Archive for Bill & Sue's Journal
 

  Wednesday, March 28,2007

 

The past week went by quickly.  Well, looking at the calendar, the whole month of March did!   Wednesdays are great because that’s the morning several of the men of our church get together to pray. We have a faithful group of six or seven men who believe that prayer makes a difference. We meet at Mario’s store which is a more central location for everyone, and walking distance from our apartment. 

 

Last week Thursday I went with Sue to church, and while she had ESL classes, I did several jobs around the place that have been on the “honey do” list there for quite a while. The one that went best was varnishing the two wooden columns at the entryway to the building – what a difference just one coat made (the second coat still to be done).  

 

Late that afternoon, we received a call that after a short bout with cancer, our friend Ester’s mother died. It became a long twenty-four hours as here in Brazil there is an all-night wake the night of the death and then the funeral the following day.  It was so encouraging to see so many of our church family around Ester, as well as her bother Jasp and his wife Celia during their time of loss. Though dona Clarinda (the mom) didn’t suffer greatly, she lingered, unconscious, for the past month, always with one of her children at her side in the hospital.  She was a believer and in the end her death was a blessing.  I did the funeral at the family’s request, though I didn’t know her well until these past three months with visits at the hospital and Ester’s home. Over the past ten months I have had the funerals of parents of eight of our church members.

 

Mario and Marta traveled to visit his mother this past weekend, meaning we didn’t have choir rehearsal on Friday evening which was a blessing because we were so tired. We really need the rehearsal time since we are planning to do two special numbers at the sunrise service in the botanical gardens on Easter, but… 

 

Saturday, after praise team rehearsal, we had a game and pizza night at church.  A good group came out, and we were told that even at midnight, when it ended, folks didn’t want to leave. We left that party early to go the birthday party for Ana Julia, our friend Valeria’s daughter. To say the least, Ana Julia is very precocious for two years old and not afraid to talk to anyone (as we observed her talking to everyone at the funeral home the day before). 

 

Sunday we had some Americans from Mississippi come to our church service.  They were at a hotel near our church and had come to make contacts as they are working on importing shoes for the shoe store they’re opening in the states. They came in a half hour late (really not bad for around here) and caused quite a stir since I was preaching and Sue was working in the nursery, and the greeters were sure they needed to talk with us even though they came with a Brazilian couple. It was kind of fun visiting with them afterwards as we don’t get that many foreigners just passing through. 

 

There has been so much to get done or make sure it will be done while we are gone, which took up some time this afternoon. It’s evening now, and our bags are packed and ready to go to São Paulo for Baptist Seminary’s 50^th anniversary.  We are staying in a really nice hotel across the street from Morumbi Mall, only four blocks from the new US Consulate (since we have to get new passports), and the reunion dinner is at Morumbi too so it’s all very convenient for us.  Not looking forward to the trip, but we are looking forward to getting away for a short time.

 

That’s it for now. Have a great week ahead. Tchau!

 

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