A very hot Christmas!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

for he has done marvellous things;

his right hand and his holy arm 

have worked salvation for him.

The Lord has made his salvation known

and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

He has remembered his love

and his faithfulness to Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen 

the salvation of our God. 

Psalm 98:1-3

It’s been a fantastic week celebrating Jesus’ birth with my Brazilian family and friends and enjoying the privilege of getting to see Christmas in a different culture (and climate!) My Brazilian family and I had an early Christmas present on the 23rd in the form of six tiny Pug puppies born to our dog Bella and since then it’s been a bit of a blur of having a constant stream of visitors to see them and getting up in the night to make sure they all feed enough! 

It’s Monday afternoon and Im in the back of the car with Bella the dog in a box between me and my Brazilian sister Clara. Bella’s in labour and we have decided to go to the vets as her first puppy arrived stillborn; however soon we realise the second one is arriving. Everyone starts to shout, Clara’s panicking and everyone’s yelling instructions at me in Portuguese... Why didn’t we learn this vocabulary at uni?! By the time we arrive at the vets I’ve somehow delivered a tiny, healthy puppy, who is wriggling around in my hands and as I hand her over to the vet I’m speechless in the face of how incredible nature is. 

I’m sitting on the sofa at my Brazilian Grandpa’s house and it’s Christmas Eve, which is when the big Christmas dinner is here. Earlier on in the evening we went to church as a family and even got to sing Silent Night in Portuguese! However now it is nearly midnight, when the dinner starts and next to me on the table there is a delicious looking collection of foods, including a turkey (yey!), a cod and potato dish, rice and chicken. At midnight we join hands and Lucas (my Brazilian brother) and I pray and we sing a hymn to the words of this prayer by Francis of Assisi.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace; 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 

Where there is injury, pardon; 

Where there is error, truth; 

Where there is doubt, faith; 

Where there is despair, hope; 

Where there is darkness, light; 

And where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek 

To be consoled as to console; 

To be understood as to understand; 

To be loved as to love. 

For it is in giving that we receive; 

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 

I've never met some of the family members who are there but there’s something pretty uniting about spending Christmas together and it’s a great night of laughter and eating and chatting. There’s also something very familiar about my Brazilian Grandpa putting more and more food onto everyone’s plates, whether they want it or not! 

With Clara and below with Lucas

It’s Christmas day afternoon and after not very much sleep I’m sitting on the beach eating crab with the family. They laugh at my inane grin every time I remember that it’s Christmas and try and get my head round how hot it is! Before we head back to check on the puppies we eat ice cream and it’s melting so quickly and I end up laughing so much that I end up pretty covered in ice cream... some things don’t change! 

Other highlights from the last week...

Eating what my family here call “Brazilagne” (Brazilian lasagne – which has ham instead of mince!)

The Christmas service at my church last Sunday and the dinner afterwards – which 400 people came to.

A Christmas party with friends, during which I tried to introduce them to apple crumble. 

The Christmas show at the project where I work in Barra de Jangada and the chance to meet some of the children’s families. 

The ‘mocidade’ (my age group at church) Christmas pool party (!) and playing a game very like Articulate with them.

Spending time getting to know Lucas, my Brazilian brother, before he heads off to Mexico in January - particularly enjoying his love of English Christmas songs and coming home to hearing Hark the Herald Angles being played at top volume.

Seeing 10 year old Eviliásio learning to read little by little.

The Children's party with their church 'madrinhas' (godmothers) where they received presents and were reminded that they are an important part of the church family.

Judith and 12 year old Erica receiving her present

I hope that wherever you were you had a very Merry Christmas and that it's a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for all your lovely Christmas messages/cards/skypes :)

Christmas morning Puppy Watch!

Papai Noel, puddles and Portuguese fails!

It’s 8:30 pm and I’m in the kitchen cooking with my Brazilian Brother Lucas and Dad Boê, I’m being given a lesson on the art of Brazilian spaghetti cooking, which it turns out is a lot more complicated than my standard uni throw-it-in-a-pan and wait! I’m attempting to tell a story when everyone starts to laugh. I’d said what i thought meant “my friend’s Dad is a butcher,” but through their laughter I manage to work out that I actually said “my friend’s Dad is a sheep”. Another one to add to the list of Flor’s Portuguese fails! My favourite one so far still has to be when I got the words for lazy and dangerous confused and announced “this morning I am feeling dangerous” (!!!)... at least it was only to my Brazilian sister!

With a little boy called Vinícius

As I cross the favela to go and read with João Vítor the sun is hot on my shoulders. Brazilian summer has definitely arrived and it feels hotter and hotter each day, I can feel the ground burning even through my flip flops and taking off my sunglasses is a challenge. As I get near to the house where I’m heading there are four small children running around outside in their pants. They aren’t children that I really know but when they see me the two oldest girls shout “TIAAAA” (Auntie) and I grin as they run over. Then Junior, who must only be one, totters over and tries to say “tia” too, he manages something that sounds like “teaaaa” and lifts his arms up, I give him a hug. After we read a few stories I head to Diana and Erica’s house, where they are still helping the builder shift sand out in the hot sun. Judith and Adrian, the couple I’m helping, have paid for a proper bathroom for the family, this has just been finished and now the builder is making a bedroom for the girls, hopefully in time for Christmas. I sit outside talking to 12 year old Larissa, Porta Larga is near the airport and every time a plane passes we cover our heads because we are sitting underneath a mango tree and mangos keep falling. Before I head home Erica comes running out to show me her brand new flip flops that Judith got her, they have a wedged heel and she is so excited about getting to wear them for church on Sunday!

Sunday school has just finished and Lila and I are on the metro going to visit the Home for disabled children where she helps. It’s my first time on the metro (there’s no line near where I live) and Lila’s laughing at my excitement. At the next stop a man gets on and starts asking for money, he shows us what looks like a bullet wound in his ankle, it is open and dirty and it must be agony to walk on. I’ve got so many questions and I don’t understand why he’s not in a free public hospital, but the other people in the carriage don’t seem shocked at all. The home is on the other side of Recife, the children are beautiful but I feel shocked again at how it’s clearly understaffed and no one’s washed up from lunch yet and one little girl is eating sand outside. The children are living here because they have been abused or neglected or abandoned. Again there are so many questions, they are so vulnerable, so needy and so incredible and I feel so powerless, I wish I could love them more, give them more and yet all I can do is under my breath ask God to protect them and pray that they will find the love they so need in Him. We get the children onto a bus and I sit with two year old Emily on my knee, she falls asleep in my arms and wakes up just as we arrive in the army barracks where there is a big Christmas party already in full swing. There are trampolines, bouncy castles, blow up slides, face paint, popcorn, a chocolate fountain and so much more and the children’s faces are a picture as they take it in. But little Emily seems overwhelmed by it all, she doesn’t want to play and won’t let me put her down, so we walk around, both of us looking in amazement at the bright colours and laughter and santa hats. A few hours later we head down to a field and Papai Noel (Father Christmas) arrives IN A HELICOPTER! The children are speechless and for a moment, there in the hot sun, the wheelchairs and learning difficulties and behavioural problems fade away and they are like any children, lost in the magic of Christmas.

Extreme excitement at being on the metro! 

It’s Sunday evening and I’m at a different church this week. It’s the church attached to the project where I work on Mondays and Wednesdays and this evening Pastor Roberto is introducing me to the church. On the bus on the way here you could tell it was Sunday as more than half of the passangers were dressed up clutching a Bible and when the man next to me noticed my enormous trilingual Bible he turned to me and said ‘Graça e paz’ (grace and peace). Actually, thinking about it, he had to say it a few times as I didn’t understand the first couple! I’m sitting near the front of the church with Tia Silvánia, one of the other volunteers, and Pastor Roberto’s wife is giving the notices; all the chidlren are invited to their daughter’s birthday party on Friday and the choir can pick up their new ties after the service. This church is smaller and louder than mine and everyone is being so lovely and friendly to me. After a great sermon, I’m invited up front and they pray for me, to my relief Pastor Roberto does the talking and then I stand with him meeting everyone as they leave church. With each person I’m trying to guess whether it’s going to be a handshake, a hug, one kiss, two kisses or the Brazilian older generation ‘sniff’ that I’m struggling to get my head around! There are several the awkward moments when I go for two and they go for one and we end up bumping noses, but I’m pretty used to that now so it doesn’t bother me too much. Pastor Roberto gives me a lift home and in the car his two daughters proudly tell me all the English they know, then as I’m getting out his wife hands me a plate of delicious looking cake. I jump into the lift, zoom up 17 floors, leave my huge Bible and plate on the kitchen table and head out again to eat yet more cake, this time with my friend Rafa.

The children;s Christmas cantata at church last Sunday

It’s a Wednesday and it’s been a hectic day. Today I have...

·         Helped make a huge Brazilian cake for tomorrow’s children’s party; the cake had subsidence issues so had to be propped up on the pastor’s kitchen table with strict instructions not to be moved overnight.

·         Spent 20 minutes laughing with my Brazilian sister Clara trying to move her Dad’s motorbike so she could get out in the car. Then massively overestimated my fitness levels in trying to run up all 17 flights of stairs.

·         Got two buses, on one of which they were playing the Portuguese version of “How he loves me” and I met an eleven year old girl called Raíssa.

·         Played dominoes with a 5 and 3 year old, neither of whom understood how to play, which made for a fun game!

·         Watched the children act out Jonah and the Whale.

·         Been to the builders merchants to buy a window.

·         Come home to find my room turned upside down by someone fixing the internet!

·         Accidentally eaten a chilli and then downed a lot of water.

·         Had my Quiet Time (time to read Bible and pray) sitting on the wall on the edge of the beach in the shade of a palm tree and been amazed once more at how beautiful this world is.

·         Spent the evening with some friends, chatting and sheltering from torrential Brazilian rain  in a doorway!

With some of the children and volunteers at Project CCM in Barra

Thursday morning and the rain has continued, it’s the first time it’s rained for ages and the air is hot and humid and it’s absolutely pouring. As I walk through Barra de Jangada to the project’s party the ‘road/track is under water, and some of it is a suspicious looking greeny black colour. I’m hopping all over the place trying to find a pathway through when a horse and cart passes and I get even wetter. It’s worth it though to see the smiles on the children’s faces when they see the cake and fizzy drinks and balloons. I try and do some balloon modelling but my skills are severely limited (a ‘dog’ and a ‘giraffe’ that is just a dog with a long neck!) but we have fun as balloons keep popping. After the party we have a last minute rehearsal for Saturday’s Christmas show. As well as their Christmas rap they are singing the Portuguese version of “Mighty to Save” with one girl ballet dancing at the front, it’s looking really good... if only Ítalo wasn’t punching Allan in the front row!

Todos necessitam de um amor perfeito, - Everyone needs a perfect love
Perdão e compaixão - forgiveness and compassion
Todos necessitam de graça e esperança - Everyone needs the grace and hope
De um Deus que salva - of a God who saves

Christmas will soon be here and I’m really excited to see what it’s like in Brazil! I hope you have a great time and a chance to remember the real meaning of Christmas – that this God who saves came in complete humility as a tiny baby who would grow up to be our saviour.

Merry Christmas/Feliz Natal

A classic Brazilian gangster pose picture (featuring the huge cake I helped make!)

A photo from a couple of weeks ago of me and My Brazilian Mum, Sandra

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Me and Evilásio and Gustavo, two boys I help with their reading

Christmas is definitely well on the way here in Brazil, over the last few weeks everything has turned into a rush of ‘confraternizações’ (Christmas parties), end of term exams, Christmas trees, so many sparkly lights and a gazillion last minute rehearsals for Christmas concerts or services. It’s been a hectic week with lots on but one of lots of laughter, excitement and seeing God at work in incredible ways.

One of my last theology classes of term, lacking a suspicious number of people due to it being the day our work was due in!

Some moments from the last week or so...

We’re sitting in Thursday morning’s Library session. Today the children are making Christmas cards for their ‘madrinhas’ (godmothers). These are ladies from within the church family who have chosen to be godmothers to a child from Porta Larga (the community where I’m working), looking out for them at church, loving and welcoming them and of course, as the children are excitedly remembering, providing a longed for new pair of clothes at Christmas. I realise just how much this means to each child as I listen and read what they want to say to thank them, Rosanna, aged 13, writes “you have a special place in my heart”. I watch Evilásio, aged 10, with his brow furrowed in concentration as he slowly manages to write his own name inside the card and proudly shows it to me. Evilásio is one of the little boys I’m trying to help with his reading.

It’s Tuesday morning, I’m sitting on the bed that Evilásio shares with his brother and sister and we’re trying to learn the sound of the letter C . I can see from his face that he’s trying so hard but moving from spelling out the letters to saying the word is something we’re just not quite reaching yet. I wish I could do more to help him but these moments sitting here trying to read the word “carro” ‘car’ feel precious and I love the chance to sit here with this family and be a part of their lives. I want to give them moments like I had as a child, sitting on my Mum’s knee as she patiently listened to me read time and time again.

I’m doing a Portuguese Christian version of the Macarena with the youngest class at the Barra de Jangada project when Tio Jota Jota (Uncle JJ) arrives for an extra Hip Hop dancing rehearsal. I sit at the edge of the room watching them rehearse for their Christmas show and trying to persuade 6 year old Renato to take part. I could sing the songs in my sleep we’ve rehearsed them so much over the past few weeks and every day I seem to wake up with one of the Christmassy raps in my head.

“É Natal em toda parte, no centro, na favela. No asilo, no presídio, no quarto triste do hospital.”

“It’s Christmas everywhere, in the town centre, in the favela. In the nursing home, in the prison, in the sad hospital room.”

I’m reminded of how this is not only true in terms of Christmas lights going up literally everywhere, but so much more in terms of what Christmas is really about. The hope and salvation that came through a baby being born in a manger, a baby that would grow up to pay the ultimate price for anyone who chooses to trust in him, whether from the luxury beachside apartment, the ramshackle home in a favela, or the darkest of prison cells. Before we go home 6 year old Fernanda, who has a speech impediment, prays. It’s a beautiful moment as we manage to understand her thanking God for all that he has provided and asking him to watch over all their families as another morning in the project draws to a close.  

Ícaro and Evilásio playing in Porta Larga

I’m sitting in church next to a man called Alexandre. He sells chewing gum at the traffic lights on our way to and from church and today Adrian and Judith have picked him up to have an eye test because he needs glasses. Alexandre goes to a different church and he seems on edge in this new place, it reminds me of me in my first few services here as he gazes around taking it all in. On the way home he tells us a bit about how much he works, its long hours every day out in the burning Brazilian sun but he dreams of one day buying his own house. As so often here, I’m reminded of how lucky I am and how little I deserve the life that God has given me.

I’m in the kitchen at home trying to make flapjack for the Christmas party at the seminary where I have my theology classes. My whole Brazilian family is in there too, including Lucas (aged 20 like me) who has arrived back from a year at Bible College in Hungary to spend a month at home before heading off to Mexico for the next year. I’m reaching for the strange Brazilian version of Golden syrup that I found in the supermarket when I manage to knock the butter off the kitchen side. Bruce, one of the pugs, seizes the chance for a midday snack and charges forward. Soon the whole family is trying to wrestle a big chunk of butter out of Bruce’s jaws in fits of laughter, to him it’s the best game ever and he tries to swallow so quickly that he chokes! Gabriel, my Brazilian cousin, manages to salvage most of the butter and we are left with a dog making strange choking noises with butter all over his face and everyone else crying with laughter. Then the food mixer mildly explodes in a flash of sparks and is promptly thrown in the bin, I stir the oats into my flapjack and laugh to myself at my amazing, yet crazy, Brazilian family.

My Brazilian sister Clara and pregnant Bella the pug

Erica blowing up balloons!

Erica and Diana and I are blowing up balloons before the party starts. They are Evilásio’s sisters and it has been a big few weeks for 12 year old Erica, whose church godmother managed to enrol her in volleyball lessons at a local private school. Tuesdays and Thursdays are now the highlight of her week, not only because of the class but because of the chance to help Judith in the library afterwards, counting money, using the photocopier and seeing a completely different side of life. It’s so different from the monotony of day after day in the streets outside her home, where a crowd of men are always drinking with her Dad. She is learning so much from being in a different environment and it’s amazing to see her growing in confidence and realising that there is a whole world outside the community where she has grown up. Tonight she doesn’t even have a class but, as an honorary member of the seminary, she has been invited to our Christmas party and 13 year old Diana has come too. Together they’re like a double act and I’m struggling to keep a straight face long enough to even blow up a balloon, as they provide a hilarious running commentary on everything they see! The Christmas party is a great evening of yummy Brazilian food mixed a little taste of Christmas at home, in the form of a mince pie. It’s lovely to spend time with my classmates and as always there’s lots of laughter, often at my Portuguese fails, such as when I manage to get the words for Piranha and steak mixed up! I come home smiling and even though it’s far too hot for December I realise that I’m starting to feel at home.  

Diana and Erica loving the coxinhas (amazing chicken snacks)

I hope all of you are well and Happy Advent to everyone! Sorry for any fails at replying to things at the moment, December is proving to be very very busy but I am thinking of you and missing you all,

Lots of love,

Flo/Flor/Flower/Florencey!

With Diana and some of my friends in my classes Rafa, Paulo and Davi

Pass the parcel with little challenges and a lot of laughter

For those of you who have impressively read right to the end here's a little video for you of some of the kids acting out Daniel in the Lion's den. Sorry it's awful quality but you get the idea!

A glimpse of life two months in

Camp last weekend

Sorry it’s been a while since the last blog – hopefully some of you got my November prayer letter in that time (if you would like it let me know on facebook or on feb36@cam.ac.uk). I thought I’d do this blog a bit differently today and give you a glimpse of a few moments from my life over the past couple of weeks.

It’s Monday evening and I’m standing at the back of an exercise class that Judith’s running. I’m trying to do the class while holding 3 year old Niara and she shrieks every time we lunge forward. 12 year old Diogo has brought his friend’s Mum for the first time and she seems to be enjoying it, there are less people this week but it just means there’s a different atmosphere to it. It seems calmer, more open and a chance to get to know these women better. I hold Niara upside down and laugh at her giggles before trying to stop her touching the computer for the 100th time! A week later and we’re there once more, this week there are more ladies and Niara is climbing all over me as I talk to 7 year old Thalles, who is sitting in his wheelchair watching his Mum and the other ladies jumping up and down. He’s telling me how his football team won this week and pointing proudly at the badge on his shorts.

It’s 8 o clock in the morning and I’m sitting alongside a roomful of children eating a breakfast of cous cous and egg and extremely sweet coffee. Some children are squabbling over getting the purple cup and outside it’s just starting to pour, the kind of Brazilian rain that is so loud you can’t think and that immediately fills the streets with water. The rain drips through the roof onto my hair and an excited murmer of “chuva chuva chuva” (rain rain rain) echoes around the room.

Ten minutes later and I’m standing in front of the youngest class here at project CCM – the name is painted on the wall by the gate and in Portuguese it says “for every life, a new story,” it makes me think about the new story God gave me and the reason why we’re all here sheltering from the rain. After various attempts at loud Portuguese and eventual clapping to get attention the children are finally sitting down and (vaguely) quiet. We learn a song in English about God’s love and I’m just starting to pull tissue paper and toilet rolls and glue and brown paper out of my bag when suddenly chaos descends. Across the court the oldest children have run out of their classroom. My class start to panic and I notice a hissing sound coming from the kitchen, one boy jumps out the window, a little girl starts crying. I don’t get what’s happening until I start to smell gas, at which point one little boy helpfully informs me that it’s going to explode and we’re all going to die. We evacuate to about 10 metres across the yard and stand in the rain until Pastor Roberto turns off the gas, panic over and five minutes later we’re back in class making tree pictures.

I’m sitting on the little minibus with the 2 reais note (about 60p) clutched in my hand. I’ve been trying to give it to the conductor for 5 minutes now but he’s sleeping in front of me, I poke him a few times but he doesn’t stir and the other passengers laugh. Normally the conductors are loud and lively and shout a kind of place name rap out of the window at every passerby, jumping on and off the moving bus. I sit back in my seat and watch the familiar shops and churches and houses passing by out the window. On the ceiling in front of me there is a faded sticker that says in Portuguese “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”, I smile to myself and finally manage to hand over my money to the stirring conductor.

I’m on my way to a church ‘acampamento’ (camp) down the coast and we’re stuck in what appears to be the world’s biggest traffic jam. I was picked up at 6:20am and the plan was to leave at 7am from church, however we didn’t leave until 8:30 and the optimistic plan of a day’s activities is fading as we pass hours without moving However the couple I’m in a car with are unfased, they play Brazilian worship songs at full volume and out of the passenger seat window a kind of bongo drum is being played, balanced on the roof of the car. Behind us are various other cars heading for camp and some of the mocidade (sort of 18-30ish group from church) have got out of their cars and are playing volleyball across the lanes. Everyone’s laughing and smiling and putting photos of the traffic on facebook and no one seems in the slightest bit annoyed by the hold up. There’s a favela at the side of the road and children are emerging from there to weave in and out of the cars selling water and popcorn and other snacks. In the hard shoulder two men stand chatting, laughing, their shirts say “Traffic Management”, which seems somewhat ironic. I curl up on the backseat close to the air conditioning, as the Brazilian national anthem blasts out of our speakers and several nearby cars join in singing.

The camp is called Solo Scritura (Only Scripture) and throughout the weekend I’m reminded time and time again of how God’s word is powerful and relevant to our lives. One evening I’m sitting with a couple of guys my age and we share our testimonies, hearing their stories is so moving that the hecticness of camp seems to stop around us and  I hardly even notice the mosquitos eating my feet. When I wake up in the morning there are monkeys out of the window and the sun is already hot at the window.

It’s 5 in the afternoon and I’m shattered, slightly sunburnt and desperately trying to stay patient with the girls telling me how the boy across the corridor has been tirando onda (taking the mick) out of them.  Then there comes a  beautiful moment of quiet, I seize the chance to sneak out onto the balcony and looking out at the palm trees and setting sun I ask God to give me the energy I need and help me to love, when everything in me cries out for bed. He gives me the moment of peace that I need before heading back out the door. In the evening we play a word game a bit like Articulate and I try and rise to the challenge in Portuguese, my first word I later find out means “anvil” and predictably I flail not having a clue what it means. Later on I manage to get some words though and everyone claps, I sit back in my rocking chair and watch everyone laughing and enjoying themselves. It feels for a moment like church camps back in the UK, that same feeling of one big family united on what really matters

.

On the beach at camp, with a guitar and a ukulele!

With the four teenagers who came on camp from Porta Larga, the
community I'm working with.

I walk in the door of the apartment, my 17 floors high home here in Brazil; at least the lifts are working today! Bruce and Bella the pugs jump up at me and I grab a banana and a chocolate milk from the fridge. I’m so tired from camp that when I give the dogs some banana I find myself telling them off in Portuguese for not saying “obrigado” (thank you). I laugh at myself and drag my bag to my room, there’s one hour until I leave for church so I sit down at my desk with my trilingual Bible trying to make sense of the passage we’re looking at in the teenagers class tonight and trying to wake myself up from my car sleepiness.

With my Brazilian cousin Augusto and a comedian called Nelson Freitas 

It’s 2am and I’m on a crowded dance floor with my Brazilian Mum and several aunts. It’s a week since I was at camp and we’re on a weekend away at a gathering for food company owners Recife (my Brazilian family own a supermarket chain called Arco-Íris (Rainbow!)) Around me everyone is sambaing like they were born with perfect rhythm and hips that move in directions mine just don’t. I make myself try again, and again, and again, I start to think maybe I’m getting it when an aunt informs me that the wiggle is coming far too much from my shoulders and needs to come from my chest, she helpfully puts her hands on my chest in case I’m in any doubt over where that might be! I turn to my Brazilian sister and say ‘socorro’ (help!) before inwardly promising myself that if I manage one more song I can raid the table of coxinhas (an incredible Brazilian chicken snack). I turn back to the dancefloor and stare at the feet below me that seem to be moving at 100mph, so different from the British jump up and down/halfhearted sway of nights back in the UK.

We make it back in time for our different church services on Sunday evening. I’m sitting in the front pew trying to keep the little boys beside me from shouting or hitting each other! In the service we sing what is so far my favourite Brazilian worship song,  

At the cross You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,

I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

We head out for the teenagers group and do some dramas in pairs before splitting into boys and girls, as the group has become pretty big to keep all together. I take the girls next door and we’re looking at the end of Mark 1. It’s hard work and I’m struggling to get everyone to concentrate. I come away feeling tired and disheartened, yet I pray that somehow God taught them something tonight and for the umpteenth time I’m  forced to thank Him that it’s not about my weakness and tiredness and failures but about His strength and what He did on that cross.  Monday morning brings a new week, new opportunities, new challenges and the arrival of four bin bags of toys with damaged packaging that couldn't be sold in the family supermarket!

Lots of love and hope things are going well with you,
Flo xxxx

p.s. Bella the pug has just got home from her Ultrasound and it is now confirmed, FIVE PUG PUPPIES ARE ON THE WAYYYY!

Motorbikes, ketchup and an exercise class

As I'm writing this blog, I'm listening to the constant background noise of Brazilian life. It's so different from the quietness of back home and after a few weeks here I'm struggling to remember what it's like to have no noise at all! Here there are always cars beeping, brakes squealing, sirens going, dogs barking, people yelling, waves crashing and most of all a constant backing track of music pumping from the huge speakers that sit in car boots, or are pushed along on wheels. Music is such a massive part of life here. From the children singing (or arguably shouting) worship songs this morning at the project I've just started helping at, to my Brazilian cousin Leo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHJsS84-nQs) who up until a few moments ago was strumming a guitar at the other end of the table to me, to my Brazilian sister rapping Eminem!

The sunset saxophonist in Jacaré

Since my last blog I've been 'viajando' (travelling) with my Brazilian family for a weekend, which included a particularly embarrassing musical moment, but was on the whole great. We went to Campina Grande, which is a city in the next state up (Paraíba) and was about three hours away, although we stopped both ways in another city called João Pessoa, for two amazing lunches! We were going to Campina Grande in order to go to a motorbike rally where some of my Brazilian parents' friends were taking part in a Christian group called Luz na Estrada/Light on the road (kind of like a Brazilian Bikers for Christ!). This group brings together Christians in the biking world and had two bands singing at the rally, as well as a tent telling people about the work they do and generally getting to know bikers. We didn't actually spend that long at the rally (and to my relief no one discovered my absolute lack of knowledge on anything bike related!) but it was a great weekend of spending more time with people and eating lots of yummy food. On the Sunday we went to a local Baptist church in Campina Grande, which is where the embarrassing musical moment occurred. I didn't actually realise we were going to church until we walked in (!) but they were having a special service about the motorbike rally, which was really exciting to see. However, within about two minutes of arriving, the worship band discovered I was from the UK and I was pulled up front, given a microphone and asked to sing in English! Talk about being put on the spot! However fortunately I knew the song they wanted me to sing and the worship band were pretty loud so I don't think anyone could hear my poor attempt. My Brazilian family found it hilarious, and, as per usual, my Brazilian Dad has a cringeworthy film of the event (to add to the collection of embarrassing videos of me attempting to dance/sing/speak/eat!) However he has also made this video of the weekend which I will allow as it only involves a bit of me making a fool of myself! On the way home from our weekend away we stopped in a place called Jacaré (alligator!) where an amazing saxophonist plays on a kind of canoe/punt while the sun sets. It was even more beautiful than the photos suggest.

Me loving life with an accordian-playing-alligator

Since my last blog I have started helping at a different project in a community called Barra de Jangada. I help there on Monday mornings and sometimes Wednesdays too and so far it's been a really great experience. The children are amazing and in the words of one of the little boys this morning the project is a huge "bênção" (blessing) for all of them. One of the highlights of my time there so far was on Monday when some of the children (who range from 6 up to 12) shared little bits of testimony, stories of how they've seen God working in their lives and their family's lives. Many of these involved their family's lives being transformed out of situations of homelessness, and/or drug and alcohol addiction through coming to know the forgiveness and love of a God who has the power to completely change lives. I shared with them a bit of how God has worked in my life too. There was also a really moving moment when one of the little boys gained his first ever Bible, which he was so so happy about and when the other children had the treat of watching a bit of a film, he chose (and was so excited) to sit and read this new Bible instead. A big challenge to the way in which I approach reading God's word!

Some of the children playing football at the project in Barra de Jangada - I keep trying to play too but it is
 so so hot and being put to shame by incredible Brazilian football skills. Also not quite mastered barefoot playing
on lots of stones yet so Im just the awkward bright red one trying to play in flipflops and sunglasses!

One of the classrooms in Barra de Jangada - this morning the children had a lesson
on writing Portuguese plurals, which was so useful for me too!

On Sunday I was running the teenagers group with a friend called Rafael. I was slightly concerned that it was all going to descend into complete chaos as my plans included a play in which Rafa got covered in ketchup, egg, flour, yogurt and caramel sauce! It went well though - Rafa knows just what to say to get the teenagers' attention and as predicted they loved the chance to cover him in food!

One really exciting thing from this week has been an exercise class starting up with women in Porta Larga (the community where I'm working). Judith ran one in the past and decided to restart it, after the funeral of pretty young lady in the community a few weeks ago and a reminder of how little awareness of a healthy lifestyle there is. The first class was on Monday and went really well. Six women came (and one of their little girls who at about 4 had better coordination than me!) Judith runs this with a exercise video and it took place in a little Anglican church on the edge of Porta Larga that started up 2 years ago. The Pastor was lovely and so happy to see the building being used for the community, if you're a praying person please pray for this class, that it would bring a better awareness of a healthy lifestyle and be a great way to reach out to women.

Also, this is old news now but the Christmas tree went up here (ON THE 25TH OCTOBER!) which is pretty exciting. We also have two wreaths a snowman and a Nativity scene. Christmas is coming :) I tried (and pretty much failed!) to capture the strangeness in this photo of a Christmas tree beside a hammock looking out at blue skies and a very hot beach, however you get the idea!

Despite all these exciting things, there has also been really sad news this week. Yesterday little Lara Isabel, the daughter of one of our pastor's at church, died at just 21 days old. You might remember from one of my past blogs that she was born very prematurely (at not quite 6 months) and after fighting for 3 weeks she suffered 2 heart attacks earlier this week. Please pray for her parents, Rodrigo and Darlane, and for the church at this time.

I hope things are well with you, please keep in touch, I would love to hear from you and thank you so much for all your emails, skypes and letters. It makes my day when the Porter of the block of flats gives me post!

Lots of love from Flo (to keep up the name updates the latest name that a few people have gone for is Flor da Caribe (Caribbean Flower!!) No idea why, but it sounds exotic so I'll just roll with it! xxx

Semana cinco (the famous week five)

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." Psalm 28:7

Yep that's right, I have officially made it through week five, without the week five blues that are so infamous back in Cambridge. In fact the last week has been a great and really busy one, and one when I have constantly been reminded of God's grace in providing strength to go on even when I am exhausted, shy, scared and weak.

'O casamento' The Wedding

Saturday brought the long awaited wedding of Bruna (my Brazilian Mum's sister) and Gabriel (my Brazilian Dad's cousin!) Beforehand I was feeling really tired and worried about how I would survive the all night party and make it through to sunrise, however in the end I really enjoyed the wedding and was so busy enjoying the food and providing entertainment with my very English dancing attempts that I barely noticed the hours go by. It was really interesting to see not only my first Brazilian wedding but also my first Catholic wedding and meet more members of the huge extended family here. The key thing to Brazilian weddings seems to be the entering, not only of the bride and a few bridesmaids but of lots of "padrinhos" (couples who are sort of godparents of the wedding). They enter one couple at a time and in the end the entrance part of the wedding was definitely longer than the ceremony itself! Then people threw rice over the newly married couple before we all headed off to the reception, in an absolutely stunningly decorated hall (with an incredible selection of food and an amazing cake!)

Me with baby Marina at the wedding
(the daughter of a Brazilian Cousin!)

Sandra, Me and Clara outside the church 

My Brazilian parents entering the wedding as 'padrinhos'

Church on Sunday was good, despite being pretty tired, - in the teenagers group we did various dramas based on a few proverbs about the contrast between using our words t to build up and love and be like a "fountain of life" as opposed to words said without thinking that can cause so much harm. It was great to see the teenagers coming up with some of their own dramas to reflect this and to get to know them a bit better. 

Sandra, me and Clara with singer Kleber Lucas and wearing our
 fetching 'Happy 32nd Birthday Arco-íris' T-shirts!

My Brazilian family here own a supermarket chain called Arco-Íris (Rainbow) and Monday brought the annual 'festa' (party) to celebrate Dia dos comerciantes (Day of people working in commerce!) This was a huge event to which thousands of workers were invited to enjoy food, games, music and dancing. In classic Brazilian style it was a really noisy celebratory atmosphere during which I seemed to be constantly being handed the Brazilian equivalent of Mini-Milk ice creams, which is always a good thing! The main act of the day was a performance by Brazilian Christian Singer Kleber Lucas, which was amazing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzlnPqQNOXI) 

Visiting a different project and bus achievements!

The last few days have brought lots of bus travelling. I'm starting to get the hang of it and have survived the milestone of getting the wrong bus and making my way back on course! The best bus experience of the week was when on a typically crowded bus I was clinging on for dear life and contemplating how Brazilians manage to stay standing up with the erratic driving, when a man whips out a guitar and starts to play. He then (while somehow staying upright as the bus lurches round a corner) started to sing worship songs in the loudest voice ever and hardly anyone on the bus even batted an eyelid! I love Brazil. 

Erica and Diana with their lovely Children's Bible

This bus experience was on the way to my first time visiting Porta Larga (the community where I'm working) on my own. I visited a couple of families, firstly helping Diana (13) and Erica (12) to practise their reading with their beautiful Children's Bible and some other books. I then sat at the side of the road reading with 9-year-old João-Vítor, who I had been shocked to hear doesn't get any education at all at the moment because no one registered him at school. While we were reading, more and more children kept appearing out of the house where he lives and I soon had about 8 children gathered around to read the story!

Then on Wednesday I went to visit a children's project linked to a different church in a favela in a part of the city called Barra de Jangada, just down the coast. The project runs each morning with 37 children, teaching the Bible, reading, writing, art, sport and singing and it was great to visit it and meet some of the children. I'm hopefully going to start helping there 1 or 2 mornings a week, from this Monday coming, which is really exciting.
Wednesay afternoon brought a party at church to celebrate Children's Day which was a couple of weeks ago. This was put on by the Women's Fellowship at church and included egg and spoon races, hot dogs, an amazing cake and the children's favourite game - Praia e Mar (which you might know as either Ships and Lifeboats or Port and Starboard!) It was a really fun afternoon and everyone went home very happy with their party bags and balloons.

After a couple of weeks break due to a Reading Week and bank holidays my theology classes have started again and I'm really enjoying them. They're really interesting and the other students are lovely, always willing to be my dictionary when I don't understand crucial words and make me laugh at myself when I have the inevitable awkward 'gringa' (foreigner) moments! I've also been spending lots of time with my Brazilian family recently which has been fantastic, this often seems to feature them laughing at me hiding behind a cushion due to some scary film/video of a cesarean (yep that's genuinely a thing here) or laughing at my Portuguese fails/dancing attempts/general awkward moments! Last night we had a great moment of hysterics at about half midnight after a mammoth photo sorting out evening, when I walked into the kitchen to find Bruce the dog with cream cheese all over his face. Standard.

Just when I thought it wasn't possible to attend a more random collection of Brazilian events this month, I have been proved wrong. This Saturday I've somehow said yes to a Motorbike rally in a city called Campina Grande to the North-west of Recife, with Sandra and Boê, my Brazilian parents! Awkwardly don't know a thing about bikes, however one of my classmates tonight gave me the helpful advice of just saying "boa maquina" (good machine) to anyone I meet, so hopefully that will see me through! I'm excited to see a different city and spend some more time with the family and their friends. Also you may be glad to hear that we will be travelling by car, not bike!

Sorry this is a really long post, it's been a week with lots of news! If you are still reading now I'm very impressed. I hope that things are going well with you and that the UK is loving Prince George's christening.
Miss you all lots,
Flor xxxxxxxxxxxx (I got my favourite name yet this week - one of my classmates has taken to calling me Flor-Sorriso (which basically translates as Smiley Flo!)

Builders, brides and babies.

Hi everyone!

Sorry that it's been ages since my last blog, I hope most of you got my prayer letter in that gap (if anyone didn't get it and would like to, either message me on facebook or email me at feb36@cam.ac.uk). So the last couple of weeks have been really busy and full of a pretty varied collection of events, including a hen party, cat-sitting, trips to a builders merchants, a meeting with the potential next Brazilian president and a night in a maternity hospital,  (one of the pastor's wives had little baby Lara very prematurely - she's in intensive care but they're both doing well). It's been quite a surreal few days really!

Things are going well and I think I'm understanding more and more Portuguese, although phone conversations are still highly awkward and impossible to understand! I've also had lots of other 'awkward gringa' moments - such as having several dinners (as it seemed rude to confess I'd already eaten!), thinking I was going for an evening walk on the beach and later realising I'd said yes to abdominal curls in the beach-side exercise park and the most embarrassing one of all, that some of you will have read about in my prayer letter, when I managed to sit on a feijoada (Brazilian bean stew) on the beach in front of lots of Clara's friends! You'll be glad to hear I'm being smooth as ever here in Brazil!

 So the library sessions have been going well over the past couple of weeks. A particular highlight has been seeing the children enjoying acting out some Bible stories and remembering what we looked at the week before. In this photo Judith is helping them act out Solomon and the two mothers (1 Kings 3:16-28!)

One exciting story and example of God providing in amazing ways from the last few weeks is about Erica, the girl in the centre of this photograph. Lots of the children from Porta Larga (community I'm working with) have 'madrinhas' (godmothers) thanks to Judith matching up ladies from the church with a child. Two weeks ago Erica, who is 12, showed an interest in playing volleyball. Normally a child from Porta Larga would have no opportunity to play a sport like volleyball, however Erica's godmother just happens to be the headteacher of a private school (where I have my theology lessons two evenings a week) and she has agreed to let Erica join the volleyball club there. We took her to the shopping centre to buy her first ever pair of trainers and she had her first session last week, which she really enjoyed. It's also inspired me, as I think about being in a different culture and with lots of new people, to see Erica step into this club full of girls who all know each other and live such a different lifestyle to her and yet throw herself completely into the challenge.


These couple of photos are from a trip to the Builders' Merchant yesterday to buy material for a new bathroom that is being built for one of the families in Porta Larga. Adrian and Judith managed to raise the money for this project when they were back in the UK and it is well underway now. It's been really great seeing it progress and the children are so excited and keen to help!

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Clara, Sandra and me at the Hen party last night

The last week I have been doing lots with my Brazilian family, which has been so lovely. They have lots of bbqs (which are incredible!) and I'm starting to meet the huge extended family. Last night it was Sandra's (my Brazilian Mum's) sister's Hen party so we went to a pub (or 'pubby' as it is in a Brazilian accent!) It seems to be the fashion in Recife to have British-style pubs where the cocktails are named after English cities and there is a picture of the Queen on the wall! I turned up straight from my theology class (think I was the only member of the hen party who arrived with a Bible!) and was shattered but it was a really fun evening (see photo of me with my Brazilian Mum and sister). The wedding is tomorrow so everyone is busy getting ready for it - apparently it goes on all night so praying I feel a bit less tired by tomorrow and that I somehow manage to function in Portuguese through to the morning. Just had a power nap and a crunchie from my English chocolate supplies (!) so feeling a bit more with it!!

Another person who deserves a mention on my blog is Rafa (see photo) who has basically been a legend at inviting me to things and to meet his friends (even when I never understand anything on the phone!) This photo was taken after we'd been out for chocolate cake (it makes me so happy that Brazilian cakes are great!) and then got soaked by the Brazilian equivalent of what seemed to be April showers, and ended up sheltering in a hotel doorway.

The teenagers group on Sunday nights has been going well, we've been looking at James 3 and the power of the tongue, thinking about how big an effect the things we say can have. It's been amazing to see the teenagers really listening and thinking about what they say and it's been a real challenge to me too. Last week I ran the group with a different Rafa (who was great with the teenagers) and we did a little drama about lying, which I think they enjoyed!

I hope things are going well with you, miss you all lots and glad to see that England qualified to come out here for the World Cup! Keep me updated with how you are/what I can be praying for you,
Flo xxxxx