Archive
for Bill & Sue's Journal
Tuesday evening, December 1, 2009
Thanksgiving isn’t
celebrated here in Brazil,
but this year, we missionaries got together to celebrate the day. It
was a fun time getting together at the Blazers house, with lots of
stateside foods and pie fillings (that Andrea’s sister brought down).
After lunch, there were no football games on ESPN here so we played
table games, and all got to laughing! When
we got home that night, one of the stores downtown was celebrating
Santa’s arrival and shot off lots of fireworks – 4th of
July quality – that we watched from our 16th floor balcony.
Nice ending to a great day! And so much to be thankful for!
Sometimes
you wonder what’s in the small print of a missionary’s job description.
Sue spent hours and hours this past week decorating, doing all the
flower arrangements and setting up for a wedding. She did a terrific
job! The church looked great from the
entry hall through the auditorium up right up to the platform area. Tim did the wedding, and as Sue and I were part
of the wedding party (ten couples), I have no pictures of everyone up
front. But
the place was packed with family and friends who enjoyed the service
and a delicious sit-down dinner reception. As Saturday turned into
Sunday, no one was in a hurry to leave. *pictures at http://spoelhof-brazilnuts.blogspot.com/
We all did have fun,
but the general “take down” for all of us missionaries finished up at
two in the morning. The
maid then arrived at six and was just leaving as we came back at eleven
for straightening up before the service. We got home, cleaned up and
had lunch by three o’clock.
Then
I walked over to the emergency room at the hospital that’s only a block
away, since something had happened to my eye while getting ready for
the wedding on Saturday, and it was bleeding from under the pupil and
gathering under the film of the eyeball. (Looked pretty awesome for the
wedding though, and gave me a subject for the small talk.)
Anyway,
the ophthalmologist on call came in, did several examinations and
explained that somehow a large varicose vein in my eyeball had broken
(who even knew that eyeballs had varicose veins? But then again, maybe
they’re not even called that in English). Thankfully,
it was nothing more serious and, with patience on my part, it should
heal itself in about ten days.
I
got home from emergency with a half hour to get ready for the church
service. The teens were responsible for the evening service on Sunday.
A half hour before the service, the platform area had not yet been set
up, and everything became last minute.
Then,
just as Lucas, one of the teens, was giving the introduction, the wind
blew in a rainstorm and all the electricity went out!
After
about five minutes power came back on, and the kids did a fine job with
a positive attitude, and kept smiling in spite of the difficulties
while leading worship. It was thundering and lightening and rain
hitting so hard on the roof of the building that only the first couple
rows were able to hear the group reading about the body of Christ that
was presented. (Maybe they’ll do it again at the family talent night
the last Sunday of the year.) In the end, the whole church applauded
for them as they finished!
So
you’d think it would calm down by Monday, but no, I had to carry
fifteen bags of garbage from the wedding out to the street for pick-up
when Sue headed over for her ESL classes. And washing tablecloths will
go on here all week!
While
on our planning retreat a week ago, the daily studies were about
challenges of our faith. The final lesson was on rewards for faithful
service. I said that this past weekend was definitely a reward winning
weekend!
Guess what! There’s another wedding this weekend.
Thankfully, this one’s at a big house in the country.
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