The world just got a whole lot smaller this week.
Last week I gave you a brief history about the church losing their first Pastor due to Visa problems. Well unknown to me at the writing of that email that the pastor was actually coming to Rio for a visit. Not really a gift of prophecy on my part but guess who he is? This is where the small world part comes in, especially for Rolly and Chuck. He knows you guys. He’s been a pastor with Calvary Chapel in Mobile, Alabama for the past four years. He’s also a graduate of Oregon State. Go Beavers! Still not connecting? Well he use to be with Campus Crusade in Corvallis and was a disciple of Alex Kettle and worked with Jeff Harris. His wife was a secretary at a church. Oh yeah, the church was First Baptist. His name is Jason Eisenweise. He spent the week here and preached on Sunday night. So the leak between First Baptist and Calvary Chapel in Corvallis with the church in Rio continues to grow even stronger. Amazing how God connects all the dots.
Okay the big ticket item for this week was that on Saturday we went to Xerem, but not for a bible study. This time we took large pickup truck loaded with donated clothing, shoes, toys and other stuff that the church had been collecting for the past 6-12 months. The purpose of the donations was to hold a giant yard sale to raise money to help support the school. But the extra neat twist was that last week we gave the kids, who attend the school, some Calvary Chapel monopoly-type of money which they could use to buy things. The kids took their purchasing power very seriously inspecting all the merchandise while weighing their decisions and were extremely thrifty with how they spent their money. The rest of the villagers had to use real currency to buy things.
All items were marked at bargain basement prices, with most things going for 25 centavos (cents) to 8 reals (dollars) and even at those low prices negotiating was the rule of the day. It started off a little slow but after about a half an hour, word of mouth spread throughout the village and we were swamped. Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s never saw such a crowd. We stayed until almost every item was sold or given away, raising over $400 for school supplies. But the overwhelming look of pure joy and appreciation on Euciene’s face was priceless.
The rest of my week consisted of basic repairs around the church. Painting the office area plus an accent wall in the sanctuary. I did hang a new microwave on the kitchen wall, which meant I needed to move and re-arrange several cupboards as well. Nothing is ever simple. Thank you Larry for bringing my hammer drill. My painting talents also went beyond the church walls as I helped a member of the church paint his new apartment.
But my real adventure came on Monday as Pastor Alex called and wanted me to take the bus from the church to his house, no problem. I have taken the bus a half dozen times from his house back to the church. I know his immediate neighborhood quite well so I didn’t think much about it. Alex lives about 15-20 minutes from the church and the way in which the bus drivers fly down the streets that equates to about 100 miles away. Maybe a slight exaggeration but only slight. When taking the bus to Alex’s there is a fork in the road and the bus goes up a one way street which parallels Alex’s street. A street I have never been on. So all the shops, I thought I would recognize weren’t there. When I got off the bus I ended up walking in the wrong direction. Lost in Rio. Obviously being a man I didn’t ask anyone for help. Finally, an hour later Alex had to come and pick me up. Not sure where I was or how far I had gone but I think I may have seen the Argentine border crossing.
The lady whom Alex and I prayed with a couple of weeks ago returned again last night to the services and brought two friends. She seemed to be in a far better mood than when she first crossed our doorway.
My Portuguese is slowly getting better but they still talk way too fast and they have a different word for everything. The Hostel is pretty loud at nights, the back-packing travelers seem to enjoy themselves in Rio. I would compare it to living above a college Frat house during pledge week. So l could use a good night sleep and a real shower. No I am not going to tell you about the ordeal of taking a shower.
This week looks to be even busier. I am heading to Sao Vicente on Friday to attend another wedding (oh boy) and I am looking forward to seeing another part of Brazil. It’s about 8 hours from Rio. Not sure if I am riding down with someone or taking a bus. The adventure continues.
Again thanks to all of you for your prayers, thoughts and support. Emails would also be appreciated.
Time is whizzing by fast but I am still looking up and giving God all the glory.
Dave
