMG_1744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Once Zaccheaus had these areas broken up and
leveled, Sr. Renato sent Valdecir out to lay a “blanket” of asphalt which permanently
sealed the cracks. Zaccheaus then went back over these areas spreading a layer
of cement and laying new granite tiles on the ramp and ceramic tile on the
veranda.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The "shed".</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Speaking of ceramic tile, the tile throughout the house is eighteen
years old and it is impossible to find the same or even similar tile in our
modern world. Breaking the veranda tile gave
us two options: 1. Spend extra to replace all the tile or 2. Put in mismatched
tile. We opted for the mismatched look until I discovered stacks of tile in the
back corner of the shed. Most of these stored tiles didn’t belong to this
house, but there were 43 tiles that matched the veranda tile! Zaccheaus eventually
used 42 of these tiles to patch the veranda. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Reinforcing the outside wall.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As he was working on the ramp, Zaccheaus also spent time
reinforcing the outside wall. This wall reaches well over eight feet high in
some places and separates our property from the empty lot next door. The wall’s
foundation has gradually settled and caused cracks in the wall. To keep these
cracks from becoming worse, Zaccheaus chipped off the cement around them, embedded
rebar into the wall and then covered it all with new cement.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chipping off cement in Mom's bedroom.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pAjlgSquHuA/V-F2czr2y2I/AAAAAAAADqI/_KytgoferRQu9FHztCdiQ-Hh25H55WaTgCEw/s1600/IMG_1726-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once he was done outside of the house, Zaccheaus moved
inside to work. He spent several days working on a wall in Mom's bedroom that
had a serious humidity problem. He manually stripped off the wall’s outer layer of cement until the bricks
were showing, applied a special sealer and then covered it all with a new coat
of cement. While this wall was exposed, we called in our electrician and had
him redo the wiring on that side of the room. It is a blessing that this
bedroom now has four dry walls, as well as electrical sockets and switches that
work.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bathtub.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Zaccheaus’ last job was to remove the bathtub from the main
bathroom. This poor bathtub had a sorry existence which began with being
installed incorrectly and ended years later with cracking and leaking water
into the downstairs area. The bathtub was already unusable when we moved into
the house, but we could stand in the tub and take a shower so it met our needs
for a number of years. Eventually,
though, the sand under the bathtub shifted causing the bottom of the tub to crack
and making even showering impossible. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leveling the floor.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Considering that bathtubs are uncommon in Brazilian homes,
Sr. Renato suggested that we remove it, lay ceramic tile and make a simple
shower box, instead of installing a new tub. Zaccheaus brought some helpers
with him and did just that! As the shower floor neared completion, we again
faced the dilemma of matching old ceramic tile and this time the stacks of tile
in the shed failed us. Thankfully, I met a helpful saleslady at the
construction store. She helped me find a new tile which complements the
existing tile in the bathroom. Now that the new tile and shower box have been
installed, the bathroom has a modern air about it – just as the saleslady
predicted it would. :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The new shower box.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qjtCYzxQGoA/V-F372x9_kI/AAAAAAAADqc/oaH0feJcKzo8WjBMfwTS5_D23v7SVbmAQCLcB/s1600/IMG_1751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Zaccheaus and a plumber he knows removed the bathtub and its
pipes on a Friday afternoon. The next morning the water reservoir in the attic began
overflowing. Since our plumber couldn’t come out until Monday, we went the
weekend with the water shut off at the street. Monday morning early the plumber
arrived and replaced the buoy which controls the incoming water. Later that
afternoon, he changed the buoy again because the reservoir continued to
overflow and run off the roof. This second buoy still did not solve the
problem, so we called the plumber who had removed the bathtub to see what he
could do. He wasn’t sure what was causing the overflow, but a colleague of his
eventually found a pipe in the bathroom that had been left open and was
allowing water to run through the pipes and back up to the reservoir. Moments
after the pipe was closed, we sighed with relief as the street water was turned
on and the reservoir DID NOT run over. A few hours later, though, the reservoir
was still doing just fine but we discovered that the hot water system was dry. Guess
who we had to call again? The plumber came out one last time, removed air from the
hot water pipes and since then there has been water in the pipes where it
should be and no water running off the roof where it shouldn’t be! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vXZ6EZZ3nls/V-F45D2DUmI/AAAAAAAADqg/9sNpglm7x2IiO-uKGXI-IbMAPrdxI4SzQCEw/s320/9%2BPainting%2BSmall%2BAreas.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Painting begins!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vXZ6EZZ3nls/V-F45D2DUmI/AAAAAAAADqg/9sNpglm7x2IiO-uKGXI-IbMAPrdxI4SzQCEw/s1600/9%2BPainting%2BSmall%2BAreas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Four days after Zaccheaus began his work here at the house,
Silvano and his team of three painters arrived to begin their work. It was
interesting - and frequently stressful - to notice how Zaccheaus and his
helpers were the polar opposite of Silvano and his group. Zaccheaus is a good
worker, but exceptionally slow in everything he does. His helpers were just like
him. Silvano, on the other hand, is an energetic little man who keeps his team
hopping from morning to evening. The painters came to the point several times
of working right on the cement masons’ heels. Mom and I could tell that this
frustrated Silvano, but thankfully he was consistently patient.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4TL6b7fGFng/V-F5HDaD9zI/AAAAAAAADqo/sGhnU4XCIMkA-zWfH_nUSF3cnYSGVnVfACLcB/s320/IMG_1756.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">All the metalwork.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It had been about eight years since the house had been
painted last, so Silvano and his crew had a lot of work to bring things up to
par. They started off painting everything that was metal. This included windows,
the guardrail along the side of the upper story and the heavy gates at both
ends of the garage. The front garage gate had several places that were rusting
out at its base, but the painters expertly filled these places with a plastic
paste, sanded it down and then painted over it. We chose to keep all the
metalwork white. That first day it was so nice to see dirty, rusty paint,
sanded off and then covered by coat after coat of fresh white paint. That
afternoon, though, I was shocked to see the new paint speckled with tiny black
insects. I asked one of the painters about it, and he matter-of-factly
responded, “Oh, they like the smell of paint. After the paint dries and they
die, you can wash them off with a sponge.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">He then added “There are also some
larger bugs with long wings that are attracted to wet paint too.” I am happy to
report that the larger insects never arrived and the smaller ones did wash off
easily!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wq5iJzvXhTM/V-F6VkJ6xII/AAAAAAAADqw/SBBfFnqCCf4V9eF0IMXaS61B9FlOH7EPQCEw/s320/5%2BMoving%2BBooks.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Truck full of books.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wq5iJzvXhTM/V-F6VkJ6xII/AAAAAAAADqw/SBBfFnqCCf4V9eF0IMXaS61B9FlOH7EPQCEw/s1600/5%2BMoving%2BBooks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let me rewind just a little and say that before the painting
started, Joy and João Carlos came over and picked up the last of the books that
we had stored here. These were books that Dad had printed and now Joy and João
are selling on their online store. I thought moving the books would be pretty
simple, but it took the better part of a day (and a lot of sweat!) to move all
the boxes out of the downstairs storage rooms, up the ramp, load them into a
truck and then unloaded them at their new storage place.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k4aL2FBYvUo/V-F6VpqTcrI/AAAAAAAADq0/I690J_37TbY0a9OGu1adF08O5AviruW6wCLcB/s320/6%2BBookshelves%2BReady%2Bto%2BPaint.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Empty storage room.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k4aL2FBYvUo/V-F6VpqTcrI/AAAAAAAADq0/I690J_37TbY0a9OGu1adF08O5AviruW6wCLcB/s1600/6%2BBookshelves%2BReady%2Bto%2BPaint.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Having the books gone made it much easier to paint and later
clean up the downstairs area, and it gives us less to move when the time comes
for that.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_5-mNN3GGs/V-F61txlS1I/AAAAAAAADq4/Lgn0TM4CU-wvUpxEE2MBNX2yFz0Uu_xOACLcB/s320/IMG_20160704_163753300_HDR.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The foam and I.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Right about the time that the books were being moved, I
spent two days removing the acoustic foam from the sound room’s ceiling and
walls. A good part of the foam pulled off the walls in complete panels or at
least large chunks, but there were several places where I had to scrape it off
inch by inch.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vAtSqsZ5_7Q/V-F7JP76w5I/AAAAAAAADq8/_Ee3GXN62TUYkotEPgqE3P23v4hIO6KrwCLcB/s320/IMG_1737.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Removing glue in the sound room.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the painters moved in to paint the sound room, they
spent almost two full days scraping and applying chemicals to remove the
remaining glue from the walls. Their efforts paid off and the sound room looks
very nice now.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QnsFJFjz_G4/V-F45D41eCI/AAAAAAAADqk/HlVheaPik0Qhck6oJTUbj1YNAUiwRdKgACEw/s320/8%2BPainters%2BSealing%2BBack%2BWall.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Applying water repellent paint.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QnsFJFjz_G4/V-F45D41eCI/AAAAAAAADqk/HlVheaPik0Qhck6oJTUbj1YNAUiwRdKgACEw/s1600/8%2BPainters%2BSealing%2BBack%2BWall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There were three other walls in the downstairs area of the
house that also required extra attention from the painters. One of these was
the back wall of David’s bedroom. This wall runs right along our property line
and since there is no house built behind us, it is completely exposed to the
weather. During the dry season, the paint on this wall tends to peal and the
rainy season makes the pealing even worse. Silvano, the head painter, did two
things to mitigate this problem. First, he applied water repellent paint to the
outside of the wall, and then he had his men texture the inside of the wall
before they painted it. The texture adds a nice accent wall to the room, but
most importantly it helps the paint adhere better. Hopefully it will be able to
withstand the sun and rain of this coming year!</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TJE1S1Q4bd0/V-F7dHJbcKI/AAAAAAAADrA/na9973C08BI2V58Mr-9xJJc_aBjqNkRUACLcB/s320/IMG_1731.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wall with ongoing humidity.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The other two problematic walls downstairs have
long-standing infiltration problems. Our road runs along the side of a hill.
The lots across the street from us are all higher than the road, while the lots
on our side of the road are below street level. The man who built our house
went ahead and built the downstairs below street level and the upstairs even
with the road. Whoever built our next-door neighbor’s house filled in the lot to
bring it up to the street level before they built, and as a result we have two
downstairs walls that are against dirt and constantly damp. There is no easy
way to solve this problem. Sr. Renato said the best way to deal with it is to
regularly repaint these walls. The painters invested extra time and effort to
scrape all the bubbly paint off, then apply texture and several coats of fresh
paint to these particular walls. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RC8JaWW-T0k/V-F8dR_cMTI/AAAAAAAADrM/exhEGK1JcnYT6wC3LsRGOlCOKsscpVtVACLcB/s320/IMG_20160906_112201799.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Repairs are finished!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RC8JaWW-T0k/V-F8dR_cMTI/AAAAAAAADrM/exhEGK1JcnYT6wC3LsRGOlCOKsscpVtVACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160906_112201799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just as Zaccheaus and Silvano were finishing up our house
repairs, we had a weekend of rain. It laid the dust and calmed our allergies, but it also leaked in on one dining room wall. Silvano very kindly went up on the roof to see what the problem might be and found that the gutter was cracked and holding water. Since then, we have had Claudinei, the gutter man, out multiple times to repair the old guttering and add on some new where necessary.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TIOkK1r4MfE/V-F8u_dBJVI/AAAAAAAADrQ/ooYWskRaDQYQlRnAia8rI7XWYQ21S98TACLcB/s320/IMG_1754.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mom and I</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">These house repairs have been physically and emotionally
draining on Mom and I, but words fail us to express how wonderful it is to have
them done! We sincerely appreciate all who pray for us and also give to meet
our needs!! Our house is now officially for
sale. Sr. Renato has taken pictures and will be putting an advertisement in the
local paper as well online. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will direct
and provide in this next step, just as He has up until now.</span></div>
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</div>
Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-76323626125103772862015-06-14T17:34:00.000-03:002015-06-14T17:34:36.685-03:00Joy and Sorrow: A Wedding and A Funeral<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just recently, I was listening
to some preaching, and the pastor made the statement that our lives are a mix
of joy and sadness. When I look back over the last six months, this is so true.
Joy and João Carlos were married in December. It was a time of happiness and
family being all together. Then a few months later Dad is gone and we are left
exhausted and sorrowful. Looking back at these events, from one point of view
the hardships outweigh the happiness, but the pastor didn't stop when he said
our lives are a mix of joy and sadness, he went on to say that God in His
infinite wisdom and abundant graciousness to us is the one that mixes just the
right portion of joy and sadness in our lives for His glory and for our
ultimate good. This has been a comforting thought to us again and again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am going to do my best in this post to tell you a little about this mix of events in the order that they
happened. My hope is that in the end this post will be a comfort and not a
source of pain. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vp2JgAElVio/VX3W92oqRQI/AAAAAAAADao/aFFJ0_j82Tc/s1600/3%2Bcopias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vp2JgAElVio/VX3W92oqRQI/AAAAAAAADao/aFFJ0_j82Tc/s320/3%2Bcopias.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joy with her cow dishtowels!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't remember the exact
month, but in the first part of last year João Carlos asked Joy to be his wife.
She happily agreed and they set the date for Dec. 6th. The months that came
between Joy’s engagement and wedding were few and very busy. Joy quickly set to
work choosing a simple wedding dress and finding a seamstress to make it,
ordering a cake, and making the invitations by hand. She did all that along
with acquiring and organizing all the little things that are necessary for
making a house a home. As part of this organizing of basic things for the
kitchen, bedroom, etc…, Joy opened and sorted through her hope chest. Joy
collected cows during her teens and twenties, and we developed the habit during
those years of giving her cow refrigerator magnets every birthday and often
other days throughout the year too! :) This collection of magnets came to light again when Joy
opened her hope chest. It was good to see all different little cows again. Even
the refrigerator magnet of a piece of beef stuck on a skewer was still there,
and once again I affirmed to Joy that it DEFINITELY DOES count as a cow magnet
and once again, she strongly said IT DOES NOT!!! :) In her hope chest, Joy also found some Tupperware
decorated with cows, and about twenty-five dishtowels, each with a different
cow pattern! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--rLZV53Ofjo/VX3W-7KF4YI/AAAAAAAADbI/RuABzvXHqm4/s1600/IMG_0826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--rLZV53Ofjo/VX3W-7KF4YI/AAAAAAAADbI/RuABzvXHqm4/s320/IMG_0826.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Painting the "books"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During these weeks immediately
following Joy and João Carlos’ engagement, I began working on the cake topper. Joy
and João both like to read and in fact some of their first contact with each
other was through the online bookstore that Joy runs, so I had the creative
idea of making a stack of miniature books with a bride and groom on top for the
cake topper. A stretch of trials and
many errors quickly taught me that having a creative idea is much, much easier then
figuring out how to make the idea a reality!!! :) In the end, I was able to take three small squares of
styrofoam and cover them with cold porcelain, which is a soft white dough made
from cornstarch and glue. Once the porcelain was dry, I painted each of the
squares to look like a book that Joy and João had read together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8eOkRyNuZUc/VX3W9PSOCdI/AAAAAAAADaY/XQ3tpctrFRM/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8eOkRyNuZUc/VX3W9PSOCdI/AAAAAAAADaY/XQ3tpctrFRM/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%25289%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finished cake topper</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last of all, I
varnished the books, glued them in a stack and then glued a bride and groom
that I bought off the internet on the very top. The finished cake topper worked
out to be a little too heavy to sit on top of the cake, so I ended up
decorating the top of the cake with some flowers and then setting the cake
topper surrounded by greenery and more flowers next to the cake. It looked
nice, and now Joy has the cake topper sitting on an end table in her living
room. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On October 11<sup>th</sup>,
Stephanie hosted a bridal shower for Joy. Stephanie did a very good job <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYLSgiv6a_w/VX3W9PnBiBI/AAAAAAAADbU/qhjUoumf3Xc/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYLSgiv6a_w/VX3W9PnBiBI/AAAAAAAADbU/qhjUoumf3Xc/s320/3%2Bcopias%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charity and Joy </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
making
a delicious variety of finger foods and preparing some games for the guests. We
played probably four or five games, including having a bubble gum chewing
contest with the younger participants, but I think the favorite game was the
question game. Stephanie thought up a list of very hard questions for Joy to
answer about João, and for every answer that Joy got wrong, she and one of her
guests had to dress up in funny hats, scarves, glasses, etc.. and have their
picture taken. Thankfully Joy missed enough questions to have a funny picture
taken with each of the guests. :) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HWjs90CfNuo/VX3W716YkTI/AAAAAAAADaA/LeB8XMk-OHg/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HWjs90CfNuo/VX3W716YkTI/AAAAAAAADaA/LeB8XMk-OHg/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bridal Shower Guests</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A month and a bit before the
wedding, Joy and João found a house to rent. Well, they actually found two
houses. The first house was two blocks away from where João works as a computer
programmer. The house had a nice sized yard, was on a quiet street, and
although it’s layout was a little unusual, it seemed to be just what they
needed. However, shortly after João did the paperwork to have the water turned
on, they found that the house’s plumbing was terrible. Water seeped into
several rooms of the house and the owner’s attempts to tell them that it was a
very minor problem and nothing to worry about were not convincing, so Joy and
João went back to house hunting. A week or two later, they found the blue house
where they are currently living. This house is also within walking distance of
João’s job. It’s yard is smaller then the first house, but since all Joy and
João have is a cat this is no problem. This house has three bedrooms and meets
Joy and João’s and the book store’s needs very well. One curious thing about
this blue house is that it is on a very old street. According to Joy’s neighbor,
back when Presidente Prudente was very young, people put up rows of houses in
this neighborhood and then some time later roads were put in between the houses.
This caused several of the roads in the neighborhood, including Joy and João’s
road, to be very narrow, so narrow in fact that if you are going to park along
the street while you visit Joy, you have to pull up your car on the sidewalk so
that other cars can very carefully creep past on the street.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTwKom_591o/VX3W8dy2PFI/AAAAAAAADaU/b_y_XJGkIBk/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTwKom_591o/VX3W8dy2PFI/AAAAAAAADaU/b_y_XJGkIBk/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTwKom_591o/VX3W8dy2PFI/AAAAAAAADaU/b_y_XJGkIBk/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joy and João's Wedding</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the very start, Joy and
João wanted an outdoor wedding, and since their wedding </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">date was in December,
which is one of the driest months of the year, no one thought there was any
need to worry about rain. Joy and João found a very nice “chacara” to rent for
the big day. This chacara had a nice big yard, a variety of trees, a swimming
pool, and a small building with bathrooms, a small kitchen and a place to
barbecue. The plan was to set up chairs on the grass between two rows of trees
and do the wedding right outside. Around the middle of November though, it
started to rain and it rained practically every day until the day right before
the wedding.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BcTqUG46wvQ/VX3W7ihEIUI/AAAAAAAADZ8/ItOcB80vKjo/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BcTqUG46wvQ/VX3W7ihEIUI/AAAAAAAADZ8/ItOcB80vKjo/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252813%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Civil Wedding</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">December 5<sup>th</sup>, the day
before the wedding, Joy and João had their “casamento civil”, this is where the
bride and groom and four witnesses, in this case David and I, João’s sister
Jackie and his Uncle João, went to the
government office downtown and signed the official paperwork and marriage
license. Joy and João were actually supposed to have this “civil wedding” at
three that afternoon, but the couples before them were running late and Joy and
João had to wait until about 4 p.m. to have their turn. This delay worked out
very well in the end, because João had secretly ordered a big bouquet of red
roses to be delivered to Joy at the government office and the delay gave the
roses time to be delivered. The florist’s delivery boy, who was rather harried
from running late, rushed into the waiting room at the government office
holding the large bouquet of red roses, and took a minute or two to look
around. I am sure in that small space of time several of the other brides in
the room wondered if the roses were for them, but they weren’t. The delivery
boy said “Joy? Where’s Joy?” and as soon as he found her, he gave her the roses
to her pleasant surprise. Following the civil wedding, we had João and his
family over to our house for dinner, and of course cake and icecream.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c-EwTTaYjso/VX3W99owArI/AAAAAAAADa0/jaF03CsAVp4/s1600/4%2Bcopias%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c-EwTTaYjso/VX3W99owArI/AAAAAAAADa0/jaF03CsAVp4/s320/4%2Bcopias%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Extended Gardner Family</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joy and João’s wedding day
dawned sunny and dry, even the grass dried, and João with some help from
Daniel, David, and Ben set the chairs and pulpit up between the trees. A few
hours later Mom, Dad and I arrived to put out the flowers and to organize the
snacks and cake for after the ceremony. It was right about this time, which was
only an hour before the wedding was to begin, that I learned a lesson which
will stick with me for the rest of my life, and that is: <b>always make sure the kitchen is clean before the wedding! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tht6TXhvzqE/VX3W7-s4xEI/AAAAAAAADaE/WAf75kci8RY/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tht6TXhvzqE/VX3W7-s4xEI/AAAAAAAADaE/WAf75kci8RY/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%25286%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joy and João with His Parents</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The man
Joy and João rented the chacara from guaranteed them that the chacara would be
clean when they received the keys. Sounds good right? Well, when I arrived at
the chacara with the responsibility to organize and serve the food after the
wedding, I opened the kitchen door and found the kitchen in a mess. Everything was dusty, a soft drink had spilled
onto the tables and dried there, and there were flies galore. I just about
panicked at that moment and told myself that the next time I go to a wedding I
must check the state of the kitchen well beforehand! So, if any of you ever
invite me to your wedding and before the ceremony you find me poking around in
the kitchen with a cleaning cloth, please bear with me. :) Thankfully, Mom came to
my rescue and together we managed to clean things up and by the time the guests
were driving up, everything was read<span style="color: #222222;">y.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A2DYrHQ5NIs/VX3ZpU-phII/AAAAAAAADbc/24GX40QeNJw/s1600/IMG_0984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A2DYrHQ5NIs/VX3ZpU-phII/AAAAAAAADbc/24GX40QeNJw/s320/IMG_0984.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Vows</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTwKom_591o/VX3W8dy2PFI/AAAAAAAADaU/b_y_XJGkIBk/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joy and João wanted and planned out
a very simple but tasteful ceremony. To begin the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ceremony, Stephanie played
the piano, and we sang hymns that Joy and João had chosen. Following the hymns,
Benjamin preached about the fear of the Lord and how it is the responsibility
of every individual, married or not, and also how it is essential in a
marriage. Benjamin then had Joy and João come to the front and exchange vows.
And just like that my little sister was married! Following the ceremony, we had
a good time snacking on the munchies and cake and also taking pictures! Jackie,
João’s sister, and also Daniel and Sabrina are amateur photographers, so they
pulled out their cameras and started clicking away. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E3bLiMhYS48/VX3W-yBd4zI/AAAAAAAADbQ/847hufSF1hk/s1600/4%2Bcopias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E3bLiMhYS48/VX3W-yBd4zI/AAAAAAAADbQ/847hufSF1hk/s320/4%2Bcopias.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mr. and Mrs. João Carlos Fachini</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gU-k9cXy1Is/VX3W9gom2CI/AAAAAAAADbE/W0q4VStoCaw/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Due to the weeks of rain before Joy and João’s wedding,
their honeymoon was quite as adventure. :) Joy and João had us over one evening for a time of singing around the piano and
pudding cake. It was quite enjoyable! While we were eating, Joy and João
started telling us about their honeymoon and they both kept bursting into
laughter. They were married on a Saturday evening, but didn't leave for the
farm (this is a farm that João's Dad manages) where they would be honeymooning
until the following Monday. The three hour trip out to the farm went fine until
they turned off onto the dirt roads leading through the fields up to the
farmhouse. There had been a lot of rain in those parts recently, and the roads
were muddy. João was able to avoid getting stuck in the mud until they were
about a mile from the house, then they got stuck really, really well. But as
João said he wasn't too worried about it because there was a tractor working in
the next field. Sure enough the tractor driver was happy to help, but he didn't
have any chain or rope to pull the car out. No problem, João thought, there is
rope at the farmhouse, so the tractor driver agreed to drive him to the
farmhouse and off they went with Joy staying in the car and João hanging onto
the side of the tractor. Once they were at the farmhouse, João found the
grounds keeper and asked him for rope. We don't have any, he said gruffly and
went back to his own business. João said the grounds keeper didn't even offer
to help them find something that would work! João was undaunted, though, and
remembered that there was another house about a mile away on the farm where
they might have rope, the only problem was that due to an impassible cattle
guard the tractor couldn't take him there. So, João alternately ran and walked
to the other house, found rope and then ran the mile back to the tractor. He
then once again hung on the side of the tractor all the way back to the car. He
was covered in mud by then, but the car was soon free and they made up to the
farmhouse without further problems. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gU-k9cXy1Is/VX3W9gom2CI/AAAAAAAADbE/W0q4VStoCaw/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gU-k9cXy1Is/VX3W9gom2CI/AAAAAAAADbE/W0q4VStoCaw/s320/3%2Bcopias%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joy and João after the Civil Wedding</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once at the farmhouse, Joy and João went to
the room that the grounds keeper's wife had fixed up for them. When they </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">opened
the door, they found that it was all wet. Apparently the roof had sprung a leak
during the rain and no one had noticed. Joy and João where able to find another
room down the hall that would meet their needs, and they set about getting
ready to shower, after all they were both really tired and João was muddy. They
soon found out that the heating element in the shower of their bathroom had
burnt out, and they spent a few minutes checking the other guestroom bathrooms
to see if those showers were heating and they weren't. João then remembered
that his Dad </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">had a bathroom in the manager's quarters and he figured the shower
in there would be working. So they headed over there, only to find that the
door was locked. To make a long story short, they spent a long time looking for
the key, but eventually found it and were able to take a warm shower. That was
the first day. The second day Joy and João decided to take a relaxing walk down
to the pond, and as they walked some type of insect bit Joy thirty plus times.
Joy itched quite a bit they next day or two, but she said things went much more
smoothly after that. Joy and João laughed soooo much as they told us all of
this, and I am glad they can laugh. They will probably laugh every time they
tell the story of their honeymoon from here on out. :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ygk23PxVL_k/VX3W_ohhQ9I/AAAAAAAADbA/-8cgIRI0ixE/s1600/IMG_0975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-poNSHrqmrhE/VX3aUw66ChI/AAAAAAAADcQ/-_YCm9aZOYg/s1600/2%2Bcopias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-poNSHrqmrhE/VX3aUw66ChI/AAAAAAAADcQ/-_YCm9aZOYg/s320/2%2Bcopias.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Zoo Puzzle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the whole year of 2014,
Dad didn’t do very well. Again and again problems would arise, often related to
his ability to swallow or his digestive tract, and we were constantly doing
exams or seeing different doctors to try and understand what was going on and
learn how to deal with it. Well, after Joy’s wedding, we noticed Dad began to
gradually grow weaker. During the rest of the month of December he had serious
problems swallowing, even creamy soups and other soft foods were enough to make
him choke at almost every bite. On a side note, during the week of Christmas
and New Years, Mom, Dad and I put together an 1,000 piece puzzle. Most of the
puzzles we have done over the years have been animals or landscapes, with an
occasional painting thrown in. Well, this puzzle was VERY different. It was a
colorful, humorous drawing of a zoo made by a Dutch cartoonist! Since the
puzzle had a lot of little details which made it easier to tell where the
pieces went, it took us only a little over a week to put it all together, and
Dad especially seemed to enjoy working on it. :)</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HnQ8gA0hcmU/VX3W-Z-KScI/AAAAAAAADa4/2nhbbzO0rgY/s1600/4%2Bcopias%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HnQ8gA0hcmU/VX3W-Z-KScI/AAAAAAAADa4/2nhbbzO0rgY/s320/4%2Bcopias%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel, Dad and Arthur</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In January of this year, Dad’s
swallowing difficulties subsided a little, but his complaints about digestive
problems increased. Most of the time he didn’t have an appetite, and constantly
mentioned heart burn, nausea and an uncomfortable feeling of fullness. Our
general doctor introduced us to a very good gastroenterologist, and he was able
to help Dad find some relief from the heart burn, and although, he couldn’t
resolve the sensation of fullness, he did prescribe a nutritional supplement
for Dad to drink on days that he didn’t feel like eating, and this ended up
being a big help to Dad. During this time, Dad continued to enjoy giving
seminary classes in his office and also playing games. :) Just about every Monday,
Mom, Dad and I battled it out over the Scrabble board and during the week at
Dad’s request, we would play dominoes, Skip-bo, and on the list could go…..and
just in case you are wondering, yes, Dad did win most of the time! :)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0s-1oo8GX0Y/VX3aURP_SmI/AAAAAAAADck/OHhbjsa4tHU/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2Bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0s-1oo8GX0Y/VX3aURP_SmI/AAAAAAAADck/OHhbjsa4tHU/s320/2%2Bcopias%2Bb.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dad </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dad’s digestive problems
gradually worsened and he grew weaker as February slipped by and March arrived.
Along with the now common digestive complaints, Dad began to look noticeably
yellow and soon developed all the usual symptoms of jaundice. We visited Dad’s
primary caregiver, an oncologist by the name of Dra. Paula, several times and
explained to her Dad’s increasing weakness and jaundice, but for a reason we
still do not understand, she didn’t take steps to look into the situation. She
would say oh he’s fine or here in three or four weeks we will do such and such
exam. This was quite frustrating, but the Lord graciously provided Dad’s needs
through another channel. David gives private English classes and one of his
students is an excellent oncologist by the name of Dr. Luiz Bugalho. David
mentioned Dad’s situation to Dr. Luiz and he immediately took an interest in
Dad and offered to do all he could to help. Dr. Luiz quickly took over Dad’s
case, and in the last week of March he had us running all over town helping Dad
do different exams.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TBmlsEstqOg/VX3aWCXBadI/AAAAAAAADc8/2dn3N8iSTkQ/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2B%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TBmlsEstqOg/VX3aWCXBadI/AAAAAAAADc8/2dn3N8iSTkQ/s320/3%2Bcopias%2B%25289%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel holding Arthur, David, and Ben</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The results of the exams were
sobering. The Multiple Myeloma was back and busy in Dad’s ribs and sternum, and
the jaundice was caused by a large tumor wrapped around Dad’s pancreas and
blocking the liver ducts. Dr. Luiz was thankfully very honest. He counseled
David to call the family together, and also suggested that he do exploratory
surgery to see if he could relieve the pressure on the liver ducts and allow
them to drain the bile as they should. This would alleviate some of Dad’s
symptoms and hopefully make his last three or four weeks more comfortable. <span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oNHa4JCn1n0/VX3aVpxfKHI/AAAAAAAADdA/HFrC1D6f6EU/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2B%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oNHa4JCn1n0/VX3aVpxfKHI/AAAAAAAADdA/HFrC1D6f6EU/s320/3%2Bcopias%2B%252810%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sabrina and Charity with Arthur</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lord abundantly blessed with
Benjamin and Daniel and Sabrina being able to come to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Presidente Prudente</st1:place></st1:city> before Dad had surgery on
April 7<sup>th</sup>. For a few days
before the surgery and also a few days after the surgery, Dad was in a
government paid room at the hospital, and there were several other men that
shared the same room. In the bed across from Dad, there was a retired policeman
named Alex. He had congestive heart failure and was waiting for a heart
transplant. Of all the men, I think Dad enjoyed talking to Alex the most, and
later even after Dad was moved to a private room, Alex would come by to see how
Dad was get along.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaUNX487kwA/VX3aWNJ0X9I/AAAAAAAADc0/7QO_mT1aMWw/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2B%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaUNX487kwA/VX3aWNJ0X9I/AAAAAAAADc0/7QO_mT1aMWw/s320/3%2Bcopias%2B%252812%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mom with Arthur </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dad had surgery early on April 7<sup>th</sup>
and he came through the surgery better then we expected, but Dr. Luiz
discovered that not only was it impossible to relieve the pressure on Dad’s
liver and the bile ducts, but the tumor on the pancreas had already
metastasized and there were hundreds of tiny tumors all over the inside of
Dad’s abdomen. Due to his weakness and the medicines that he needed to take via
IV, Dad was not able to come home after the surgery, but Ben, Daniel and David
worked up a schedule so that Dad was never alone at the hospital and this also
allowed each family member to spend time with him. The boys always spent nights
with him. I think they were selfish and didn’t want to share the uncomfortable
sofa with us girls. :) In the morning between 6:30 and 7, Mom would go up to the hospital
and be there until almost <st1:metricconverter productid="11 a" w:st="on">11 a</st1:metricconverter>.m.,
when I would change with her and stay until visiting hours began at 3 p.m. One
of the boys would then come up and be with Dad during visiting hours, and later
in the evening, that boy would be replaced by whichever boy was going to spend
the night. João Carlos and Joy had different schedules due to João’s job and
their responsibilities caring for the church, so instead of helping out every
single day, they would just pop in at the hospital whenever they could to talk
with Dad and give whoever was staying with him the opportunity to step outside
and gets some fresh air. Sabrina, Daniel’s wife, and little Arthur their son,
were also with us during this time. Sabrina was a big help putting meals on the
table and keeping the house in decent order. Arthur did an outstanding job of
making us smile day in and day out with his antics. :)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fH8JwhJlRxc/VX3aS0oGYvI/AAAAAAAADb4/bTQ7ar3SFng/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252816%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fH8JwhJlRxc/VX3aS0oGYvI/AAAAAAAADb4/bTQ7ar3SFng/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252816%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Visiting Hours</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first week after the
surgery, Dad was very alert. We watched movies with him, read out loud, and
talked a lot. One time while I was there, Dad held my hand and said that he was
ready to go and be with the Lord. He said he saw that he needed to submit to
the Lord in death. This is always going to be a treasured memory for me! The
following week, Dad stopped talking as much, began sleeping more and his mind
was not as clear. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ocEGJsUr_L0/VX3aTd3fHQI/AAAAAAAADcE/vHcehO8wRcg/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252817%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ocEGJsUr_L0/VX3aTd3fHQI/AAAAAAAADcE/vHcehO8wRcg/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252817%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ben Preaching</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On April 23<sup>rd</sup>, soon after I began my turn staying
with him, Dad started randomly talking. He would say a word or two in English
and then a completely unrelated phrase in Portuguese. This delirium was constant
from that point onward, there were a few brief moments when Dad opened his eyes
and recognized whoever was with him, but for the most part, he didn’t respond
to us and when he wasn’t sleeping, he was speaking deliriously. On April 24<sup>th,
</sup>Ben had the afternoon and early evening shift, and shortly after 6p.m.
Dad simply stopped breathing. His pain, discomfort and limitations were over,
and he was with the Lord.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx6jINQK5TE/VX3aTr5AjdI/AAAAAAAADcM/HD3gFARBmh0/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252819%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx6jINQK5TE/VX3aTr5AjdI/AAAAAAAADcM/HD3gFARBmh0/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252819%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Graveside</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the
funeral must take place within 24 hours of the death. Ben, Daniel, and David
had already prepared beforehand as much as they could for the visiting hours
and funeral service, so as soon as Dad passed away, they went to work
finalizing everything. We were all exhausted after Dad’s lengthy hospital stay,
so the boys scheduled the funeral to take place between noon and 4 p.m on April
25<sup>th</sup>. The visiting hours began at noon, the service took place at 3
p.m. and the burial was immediately afterwards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_vjJwpbA5Eg/VX3aS3TCs0I/AAAAAAAADbw/LP766q5z88I/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252814%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_vjJwpbA5Eg/VX3aS3TCs0I/AAAAAAAADbw/LP766q5z88I/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252814%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Moment for the Family</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One little detail, I really
appreciate regarding Dad’s funeral was that Dad was wearing a dark blue shirt
and the boys went the extra mile to have green, yellow and white flowers
covering the body, as is customary to do here in Brazil, and also in the
arrangements. Dad loved <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and Brazilians. He told us several times that he wanted to be buried in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>, and the dark blue, white, yellow and
green are <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
national colors. Often when I looked at Dad during the funeral, I would
remember how he enjoyed teaching people about <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s colors and their meaning.
We kids heard Dad tell people about <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s colors so much that we
often beat him to it. We would secretly tell people what the green, yellow,
blue and white of Brazil’s flag represented, so that when Dad would pull out
the flag and say “Would anyone like to guess what the green on this flag
means?”, everybody already knew the answer. :) Laughter always followed as Dad realized that we had
beat him to it once again! I am very thankful for good memories!<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qsH9AqRmdg4/VX3aTeC8bzI/AAAAAAAADcg/zbBnWH4cHg0/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252818%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qsH9AqRmdg4/VX3aTeC8bzI/AAAAAAAADcg/zbBnWH4cHg0/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252818%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pallbearers</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many friends, pastors that Dad
knew and brethren from churches that Dad worked in over the years came to the
funeral. Ben, Daniel and David conducted the service together. Ben preached a
very good message about how for the Christian to live and also to die is
Christ. Our lives and our deaths shouldn’t be about personal accomplishments or
an undying legacy, but their focus should be serving and exalting Christ. Daniel and David each prayed
during the service. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5RXpT3OVRg/VX3aUaGfTcI/AAAAAAAADco/XOtHz0uov_k/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252820%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5RXpT3OVRg/VX3aUaGfTcI/AAAAAAAADco/XOtHz0uov_k/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252820%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Closing the Grave</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The funeral home where we had
the visitation and service was right in front of the cemetery so as soon as the
service was over, Ben, Daniel, David, João Carlos and two Brazilian pastors
carried the coffin to the hearse and we walked behind it to the grave site. At
the graveside a Psalm was read and we sang a hymn, and that was it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></st1:place></st1:city></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></st1:place></st1:city></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></st1:place></st1:city></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WgFMcQAlld8/VX3aSxeTTeI/AAAAAAAADb0/rBKuWCGtrgo/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2B%252815%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WgFMcQAlld8/VX3aSxeTTeI/AAAAAAAADb0/rBKuWCGtrgo/s320/2%2Bcopias%2B%252815%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Cemetery</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Presidente Prudente</st1:place></st1:city> has two cemeteries. One is very old and the graves are
often above ground. The family buys a plot and then builds a cement cover over
the plot. Some of these cement covers are very simple with a small wall and a
cement slab for a lid that can be removed when necessary, and other families
actually build a small room with a door and windows over the plot with a trap
door in the floor of the room that can be opened. As loved ones are buried in
these plots, metal plaques of all different kinds with the name and dates are
fixed to the cement covers. This old cemetery actually looks like a miniature
city from a distance. The other cemetery in town was opened in the last few
years and all the graves are below ground. The cemetery’s administration
maintains a nice lawn over the graves and there are a few trees scattered
around the property. In one corner there is a long aviary with red macaws
climbing around and squawking. In this cemetery each grave is marked with a
metal plaque that is level with the ground. This newer cemetery is where Dad
was buried, and by the end of this month there will be a simple metal plaque
installed marking his grave.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuILYG6LY3M/VX3ck4h-X8I/AAAAAAAADdI/CS5U0dE3UJo/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuILYG6LY3M/VX3ck4h-X8I/AAAAAAAADdI/CS5U0dE3UJo/s320/3%2Bcopias%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charity, Mom, and Joy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I think I better start tying this off, but
before I do, I will make a stab at answering the question that a lot of people
have asked Mom and I recently and that is “Now what are you going to do?”. To
be very honest, we aren’t sure what to do.
After thirty plus years in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>,
we have plenty of reasons to just stay in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but at the same time we
have loved ones in the States too and at times the idea of making a home in the
States and being able to speak English :) is quite attractive. So, in short we are undecided, and
thankfully we have a year to think things over and come to a decision,
because it is going to be at least year before the paperwork for Dad’s estate
will be finished and Mom can put the house up for sale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right now Mom and I are busy
every day cleaning up the house and finishing up a few projects that Dad left
partially done. After these projects are done, I am thinking about maybe doing
a course of some kind and perhaps even getting a part time job. We will see how
the Lord directs each moment and each day.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the weeks surrounding Joy's wedding, there were many that rejoiced and celebrated with us. Thank you! During Dad's final months, the week of his death and funeral, and in the weeks since then, there have been many that have sympathized with us and done all they could to support us. Thank you very much! You all have been a comfort and blessing, and we thank the Lord for you!</span></div>
Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-40928706663954363992014-10-24T14:14:00.003-02:002014-10-25T16:38:01.796-02:00A bridal shower, a calf, an ordination service and other news<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is a
little hard for me to believe, but my last blog post was in May! Time goes by
so quickly and even though the Lord blessed us to be able to do a lot in the
weeks since I last wrote, it seems like there is still a whole lot waiting for
us to accomplish. Thankfully all this busyness means I have lots to write
about. There is so much to say that I am actually a little confused about where
to begin. I think I will try to begin with the oldest news and move forward. :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hélio and Dad</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In May
we had a guest in the house. Years ago when Dad was just setting up his
website, he met Hélio de Menenzes through the internet. Hélio teaches math at a
university, lives way up north on the coast of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place>, and also has a good
fundamental Baptist website. Over the years Dad has maintained frequent contact
with him. He and his wife, Valdenira, have reviewed the Portuguese grammar in a
number of Dad's studies along the way, and Dad has helped Hélio with a variety
of questions as he has worked in several Baptist churches there in his home
town. Hélio just recently retired from his job at the university. Although he
continues to tutor about 250 math students via the internet, Hélio does have
more time now and as he said, he wanted to come meet a long time friend face to
face. Hélio was supposed to arrive on a Saturday evening, but after his flight
into <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Londrina</st1:city></st1:place>,
it took the workers extra long to take the luggage off the plane, and by the
time Hélio had his luggage in hand, he had missed his bus to Prudente. He finally
arrived here in town on Sunday, had dinner with us and then spent the afternoon
talking with João Carlos and Benjamin. On Monday, Dad had Hélio to himself. As
you can imagine they talked about churches, books, different versions of the
Bible (this is a subject that Hélio has studied in depth), and their websites.
Hélio left early Tuesday morning to begin his long trip home. If Hélio's flight
had gone directly to his home town, he would have been home in 4 hours, which
would have been Tuesday noon. However, his flight zigzagged across <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place>
stopping in various major cities, so he only arrived home at <st1:metricconverter productid="1 a" w:st="on">1 a</st1:metricconverter>.m. Wednesday morning. We all
felt a little tired from the work of having a guest in the house, but I am sure
that Hélio was much more tired then we were! I was unable to get any good
pictures of Hélio while he was here, but just so you can know what he looks
like, I will go ahead and post one of the not so good pictures that I took.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Special service in Bauru</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">João
Carlos really enjoyed the time to talk with Hélio. João enjoys studying, so as
questions arise, he studies out the question for himself and as he has
opportunity, he "picks the brains" of pastors and other church
workers regarding those questions. Hélio was one such opportunity. He was
actually the second opportunity that João has had lately. Around the end of
April the church in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bauru</st1:city></st1:place>
had a special ordination service for a deacon. They invited Dad and few other
pastors that we know to the service. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bauru</st1:city></st1:place>
is a little over three hours away from us, so Dad couldn't make the trip but
Joy, João Carlos and his mother, Marlene, went. They had to leave very early in
the morning to arrive in time for the special service and ordination, which
went until noon. The church then served a lunch, and afterward Joy set up a
book table and João Carlos spent time talking with the pastors that were
present.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJob1O7BATM/VEapAO5bFuI/AAAAAAAADVo/VYULcjep0cc/s1600/Nazus%2BJune%2B2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJob1O7BATM/VEapAO5bFuI/AAAAAAAADVo/VYULcjep0cc/s1600/Nazus%2BJune%2B2014.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Nazus</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJob1O7BATM/VEapAO5bFuI/AAAAAAAADVo/VYULcjep0cc/s1600/Nazus%2BJune%2B2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">June was quite a memorable month
for me. It all started when someone tied up a young calf (approximately a month
old) in one of the empty lots near our house. They tied the calf way at the back
of the lot behind a hill of grass, and it was out of sight from the road and
surrounding houses. Just like everyone
else, I probably never would have seen it except I let Bitsy out of our gate to
run around a little and she sniffed the calf out. Well, since I have a soft
spot for little animals that look lost, I couldn’t just forget about the calf
and I started watching it. I quickly learned that there was a young man that
brought it cornmeal mush and a bucket of water on Saturdays and Sundays, but
Monday through Friday the calf went without water or mush and soon ate all the
grass its rope would allow it to reach. I couldn’t just stand by and watch the
calf go hungry, so I started cutting a good sized pile of grass for it every
day and keeping its bucket full of water. I also went to the police to see what
I should do in a case of animal neglect like this. The two policemen I talked
to were not very helpful; they kept repeating that there was nothing they could
because the lot the calf was on didn’t belong to me. The more serious policeman eventually said
“What do you want us to do? Shoot it?” I tried to keep a straight face but
failed and replied “At least the calf won’t be hungry then!” At that both
policemen laughed and became more helpful. They suggested I call the Centro de
Zoonoses and see what they could do. The Centro de Zoonoses is a branch of the
government that works to prevent epidemics of animal diseases. I didn’t have a
whole lot of hope that they would help, but the following day I called them and
within hours they sent a truck out to pick up the calf. They said that the calf
would be held at their headquarters for 30 days during which time the owner
could pay the fine and have it back. When the 30 days were up if the calf had
not been claimed, it would go up for adoption. The truck with the calf soon
left, and it was a relief to me to no longer have to worry about its well being.
Exactly one week later, at five-thirty in the morning someone left a small
black puppy in a box at our gate. Its lonely cries greeted me as I opened the
gate to walk Bitsy, and once again I was wondering anxiously “what am I going
to do with this abandoned animal?”. I
spent most of that morning driving around town asking pet stores and several
veterinarian offices if they would be willing to put the puppy up for
adoption. I heard repeated no’s, and my
ears actually grew tired of hearing the word. There was one lady at a pet store
that made me chuckle with her answer. She said they couldn’t keep the puppy
there because it was the World Soccer Cup. I didn’t understand what soccer
games have to do with the adoption of a puppy, but it was a creative way to say
“no”. I was just about to take the puppy
home again, when I thought of calling Luciana, a lady in the church. One of her
dogs had died recently, but she still had a dog and I wasn’t sure if this would
be a good time to offer her a puppy. I called her however and she was simply
delighted to take the puppy. The puppy is now named Nazus, and quite often at
church I hear from Luciana or her daughter Izabela about how the puppy is
growing, and sooo energetic, and chewing on this or that. J Thankfully no more
animals have been abandoned near our house since then, but we did joke around
about how it may become necessary to put a sign on our gate<span style="background: white;"> to discourage people from dropping their animals
there. We tossed around several ideas about what the sign should say, and my
favorite idea was: “ A big THANK YOU to all who left your puppies, kitties and
calves here! I am now a certified tax<span class="textexposedshow">idermist and I
depend on you all to continue gaining experience in my field!” :)</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Vaf62QIAk4/VEaq0eMtC7I/AAAAAAAADV4/3koZOiPv-O0/s1600/Arthur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Vaf62QIAk4/VEaq0eMtC7I/AAAAAAAADV4/3koZOiPv-O0/s1600/Arthur.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my
last post, I told you about how Daniel and Sabrina had jokingly said that they
were going to let their baby choose his own name. Well, also in the memorable
month of June, two ladies from Daniel's work gave Sabrina a very nice baby
shower. At this time, Daniel and Sabrina had already decided that their little
boy was going to be called Arthur, so his name was made public at the shower.
You will notice in the pictures of the shower that I am including that the name
Arthur shows up in the very creative decorations. The theme of the shower was
"There's going to be a Little Bird in the Gardner Nest", and the
ladies decorated everything, from the doors in the room, to the tables and even
the food, with little birds and nests. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Daniel</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first part of the baby shower was
for ladies only, but after that part was done they invited Daniel, Sabrina's
father and brother, and a few other men to participate. In this last part, they
had some games that both Daniel and Sabrina had to take part in. One of the
challenges Daniel and Sabrina faced was to taste various unmarked pots of baby
food and try to guess what flavor it was. Daniel made some wonderful grimaces
as he tasted the food! Thankfully someone caught his grimaces with a camera, so
I am able to share them with you all. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sabrina</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another game Daniel and Sabrina played
was a race to dress "Arthur". One of the ladies brought a teddy bear
which was about the size of a baby and Sabrina, followed by Daniel, had to put a
diaper and real baby clothes on it. Sabrina dressed the bear in one minute and
fifty-seven seconds, but Daniel beat her soundly by putting the bear in a
diaper and pajamas in only one minute and twenty-five seconds. However, after Daniel
was done dressing the bear one of the ladies who was watching him said she was
sure glad that wasn't the real Arthur! :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Arthur Sukerth Gardner</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Arthur was scheduled to be born on July 3, but like many other babies he arrived early. By 9 p.m. on July 2, Arthur was already in the hospital's nursery making many of the other babies look very small. He was a big boy weighing a little over seven pounds and <st1:metricconverter productid="20 inches" w:st="on">20 inches</st1:metricconverter> long. On the
second of this month Arthur turned three months old. Sabrina and Daniel send us
pictures often and tell us all the different ways that he is developing. He seems to be an easy baby to care for.
He sleeps and eats and sleeps and smiles. Yes, since before he left the
hospital, Arthur smiles and smiles and smiles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Lydia Jane</i></span></td></tr>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"></st1:place></st1:country-region></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lydia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, my niece, is also developing sooo quickly! At the end
of this month, she will be eleven months old and already she is walking well.
It seems like just a few weeks ago she learned to crawl, then she discovered
how to</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">push chairs around and now she is walking! She is also learning to play
with toys better and loves to read books. The other day Ben was sitting on the
floor, and Lydia picked up one of her books, crawled over to Ben, threw the
book into his lap and then sat down to listen to him read it. I think she is a
bookworm in the making! :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8g8w5UBTNQ/VEaoE8D_WSI/AAAAAAAADU8/14U6g8398PU/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2Ba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8g8w5UBTNQ/VEaoE8D_WSI/AAAAAAAADU8/14U6g8398PU/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2Ba.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Benjamin preaching at a park</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Benjamin has been traveling to
Bataguassu every other Sunday evening. He has been a big help and encouragement to the church there. Irmão Marco and the
other men in the church in Bataguassu are very shy, so Ben has been trying to
help them in this particular area. Several Sundays recently Ben has organized a
service at a park there in Bataguassu. They sing some hymns, Ben preaches a
basic Gospel message and David and the other men pass out tracks to the people
at the park and on nearby streets. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNzmk5lrvtA/VEbU36-YOSI/AAAAAAAADWo/h0GtPJ0VW-k/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2Bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNzmk5lrvtA/VEbU36-YOSI/AAAAAAAADWo/h0GtPJ0VW-k/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2Bb.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>David passing out tracts</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ben said it is going very well, and he
shared with us two pictures that I am including. This last Saturday, Ben, David
and some folks from the church here in Prudente held a service at the downtown
plaza. There was a political rally also going on downtown and the loud sound
systems from the rally forced Ben and then David to speak up as they preached,
but despite that several people stopped to listen and a good number of tracts
were passed out to people walking by. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n8nrHQGGkb0/VEaoGebU4HI/AAAAAAAADVU/5b2wo_P9ZAU/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2Bk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n8nrHQGGkb0/VEaoGebU4HI/AAAAAAAADVU/5b2wo_P9ZAU/s1600/2%2Bcopias%2Bk.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Special service in Três Lagõas</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Several
years ago, as you will probably remember, Dad was making the three hour trip to
and from Três Lagõas once a month to work with a family that was interested in
starting a church. That work eventually closed. The family in Três Lagõas had
some problems and Dad came to the point where his back pain kept him from being
able to make the trip. Well, a little over two years ago Irmão Marcelo and his
family from the church here in Prudente moved to Três Lagõas because of his
job. They eventually joined the church in Pereira Barreto, a city about 40
minutes away, and through that church began a preaching point in Três Lagõas.
The Lord blessed and on August 16th there was a special service during which
the group in Três Lagõas was organized into a church and Irmão Marcelo was
ordained to be their pastor. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Pr. Eduardo Cadete and Pr. Marcelo</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The church in Pereira Barreto and Irmão Marcelo
took care of planning and preparing for the service, but they asked Dad
questions along the way and even asked him to make a letter of invitation to
send out to a number of churches. In the end there were about six churches
represented and an approximate total of 150 people at the special service.
Included in this group was Ben and his family, Dad, and David with a car full
of people from Prudente. Dad really, really enjoyed being able to go to the
service. He enjoyed being able to participate in the ordination and the time
before and after the service to talk to people he hasn't seen in over a year.
Following the service, the women served pizza, but David and Ben quickly
rounded up the group from Prudente and began the three hour trip home. It was
10 pm after all! :)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Dad was extra tired and shaky the ten days following the trip, but
considering everything the Lord really blessed and he is doing well. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Dad and Lydia</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since the beginning of the year, Dad had been having problems once in a while with choking as he ate. After the trip to Três Lagõas, Dad's choking episodes became much more frequent and several times he came to the point of losing his breath and turning pale. We visited two different doctors about the problem and eventually ended up in Dra. Wania's office. She is a speech therapist, who has worked for a number of years with Parkinson's patients, and her counsel and care have been a big blessing to us. She explained right away that choking is a normal part of Parkinson's disease. The muscles of the throat and mouth become rigid and out of sync which not only makes it difficult to chew and swallow but also makes it much easier to aspirate food, etc.. into the lungs. Dra. Wania went on to encourage us by saying there are a variety of techniques that Dad can learn to help him swallow better and decrease the risk of choking. This last month and a half Dad has been going to see Dra. Wania every week and she has taught him a variety of exercises to strengthen his mouth and throat muscles. She has also showed him how to put his chin to his chest when he swallows and told him repeatedly of the importance of eating in a calm, quiet environment where he can focus on his chewing and swallowing. Dad is having fewer choking episodes now, and we continue to work as a family to incorporate these new habits and exercises into our daily routines.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZf_LBZbbVs/VEao2Ss0taI/AAAAAAAADVg/fPgev4ncv9s/s1600/foto%2Bpara%2Bcarta%2Boriginal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZf_LBZbbVs/VEao2Ss0taI/AAAAAAAADVg/fPgev4ncv9s/s1600/foto%2Bpara%2Bcarta%2Boriginal.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>João Carlos and Joy</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now let
me finish this post with some nice current news. :)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As you have probably already heard, João Carlos asked
Joy to marry him several weeks ago and she happily said yes. They chose
December 6<sup>th</sup> as their special day and since then Joy and João
especially, but our whole family to some extent, have been busy with
preparations for the wedding. Joy and João were able to secure a chacara to
have the wedding at. A chacara here in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place> is built to be rented out by
the day. It is a piece of land that usually has a nice lawn, perhaps a pool, always
a soccer field and barbecue pit, and a simple building to provide cover from
rain, and bathrooms. They have also found a house to rent near where João
works, and are currently working on deep cleaning it as their schedules allow.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Food table at the bridal shower</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This month Stephanie hosted a bridal shower for Joy. Food-wise the shower was quite American with <span style="background: white;">quesadillas</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">,</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> miniature runzas, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and bacon
tortilla roll-ups with cookies and fruit kabobs for dessert and strawberry
lemonade to drink. The Brazilian ladies bravely tried and enjoyed these new
things. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BY53d7pkC-U/VEbPQ15xT3I/AAAAAAAADWQ/rwRJnccenTc/s1600/IMG_0703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BY53d7pkC-U/VEbPQ15xT3I/AAAAAAAADWQ/rwRJnccenTc/s1600/IMG_0703.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: white;">The rest of the shower was a little bit more Brazilian. We played some
games that they are used to and even gave a little “lembrançinha” to each
guest. It is a Brazilian custom to give these “lembrançinhas” to each guest at
wedding and baby showers and also birthday parties. A “lembrançinha” is a small
object (sometimes a refrigerator magnet, scented soap, box of candy, small
knick-knack, etc..) that usually has a small card with it that says
"In remembrance of so-and-so's wedding shower" or "Thank you for
your participation in ________ ".</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">Our “lembrançinhas” are small lilac
colored teapots with an aluminum spiral to hold notes. As Stephanie needed it I helped her to plan
the shower and Brazilianize it. One job she had me do was to find some funny
hats, glasses, scarves, etc… to take pictures in at the shower. I had lots of
fun walking all over downtown and also sifting through piles of stuff at a large
thrift store run by the cancer hospital to find a nice selection of funny
things. Once I arrived home I had even more fun trying the things on, and then
at the shower, we shared lots of laughs as we dressed ourselves and each other
up in the funny stuff and posed for pictures. :)</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpzVFYGsZJo/VEapmbnw-bI/AAAAAAAADVw/iXGFVL1gLgo/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2Bx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpzVFYGsZJo/VEapmbnw-bI/AAAAAAAADVw/iXGFVL1gLgo/s1600/3%2Bcopias%2Bx.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now let me finish up with two little bits of random news.
Number one is that Joy discovered PicMonkey, a website where you can edit
photos online. Using this amazing website you can make “masterpieces” by taking
a picture of Joy’s cat and putting Dracula fangs and blood splashes on her. :) However it is also possible to do profitable things on PicMonkey. Joy and I are
learning how to put Bible verses on a variety of pictures, and then Joy enjoys
using them for the bookstore’s Facebook. These pictures with verses are also
handy to develop, slip into a simple frame and give as gifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Number two is that Sr. Armando made a caricature of Dad. Sr.
Armando, like Dad, loves books and enjoys translating Spurgeon and other old
authors into Portuguese. Well, last month Armando drew this caricature of Dad
and put it on Facebook. Everyone loved it, and now Dad has a copy of it hanging
on the pin-board in his office. :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Bitsy and I</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wish I could say that it won't take me as long to put the next post up, but the truth is that it will probably take me months. :) We stay busy keeping the household running, working on the translation of John Gill, caring for the seminary course online and to prisoners, and helping out with church activities. On top of those things, we have a number of wedding preparations yet to do, and in my personal life my dog, Bitsy, isn't doing very well. Caring for her takes up a good part of my free time and energy. Bitsy has had a hyperactive immune system for years and has gradually become allergic to every animal protein available. The vet and I thought we had found an efficient solution to her allergies when we started her on soy protein earlier this month, but unfortunately she became allergic to soy in just a little over two weeks. Dr. Tony and I are now looking for other ways to help Bitsy. It is going to be interesting to see what the Lord has in store for her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you for reading!</span></div>
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Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-59614268988184429052014-05-16T11:18:00.000-03:002014-05-17T10:30:44.230-03:00Random News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99t51jGJBfg/UgjdX2cokeI/AAAAAAAADM8/E10y_AMRiF8/s320/DSC01735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99t51jGJBfg/UgjdX2cokeI/AAAAAAAADM8/E10y_AMRiF8/s320/DSC01735.JPG" height="230" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ever since last December when Dad was diagnosed with cancer and ended up spending eighteen days in the hospital with pneumonia, our lives have really changed, and one of those changes is that, it is very hard for me to find time to develop posts for my blog. I miss it, but there are a whole lot of more important things in the balance right now. In an attempt to keep my blog from dying completely, I hope to post some random news every now and then. We will see how things go. :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">e first Sunday of December 2013 the church
here in Prudente asked Ben to baptize three candidates for them. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nlwjtH7R2dU/U3YYb8hbyUI/AAAAAAAADSw/uHHNRcw1xhg/s1600/DSC02112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nlwjtH7R2dU/U3YYb8hbyUI/AAAAAAAADSw/uHHNRcw1xhg/s1600/DSC02112.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The woman on crutches is Luciana. She is
the daughter of Edson and Isabel, who are members of the church. For a number
of years she didn't want anything to do with the church, but then she started
coming occasionally when her mom invited her. After a few months of coming off
and on, she began coming faithfully and shortly after that she was in a
motorcycle accident. Her leg was broken in several places and she underwent
major surgery to have pins put in. She was unable to walk for almost three
months, but as soon as she could get around in a wheelchair and walk a bit, she
started coming to church again. Not long after that she professed salvation and
asked to be baptized. Luciana gradually improved and was even able to start working
at a bakery that supplies bread for many of the public schools in town. However,
about two months ago the pins in her leg broke and she had to go through
surgery all over again. The Lord has really blessed through it all. The doctor
who did the second surgery used a larger plate and pins this time and her leg
is even better now then it was after the first surgery. Luciana is currently
doing intensive physical therapy and she hopes in another month or two to be
able to go back to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yasmin and Isabela</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The young girl in the pictures is
Isabela. She is 10 years old and is Luciana's daughter. Since she attends
school close to them, Isabela has always spent a lot of time at her
grandparent's home. Edson and Isabel bring her to church with them whenever she
is at their house, so we have know Isabela since she was about 2. I often tease
Isabela about how when we first met her she did not like us at all. She would
sit in her Grandpa’s lap and watch us. If any of us tried to play with her, she
would cry. Things have drastically changed now. The last couple of years, Joy
and I have been teaching Isabela in Sunday School and when she goes on break
from school, we have her over to the house to play ping-pong and board games.
She loves it and I might add, that she beats us most of the time! Just recently on a holiday, Isabela and I and Yasmin, a cousin of Isabela's, spent the morning together making cupcakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The young man that was baptized is João
Carlos. Several years ago, David met him while he was giving English classes at
Wizard. David invited João to church at the time and he came several times.
João even made a profession of faith and Dad started doing a Bible study with
him, but he eventually came to the place of having to choose between continuing
at church or keeping his long time girlfriend. He stopped coming to church and
even told Dad he was sure that he wasn't saved. Several years passed where we
had no contact with him, but the middle of last year, João got in touch with
David. He said the Lord had saved him and asked if he could come to church. He
started coming faithfully, eventually joined as a member, and just two weeks
ago he preached for the first time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the beginning of this year, João graduated and is now an official computer programmer. Shortly after his graduation, he was hired by a German man here in town to do
maintenance work for a humongous online clothing store here
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
Just for you to have an idea of how big this store is, on a Wednesday evening just
recently the "Purchase" button on the website quit working and in the
few hours that it took for the maintenance men to fix the problem, the store lost
approximately $130,000.00 worth of sales. It is hard for me to imagine an
online store that big! Due to the way the store's website was built the online store has constant
problems and they have at least three teams of computer programmers, one of
which includes João Carlos, which spend eight hours a day, five days a week
fixing problems as they come up. The job tends to be quite stressful for
João Carlos and the other programmers since the problems that show up are
usually complex and the store, of course, puts pressure on the maintenance men to
fix things quickly, but João said he is learning a lot in his field and for
that reason he enjoys the job, even though later on João said he might like to
look for another job opening that would allow him to do his own programming
instead of spending his days fixing computer programs that were built by others.
We’ll see what happens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Dad and Mom's first granddaughter (and my first niece) was born last November. It is a real joy to have her around, and our joy was doubled soon after when Daniel and Sabrina told us that they are expecting a little one to be born in July.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On March 10th Sabrina had an ultrasound done to check on the progress of the
baby. The baby is growing just fine and they found out that it is a little boy.
Afterward, Daniel and Sabrina made this picture to tell family and friends that
it is a little boy. :) Now Sabrina said they are working on a name. They would
like a name with a German root, because after all both sides of the family are
of German descent. They want a name that isn't too common, but yet it can’t be
sooo uncommon that it doesn’t have a nice meaning. Lastly they would like a
name that is spelled the same in English and Portuguese so that the little
fellow doesn't have too hard of a time getting around in either side of his
extended family. Considering all of that, Sabrina said they are just going to
call him "Baby" and when he is old enough, he can choose his own
name. :D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I better sign off for this time.
Joy went out to do the grocery shopping this morning and pretty soon she will
be coming home and it will be Bitsy and I’s job to help carry things in from
the car. Yes, it is hard to believe, but of her own accord Bitsy carries small
objects in her mouth from the car to the kitchen rug. Of course, Bitsy doesn’t
work for free. I have to pay for every item she brings in with a bite of cookie
and if I don’t have a piece of cookie in my hand, she won’t put the item down. :)</span><br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-99t51jGJBfg%2FUgjdX2cokeI%2FAAAAAAAADM8%2FE10y_AMRiF8%2Fs320%2FDSC01735.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-99t51jGJBfg/UgjdX2cokeI/AAAAAAAADM8/E10y_AMRiF8/s320/DSC01735.JPG" -->Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-66749349695400926452013-02-24T16:42:00.000-03:002013-02-24T16:42:15.577-03:00Batmilk and Other Bloopers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--5fQ9uhGmqM/USpNLLHrNII/AAAAAAAADJk/A47GCD8WgSk/s1600/DSC01016-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--5fQ9uhGmqM/USpNLLHrNII/AAAAAAAADJk/A47GCD8WgSk/s400/DSC01016-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyone brave enough to try it?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like it or not,
when you interact with people who speak a language other than your own, you are
going to gather a collection of bloopers - some will be mistakes that you make
yourself as you speak the foreign language and others will be mistakes
that those around you make as they attempt to speak your mother tongue.
It wasn’t too long ago, during elections in the States, that a Brazilian
asked me what it meant when Americans called so and so politician
"spineless". I thought about it and answered that it means he doesn’t
have any "espinhas". The words "spine" and
"espinha" have similarities, and at that moment I was pretty sure
their definitions were also similar. The Brazilian looked at me with a puzzled
expression on his face and asked if I was sure. I thought about it a bit more
and said "yes". The man left, and approximately fifteen minutes later
I realized that I had said that the politician in question didn't have any
pimples. "Espinha" I remembered means pimple and "coluna"
means spine. As so many others are, this
slip of the tongue was embarrassing!! However, the best thing you can do is
laugh at yourself and go on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CLz5R88O-UQ/USpNMDNIk4I/AAAAAAAADJw/FazYr7NO5tA/s1600/DSCF2696-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CLz5R88O-UQ/USpNMDNIk4I/AAAAAAAADJw/FazYr7NO5tA/s400/DSCF2696-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Translation jewel on a toy box.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish I could honestly say
that the above mistake was one of the few I have made, but the truth is that it
joins a very long line of mistakes that I and my family have made over the
years. My Dad, poor fellow, often speaks in public and so many of his
Portuguese mistakes are made in front of an audience. The Portuguese word for
calf is “bezerro”, while the word for beetle is “besouro”, and their pronunciation
is differentiated by the sound of one vowel. Dad has often slipped up as he
preaches and said that Moses came down the mountain and found the people of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
worshipping a golden beetle. The audience chuckles or sometimes even laughs out
loud and Dad knows to rewind a little bit and exchange the word “besouro” for
“bezerro”. A missionary wife we know once confused the word for hand with the
word for mother and taught a group of children that Moses held up his mother
and the <st1:place w:st="on">Red Sea</st1:place> parted leaving dry land. Then
there was the time that Dad and my brothers had cleaned up a river bank in
preparation for a baptism, and they were telling some folks about what all was
involved in that and they jokingly added
that they had skinned all the crocodiles, except they said “shaved” instead of
“skinned”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSq0WYYfA9w/USpNNJttHFI/AAAAAAAADJ4/T2_OLnBqmXU/s1600/House+of+News-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSq0WYYfA9w/USpNNJttHFI/AAAAAAAADJ4/T2_OLnBqmXU/s400/House+of+News-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">House of News - That's a strange name for a clothes store!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The mistakes that Brazilians
make as they speak English are also priceless. One of my Dad’s first English
students used to tell him all about her neggyboris. Her neggyboris did this and
her other neggyboris said that, and Dad finally understood what she meant when
he asked her to spell neggyboris. She spelled n-e-i-g-h-b-o-r. There is also an
English teacher who honestly thought that when you speak of your left foot you
use the word “foot” and when referring to your right foot you should use the
word “feet”. The Portuguese word “entre”
means “come in” in certain contexts and in other contexts it means “between”.
There was one fellow who very hospitably encouraged his English speaking guest
to “Between! Between!”. A myriad of funny English mistakes come into being,
when Brazilians run something written in Portuguese through an online
translator. We had one man back in April, who kindly ran his email through an
online translator before sending it to us. Here is what we received: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36pt;">Hello friend how are you?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Salute you…when will yousend an email to your friend?
Lo, I am waiting </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36pt;">brother.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Friend’s new berth on the new worker who comes to
Ramos Nereus? I know </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36pt;">he’s hiding a lot from me, but I look forwardto the
patience friend to write </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36pt;">something.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Awaiting
the big news,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Mr.
Alviçareiras<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> …and
to the next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We promptly wrote the man
back in Portuguese and asked how we
could help him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our collection of bloopers
also includes a few mistakes that we have found in hotels and restaurants along
the way. There is one restaurant in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">São
Paulo</st1:place></st1:city> near an airport that translated their menu into
English for any English speaking patrons that might wander in. The menu
includes among other things:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-
<!--[endif]-->Italian Salad
(which includes lettuce, rocket, black olives, buffalo cheese, and sun dried
tomatoes)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-
<!--[endif]-->Steak with garlic
butter, rice, vegetables, and potatoes of paprika<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Following your meal you might
enjoy one of the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-
<!--[endif]-->Three icecream
scoops with chocolate syrup, cream, and biscuit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-
<!--[endif]-->Coffeepot, milk,
tea or hot chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is also a hotel which
offers a number of complimentary hygiene articles. The list includes:
cottonballs, Q-tips, disposable razor, and sandpaper…huh….Sandpaper? We thought
and thought about this one, but couldn’t imagine what they meant to say until
we looked at the Portuguese version of the list. The Portuguese list included
fingernail files and no sandpaper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Penkwives are hazardous and prohibited on airplanes!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We learned years ago that
Brazilian food companies like to include English in the names of their
products. That is how “Batmilk” came to be sold in the dairy aisle at our
grocery store. The dairy company, Batavo, wanted a catchy name for their new
yogurt and they came up with “Batmilk”. I have no doubt that to Brazilians
“Batmilk” brings to mind a good quality strawberry yogurt, but to this American
that name produces a mental picture of a shiny, clean dairy with nocturnal
mammals hanging from the ceiling. Many food companies also include the English
translation of the list of ingredients, nutritional value, and other info on
their product’s packaging, even if their products aren’t exported to English
speaking countries. There is an instant coffee label that assures you that if
you add two spoons to a cup of hot water and stir, you will have a nice cup of
hot coffee. One cookie company informs
you in Portuguese on their rolls of filled cookies that these are “bolachas
recheadas” which means “filled cookies”, however, when they translate that into
English they call them “cream sandwich biscuits”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XfVHHdRHOtk/USpNLM_upkI/AAAAAAAADJg/olHA2ZgNHws/s1600/DSCF2697-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XfVHHdRHOtk/USpNLM_upkI/AAAAAAAADJg/olHA2ZgNHws/s400/DSCF2697-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I personally prefer non-music songs :)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The icing on the blooper
cake, though, in my opinion is the box of seasoned peanuts that my sister and I
found one day at the grocery store while waiting in a long line to checkout. In
a bright splash of yellow on the upper corner of the box, the company informed
us that their peanuts now come in an “intelligent box”. A little further down
the box, we learn that “one who eats never forgets”. Little do they know, but
there is an American family out there who has never eaten their peanuts and yet
they have never forgotten them.</span> </div>
Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-52196538012546676632013-01-14T13:55:00.000-02:002013-01-26T08:18:57.505-02:00Wedding Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vbl3JFijxac/UPLa1EyP3JI/AAAAAAAADFs/0xb_J3G0_jo/s1600/DSC01665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vbl3JFijxac/UPLa1EyP3JI/AAAAAAAADFs/0xb_J3G0_jo/s400/DSC01665.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alright, here is a special post about Daniel and Sabrina's wedding for all of those who are awaiting news and pictures. As you read it, please keep in mind that I am writing it after traveling all night and that all the pictures were taken by unofficial photographers, so please forgive any mistakes that may have gone unnoticed. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wedding took place yesterday (Jan. 12th) at a "sitio" in Jundiaí. A sitio here in Brazil is usually a large piece of land that may have a few cows and even a garden on it, but it is usually used for recreational purposes. This sitio in particular had a lake with paddle boats, soccer field, horses, dormitories and several buildings which can be rented for special events. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sabrina originally wanted an outdoor wedding, so they rented this sitio and planned to have the ceremony on a lawn near the lake. However, three days before the wedding Jundiaí began having heavy rains to the point that several neighborhoods were at risk of experiencing mudslides. The wedding ceremony was eventually moved to a covered deck near the lake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sabrina with help from her family did as many of the preparations for the wedding as she could. For starters, she made all the wedding invitations by hand. Here is a link to a video of her making one of the invitations if you would like to see it: <a href="http://goo.gl/mKPdk">goo.gl/mKPdk</a></span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ERXwhw6Irm4/UPK4-8na6gI/AAAAAAAAC-E/HC7PkgGFzP4/s1600/pulpito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ERXwhw6Irm4/UPK4-8na6gI/AAAAAAAAC-E/HC7PkgGFzP4/s400/pulpito.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sabrina helped her dad make the podium that was used for the ceremony...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-75zE23te4/UPK4_MTclJI/AAAAAAAAC-I/ATTNbVmjrzs/s1600/DSC01654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-75zE23te4/UPK4_MTclJI/AAAAAAAAC-I/ATTNbVmjrzs/s400/DSC01654.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....and she helped her mom make the chocolate and coconut candies which were served after the reception. Sabrina also took care of all the flower arrangements.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ0n9C8FmXs/UPK8JuK-l1I/AAAAAAAAC-s/mJ9mjxca1zY/s1600/Cake+Table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ0n9C8FmXs/UPK8JuK-l1I/AAAAAAAAC-s/mJ9mjxca1zY/s400/Cake+Table.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Sukerth family also put together a special glass table for the wedding cake.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6JTKZRguAg/UPK8J_37ekI/AAAAAAAAC-w/TFeHvTKfOfg/s1600/DSC01691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6JTKZRguAg/UPK8J_37ekI/AAAAAAAAC-w/TFeHvTKfOfg/s400/DSC01691.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The finished cake table was very nice! Underneath the table Henrique, Sabrina's brother, put a small platform with colorful LED lights in it. This allowed the platform and the cake table to be always changing colors.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE52-wdrTcQ/UPK-xzi0awI/AAAAAAAAC_U/PtqP54yCtvY/s1600/DanHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE52-wdrTcQ/UPK-xzi0awI/AAAAAAAAC_U/PtqP54yCtvY/s400/DanHouse.JPG" width="368" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now I don't want you to think that Daniel was lazy in the months leading up to the wedding so I will include some pictures of what he was busy with. :) Just as soon as he decided to propose to Sabrina, Daniel began looking for a house in São José dos Campos, which is where he works and attends church. The cost of housing in the booming city of São José is very high. Daniel quickly discovered that buying a house was out of the question and renting a house would be difficult. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After reading the classifieds multiple times and looking into every option he could find, Daniel found a small house where he could rent the top floor.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TqCCEo1SRY0/UPK--js6AhI/AAAAAAAAC_c/C644dzDjbpY/s1600/Daniel+with+Varnish.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TqCCEo1SRY0/UPK--js6AhI/AAAAAAAAC_c/C644dzDjbpY/s400/Daniel+with+Varnish.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can tell, the house wasn't in the best shape, but structurally it is a good house, so Daniel set to work fixing it up. He varnished the wooden ceilings, learned to do some electrical repairs, sanded and repainted the gate, and even put in a wall with the help of a brother from his church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will also be glad to know that he exchanged the horrible green paint for several coats of a nice off-white paint.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wPH2Qm0wQFQ/UPLGanJtwNI/AAAAAAAADAc/AO4jkT-iETE/s1600/DSC01668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wPH2Qm0wQFQ/UPLGanJtwNI/AAAAAAAADAc/AO4jkT-iETE/s400/DSC01668.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wedding ceremony was supposed to begin at 5:30 yesterday afternoon, but it ended up running a little late. This is not unusual in Brazil. Some folks even believe that if a bride arrives late to her wedding, it brings good luck. :) In Daniel and Sabrina's case, though, a good number of guests were still arriving a good fifteen or twenty minutes after starting time, so we all just had to wait.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-35QtCKFNcjY/UPLH42CCjoI/AAAAAAAADA8/7RoHICipbDw/s1600/DSC01666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-35QtCKFNcjY/UPLH42CCjoI/AAAAAAAADA8/7RoHICipbDw/s400/DSC01666.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thankfully the time we waited gave us an opportunity to take a family picture....</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oc4LzeJsIlk/UPLJJFOBpKI/AAAAAAAADBs/9t9H6YgXwck/s1600/DSC01672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oc4LzeJsIlk/UPLJJFOBpKI/AAAAAAAADBs/9t9H6YgXwck/s400/DSC01672.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....and it gave Benjamin and Daniel plenty of time to stand on the platform. :)</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LJ7bWIOrKmY/UPLJIN87pYI/AAAAAAAADBk/ZKhmNL9zZmk/s1600/DSC01662-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LJ7bWIOrKmY/UPLJIN87pYI/AAAAAAAADBk/ZKhmNL9zZmk/s400/DSC01662-001.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, that is right! My older brother Ben came to Brazil in order to officiate at Daniel's wedding. I wondered, at first, if the eleven years Ben spent in the States would make his Portuguese rusty. But it didn't! At Daniel and Sabrina's request, Ben preached an excellent message on the need to have Christ first of all as Saviour and then also as the center of our marriages and homes.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJJc9hDhBo0/UPLLvoAxLUI/AAAAAAAADCU/qH95gg6-rXQ/s1600/DSC01674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJJc9hDhBo0/UPLLvoAxLUI/AAAAAAAADCU/qH95gg6-rXQ/s400/DSC01674.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wedding ceremony began shortly after 6 p.m. Due to where I was sitting, I wasn't able to get pictures of many people coming down the aisle, but I did get this picture of Sabrina and her dad walking by.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o62SoNpX8Y4/UPLLwHELaxI/AAAAAAAADCc/pdBizuBqrbE/s1600/DSC01676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o62SoNpX8Y4/UPLLwHELaxI/AAAAAAAADCc/pdBizuBqrbE/s400/DSC01676.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daniel and Sabrina sat on a park bench while Ben preached.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tF9tVQPF_w/UPLNx7GrfDI/AAAAAAAADDE/Wv-t2qULrYs/s1600/Box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tF9tVQPF_w/UPLNx7GrfDI/AAAAAAAADDE/Wv-t2qULrYs/s400/Box.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the preaching was done, Daniel and Sabrina stood up and two little girls brought the rings up the aisle. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of what happened, but it was a funny point in the wedding so I must tell you about it. The two little girls are sisters and they were very cute in their matching dresses. The older sister is ten years old and the younger one is just learning to walk. The littlest one did pretty well taking her baby steps next to her big sister for the first half of the aisle, but then she must have gotten tired and kept wanting to sit down on the floor after every two steps. The older girl did pretty well at first lifting the little one up and getting her to take another few steps, but about three benches from the end of the aisle the little girl couldn't walk any more. Her sister's vigorous tugging on her arm produced no results, so Ben stepped off the platform, lifted the little girl to her feet, and with one little hand holding onto her sister and the other little hand holding Ben's fingers, she made it to the end of the aisle. The rings, by the way, were carried down the aisle in a wooden box which Daniel made to use when he asked Sabrina to marry him.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JW4W6YlC0AA/UPPUnEv08kI/AAAAAAAADI8/uSidsaRO5ow/s1600/DSC01680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JW4W6YlC0AA/UPPUnEv08kI/AAAAAAAADI8/uSidsaRO5ow/s400/DSC01680.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After rescuing the little girl, Ben stepped back up on the platform and performed the vows. I was able to film that part of the ceremony. Unfortunately, my blog doesn't want to upload the video, so I will post a link to it here: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_221878515">h</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="ttp://goo.gl/9MOgX">ttp://goo.gl/9MOgX</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I suggest you watch it, because right before their kiss Daniel and Sabrina gave the audience a surprise. :)</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z4-dlr5VxcQ/UPLT1mUCjMI/AAAAAAAADDk/GdEg5ahWZOo/s1600/DSC01678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z4-dlr5VxcQ/UPLT1mUCjMI/AAAAAAAADDk/GdEg5ahWZOo/s400/DSC01678.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You might have noticed the rain in the video. January is the month of rain here in Brazil, and even though there were a lot of people hoping that the wedding day would be overcast but dry, it rained for the greater part of the day. Thankfully most of the time the rain was a light drizzle, but the rain became heavy during the last part of the wedding ceremony. During this heavy rain, the bride and groom were sprayed on their backs and a gutter overflowed and came gushing down onto the platform and generously sprayed Ben's pant legs, but everything continued on. During the reception I overheard two ladies jokingly say that Sabrina must have eaten out of a pan several times. It seems there is a Brazilian saying which states that if a bride eats directly out of a pan there will be rain during the wedding. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Following the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, we all moved to the adjoining building where the reception was going to be held. Sabrina's colors were for the most part various shades of pink, but the tables and chairs for the reception had been done in brown and white with a pot of pink violets as a centerpiece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a closeup of the table decorations. The white paper with the little bride and groom on it is actually a menu telling about what is going to be served.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The meal that was served was especially creative. Sabrina began the planning process for the reception by looking into various catering services, but they were all too pricey. Then she stumbled across this company called "Pizza Architects".</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bgw2LT6X96w/UPLVawXcCtI/AAAAAAAADEM/5XAZJLydDMk/s1600/DSC01699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bgw2LT6X96w/UPLVawXcCtI/AAAAAAAADEM/5XAZJLydDMk/s400/DSC01699.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The "Pizza Architects" make their own pizzas, and then pack the pizzas and their own oven up and take them to the events that they are catering. The idea was creative and the price affordable, so Sabrina hired them to do the reception.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJyBZ63pxuk/UPLYcfgHxoI/AAAAAAAADEs/x5Zg7lNLjX8/s1600/DSC01700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJyBZ63pxuk/UPLYcfgHxoI/AAAAAAAADEs/x5Zg7lNLjX8/s400/DSC01700.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During the first hour and a half after the wedding, the "Architecs" served a variety of meat, cheese, and even vegetable pizzas. At our table we had a pizza with tuna and onions, another with zucchini and cheese, a very common one with pepperoni, and an uncommon one that had sliced hot dogs and shoestring potatoes. They were all good. Later in the evening, the "Architecs" began passing around sweet pizzas, which included a pizza with strawberries and chocolate sauce, a banana pizza sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, and a Romeo and Juliet pizza, which has cheese and guava jam.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2rxGo-kZGg/UPLY_317PwI/AAAAAAAADE0/s2o7fdWebxY/s1600/DSC01706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2rxGo-kZGg/UPLY_317PwI/AAAAAAAADE0/s2o7fdWebxY/s400/DSC01706.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While we were busy enjoying the pizza, Daniel and Sabrina took a lot of pictures,...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....walked around the room greeting people, and then Daniel had to sell a tie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is customary at Brazilian weddings for the groom's buddies to gang up on him, put an old tie around his neck and lead him around the room asking the male guests for donations. When a guest makes a donation, the groom's buddies cheer loudly and give the guest a piece of the groom's tie.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1uaz8z-wsU/UPLaMI-KrRI/AAAAAAAADFg/9DmIawixzpY/s1600/DSC01711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1uaz8z-wsU/UPLaMI-KrRI/AAAAAAAADFg/9DmIawixzpY/s400/DSC01711.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You should have heard all the wild cheering and clapping that went on when on when Ben donated a ten dollar bill!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Gardner</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that folks is the end of my pictures! Daniel and Sabrina are away on their honeymoon in Campos do Jordão, which is a pretty tourist city nestled among the hills not so very far from Jundiaí. The rest of us, with the help of coke, chocolate, and the alphabet game, traveled all night to come home. :)</span><br />
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<br />Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-6704034193315618462012-12-26T00:40:00.000-02:002012-12-26T00:40:19.943-02:00Holiday Pictures<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our holidays where looking like they were going to be rather ordinary days. Sometimes we do that - simply work through holidays, since we don't have any family gatherings to attend and since our work is always backed up. I was tentatively planning to clean the refrigerator and do some laundry today... until Daniel
surprised us by traveling nine hours to drop in for a visit! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v9bqY7NN-cA/UNpN659hAFI/AAAAAAAAC5k/A90NVCkJc8U/s1600/Dominoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v9bqY7NN-cA/UNpN659hAFI/AAAAAAAAC5k/A90NVCkJc8U/s320/Dominoes.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since Daniel was in the house, we declared the day a holiday and and pulled out a variety of table games. Dad as usual won
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joy, with a little help from the rest of us, fixed a special meal.</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even David helped out in the kitchen!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let the meal begin!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all enjoyed Joy's cooking and a good long
time to talk (and of course being Gardners we had to share a few lame jokes!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Following the meal, we all helped with the dishes and cleanup. Well, most of us helped...Daniel randomly gave hugs and succeeded in getting in the way. :)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOebpQAhpVA/UNpQJ4ehOkI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/5CuPYBFkzWg/s1600/Boo+and+Bone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SOebpQAhpVA/UNpQJ4ehOkI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/5CuPYBFkzWg/s320/Boo+and+Bone.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even Bitsy helped clean up some leftovers. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our gifts this year were notebooks and pens, each one carefully chosen to fit the receiver's personality and needs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad's notebook has Snoopy on it, because he often gets a chuckle out of the Peanuts comic strip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Along with a doggie themed notebook, I received a special card from my only "niece", who is Joy's cat, Sundae. The card reads as follows: "Mewy Christmus fwum sooper sekret admywer. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- santas littel helpurr"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joy's notebook was kitty themed and considering that quite a few of her birthday cards this year were decorated with cats, I wonder if kitties are pushing cows out of her
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Instead of a notebook, Daniel was given an agenda. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">He immediately started planning his nap times
for next year...</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QxNZAlGSkY/UNpY4qBJKXI/AAAAAAAAC8E/xaD13nmm4fI/s1600/Learns+by+Osmosis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QxNZAlGSkY/UNpY4qBJKXI/AAAAAAAAC8E/xaD13nmm4fI/s320/Learns+by+Osmosis.JPG" width="246" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David's notebook was definitely the uniquest one of all. On it's cover it says "I Learn by Osmosis". In between the words, you will notice there is a <st1:place w:st="on">Garfield</st1:place> that has
books tied to his head, arms, feet, etc...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aL-Sf9dFDJg/UNpY5xcZ4KI/AAAAAAAAC8M/-DwZQl1gqvw/s1600/Spice+Cake+and+Stollen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aL-Sf9dFDJg/UNpY5xcZ4KI/AAAAAAAAC8M/-DwZQl1gqvw/s320/Spice+Cake+and+Stollen.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No holiday is complete without special desserts. Our day has been full of a very special Stollen, which is similar to a fruit cake. Sabrina (Daniel's bride-to-be) made the Stollen and Daniel brought it with him. We also had to suffer through some brown sugar spice cake which we made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This evening we gathered around the piano and sang a few hymns, before Daniel hurried off to catch a bus back to São José dos Campos and the rest of us prepared to crawl into bed.</span></div>
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Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-11793560525271239502012-11-01T13:29:00.001-02:002012-11-01T13:29:16.939-02:00A Special Service and A Saint<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday,
October 12th, was for us one of those days where you throw yourself out of bed
early, hit the floor running and don’t stop until late that night. There were
even several times scattered throughout the day that we had to push ourselves
to greater speeds to keep up with all the work that needed doing. All this
busyness began earlier in the year, when Dad and David noticed that September,
October and November each held an extended holiday weekend. It was then that
the idea to have a special service and invite the ten or twelve churches in our
area to it began. The men decided that September 7</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, Independence
Day weekend for Brazilians, would be the special day, and preparations began!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Living room where the Prudente<br />church meets</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the
first steps necessary to putting this plan into action was to find a building
to rent for the day. The Prudente church rents a house and holds services in
the living room. Holding a special service there with several visiting churches
is simply unworkable, so David began looking for alternatives. Thankfully <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Presidente Prudente</st1:city></st1:place> offers
a nice variety of what they call “Salão de Festas”, these are buildings which
are built for the sole purpose of being rented out for birthday parties,
wedding receptions, etc… A salão de festa usually has one large rectangular
room, at least two bathrooms, and a kitchen. Unfortunately, September 7<sup>th</sup>
is such a big holiday that the vast majority of these places were already
rented. After quite a bit of in depth searching, David did find a salão which
would suit the purpose, and he quickly reserved it for the special service. Dad
was traveling quite a bit at the time, so he began inviting churches verbally
and Mom, Joy and I began getting together with the three ladies at church to
plan a time of fellowship for after the service.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">September 7th service</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our plans
and preparations came to an abrupt halt in the last half of August, when David
called the owner of the salão to confirm our reservation. She simply informed
David that she had decided to rent the salão to someone else on September 7<sup>th</sup>.
Now what? A few more phone calls confirmed that there were no more salãos
available for Independence Day, and Dad had already invited the churches in
Bataguassu, Jaciporã, Ourinhos, and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bauru</st1:place></st1:city>!
The men eventually came to the decision to go ahead and hold the special
service on September 7<sup>th</sup> in our garage with the churches that had
already been invited, and Lord willing on October 12<sup>th</sup> we would have
another special service with all the churches on the original list. A little over thirty people from five different churches were present for the September 7<sup>th</sup>
service, and the Lord blessed in many ways. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Immediately
following the September 7<sup>th</sup> service, planning was resumed for the
special service on October 12<sup>th</sup>. The men of the church found a very
nice salão to rent, invited Pr. Waldir Ferro from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">São Paulo</st1:place></st1:city> to preach and also put in a
reservation for one hundred and fifteen chairs. The women finalized the plans
for the refreshments following the service. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Salão</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The days
leading up to October 12<sup>th</sup> were extra hot. A few folks worried that the
four wall fans at the salão wouldn’t be enough to keep a large group of people
cool, but the big day began with a good hard rain which cooled things off.
Unfortunately the rain turned the section of dirt road in front of the salão
into a soft sticky red mud, which soon caked multiple sets of shoes and car
tires as our family and a few of the church folks gathered to clean up the
salão and wipe off all the chairs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TwMbdqhgk18/UJB12xZZmPI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/gAvCldmg308/s1600/M+Aparecida+Good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TwMbdqhgk18/UJB12xZZmPI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/gAvCldmg308/s320/M+Aparecida+Good.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maria Aparecida</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the
cleaning and setting up of the salão was going on, I had to make a run to the grocery
store. Thankfully it was not quite <st1:metricconverter productid="9 a" w:st="on">9
a</st1:metricconverter>.m. and the holiday shoppers still hadn’t turned out to
clog all the aisles and make long lines at the checkouts. I was able to
purchase what I needed and hopped in the car for the short trip back to the
salão. A few blocks from the grocery store I became stuck in a very long line
of traffic. The line stretched as far as I could see in both directions and
contained cars of all sizes and even a few trucks. Each vehicle had a bunch of
blue and white balloons taped to it’s roof, and the majority of the drivers
were leaning on their horns as they moved up the road. As I crawled along in
the middle of the line, I tried to think what the celebration was all about. An
important birthday? The newspaper hadn’t mentioned anything about it. A
political rally? No, elections are over for this year. Then I noticed the car
in front of me had a bumper sticker in honor of Maria Aparecida, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s patron
saint, and I remembered that this was a holiday dedicated to her. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-81b7gyipnbE/UJB1--lYE-I/AAAAAAAAC1g/NN0w9FMXViE/s1600/Catedral+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-81b7gyipnbE/UJB1--lYE-I/AAAAAAAAC1g/NN0w9FMXViE/s320/Catedral+good.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cathedral in Aparecida do Norte</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maria Aparecida
translated means “Mary that Appeared”. The widely accepted story about
Aparecida says that many years ago during a time of severe drought, some poor
fishermen pulled up their nets one night and the statue of a lady rolled into
the bottom of their boat. One of the fishermen took the lady to his humble
home. He and his family soon discovered that if they prayed to the lady, she
would answer and would even do miracles. The idol’s fame grew and she went from
the fisherman’s home to a small chapel in the city. She supposedly continued to
answer prayers and heal a number of diseases. A few years later she was made <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>’s patron saint, and now the original idol
is said to reside in the cathedral built for her in the city of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Aparecida</st1:city></st1:place> do Norte. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-arpMmjRY404/UJB3evpWRvI/AAAAAAAAC1o/W0K6RW75Vz8/s1600/Missa+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-arpMmjRY404/UJB3evpWRvI/AAAAAAAAC1o/W0K6RW75Vz8/s320/Missa+good.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A special mass in the cathedral</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Twenty some
years ago our family traveled a few hours to visit this cathedral. The city of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Aparecida</st1:place></st1:city> do Norte is
very poor and dirty, and tourists must be especially careful with their
belongings due to the abundant pickpockets. The cathedral is very big with lots
of arches and high ceilings, but the memories that are most vivid in my mind
are of two large rooms.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKzub-wOgwA/UJB3mF-6sLI/AAAAAAAAC1w/EJbkJPRG4Uc/s1600/Candle+Good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKzub-wOgwA/UJB3mF-6sLI/AAAAAAAAC1w/EJbkJPRG4Uc/s320/Candle+Good.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Candle Room</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One room is
empty except for wide cement shelves running all around it and down the middle.
On these shelves Catholics burn candles, and it is said that as long as their
candle is burning there are prayers going up for them and their needs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7SQBXdUMRTQ/UJB3yQrM99I/AAAAAAAAC14/KPvMBtgUJAY/s1600/Pictures+on+Ceiling+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7SQBXdUMRTQ/UJB3yQrM99I/AAAAAAAAC14/KPvMBtgUJAY/s1600/Pictures+on+Ceiling+good.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ceiling covered with pictures</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second
room is called the Miracle Room. This room is full of pictures and objects that
have been left as a way of expressing thankfulness for a request granted or a miracle
of some sort. Many of the pictures that have collected over the years have been
glued to the ceiling of the room.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ldd_cMk984/UJB37TenmwI/AAAAAAAAC2A/52NFN93ovrE/s1600/Wax+Good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ldd_cMk984/UJB37TenmwI/AAAAAAAAC2A/52NFN93ovrE/s320/Wax+Good.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wax Replicas</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A variety
of braces and wax replicas of body parts are also left in the Miracle Room to
represent cures that have taken place. A
selection of these braces and replicas have been hung on the walls or strung on
wires near the ceiling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tCSuguDWCnc/UJB5xmclegI/AAAAAAAAC2I/3VwDZ-xeoIM/s1600/Pagando.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tCSuguDWCnc/UJB5xmclegI/AAAAAAAAC2I/3VwDZ-xeoIM/s320/Pagando.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ramp leading up to the cathedral</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every year,
especially around October 12</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, people make pilgrimages to Aparecida
do Norte and the cathedral. Some simply drive or ride the bus there, but a few
have made a promise to walk there in order to obtain special grace or an answer
to their prayers. Just a few days before Daniel traveled in for the special
service here in Prudente, he was walking to work along a road that he doesn’t
usually take and he noticed that there were a good number of other people
walking the same route. A few minutes later he noticed that a bus would pull up
beside these people at regular intervals and offer them water or a piece of
fruit. Daniel ended up falling into step with a man, and he asked him where he
was going. The man replied that he was walking to Aparecida’s cathedral.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now let’s
get back to the special service that took place in Prudente. The setting up of the salão was
all finished around 10:30 a.m., and we all headed home for lunch and a shower
before returning to the salão at 2:30 p.m. The service was actually scheduled
to begin at 4 p.m., but a couple of the churches had informed us that they
would be arriving early. They did arrive early! It was about 1:30 that the
first phone call came saying, “We are in town, where is the salão?”, and many
more similar calls followed. The salão was situated on a main road, but for
some reason everyone’s GPS systems took them across town. Daniel and David
stayed busy giving people verbal directions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seventy-two people from eleven different churches came in the end, and the Lord blessed in each aspect of the service. Many Brazilians enjoy singing out and some of them love to sing parts so one of the special joys of getting multiple churches together is the singing of hymns. This time was no exception. It was a real joy to sing one hymn after another with the seventy-two different voices, and when the song leader called out number sixty, “Coroai”, I decided to try and capture the first verse on my camera. The quality of the resulting video isn’t very good, but I’ll go ahead and post it here anyway.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The October 12th service officially begins!</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pr. Waldir
Ferro stepped up to the pulpit, after the song service, and began to preach a
very edifying message about faithfulness. The first part of the message dealt
with man’s inbred unfaithfulness and God’s unwavering faithfulness to Himself,
His attributes and His Word. This first part took almost an hour to preach, and
after a short break with a hymn, Pr. Waldir preached for another hour and a bit
about how we can grow in our faithfulness to the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Preaching too much = No Brownies"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Pr. Waldir
pastored the church in Sud Menucci for a good number of years and now he is
pastoring <st1:placename w:st="on">Bethel</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Baptist</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype> in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">São Paulo</st1:place></st1:city>. Both churches really appreciate
his ministry but they do lovingly tease him about his very thorough and long
messages. Earlier this year, Pr. Waldir and his family were visiting in Sud
Menucci at the same time that Dad and Joy were there. Pr. Waldir loves brownies
and he kept hinting that it would sure be nice to have some before he left.
Well, several of the young ladies got together and promised to make brownies,
but if he wanted some of them he couldn’t preach too long. That evening as
usual he preached over an hour. The young ladies eventually gave him as many
brownies as he could eat, but first they snapped a picture of him holding a
poster which says, “Preaching too much = No Brownies”. :)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0QKo8ZSoJq4/UJKQB2FvyrI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/57vb1wgdK94/s1600/esfiha+fechada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0QKo8ZSoJq4/UJKQB2FvyrI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/57vb1wgdK94/s320/esfiha+fechada.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Esfihas are triangles of dough that are stuffed <br />and then baked</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The special
service here in Prudente was drawing to a close around 7:30 or 8:00 p.m., and
we three Gardner ladies with the three ladies from the Prudente church hurried
to serve the snack before the visiting churches began their trips back home.
For all of you who are wondering, we served simple ham and cheese sandwiches,
esfihas filled
with chicken and beef, and for dessert there were homemade cakes. Sisters Jocelene and
Isabel made orange cakes, our family provide coconut cakes, and Sis. Lucilene
made corn cake. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXjKTl4_wfQ/UJKQfYRPE7I/AAAAAAAAC3g/JVRvIGdiKPE/s1600/DSC01399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXjKTl4_wfQ/UJKQfYRPE7I/AAAAAAAAC3g/JVRvIGdiKPE/s320/DSC01399.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel and David - Two very tired, but happy boys</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of the brethren were heading to the highway and home by
9:30 p.m. The folks from Prudente stayed a little later to clean up the salão
so that the keys could be returned to the owner yet that night.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Note:
During our visit to Aparecida’s cathedral, we did take pictures. However, I
can’t find them anywhere, so the pictures in this post related to Maria
Aparecida and the cathedral were taken by others. Here are the sources for
anyone who is interested:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The
cathedral picture – gelzart.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside the cathedral - </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">aquiturismo.blogspot.com</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The picture
of the idol – marketplace.secondlife.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The candle
room picture – fotosdobrasil.fot.br<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Picture of
the miracle room – fotosdobrasil.fot.br<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pictures
glued to the ceiling - asnovidades.com.br</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The picture of the esfihas is from: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">flavorsofbrazil.blogspot.com</span></span></div>
Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-25329041580615794192012-10-07T18:18:00.000-03:002012-10-07T18:18:18.766-03:00Pereira Barreto and Voting Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krzFYi57_9Y/UHHNSQWJHnI/AAAAAAAACxg/qkLcg_Vv6mY/s1600/DSC01277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krzFYi57_9Y/UHHNSQWJHnI/AAAAAAAACxg/qkLcg_Vv6mY/s320/DSC01277.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The highway was often lined with trees destined <br />for the paper factory.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">October 28th found Dad packing up for another trip. This time Joy was his traveling buddy. Their main destination was Pereira Barreto, a city three and a half hours away.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Crossing the state line.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, since Três Lagoas is just a few kilometers from Pereira, Dad left a day early in order to be able cross over into the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and spend a few hours with Bro. Marcelo and his family.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fRKh7-E8_10/UHHNXflUoJI/AAAAAAAACxw/Emc5hX39jBw/s1600/DSC01302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fRKh7-E8_10/UHHNXflUoJI/AAAAAAAACxw/Emc5hX39jBw/s320/DSC01302.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Welcome to Pereira Barreto!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The city of Pereira Barreto, like many in this region, has its name written in large cement letters at the entrance to the city. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-Sg3B6qwfE/UHHNY1G6kHI/AAAAAAAACx4/RN_7s5Ukoxs/s1600/DSC01312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-Sg3B6qwfE/UHHNY1G6kHI/AAAAAAAACx4/RN_7s5Ukoxs/s320/DSC01312.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the main roads in Pereira</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pereira is a small city with strong oriental influences. At one time, the city thrived on agriculture, but the building of a <span style="background-color: white;">hydroelectric dam </span>in the early 1990's flooded many of the farms surrounding the city.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWw59lEBoi4/UHHTXdNAKFI/AAAAAAAACzE/4RT1RgHuL_Y/s1600/Rel%25C3%25B3gio_de_Quatro_Faces_na_Est%25C3%25A2ncia_tur%25C3%25ADstica_de_Pereira_Barreto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWw59lEBoi4/UHHTXdNAKFI/AAAAAAAACzE/4RT1RgHuL_Y/s320/Rel%25C3%25B3gio_de_Quatro_Faces_na_Est%25C3%25A2ncia_tur%25C3%25ADstica_de_Pereira_Barreto.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A clock with four faces built to remember<br />the Japanese who first settled the region.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today many of the people of Pereira earn their livelihood by working at the hydroelectric dam, a nearby sugarcane processing plant, or one of the fisheries, which raise tilapia for meat.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Marcio and Dad having a good talk.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> As usual, Bro. Marcio and his family were happy to have Dad and Joy stay in their home during their time in Pereira.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sis. Suzzette and Mariana</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bro. Marcio spends his mornings working at a local bank and the afternoons he dedicates to doing engineering work for the city. His wife is Sis. Suzette, and they have two children. Pedro, the oldest son, lives on his own and is currently preparing for college. Mariana, the daughter, is sixteen. She is an excellent student, and one day would like to enter the field of dentistry. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The church building.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The First Free Baptist Church in Pereira has been around for many years. In recent years, the church has been without a pastor, but the Lord has given Bro. Marcio and several other men in the church grace to lead and do the preaching.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KGuGULV5qnQ/UHHNkNAnqqI/AAAAAAAACyo/GHpOOiG5mAo/s1600/DSC01340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KGuGULV5qnQ/UHHNkNAnqqI/AAAAAAAACyo/GHpOOiG5mAo/s320/DSC01340.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The book table.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad and Joy had the pleasure of participating in the Saturday evening service and the two Sunday services, while they were in Pereira.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGhtgaMt6iw/UHHNb6TrjwI/AAAAAAAACyI/bGroy65k9Pk/s1600/DSC01319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGhtgaMt6iw/UHHNb6TrjwI/AAAAAAAACyI/bGroy65k9Pk/s320/DSC01319.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Daniel running the counter at the <br />Sweet Summer icecream store.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before leaving Pereira, Dad had to make his customary stop by the icecream shop belonging to a family in the church. It provided a tasty treat... </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_dJaqUmOG4U/UHHcpPNArAI/AAAAAAAACzo/Ah7nQrEKJmk/s1600/DSC01322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_dJaqUmOG4U/UHHcpPNArAI/AAAAAAAACzo/Ah7nQrEKJmk/s320/DSC01322.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Davi who also works at the icecream shop.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....and a good time of fellowship.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MusrgCaCt8Q/UHHdhFacvOI/AAAAAAAACzw/dYEZLccgvak/s1600/DSC01349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MusrgCaCt8Q/UHHdhFacvOI/AAAAAAAACzw/dYEZLccgvak/s320/DSC01349.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vote me into the city council!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During the trip to and also from Pereira, Joy had fun looking at the political propaganda in each city. Candidates for mayor's office and the city council print their names and numbers on bumper stickers, posters,flags,....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Elect me for mayor!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">... and even on big plastic balls, which are carried around on the main roads.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u_ZBRcQLcqQ/UHHe1el2rtI/AAAAAAAACz4/JNiTYiAifC0/s1600/DSC01271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u_ZBRcQLcqQ/UHHe1el2rtI/AAAAAAAACz4/JNiTYiAifC0/s320/DSC01271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This candidate says "Put me in office and I'll protect animals!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of all the political propaganda that she saw, Joy decided that she liked this one on the left the best. I believe her reasoning is that anyone who loves dachshunds</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> would be a good politician. :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Papers, papers everywhere!</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of politicians, today was voting day here in Brazil. David and I, like all other
Brazilians between eighteen and sixty-five years of age, are required to vote.
The citizen who does not vote is fined approximately $1.55. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The night before the elections take place,
even though it is prohibited, political fliers from all candidates are generously scattered
around buildings where voting is going to take place.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YlQKe8EIepw/UHHkdZ1v_eI/AAAAAAAAC0c/HuFmoU6Pmzo/s1600/DSC01354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YlQKe8EIepw/UHHkdZ1v_eI/AAAAAAAAC0c/HuFmoU6Pmzo/s320/DSC01354.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Public school open for voting.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the voters in a city are assigned a place to vote, usually it is a public school usually near where they live. On election day, voters
have between 7 am and 4 pm to show up at their school and vote in their
assigned classroom. David and I have developed the habit of always voting
in the morning. There is usually a line of people waiting to vote leading up to
our classroom door and the line generally grows longer as the day progresses. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNP3b3DxmQs/UHHkf5gattI/AAAAAAAAC0s/BacVPSkmdmw/s1600/The+Line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNP3b3DxmQs/UHHkf5gattI/AAAAAAAAC0s/BacVPSkmdmw/s320/The+Line.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Waiting in line to vote.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a good deal of corruption here in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country>. One of
the first times that I voted, thousands of the ballots disappeared and when
they were found, they were all in favor of one candidate. That candidate won
the election, and nothing more was done about the disappearance of the ballots.
Since that election there have been elections that seem to be less corrupt, but
still there is that nagging question in my mind and I am sure in other people’s
minds as well “Does my vote really make a difference or is the election
rigged?”.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite all this, voting day usually holds
a smile for me. Four or five voters are generally allowed into each classroom
at a time. They each hand their voter’s registration card to the two or three
election officials behind the table, and then wait to be called up to vote. The
first time I voted here in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Presidente
Prudente</st1:place></st1:city> the head official called up the people ahead
of me by name. “João, you can vote now…. Sueli, you can vote now…Sergio, your
turn…” Then he came to my card, my name has a “ch” in it and Brazilians have no
idea how to pronounce it. The official looked at my card for an extra long
time, then he passed it to the man beside him. The second man carefully looked
at the card, then shook his head and passed it back to the first official. The
first man looked up at me and said “You can vote now”. Almost every election since then that same head official has been in my classroom. He
doesn’t even look very long at my card anymore. He simply looks at me and says
“You can vote now”, and I smile. :D</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-70880890824919680062012-09-08T23:27:00.002-03:002012-09-08T23:27:22.478-03:00People and Pictures from the Sept. 7th Service<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LWwTW8i-tpk/UEvvfq0nwjI/AAAAAAAACwg/kMwCw9qccjI/s1600/DSCN1114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LWwTW8i-tpk/UEvvfq0nwjI/AAAAAAAACwg/kMwCw9qccjI/s320/DSCN1114.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Song Service</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On September 7th, we had a special service in our garage. Here are some pictures taken during that special time, and also a few other pictures which show people who were present for the service.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sWWfxykykp0/UEvvgQJ2hrI/AAAAAAAACwo/-zHXO-Ope68/s1600/DSCN1120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sWWfxykykp0/UEvvgQJ2hrI/AAAAAAAACwo/-zHXO-Ope68/s320/DSCN1120.JPG" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pr. Antonio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pr. Antonio Carlos Dias from Bauru was the guest speaker.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ua1et1YPeg/UEvvVvvASWI/AAAAAAAACvI/POwnrF4cx3M/s1600/DSC01549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ua1et1YPeg/UEvvVvvASWI/AAAAAAAACvI/POwnrF4cx3M/s320/DSC01549.JPG" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Marco with his wife Lindalva<br />and daughter, Julia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bro. Marco Paes brought his family and three others from the church in Bataguassu.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Km9k1Dwez4/UEvvYUcqc3I/AAAAAAAACvg/ruV3fk-cnb4/s1600/DSCF2729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Km9k1Dwez4/UEvvYUcqc3I/AAAAAAAACvg/ruV3fk-cnb4/s320/DSCF2729.JPG" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Djalma</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bro. Djalma came from the church in </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jaciporã...</span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PI_p3aBw_oY/UEvvZXf2p6I/AAAAAAAACvo/EK6bws7Nn8c/s1600/DSCF2747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PI_p3aBw_oY/UEvvZXf2p6I/AAAAAAAACvo/EK6bws7Nn8c/s320/DSCF2747.JPG" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Djalma's wife, Eva, his daughters, Diane<br />and Michelle, and son, Alexandre</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">... and brought his family. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18Ke3_E2z-E/UEv2yuFg0uI/AAAAAAAACxI/CplntKgeDXc/s1600/DSCN1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18Ke3_E2z-E/UEv2yuFg0uI/AAAAAAAACxI/CplntKgeDXc/s320/DSCN1105.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pr. Israel and David</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pr. Israel from Ourinhos came....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sis. Izalina and Mom</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">... and brought his wife, Izalina,...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WBnaqlT7sD4/UEvwCrHVpMI/AAAAAAAACww/ksBlBggc56Y/s1600/DSCN1108-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WBnaqlT7sD4/UEvwCrHVpMI/AAAAAAAACww/ksBlBggc56Y/s320/DSCN1108-001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Zé Carlos enjoying the books</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.... and Zé Carlos, a member of the church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of the brethren from Igreja Batista Bereana here in Prudente were also present:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Edson and Isabel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bro. Edson and Sis. Isabel. He is the song leader.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moisés</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Moisés, a faithful visitor.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2QD1wV6uQ04/UEvvaJxtvoI/AAAAAAAACvw/6IgiecR0w4k/s1600/DSCF4767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2QD1wV6uQ04/UEvvaJxtvoI/AAAAAAAACvw/6IgiecR0w4k/s320/DSCF4767.JPG" width="169" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Antonio</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bro. Antonio, who is always ready to help in any way he can. Very interestingly, he never applied himself to learning how to read until he was saved later in his life. He then saw the need to be able read his Bible, so he began teaching himself to read. Now Bro. Antonio even helps out by reading portions of Scripture out loud in services.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScW_A400-cs/UEvvWQ2pC7I/AAAAAAAACvQ/gOqSgo5T1qw/s1600/DSC01590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScW_A400-cs/UEvvWQ2pC7I/AAAAAAAACvQ/gOqSgo5T1qw/s320/DSC01590.JPG" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jucilene</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sis. Jucilene, who is Antonio's daughter. As usual, she helped make the refreshments for after the service.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vZ6a8K4MnE/UEvvcygWvCI/AAAAAAAACwI/TzV_OKwNEpU/s1600/DSCN1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vZ6a8K4MnE/UEvvcygWvCI/AAAAAAAACwI/TzV_OKwNEpU/s320/DSCN1106.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pr. Israel, David and Luis Carlos</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luis Carlos, the Hamburger Man. He helped us a lot on the preparing for and cleaning up after the service.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last of all, here is a picture of four young ladies who were present for the service:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sara holding Julia - They are from Bataguassu.<br />Isabela behind Yasmin - They are from Prudente.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-25344924257853966452012-09-05T22:27:00.001-03:002012-09-05T22:27:10.566-03:00Visitors from Castilho<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My primary purpose for this post is to share with you a few
pictures that we took the last weekend of August during our visit
with the Haroldo Garcia family. However, I thought I would add in a picture of
Bro. Marcelo and his family, since he is also an active participant in the
contact that Dad has with Bro. Haroldo.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkdKLiZmDSk/UEIOPTJs-DI/AAAAAAAACt4/lzTb_gXSc_w/s1600/Marcelo+and+family.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkdKLiZmDSk/UEIOPTJs-DI/AAAAAAAACt4/lzTb_gXSc_w/s320/Marcelo+and+family.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Marcelo and Wanderleia<br />With Daniel and Asaph</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marcelo Lima is one of the men that years ago asked Dad to
come to <st1:city w:st="on">Presidente Prudente</st1:city>
and begin a right church. He and his family had been through every Southern
Baptist church in town, and he was convicted of errors in their practices and
preaching. In 2004, we moved to Prudente
and Dad began holding Wednesday and Sunday services in either Marcelo’s home or
our own. At that time, Marcelo and his wife, Wanderleia, had one small son and
they lived in what we call a “cracker box” house. These houses are built by the
government and are known for being tiny. Bro. Marcelo’s house had one bedroom,
a super small bathroom, and a kitchen, period! In the years that have passed
since then, Marcelo’s family has gained another son, and they have done
extensive remodeling on their home. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xZ7nqleTLI/UEIRGx07LQI/AAAAAAAACug/AllR71UNvac/s1600/DSC00953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xZ7nqleTLI/UEIRGx07LQI/AAAAAAAACug/AllR71UNvac/s320/DSC00953.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marcelo and Dad enjoying some fellowship</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marcelo has always worked in companies that buy and sell
metal for construction purposes. Here in Prudente, he worked his way up to be the
manager of one of these companies. He spent most of his days on the phone
buying and selling truckloads of metal. It was a very stressful job. In
September 2010, he quit this job and moved his family to Três Lagõas (3 hours
away from Prudente). He is now managing a small company that presses sheet
metal into doors, window frames, etc… </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0J7Arpuwteg/UEIReFvhQzI/AAAAAAAACuo/D2yxDt6FyXo/s1600/DSC01187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0J7Arpuwteg/UEIReFvhQzI/AAAAAAAACuo/D2yxDt6FyXo/s320/DSC01187.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Haroldo, Mariana, Ana, Maria, and Amauri<br />with Bro. Antonio from the Prudente church</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our visit with Bro. Haroldo and his family began with a good
hearty laugh. Two months ago, Bro. Haroldo entered into contact with Dad and
asked if there was a good Baptist church in the Três Lagõas area. He and his
family actually live in a small city named Castilho, which is fourteen kilometers
away from Três Lagõas. Dad put Haroldo in touch with Bro. Marcelo at that time,
but also continued exchanging a few emails and phone calls with him. Through
these emails and telephone conversations, we came to the conclusion that
Haroldo and his wife, Mariana, had six children ranging in age from six months
all the way up to ten years old. As we prepared for their visit last week, we
planned places for eight people to sleep, planned out meals that would feed
their eight along with our five, and tried to think of how to entertain six
small children, etc… but when they pulled up in front of the house, we
discovered that they only have three children. I would imagine the
misunderstanding happened over the phone. Bro. Haroldo probably said they had
“três” (three) children and we heard “seis” (six). The pronunciations for
three, six and ten in Portuguese are similar, and it isn’t uncommon for us
foreigners to mix them up. Anyway, Dad told them right away about our mistake
and we all shared a good laugh. Then began a good visit…</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sg5GTlPo51Y/UEIOL452BOI/AAAAAAAACtY/b667UGHJ1_A/s1600/DSC01185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sg5GTlPo51Y/UEIOL452BOI/AAAAAAAACtY/b667UGHJ1_A/s320/DSC01185.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maria and Ana with Yasmin in Sunday School</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bro. Haroldo and Mariana were very happy to spend Saturday
evening and all Sunday afternoon talking with Dad. They used to live in the
state of Goiás, and were members for years in a conservative Southern Baptist
church in their hometown. Two or three
years ago, they moved to Castilho and soon discovered that all the Southern
Baptist churches in this area are contemporary. The visiting of many different
churches and seeing many different practices, left Bro. Haroldo and Mariana
with lots of questions about the doctrines of grace, the church ordinances,
correct worship, etc… The Lord gave Dad grace to show them Biblical answers. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t3Hx4Hb3y2A/UEIOOzBNy4I/AAAAAAAACtw/L2VcbpETXWY/s1600/DSC01191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t3Hx4Hb3y2A/UEIOOzBNy4I/AAAAAAAACtw/L2VcbpETXWY/s320/DSC01191.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ana beating Mom in a board game</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This couple also had some questions concerning home
schooling. They have heard a lot about how home schooling is done in the States
and as a university professor, Mariana has seen many of the flaws in the public
school system, so they would very much like to home school their three
children. The only drawback is that the Brazilian government prohibits home
schooling in 99.9% of the cases. Bro. Haroldo is a lawyer and he is doing his
best to take care of the legal side of this matter, while Mariana works on
organizing the material to teach the kids with.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xKTXk2PTApc/UEION9jBQRI/AAAAAAAACto/pag7_LwkhdQ/s1600/DSC01190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xKTXk2PTApc/UEION9jBQRI/AAAAAAAACto/pag7_LwkhdQ/s320/DSC01190.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maria Teiró playing around</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday and Sunday also abounded with opportunities for us
to get to know the three Garcia children. Amauri is the youngest. He is six
months old, and his two favorite pastimes are smiling and sucking on his
fingers. Ana Wiuiko at ten years old is the oldest. David, Joy and I took turns
playing a variety of table games with her. I might add that she beat us soundly
multiple times. Maria Teiró is the middle girl. She is three. I aroused a lot
of memories as I pulled our old toys out of storage, and then played house,
raced cars, and built block towers with her.
The two girls have very unusual middle names, because Bro. Haroldo is a
native Brazilian. In fact, when they are at home, the Garcia family speaks
mainly the Indian dialect that he grew up with. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7DCGbcaun1k/UEIORqQrIHI/AAAAAAAACuI/hOUIxwwt1BY/s1600/Tup%C3%A3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7DCGbcaun1k/UEIORqQrIHI/AAAAAAAACuI/hOUIxwwt1BY/s320/Tup%C3%A3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tupã, our current mayor, who is running for re-election</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now I will conclude this post with a little local news. On
October 7<sup>th</sup> Brazilians are going to be casting their votes for
mayors and members of the city council. Here in Prudente there are six
candidates for mayor’s office and a little over two hundred men and women
hoping to occupy one of the thirteen chairs on the city council. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VFWy_QMlOLY/UEIOKpyD_cI/AAAAAAAACtQ/ClSPabmn2G8/s1600/DSC00981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VFWy_QMlOLY/UEIOKpyD_cI/AAAAAAAACtQ/ClSPabmn2G8/s320/DSC00981.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sound truck with lots of loud speakers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of these candidates have begun fervently campaigning.
Many of them have paid to have a catchy little tune composed with their name in
it, and then hire a truck or car with loud speakers to drive all over town
playing their tune. In smaller towns, it is considered important for the
supporters of the candidate to form a caravan and follow the sound truck, but
here in Prudente that is less common.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0q_5eiliOIA/UEIOQ2doB8I/AAAAAAAACuA/Z_tvLAJDJaA/s1600/Propaganda+Papers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0q_5eiliOIA/UEIOQ2doB8I/AAAAAAAACuA/Z_tvLAJDJaA/s320/Propaganda+Papers.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Santinhos</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most political hopefuls also hire dozens of people to pass
out “santinhos”. A “santinho” is a small piece of paper that carries the
candidate’s name, number, and a few impressive promises. These papers are
passed out door to door, given to drivers stopped at red lights, and eventually
end up scattered around in public places.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UXXsU_9o6Co/UEIOJoy_wWI/AAAAAAAACtI/vhe4-H5EGrk/s1600/Clown0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UXXsU_9o6Co/UEIOJoy_wWI/AAAAAAAACtI/vhe4-H5EGrk/s320/Clown0001.JPG" width="177" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since David and I were born in </span><st1:country -region="-region" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, we will Lord willing be
voting in the upcoming elections. We have each already chosen a candidate to
support for mayor’s office; now we just need to sift through those two hundred
candidates for the city council and choose one. Thankfully some of the
candidates disqualify themselves. Take Paçoca the Clown for instance. He is a
well known figure around town because he does propaganda for one of the large
grocery stores, but that definitely doesn’t equip him for a political office!</span></div>
Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-24798989710772101272012-08-11T15:38:00.000-03:002012-08-11T15:38:01.654-03:00Visitors, Printing, and the Blooming Ipê Trees<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These last two weeks have been especially busy here in our
home, but we did have a few opportunities to snap pictures and I would
like to share those with you. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2-L6X39qHBk/UCW2ZDTIfuI/AAAAAAAACrw/tLnxTv26vts/s1600/DSCN0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2-L6X39qHBk/UCW2ZDTIfuI/AAAAAAAACrw/tLnxTv26vts/s320/DSCN0990.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel with the Sukerth Family<br />L-R: Bro. Rudi, his wife Eliana, Daniel, Sabrina, Henrique</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The busyness began with a visit from Daniel and the Sukerth
family. Two and a half years ago when Daniel moved to São José dos <st1:city w:st="on">Campos</st1:city>, he joined Igreja
Batista Ebenezer, a small church that was struggling in various areas. The last
pastor that this church had was unfaithful, and left behind some wounds
which were still raw. Also the church
hadn’t found a new pastor, so Bro. Rudi Sukerth and some of the other older men
in the church took turns preaching and leading the church. On top of those
difficulties, the members in this church have always struggled with the
doctrines of grace. Two or three families in the church, including the
Sukerths, strongly believe the doctrines of grace. A handful of others don’t
see all these doctrines in the Bible, but yet they don’t believe there should
be contention about them. Then there is a portion of the members that feel very
negatively about the doctrines of grace. Just a few months after Daniel moved
his membership to Ebenezer, all of these problems began snowballing and despite
the help of several pastors, who traveled in to São José to preach and counsel,
the church voted in September 2011 to discipline all the grace members, plus a
few of the non-grace members who had taken a firm stand against the
contention. </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-alCwo8WAriY/UCW6dZEn6BI/AAAAAAAACsw/L1lLtNG9AkM/s1600/DSCF4919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-alCwo8WAriY/UCW6dZEn6BI/AAAAAAAACsw/L1lLtNG9AkM/s320/DSCF4919.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel and Sabrina with Sis. Isabel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can imagine, this was
a very hard time for Daniel and the Sukerth family. However during this time,
Daniel began to really appreciate what he saw in Sabrina, Bro. Sukerth’s
daughter. They developed a friendship, which turned into a courtship, and just
last month it became an engagement. The purpose of Daniel and the whole Sukerth
family making the seven hour trip to visit us was to celebrate this happy occurrence.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ggla-YUFCe4/UCW2Z0fZWfI/AAAAAAAACr4/jB3bOxjLZ3s/s1600/Pr+Waldir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ggla-YUFCe4/UCW2Z0fZWfI/AAAAAAAACr4/jB3bOxjLZ3s/s320/Pr+Waldir.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pr. Waldir and his wife Sis. Miriam</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daniel and the majority of the other grace members from Igreja
Batista Ebenezer eventually joined Igreja Batista Betel in <st1:city w:st="on">São Paulo</st1:city> city. They now have to travel about
an hour and a half to get to the services and another hour and a half to get
home, but as Daniel mentioned, it is a real blessing to be able to serve the
Lord in a church where people are united and at peace. Pr. Waldir and the
brethren in Betel voted not too long ago to begin a preaching point in São José
dos <st1:city w:st="on">Campos</st1:city>.
They found a small building to rent and are currently holding services there
every Wednesday and Saturday evening. If the Lord would be pleased to open that
door, Igreja Batista Betel would like to someday organize the São José dos <st1:city w:st="on">Campos</st1:city> group into a new
church.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fh_Iyth87u8/UCW3uBdFZUI/AAAAAAAACsA/Y0ZjCIeSodI/s1600/DSCN1050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fh_Iyth87u8/UCW3uBdFZUI/AAAAAAAACsA/Y0ZjCIeSodI/s320/DSCN1050.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Almost done with the collating </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The print room has also seen a lot of activity recently. The
duplicator has been faithfully saying whirr, whirr, beep, whirr, whirr, beep as
it prints the pages of a small book about the history of Baptist churches in
our corner of São Paulo state. Pr. Gilberto finished writing his much
larger book about the history of Baptist churches in the whole state of <st1:city w:st="on">São Paulo</st1:city> and took exerts
from it to make this smaller book. He was interested in having a few copies of
this smaller version to give to some folks who helped him gather information
and another pastor called Dad asking for a copy of it, so Dad printed off one
hundred copies of the smaller book.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XKl1NAyUCLA/UCW3u3E-IFI/AAAAAAAACsI/WW6q26606js/s1600/DSCN1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XKl1NAyUCLA/UCW3u3E-IFI/AAAAAAAACsI/WW6q26606js/s320/DSCN1052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Punching holes for the spirals</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luis Carlos (the Hamburger Man) came over several days to
collate the pages as Dad printed them. Once the collating was done, both men
worked on cutting the books and putting them through the puncher. These
machines added a crunch, crunch, thud to our everyday noises. The final step
was to thread the spirals into the book. We spent two evenings working on this
step as a family. The books are now done and a few have already been mailed off
to their new homes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NlgqTuS7dwk/UCW2YV5vqzI/AAAAAAAACro/bWTQc37XmoA/s1600/DSC01093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NlgqTuS7dwk/UCW2YV5vqzI/AAAAAAAACro/bWTQc37XmoA/s320/DSC01093.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As many of you already know, we are currently in
winter. So far we haven’t had a whole
lot of cold, but it has been dry, extremely dry. The ground becomes hard and the
dirt turns into a fine red dust which the wind blows all over. The wild grasses
in the empty lots become dry and certain people find joy in setting the lots on
fire. There was one week recently were every day there was a different empty lot burning
near our house. The wind blows the ashes up and over our walls where they scuttle across the floors and eventually gather in the corners. This can be
a discouraging time of year considering the dust and ashes, not to mention the constant
allergy and asma problems which they bring. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KTcGBYz7Dc/UCW4Jhp8JVI/AAAAAAAACsg/HpN3nve__WY/s1600/HPIM3272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KTcGBYz7Dc/UCW4Jhp8JVI/AAAAAAAACsg/HpN3nve__WY/s320/HPIM3272.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pink Ipê</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, we learned recently that it is this dryness which
causes the Ipê trees to bloom. The pink Ipês are by far the most abundant of
all the Ipês. They are the first to drop all their leaves and deck themselves
with clusters of flowers.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUpZYes1PeI/UCW4HIlMSoI/AAAAAAAACsQ/gifsWRL8-Kk/s1600/DSC01896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUpZYes1PeI/UCW4HIlMSoI/AAAAAAAACsQ/gifsWRL8-Kk/s320/DSC01896.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yellow Ipê</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the pink flowers begin fading and falling to the ground,
the yellow Ipês burst into bloom. Dad especially loves these cheery yellow blossoms,
because yellow happens to be mom’s favorite color. Dad had this picture of
himself in front of a yellow Ipê tree taken especially for her.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFvbHrbrRN8/UCW4ITcRsuI/AAAAAAAACsY/UE-m5KLQnms/s1600/DSC02161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFvbHrbrRN8/UCW4ITcRsuI/AAAAAAAACsY/UE-m5KLQnms/s320/DSC02161.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is snowing!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last of all, the white Ipês exchange their leaves for
flowers, and interestingly their blossoms only last about forty-eight hours
before they are dropped and small new leaves appear. We sometimes refer to the
old blossoms laying on the ground under white Ipês as “Brazilian snow”. This
“snow”, by the way is very nice. You don’t have to shovel it or put down salt.
Simply sweep it up once or twice a day and throw it away. :) </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vjckWYfqevo/UCW4KZTm3aI/AAAAAAAACso/CF7EXJihMWg/s1600/horse+and+wagon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vjckWYfqevo/UCW4KZTm3aI/AAAAAAAACso/CF7EXJihMWg/s320/horse+and+wagon.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">White Ipê</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here is one more picture of a white Ipê. Joy took this
picture on one of her afternoon walks, and it was too pretty to not use
it. Just in case any of you are
wondering, horse and wagons are not a common means of transportation here in
Prudente. There are a few men, though, that earn a living by moving branches,
construction debris, etc… with their horse and wagon.</span></div>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-77872457040059836752012-06-30T13:29:00.002-03:002012-06-30T13:29:25.532-03:00Trip to Ourinhos<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My time is a little short this week, so instead of writing a full fledged blog post about Dad's and my trip to Ourinhos, I thought I would simply post the pictures that we took with a few words of explanation. I hope you enjoy them!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cP3-HF7J42A/T-netQ5NeZI/AAAAAAAACmQ/Sc10wUZiqUI/s1600/DSC00848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cP3-HF7J42A/T-netQ5NeZI/AAAAAAAACmQ/Sc10wUZiqUI/s320/DSC00848.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marilia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way to Ourinhos, we stopped in Marilia. A nice city with a little over one hundred thousand inhabitants. I'm not sure what all the city thrives on, but we learned that it is home to three universities and Marilan, a factory that produces a wide variety of cookies and crackers.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k1x4MyF6428/T-nevYjoKsI/AAAAAAAACmo/cUOy2jIxyUU/s1600/DSC00857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k1x4MyF6428/T-nevYjoKsI/AAAAAAAACmo/cUOy2jIxyUU/s320/DSC00857.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dad and Pr. Gilberto</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Our purpose for stopping in Ourinhos was to visit Pr. Gilberto Stefano. </span><span style="background-color: white;"> A</span><span style="background-color: white;">s soon as you set foot in his home, v</span><span style="background-color: white;">arious pieces of antique furniture and an old, old radio reveal Pr. Gilberto's love of history.</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> He loves church history in particular and is currently adding the final touches to a book he wrote about the history of Baptist churches in São Paulo state. Pr. Gilberto has been wanting Dad to look the book over and give his opinion about it. This visit was scheduled so that Dad could do just that. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kF5gNTHMy5c/T-neuIgt-4I/AAAAAAAACmY/pqbne37Eb4w/s1600/DSC00851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kF5gNTHMy5c/T-neuIgt-4I/AAAAAAAACmY/pqbne37Eb4w/s320/DSC00851.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lara and Maria Lydia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad and Pr. Gilberto spent almost two hours holed up in his office. During this time, I talked and played Old Maid with Pr. Gilberto's two daughters, Lara (16) and Maria Lydia (6).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aSCGZzeAWBc/T-neu78d5lI/AAAAAAAACmg/isAgeETv1J8/s1600/DSC00855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aSCGZzeAWBc/T-neu78d5lI/AAAAAAAACmg/isAgeETv1J8/s320/DSC00855.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Filipe and Sis. Valeria</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Near the end of the visit Pr. Gilberto's wife, Sis. Valeria, and his son, Filipe (14), even joined the fun.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0SrUhNKrQVk/T-t1CJHP1mI/AAAAAAAACm8/4opyrxPnbNw/s1600/DSC00862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0SrUhNKrQVk/T-t1CJHP1mI/AAAAAAAACm8/4opyrxPnbNw/s320/DSC00862.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ourinhos</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V-Es8YHqoSI/T-t1BembgHI/AAAAAAAACm0/mnDzg-3nqoQ/s1600/DSC00860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V-Es8YHqoSI/T-t1BembgHI/AAAAAAAACm0/mnDzg-3nqoQ/s320/DSC00860.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My "Cell"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We left Pr. Gilberto's home shortly before 8 p.m. and continued driving to Ourinhos. I think a good adjective to describe Ourinhos as we drove into its downtown area at 9:30 p.m. would be "bustling". Every parking spot on both sides of the streets was taken, and it looked as if the majority of the city's 10,300 inhabitants were heading to the central plaza, where music was playing and lighted food booths abounded. Later we learned that a festival for Saint John's Day was taking place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The family we would be staying with during our time in Ourinhos wasn't expecting us until noon of the following day, so Dad after much searching found us a hotel for the night. This hotel earned itself a place in my special memories. I'm not </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">exactly </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sure when it began working its way into that special category of memories, perhaps it was when the elderly clerk informed us that the hotel's parking was around the corner and down the road a block and a half, but for sure by morning, the Ninth of July Hotel and especially room #9 had become an unforgettable experience. It surprised me frequently during my stay there how very tiny the room was, and Corrie Ten Boom's descriptions of her prison cells often came to mind. With portions of Corrie Ten Boom's book, <u>The Hiding Place</u>, lurking in my thoughts, I measured my room. It was exactly 5 steps long and 4 wide. Later I opened the window and sure enough a dingy, gray wall was within arms reach. Thankfully, unlike a prison cell, my room was very clean and the bed soft. It was a welcome haven after a day of traveling and visiting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ld-74Og_5YU/T-t3mw6Ua6I/AAAAAAAACnQ/zphob51106s/s1600/DSCN0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ld-74Og_5YU/T-t3mw6Ua6I/AAAAAAAACnQ/zphob51106s/s320/DSCN0109.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dad with Pr. Israel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next morning we packed up and made our way to Pr. Israel's home. Pr. Israel has worked as an electrician for many years. Of late, he and his family have been working extra to make some improvements on their home. They have already finished adding on a bedroom and laying new tile in half the house. Their next project is to transform a back bedroom into a utility room. Pastor, his wife Izalina, and their youngest son, Giovane layed their work aside and welcomed us warmly.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lrJiKEt1wGE/T-t3ifeONwI/AAAAAAAACnI/2BKmXxXdovg/s1600/DSC00864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lrJiKEt1wGE/T-t3ifeONwI/AAAAAAAACnI/2BKmXxXdovg/s320/DSC00864.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salto Grande</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That evening we accompanied Pr. Israel to Salto Grande, a small town about twenty minutes away from Ourinhos. Although the church in Ourinhos began this preaching point in Salto Grande quite awhile ago, there are only three people that faithfully come to the services. None the less, Dad enjoyed preaching to them, and they really seemed to enjoy the books that we took.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FSos08u6xeA/T-0NJVDrgkI/AAAAAAAACoY/sHryBzgfDzg/s1600/DSC00869-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FSos08u6xeA/T-0NJVDrgkI/AAAAAAAACoY/sHryBzgfDzg/s320/DSC00869-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Talking after the morning service</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad preached both the services in Ourinhos on Sunday, and we had enjoyable times of fellowship with the brethren after the services. </span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIr_-p28EOc/T-0J0o_1W2I/AAAAAAAACno/LuVex__zRCk/s1600/DSC00877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIr_-p28EOc/T-0J0o_1W2I/AAAAAAAACno/LuVex__zRCk/s320/DSC00877.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jander, Flavio and Dad</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two of the men in the church, Flavio and Jander, especially enjoyed talking with Dad about the Greek roots of certain words. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ynCBAmC67I8/T-0KER2DXKI/AAAAAAAACnw/6pBsA4vs2ZY/s1600/DSC00879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ynCBAmC67I8/T-0KER2DXKI/AAAAAAAACnw/6pBsA4vs2ZY/s320/DSC00879.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Giovane and Dad</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> In the free hours that we had in the afternoons, we played numerous rounds of dominoes. Giovane won most of the games, but it was still fun.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8LPJVh_3ZVY/T-0KF0yJAaI/AAAAAAAACn4/7LJzCky05wg/s1600/DSCN0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8LPJVh_3ZVY/T-0KF0yJAaI/AAAAAAAACn4/7LJzCky05wg/s320/DSCN0112.JPG" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Diego and little Julia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pr. Israel's oldest son, Diego, came over Sunday afternoon to see his parents and visit with us. He brought his little daughter, Julia. She doesn't like strangers, so I had to content myself with looking but definitely NOT touching. :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1UXVhTJCAGY/T-0MgIRvU6I/AAAAAAAACoQ/xNmA15yA55Y/s1600/DSC00883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1UXVhTJCAGY/T-0MgIRvU6I/AAAAAAAACoQ/xNmA15yA55Y/s320/DSC00883.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sis. Izalina, Pr. Israel, Giovane and Paula with Dad</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This gathering of Baptists (like most others) was not lacking in good food. Right before this picture was taken, Sis. Izalina served us a two layer pudim. The common pudim is very similar to an extra sweet custard and only has one layer. This pudim had been baked and then covered with chocolate cake batter and baked again. It was delicious!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lanchonete</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, this is a bonus picture. I took it in Marilia because I liked the trailer's paint job, but later I realized what a good example this is of a lanchonete. Lanchonetes are quite common in Brazil. The cooks and waiters that run these eateries usually set up tables and chairs on the sidewalk and heat their flat griddles around 7 p.m. They then fix and serve every type of sandwich that you can imagine until the wee hours of the next morning. Most lanchonetes serve a sandwich called the X - Tudo (which means: Cheese and Everything). This sandwich has a hamburger, chopped chicken, bacon, fried egg, cheese and even sliced sausages stuffed into a big hamburger bun. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeIA3Ehc-_Y/T-0K89jRneI/AAAAAAAACoI/baxrs1-Ro-U/s1600/DSC00791-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeIA3Ehc-_Y/T-0K89jRneI/AAAAAAAACoI/baxrs1-Ro-U/s320/DSC00791-001.JPG" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Luis Carlos, the Hamburger Man</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We came to know Luis Carlos, fondly called the Hamburger Man, through the lanchonete that he owned and operated just a few blocks away from our house. Since his battle with cancer, Luis Carlos had to sell his lanchonete, however the Lord has kept the door open for us to have contact with him. Dad visits him occasionally, but more often then not he visits us and helps run errands or work in the print room. This month Luis Carlos has been rejoicing because he has been cancer free for one year.</span><br />
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<br />Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-56496847879320271082012-06-16T19:08:00.001-03:002012-06-16T19:08:32.014-03:00Trip to Sud Menucci<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViMKK_rN0eo/T9yVhArLYCI/AAAAAAAACmE/2sNmDzt9Iko/s1600/Daniel+and+crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViMKK_rN0eo/T9yVhArLYCI/AAAAAAAACmE/2sNmDzt9Iko/s320/Daniel+and+crew.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel, Guest Speaker, Sabrina and Ellise<br />at the youth conference</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thursday, June 7th, was a cold,
drizzly day, but it was also one of the many national holidays here in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>. Not
only was it a holiday, but to many people’s delight it fell on a Thursday and
could be extended to the weekend. It was interesting to take notice what
Brazilians did on their holiday. Joy found out the hard way that lots of people
went grocery shopping. Joy used part of the holiday to balance the book
ministry’s accounts and found that the post office bill was due the next day.
"No problem", she thought, "I’ll just run to Muffato Max (a
grocery store similar to Walmart) and get some cash out of the ATM so that the
bill can be paid early on Friday." Joy arrived at Muffato to find that
there was a substantial waiting line to get into the parking lot, long lines at
every checkout, and much to her disappointment the ATM had already been milked
dry. The withdrawing of cash was immediately postponed to a later date.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WF3iASX_LEs/T9uQdkgCzII/AAAAAAAAClU/H9kgKLJHeZM/s1600/Daniel+round+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WF3iASX_LEs/T9uQdkgCzII/AAAAAAAAClU/H9kgKLJHeZM/s320/Daniel+round+table.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel participating in an activity<br />at the youth conference </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many people also used the extended
holiday to travel. The newspapers were full of reports about the heavy traffic
and accidents on the most used highways. Daniel and his work buddies had to
travel from São Jose dos Campos, where they live, to a nice conference area in
the small city of Atibaia. Every year Editora Fiel, the Christian publishing
company where Daniel works, holds a youth conference with a variety of guest
speakers, special book sales, and fun activities. This year’s conference took
place on the holiday weekend. Several days before the holiday, Daniel and his
fellow employees packed up boxes and boxes of books and electrical equipment,
then accompanied them to the conference area in order to set everything up. The
holiday brought buses and cars loaded with young people to the conference.
Eventually about three hundred young people had gathered to attend the
conference. Daniel’s usual job at these conferences is to take the footage
being picked up by the video cameras and transmit it live over the internet to
spectators that are watching off and on throughout the day. This year, however,
Daniel’s boss asked him to take a more public part and share the responsibility
of introducing speakers and activities, in short keep things running on
schedule. Daniel said it was quite a challenge for him, but by God’s grace he
was able to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BdCnsZ6pav4/T9uQeVDllTI/AAAAAAAAClc/iqHELQP0krU/s1600/HPIM3223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BdCnsZ6pav4/T9uQeVDllTI/AAAAAAAAClc/iqHELQP0krU/s320/HPIM3223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Decorated Street</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This holiday like so many others
in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>
has significance to the Catholic community and on this holiday in particular,
they put special emphasis on organizing priests and Catholic faithful into
processions that walk up and down the main streets of the city. In some cities
they even go so far as to decorate the streets that the procession is going to
walk on. The city of <st1:city w:st="on">Piquerobi</st1:city>
is a good example. It is a very small city with only four thousand inhabitants.
For the last forty-four years many of the inhabitants volunteer every June 7th
to make a seven hundred meter "carpet" for the procession to walk on.
Two months before the holiday the government and Catholic authorities begin
planning what designs and colors are going to be included in the carpet. An average
of $25,000.00 is invested every year in having the metal patterns (similar to
gigantic cookie cutters) drawn out and made, and the purchasing of colorful
pellets which will be packed tightly into the patterns. Years ago flower
petals, dyed sawdust, sand, leaves and natural rocks were used to make the
carpets on the roads, but nowadays these have been substituted by the made to
order colored pellets and a little spray paint and styrofoam. The decorated
roads and procession in Piquerobi have become so well known that four or five
thousand tourists flock to the city every year to see them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4k4KshCdgv4/T9uQbgGhTFI/AAAAAAAACk8/PeXwPXy_WjU/s1600/DSCN0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4k4KshCdgv4/T9uQbgGhTFI/AAAAAAAACk8/PeXwPXy_WjU/s320/DSCN0035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Celeste and Adalberto</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our Thursday was fairly normal. We
worked on routine jobs around the house and in Dad's office, and then helped
Dad and Mom pack up for a four day trip. Late that afternoon they were expected
to make a visit in Araçatuba, a city two and a half hours away from us. A
number of years ago, Sr. Celestino took over the pruning of the two trees in
front of our house. With time he invited Dad to have Bible studies in his home,
and we came to know his wife, Marcia, and the three daughters that are still in
their home: Suellen, who is in her twenties, Celeste, fifteen, and Marcela, who
is nine. In December 2011, Celeste ran away from home to live with a man in
Araçatuba. Celeste cut off all contact with her family at first, but after
several weeks she resumed communication with them and even asked them to come
visit. About a month ago Celeste sent word through her parents that Dad would
be welcome to come visit with her and Adalberto. Dad scheduled the visit for
this holiday, and shortly before noon, he and Mom piled into the car and headed
for Araçatuba. Adalberto and Celestre are currently living on the chicken farm
where he works. The constant drizzle and crisscrossing dirt roads made their
house a little hard to find, but Dad and Mom eventually found it and the Lord
blessed them with a good visit. Adalberto was receptive to the Biblical counsel
that Dad gave them, and both Adalberto and Celeste left the door open for Dad
to visit again the next time that he is in the area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4rfLwjQyfc/T9uRgBoofpI/AAAAAAAAClk/dOvUB7BAves/s1600/HPIM5615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4rfLwjQyfc/T9uRgBoofpI/AAAAAAAAClk/dOvUB7BAves/s320/HPIM5615.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Church in Sud Menucci</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad and Mom spent Thursday night
in Araçatuba, and Friday morning drove another hour and a half to Sud Menucci. Sud
Menucci is a tiny city. Most of the people that live there are employed by the
large sugarcane processing plants in the area. Some of the folks work in
the fields planting and harvesting the sugarcane, while others work in the
plants turning the sugarcane into refined sugar or alcohol. The church in
Sud was going to be holding a series of special services beginning that night
and continuing to Sunday evening. They invited Pr. Figueiredo from
Catanduva to preach the first three services, and Dad to preach the last one.
Pr. Figueiredo arrived by bus shortly after Dad and Mom arrived. Later that evening
he preached a good message on forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PvxGNIVTpg8/T9uQcR6P8aI/AAAAAAAAClE/k-Q1zzQv3D8/s1600/DSCN0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PvxGNIVTpg8/T9uQcR6P8aI/AAAAAAAAClE/k-Q1zzQv3D8/s320/DSCN0061.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pr. Figueiredo and Bro. Ari, the church's leader</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday dawned as another gray
and drizzly day, and with Saturday began the most memorable part of Mom and
Dad's trip. Just minutes before breakfast was served, Mom began having waves of nausea and vomiting. Nothing, not even
medicine, would stay on her stomach. Bro. Ari and his wife, Rosali, with whom
Dad and Mom where staying, mentioned that a strong stomach flu had been making
its way around town, and most people ended up going to the hospital for some
strong medicine to stop the vomiting. Mom ended up going to the hospital that
night at eleven. The intravenous medicine stopped the vomiting, but a few
hours later the second phase of the flu, diarrhea, began. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mc9r8bW2O1s/T9uSDVXTRpI/AAAAAAAACls/tWml7-oIqhs/s1600/DSCN0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mc9r8bW2O1s/T9uSDVXTRpI/AAAAAAAACls/tWml7-oIqhs/s320/DSCN0064.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of the members and visitors in the special service</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday was a little bit drier than
the three days before it. The sun even broke through the clouds for short
periods. Mom was still battling nausea and diarrhea and unable to keep anything
but small amounts of liquid down, but she was feeling a little bit better. The
Lord gave her grace to sit through both the Sunday services, and He gave Dad
grace to preach the evening service. Dad preached about "So Great a Salvation" and then made his
way to the back to shake everyone's hand as they left. Just minutes after the
last person left, Dad began vomiting and it didn't stop until morning. We were
all seriously wondering at this point if Dad and Mom would be able to come home
on Monday as originally planned. The Lord was merciful, though. Dad’s symptoms
subsided early Monday morning and he was able to sleep for a couple hours. Dad felt brave enough to start traveling after
his nap. So, he and Mom packed the car and picked up two Gatorades to sip on
the way home. They arrived here in Prudente pale and very tired, howbeit safely,
shortly before 2 pm. In the three days since then, Mom and Dad have been taking
extra naps and eating mainly jello or potato soup. Now that they
are definitely feeling better, I guess we are ready for another member of
the family to come down with the flu. :)</span><o:p></o:p></div>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-65168648175103305862012-05-03T16:22:00.000-03:002012-05-03T16:22:44.960-03:00Kitten Season<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xl_6KQR8K50/T6KOxaOXkrI/AAAAAAAACjs/SHkkwttMyH0/s1600/DSC00573-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xl_6KQR8K50/T6KOxaOXkrI/AAAAAAAACjs/SHkkwttMyH0/s320/DSC00573-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>On the way to a new home!</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was an exceptionally busy Sunday at the end of March. We had just come home from the morning church service, and were preparing to have guests over for lunch. I had dropped off my Bible and a few things in my bedroom and was hurrying to the kitchen, when I heard the pitiful mewing coming from one of the empty lots next door to us. My heart sank as I remembered that it was “Kitten Season”, those months of the year when cats breed freely and irresponsible cat owners take the unwanted kittens and drop them off in empty lots or on the outskirts of town. A quick trip out the front gate and down the sidewalk confirmed my suspicions. There was a bewildered mother cat sitting on a pile of construction rubble. Beside her was one small kitten probably no more that ten or twelve days old and further down the rubble pile were three more tiny gray and white kittens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CxmZ8k8SOPA/T6KOwnQPslI/AAAAAAAACjk/qaIA9NrhOGA/s1600/DSC00503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CxmZ8k8SOPA/T6KOwnQPslI/AAAAAAAACjk/qaIA9NrhOGA/s320/DSC00503.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Kittens soon after they were abandoned</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My family first learned the hard facts about kitten season and the sad reality that there are no animal shelters of any sort in most Brazilian cities, when we lived in Catanduva during the 1990’s. Our home at that time was close to the edge of the city as well as being next door to a dirt road; it was a prime place for people to drop kittens. We kids usually found the abandoned kittens, of varying sizes, colors, and health conditions, as we were out playing with our friends or walking our dogs. Whenever you find a box or bag of mewing kittens, a difficult decision had to be made. Do I take them home? Should I try to find loving homes for them? Should I leave them there in hopes that the improbable will happen and someone else will care for them? Taking stray kittens home has never been a good option for us. Our family already fills our house nicely, and we have always had a dog or two and a few canaries. We also have to take into consideration that we frequently have guests in our home. Finding new homes for kittens is a good idea, but experience has taught us that it is extremely hard to do. Leaving the kittens where they are with the faint hope that someone else will have pity on them is a hard option to consider, especially for a hopeless animal lover like myself. We eventually learned to do what we could for the kittens. Every year in one of the empty lots near our house, Dad with some help from the boys would build a cat house using anything they could find. I remember one year the cat house was made out of the empty body of a wash machine. Another year Dad found an extra large slab of cement and simply propped it up so that the kittens could run under it to find shelter. Dad and my brothers not only became experts at building weatherproof cat houses, but they also developed several techniques for rescuing kittens from storm drains with unmovable lids. During kitten season whenever one of us found a kitten or a whole litter of kittens, we would take them to our cat house. Joy and I would carry food to them several times a day. Mom with her nursing skills helped us treat their minor eye infections, funguses, and common parasites. During the seven or eight years that we rescued kittens, a few of our kittens did go to new homes, a few died, but most of them grew up and wandered off on their own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-frKUtfLf-kE/T6LZro4DUAI/AAAAAAAACkA/nrpwLd7R-Xw/s1600/Empty+Lot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-frKUtfLf-kE/T6LZro4DUAI/AAAAAAAACkA/nrpwLd7R-Xw/s320/Empty+Lot.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Empty lot next door to us</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2004, we moved into a well established neighborhood in the bustling city of Presidente Prudente. The fact that this new home was a good distance away from the edge of town meant that we did not rescue any kittens for the next five years. Of course it also helped that the neighbor on our right was a cat lover, who adopted the occasional stray that wondered on to our road. We moved out of that house in 2009, and into the house where we currently live in the neighborhood called “São Marcos” (Saint Mark). São Marcos is a relatively quiet neighborhood. It is well populated, but yet not crowded. There are still a good number of empty lots waiting for someone to buy them and build a house. Our road is particularly quiet. We have two neighbors on our right side and a third neighbor diagonally across the road from us. Directly across the road from us are three empty lots, and next door to us on our left are three empty lots. Even with all the empty lots around us, we really haven’t had a problem with people abandoning kittens on our road. That is we hadn’t had a problem until that Sunday that the mother cat and her four kittens were dropped off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vOq0Ddr20_0/T6LZswAiFJI/AAAAAAAACkI/Uzm9m-T8lfg/s1600/Feira+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vOq0Ddr20_0/T6LZswAiFJI/AAAAAAAACkI/Uzm9m-T8lfg/s320/Feira+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Feira</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again Dad built a weatherproof cat house. This time two warped cupboard doors, a cardboard box, a selection of broken bricks, and several armfuls of johnson grass (to shed rain and give shade) went into the construction of the house. We put the kittens in the house and the mother cat was content to care for them there for the next two and a half weeks. At that point, the kittens were beginning to eat on their own, and again we faced that familiar, yet still difficult decision. Should we leave the kittens alone and allow the mother to raise them to be wild? Or should we help the kittens learn to eat and try to find homes for them? We chose the latter option in this case. Mom, Joy and I brought the kittens home on Saturday, April 7th, and began teaching them to eat. We also immediately began doing propaganda for “free kittens”. This included putting up posters around the neighborhood, asking everyone that crossed our path if they were interested in a feline companion, and joining four other people, who had “abandoned kittens needing good homes”, in putting an ad in the local newspaper. The Lord abundantly blessed and opened up homes for each of the four kittens. The only male kitten found his home two days later through the newspaper ad. The three females were a little bit harder to place, but we ended up taking them to two “feiras” later that week. A “feira” is an open air market where venders set up tables and sell everything from flip-flops and homemade cheese to fresh produce and cheap toys. Just about every day of the week here in Prudente there is a feira in a different neighborhood. Joy and I, first of all, took the remaining three kittens to the Thursday morning feira out by our old house. We walked all through the feira and up and down the busiest roads in that neighborhood, and found a home for one kitten. Later that evening, Dad and I took the last two kittens to the feira in Ana Jacinta, which is a neighborhood near the church. This was one of the largest feiras in town. Government officials had blocked off three roads to accommodate the feira and both sides of each of the roads were lined with venders. Lots and lots of people were out shopping, and we took the opportunity to offer them a free cat. We discovered that the vast majority of the folks shopping for their weekly supply of fresh fruits and veggies are either are unable to have cats for a variety of reasons or else they already have too many cats, but after much walking and asking, we found two people that were very happy to accept a kitten. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zfJt-oGdoxE/T6KOyBFrfII/AAAAAAAACj0/xpbE121eaT8/s1600/DSC00624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zfJt-oGdoxE/T6KOyBFrfII/AAAAAAAACj0/xpbE121eaT8/s320/DSC00624.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sundae Snoozing</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> We considered having the mother cat spayed and then turning her loose to scavenge for her living. There are already several cats in our neighborhood that survive this way. Mom and we girls, however, became quite fond of her as we cared for her and her little ones and Dad has given us permission to keep her. The cat, now named Sundae, and our family are currently going through an adjustment period. We have never had a cat in the house as a permanent resident before, and for some odd reason we keep being surprised that she doesn’t act and react like a dog. Sundae on the other hand finds it hard to understand why she can’t sharpen her claws wherever she pleases and why we insist that the birds are not to be eaten. I do believe there are some good indications that we are all going survive this period, though. Each of us is quickly becoming a cat lover and Sundae…well, it isn't taking her long to learn to enjoy a life of leisure.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-50751812063153065672012-04-08T16:27:00.000-03:002012-04-08T16:27:02.773-03:00Easter Eggs, Salted Cod and Fried Watermelon<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pQe0aMuwyHk/T37vNDd8qwI/AAAAAAAACjE/GKH7TXqsSwQ/s1600/DSC00451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pQe0aMuwyHk/T37vNDd8qwI/AAAAAAAACjE/GKH7TXqsSwQ/s320/DSC00451.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Special display of cod, sardines, and olive oil</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 2012 Carnaval festivities officially ended on February 21st. Since then Brazilians have been plodding their way through the forty days of Lent. There are some folks that with genuine sincerity abstain from something that they enjoy and attend special masses in hopes of atoning for their carnality, but there are many others who give up some item for Lent simply because it has become a tradition. Red meat is by far the most popular item to be given up for Lent. So many people give it up in fact that the beef prices in the supermarkets actually come down a little. We have also heard of people staying away from alcoholic beverages, desserts, and even chocolate in particular during Lent. Here at home, we jokingly say that we have given up fried watermelon or tuna icecream<span style="background-color: white;"> for the next forty days; there is even a </span>chance that we will go a year or two perhaps even three without it. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nxGf9-KL4BI/T3yEWCpbXUI/AAAAAAAACh0/aAavL0Tin54/s1600/Bacalhau.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nxGf9-KL4BI/T3yEWCpbXUI/AAAAAAAACh0/aAavL0Tin54/s320/Bacalhau.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Salted Cod</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the demand for beef all over Brazil drops, the market for fish increases. Grocery stores put out special displays of various types of fish, including shark, fresh sardines, and primarily <i>bacalhau</i>, which is salted cod. Brazilians love to fix <i>bacalhau</i> anytime during Lent but especially on Good Friday. The traditional way that Brazilian women prepare salted cod is to desalt it, and then bake it with whole black olives, small potatoes, and generous trickles of olive oil. This dish of <i>bacalhoada</i> is often decorated with hard boiled eggs before it is served. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Easter Eggs Overhead and Everywhere!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just as soon as Carnaval and Ash Wednesday were over, the invasion of the Easter eggs began. These chocolate eggs have practically taken over every grocery store in town. Prudente's six largest supermarkets have each put up metal frames in order to be able hang the brightly wrapped eggs all along the ceiling and sides of two or three of their aisles. Easter eggs have also inched their way into gift stores, English schools, and even the newspaper. We subscribe to the <i>O Estado de São Paulo</i>, an old, well-trusted newspaper. This year <i>O Estadão</i>, as it is fondly called, purchased close to thirty different chocolate eggs and then chose eleven of their subscribers to come to the office, taste each of the eggs and give their opinion. A few days later four pages in the newspaper were dedicated to Easter eggs. There were pictures of each egg, their brand names and prices, and the comments given by the readers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you do decide to invest in a chocolate Easter egg, I would say there are three ways by which you can choose your egg. They are:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScFyB4VOqWA/T3yEe1OcckI/AAAAAAAACi0/EIpgGC3zrSE/s1600/Soccer+Team.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScFyB4VOqWA/T3yEe1OcckI/AAAAAAAACi0/EIpgGC3zrSE/s320/Soccer+Team.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Medium Sized São Paulo Soccer Team Eggs</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. <b style="background-color: white;">By Size.</b> All the Easter eggs are actually categorized by numbers. Each company makes a selection of number four eggs, number twelves, fifteens and so on all the way up into the thirties. However,we don't have the habit of buying eggs, so I have never figured out the number system. To me, they are either small, medium or large. The small eggs weigh about fifty grams and cost between two and three dollars apiece. These are usually aimed at children and inside the chocolate egg there is often a toy. The widest selection of Easter eggs is without a doubt in the medium size. These weigh a little less than a pound and cost anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five dollars. The large Easter eggs which weigh a little over a pound are often made with special (read that "expensive") chocolate, so there are fewer of these eggs produced and fewer of them are sold due to their price tags which range from thirty to fifty dollars each.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vpt4qDFyS3s/T3yEdwLNZsI/AAAAAAAACis/lYMPlsv2vWI/s1600/Smilinguido.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vpt4qDFyS3s/T3yEdwLNZsI/AAAAAAAACis/lYMPlsv2vWI/s320/Smilinguido.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Smilinguido Eggs</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. <b>By Wrapping.</b> The packaging of the Easter eggs is definitely a good thing to consider because without a doubt the wrapping is going to last longer then the egg itself. Joy and I were out getting groceries recently and we took a few minutes to browse the hanging Easter eggs. What a variety of wrappings there were!! We found several rows of eggs wrapped in pastel colors. Others were in metallic gold and silver. A number of companies bought the rights to print much loved cartoon characters and movie stars on their packaging. We even found chocolate eggs specially wrapped for soccer fans. These eggs carry the colors and emblems of each of the top soccer teams in Brazil. Lastly, we discovered some Smilinguido Easter eggs. Smilinguido is a black cartoon ant that is quite popular in Christian circles. He and all his fellow ants show up on bookmarkers, cards, in coloring books, and even on some clothing items, and they are usually quoting the NIV or teaching some watered down truth.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pDYugDCBA5o/T3yEbhoY-sI/AAAAAAAACic/2o64aUvCbIg/s1600/Prestigio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pDYugDCBA5o/T3yEbhoY-sI/AAAAAAAACic/2o64aUvCbIg/s320/Prestigio.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Prestigio Eggs</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. <b>By Flavor.</b> Of course, there are the common milk chocolate, white chocolate and extra dark chocolate eggs for all those that, like myself, prefer their chocolate simple, unmarred by other flavors or the crunch of nuts. But there are also some creative flavors for those who are adventurous. The <i>Prestigio</i> is a Brazilian candy bar that has been around for years. It is a chocolate bar with a creamy coconut filling. At Easter <i>Prestigio's</i> makers make an egg with the same filling and the same name. Another filled egg is the <i>Sensação</i>. Its filling is strawberry cream. The <i>Sonho de Valsa</i> egg is also worth mentioning. It is a chocolate egg that comes with several chocolate bonbons inside of it. Each of the bonbons is filled with a cream made from cashew nuts. This paragraph could go on a good while yet describing several more Easter eggs, which contain different nuts and fillings, but I would imagine that your mouths are already watering enough. :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lz1TxBp6ttE/T4HZ80Gi9YI/AAAAAAAACjU/8Uk-bqizVSs/s1600/DSC00508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lz1TxBp6ttE/T4HZ80Gi9YI/AAAAAAAACjU/8Uk-bqizVSs/s320/DSC00508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Preparing for an outdoor Passion play</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The grand finale of all of this - Carnaval, Lent, and Easter eggs- is <i>Semana Santa</i>, or in English, Holy Week. This series of celebrated days begins on Palm Sunday. On this particular Sunday every year, we see people carrying palm fronds arriving at Catholic churches for a special morning mass. Palm Sunday is a bad day for any bush or tree that has palm-like fronds. There used to be a short palm tree here in our neighborhood, and every year without fail people cut off all but its very highest fronds on Palm Sunday. The poor tree fell over and died several months ago, so this year it is resting undisturbed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COMSS9Wqbgg/T4HZ73L7Z_I/AAAAAAAACjM/X8eVXcy9wrI/s1600/Cement+Figures.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COMSS9Wqbgg/T4HZ73L7Z_I/AAAAAAAACjM/X8eVXcy9wrI/s320/Cement+Figures.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Cement Figure at Morada de Deus</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The Catholic churches around town joined together and planned special masses, processions, Passion plays and other events for each of the weekdays that come between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. One of the largest events this year was a procession followed by a special mass at “The Dwelling Place of God”. Presidente Prudente used to have a staunch Catholic mayor named Agripino. As the story goes, one day seven or eight years ago Agripino was very depressed and on his way to a neighboring city to commit suicide. However, before he reached that city, he had a divine revelation. As a result of this revelation, he set aside a large piece of his property for religious purposes. He built an ornate church with lots of stained glass windows on the highest point of this land and put in a winding road that leads up to the church. All along this road, Agripino put in cement figures which portray events in Christ’s life, with special attention given to His crucifixion. This place is called <i>Morada de Deus</i> or “The Dwelling Place of God”. This last Monday Agripino invited anyone from Prudente and surrounding cities to join a procession that would walk up the winding road and then stay for a special mass at the church. Approximately two thousand people were expected to participate. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRGVwY0aTzI/T4HZ9p86FmI/AAAAAAAACjc/OPtFM8xAmQE/s1600/DSC02640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KRGVwY0aTzI/T4HZ9p86FmI/AAAAAAAACjc/OPtFM8xAmQE/s320/DSC02640.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>St. Judas Catholic Church</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, Easter Sunday and the last day of <i>Semana Santa</i>, literally started off with a bang. Right around 6 a.m. Catholic churches all over town set off firecrackers in anticipation of the early morning masses that were to come. We live two blocks away from the St. Judas Catholic church, and noticed that by 7:30 a.m. cars were arriving and people were walking from nearby streets for the last special mass of this Easter season. If our calculations are correct, the next big religious holiday in Brazil will be Corpus Christi here in sixty-one days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-42486068732430714332012-03-21T06:31:00.000-03:002012-03-21T06:31:05.597-03:00A Trip to Jaciporã<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eIg-YOzR8sE/T2fjxGFq0JI/AAAAAAAACgo/pRVmn1zzupA/s1600/DSC00410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eIg-YOzR8sE/T2fjxGFq0JI/AAAAAAAACgo/pRVmn1zzupA/s320/DSC00410.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The church's building</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">March 18 was the third Sunday of the month and the day that Dad routinely visits the church in Jaciporã. Mom, Joy and I take turns accompanying Dad on his trips, and this Sunday it was my turn. Dad and I left Prudente at 5pm and quickly got on Raposo Tavares, a well maintained four lane highway. The next fifty minutes of traveling were a breeze broken only momentarily by the need to stop and pay $2.70 in toll. As we neared the city of Presidente Venceslau, Dad exited right onto a smaller two lane highway. There are sections of this highway where the asphalt has been patched numerous times and other portions where the asphalt is definitely needing some repair work done. Considering everything, though, it is still a good highway. The scenery along both of these highways was mainly pastures and grazing cattle. This is fitting since this corner of São Paulo state raises a lot of beef cattle. It is likely that many of these cows will eventually end up in Presidente Prudente, where there are two slaughter houses and two leather processing plants.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_aw3FbWd_0s/T2fjhe5EIFI/AAAAAAAACgg/e4cUhGFRyYM/s1600/DSC00406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_aw3FbWd_0s/T2fjhe5EIFI/AAAAAAAACgg/e4cUhGFRyYM/s320/DSC00406.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Bro. Djalma and Dad enjoy talking</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad and I arrived in Jaciporã forty minutes before the evening service was to begin. Bro. Djalma, the leader of the church, met us on the main road and took us to his home. Sis. Eva, his wife, had some bread in the oven which made the house fragrant but also very hot. It didn’t take Dad and Bro. Djalma very long to decide that it would be much cooler to sit outside under a tree and talk.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-j-KKOWPJo/T2fkBdpn4GI/AAAAAAAACgw/XFJ1JARcMTo/s1600/DSC00408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-j-KKOWPJo/T2fkBdpn4GI/AAAAAAAACgw/XFJ1JARcMTo/s320/DSC00408.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Michelle and Alexandre</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I ended up sitting on the small varanda outside of the kitchen door and playing Uno with Bro. Djalma’s son, Alexandre, and daughter, Michelle. Michelle is in her last two years of highschool, and she is studying hard in hopes of being accepted into medical school after she graduates. Alexandre is a little bit younger than Michelle. He is very tall and shy and at the moment he doesn’t see much need to study, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">but he is still plodding along in his schooling with his parents’ constant encouragement.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwKjCTtcszg/T2fmEjyUILI/AAAAAAAAChY/Zvq_9b6P5DI/s1600/DSC00409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwKjCTtcszg/T2fmEjyUILI/AAAAAAAAChY/Zvq_9b6P5DI/s320/DSC00409.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The snack being served in the kitchen</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Michelle won several of the games of Uno, and I was just starting to explain to them the zero-seven variation when Sis. Eva called us to come in and have a snack. She served us fresh bread with butter and two types of juice – guava and graviola. We had only ten minutes to eat and then had to hurry over to the church building, which is a little less than two blocks away.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9aKB5Qu8jps/T2fknna5p8I/AAAAAAAAChA/wbtMZjn91w8/s1600/DSC00414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9aKB5Qu8jps/T2fknna5p8I/AAAAAAAAChA/wbtMZjn91w8/s320/DSC00414.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Looking at books</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The service was scheduled to begin at 7:30, but starting time came and no one but Dad and I, Bro. Djalma, Alexandre and his cousin Luan had arrived. This didn't bother Bro. Djalma, though, in his custamarily calm way he was sure that his wife and daughter would be down as soon as they had finished getting ready. Bro. Jonas, he suggested, was probably showering after working on construction all day, and Bro. Roberto and his family were most likely being delayed by their milk cows. Bro. Djalma and the boys straightened the rows of chairs and then enjoyed looking at the books that Dad had brought. Michelle, her mom, and a visiting lady named Salete arrived about 7:40 and Dad suggested that Bro. Djalma go ahead and open the service with Scripture reading and some hymns. He agreed and led in the Scripture reading. Bro. Jonas arrived in time for the hymns, and that was a good thing because he leads the music while playing his guitar. Bro. Roberto, his wife, and two grown children eventually arrived in time for the preaching.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7VWFXGsoAyk/T2flNdQBsMI/AAAAAAAAChQ/6MJkgbH93L0/s1600/DSC00416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7VWFXGsoAyk/T2flNdQBsMI/AAAAAAAAChQ/6MJkgbH93L0/s320/DSC00416.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Singing hymns</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Lord gave Dad grace to preach a clear message about sin - the origin of sin, the nature of sin, the end of sin, and the Saviour. They must be harvesting some of the sugarcane fields around Jaciporã, because four times during the service a heavy sugarcane truck would go by on the road in front of the church building. As is his habit, Dad paused in his preaching until the rumbling of the truck had subsided and then resumed where he had left off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We spent just a few minutes talking with the brethren after the service, before packing the car for the trip home. Our hour and a half drive home was uneventful and we arrived home at 10:30pm.</span><br />
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<br />Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-22583709040877606692012-03-07T00:36:00.002-03:002012-03-09T22:06:57.375-03:00The Book Ministry<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iK7sVV_NaXY/T1bO9ZQbG0I/AAAAAAAACcE/OHPzl3W8huc/s1600/Pr.+Nildo+and+Group.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iK7sVV_NaXY/T1bO9ZQbG0I/AAAAAAAACcE/OHPzl3W8huc/s320/Pr.+Nildo+and+Group.JPG" width="320" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Dad with Pr. Nildo and other brethren from São Paulo</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Good books in general are scarce and expensive in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Books which are spiritually edifying and sound doctrinally are even harder to find. With this need in mind, eight years ago Dad began the Book Fund. His plan was simply to buy a box of books or Bibles whenever the general work account could afford it, and then, as the books/Bibles were sold, deposit the money back into the general account. This plan worked reasonably well for the next five years. Dad bought books and Bibles as he could afford to, and then as pastors and church workers came through our home or as Dad visited churches, he would sell the books at cost or in many cases simply give them away free.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VV2C3ExnEjQ/T1bVmsl1cyI/AAAAAAAACd0/qG6TlzwwtHo/s320/Old+Book+Room.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Book Room</i></span></td></tr>
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<div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Slowly the Book Fund grew and we set aside a room near Dad’s office and named it the Book Room. Dad and the boys lined the walls of the room with metal shelves and we girls arranged books, Bibles, CDs of preaching, and hymnals on them. A good number of Brazilian brethren browsed those shelves choosing out books that they believed would be edifying for themselves or their churches. </span></div></div><i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ogpVYNrt50/T1gB7puMWeI/AAAAAAAACec/31pd_9QuUR4/s1600/Roberto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ogpVYNrt50/T1gB7puMWeI/AAAAAAAACec/31pd_9QuUR4/s320/Roberto.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Bro. Roberto from Jaciporã and Dad</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align:justify;">Shortly before August 2009, we began to wonder if the Book Fund could stand on its own. Would it work if we deposited all the proceeds from the sale of literature into an account and then reinvest that amount into more books and Bibles? The Lord directed and gave grace over the next few months to open a savings account here in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the Book Fund’s use and also to make the adjustments necessary in our way of doing things to give the new plan a trial run. Now three years later, the Book Fund is self-supporting and continues to grow. The amount of books and Bibles that we are able to purchase has increased significantly, and the number of people who come to us looking Bibles and literature has also multiplied. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A year ago we calculated that in one six month period, the Book Fund sold an average of $1,523.00 worth of materials every month, with an average monthly investment of $382.00 in books from other publishers and $214.00 in Bibles, along with footing the bill to mail the books and Bibles to those who purchase them.</span></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eItmVosOk4/T1gJ2dkckRI/AAAAAAAACe8/47uGL-4ulrY/s1600/pastors+&+bookcase-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eItmVosOk4/T1gJ2dkckRI/AAAAAAAACe8/47uGL-4ulrY/s320/pastors+&+bookcase-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Dad with two pastors in front of the bookcase</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RD0ejMawTIw/T1bR7KJf1MI/AAAAAAAACdE/N6xLFd2yTeU/s1600/pastors+&+bookcase-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">We have been making a special effort this last year to increase the number of different titles that the Book Room has in stock. Joy carefully searches websites and book catalogues to find books that look promising or are authored by trustworthy men and women. She orders a copy of the books, and Dad and the rest of the family help her read them. The books that prove to be unsound doctrinally are scratched, but those books that are faithful to the Bible and edifying make their way to the Book Room, except that the Book Room was recently substituted by a wooden bookcase along one wall of Dad’s office. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Having the books and Bibles displayed right in his office has proven to be more practical for Dad to show them to visitors.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--JN2VjA0Jwk/T1gKkvEys9I/AAAAAAAACfE/RoOgLreXAVA/s1600/Ourinhos+Table-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--JN2VjA0Jwk/T1gKkvEys9I/AAAAAAAACfE/RoOgLreXAVA/s320/Ourinhos+Table-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Book table at Ourinhos</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad is frequently invited to preach at other like minded churches, and we have begun the habit of packing up all the books and Bibles and taking them to the different churches in order to set up a book table. Last year, Dad made ten trips to visit churches and each time we set up a book table or, when there was no available table, spread the books out on a tablecloth. The pastors and brethren really appreciate this, since the majority of local “Christian” bookstores carry mainly Pentecostal literature, NIV Bibles, 7-day programs to improve oneself, and other shallow doctrinal items.</span></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j1YDYqbXOqw/T1gK7K41nUI/AAAAAAAACfM/vsdkkoph63k/s1600/Books+on+Tablecloth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j1YDYqbXOqw/T1gK7K41nUI/AAAAAAAACfM/vsdkkoph63k/s320/Books+on+Tablecloth.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Book display in Sud Menucci</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last September, we took a giant step and set up a simple storefront online in an attempt to make our books more visible and available to the Portuguese-speaking world. Although this endeavor took a great deal more effort than was previously imagined, the storefront has been a real blessing to many. The sale of our literature has increased quite a bit, and these funds have been put right back into the purchase of more books and Bibles. We were even contacted by a man in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> who desired to purchase just about every title that we offered so that both he and his Catholic mother could profit from the teaching. Figuring up the international shipping and reconciling the different currencies took some time, but in the end, we were able to send him what he had requested. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DA4rf57lkuc/T1bUglmUb0I/AAAAAAAACds/pzk3hqvbzBQ/s1600/lending+library.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DA4rf57lkuc/T1bUglmUb0I/AAAAAAAACds/pzk3hqvbzBQ/s320/lending+library.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Bro. Djalma checking out the books</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We continue to send out a monthly e-mail newsletter to our online subscribers, offering e-books and sermons that can be downloaded for free. These sermons are recorded in mp3 format as they are preached here at the church in Prudente. We recently began including in these newsletters a short biography on the great authors of the past, and links to their articles and books. After every newsletter goes out, we always receive thank-you notes from our readers:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>You have blessed me with edifying studies which are a light in the midst of darkness. Thank you.</i>" (Silva S.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>May the Lord give me wisdom and discernment in reading these books and may they help me grow and learn to depend more on Him...your work is a wonderful blessing.</i>" (Lucio C.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>It is always very worthwhile to receive your studies. The dedication of your life to the Word has certainly edified others and may the Lord bless you with much more!</i>" (Pr. Neran)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XXS6MOYNARg/T1bUeGxHGFI/AAAAAAAACdk/m5-FACryYeg/s1600/Pr.+Israel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XXS6MOYNARg/T1bUeGxHGFI/AAAAAAAACdk/m5-FACryYeg/s320/Pr.+Israel.jpg" width="320" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Pr. Israel with his wife and two sons</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2011 the Book Fund received several generous love offerings. After converting the money into local currency, we were able to meet the following needs:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Pr. Diminigos lives in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region>, but travels also to minister to the Portuguese-speaking people in <st1:place w:st="on">Eastern Timor</st1:place>. A few years back, we had helped him out with several copies of The Trail of Blood; and now we were able to send him another box of books for his own personal use and that of his family.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Pr. Josias pastors a Baptist church in the northern state of Pernambuco. We have had contact with him for quite some time, and he wrote in last year that his church was seeking to put together a small library – could we help him with books? Thanks to these special offerings, we were able to collect several books for both the library and Pr. Josias’ own use.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S_qP32OqP2U/T1bTXu2j2TI/AAAAAAAACdM/PMMv1ePNEjA/s1600/Pr.+Natalino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S_qP32OqP2U/T1bTXu2j2TI/AAAAAAAACdM/PMMv1ePNEjA/s320/Pr.+Natalino.jpg" width="320" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Pr. Natalino with his wife and two of his children</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pr. Israel in the nearby city of </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Ourinhos</st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, pastors a Baptist church as well, but is limited in his ability to purchase good books. With some extra money in hand, we offered Pr. Israel his choice of any five books, and he gladly accepted.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pr. Natalino, living and pastoring just a few minutes’ drive from Ourinhos, is in a very similar financial position, so we presented the same offer to him. He gladly accepted, but requested that we please choose the books for him. John Dagg’s <i>Manual of Theology</i> and A. W. Pink’s <i>The Sovereignty of God</i> are generally the first books that pastors acquire, but Pr. Natalino had neither one of these, so we quickly made sure that both of these books were included in his gift box.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOd-qwwN2_s/T1bTjkq5c-I/AAAAAAAACdc/iyThyPmsvTA/s1600/Rehab+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOd-qwwN2_s/T1bTjkq5c-I/AAAAAAAACdc/iyThyPmsvTA/s320/Rehab+11.JPG" width="320" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Rehabilitation Center</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After books were sent to these four pastors, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">there was still some money left from these love offerings, so we looked into replacing some of the titles in the lending library. Dad ministers in a </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Drug</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Rehabilitation</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, and the men there have a desire to read, but hardly any literature. So we set up a small lending library in </span><st1:metricconverter productid="2010 in" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on">2010 in</st1:metricconverter><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> an attempt to meet this need. About every two months, one group of patients leave and another group comes in, and the out-going group often does not return the books they had been reading. Therefore, although we had about seventy titles listed in our library, only a little more than half of the books were still in the library. With money from the love offerings, we were able to replace a good many of the missing books, and the most recent group now has a larger selection of reading materials.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zGy8mp8_XjU/T1gAegoCk_I/AAAAAAAACeE/DDjZTWF0LIM/s1600/Pr+Anizio+Gomes+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zGy8mp8_XjU/T1gAegoCk_I/AAAAAAAACeE/DDjZTWF0LIM/s320/Pr+Anizio+Gomes+2011.jpg" width="240" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Pr. Anizio and family</span></i><br />
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad also maintains contact with several of the inmates in two of the state prisons, as these have sought him out and requested sound literature. Thanks to these love offerings, we had the wherewithal to send these men quite a stack of literature. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What remained of the love offering has since been used to: send a 16-volume commentary set to a sound, Baptist seminary up north; supply the new preaching point in Mirante with Bibles and hymnals; purchase more books for distribution; give several thousand tracts to Pr. Anízio to use in the various preaching points that he maintains along the northeastern coast of Brazil; and donate literature to three more men who were in need of doctrinal books.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Joy with some boxes that are headed to the post office.</span></i></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It takes approximately ten hours of work a week to keep all the different aspects of the Book Fund in good order, and Joy has been gladly doing this work for the last several years. For at least an hour</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">every morning, Joy answers emails related to the Book Fund. She answers questions people have about the books that we print and also the books we know from other publishers. As people put in orders for books and Bibles through the online store, Joy processes the orders and packs things into envelopes or boxes according to the need. Every now and then Joy has an especially fun time</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> figuring up the postage for a package. The postage rates to the twenty-seven different Brazilian states vary greatly and we are currently learning that there is one northern state that must be the “black hole” of </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">’s postal system. The postage to this state is higher, and more often than in any other part of </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> the envelopes and boxes sent to this state are lost or returned to us as “undeliverable” and we have to mail them again. For the past four years, Joy has been weighing each box of books before we send it off to the mail, and when she totaled the numbers this past December, she was quite surprised to discover that we have now sent out over </span><st1:metricconverter productid="2,800 pounds" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on">2,800 pounds</st1:metricconverter><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of literature. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you very much for your praying for this ministry. As with any other means of serving the Lord, serving the Lord through the distribution of good literature isn’t easy. We come to the place again and again of realizing that it is only by God’s grace that the Book Fund is what it is and it will only be by His grace that it continues.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079379315664391593.post-34939271830817191832012-03-05T09:25:00.000-03:002012-03-05T14:04:18.384-03:00Why "Mermaid Tales"?<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MVDAxBSXT1Y/T1SwosDooBI/AAAAAAAACaI/uHDRgWwVVUs/s1600/2010+Dec.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MVDAxBSXT1Y/T1SwosDooBI/AAAAAAAACaI/uHDRgWwVVUs/s400/2010+Dec.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As missionary kids, my siblings and I have often been called mermaids. Thanks to our parents we are Americans in citizenship, education, and customs even though most of us were born in Brazil. However, when we return to the USA, we do stand out as odd. Again and again situations arise where we are forced to realize that we aren't completely American. Yet, we aren't completely at home in Brazil either, even though most of our lives have been spent here. I do like the country, but I'm not Brazilian. I am constantly reminded of that fact by those moments were I want to say something in Portuguese, but I don't know the right word for it. Brazilians also don't mistake us for Brazilians. Almost every day we have a Brazilian say "You aren't from around here are you?" "No", we answer, "we're Americans", but we really ought to say "we are mermaids - half American, half Brazilian, and doing our best to swim in whatever country we happen to be in at the moment." The older I grow the more I appreciate being a mermaid. We learn a few lessons, have some adventures, and commit some comical blunders that the average person will never know. I hope on this blog to share a few of our "Mermaid Tales".</span></div>Charity Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17799356118595266433noreply@blogger.com2