One Week Left

Hello all! It is finally time for another update. I apologize that we have not had a chance to update you sooner. Wireless access at the church has been very sporadic this week, and we are often too tired at the end of the day to do anything, so updates are sporadic.

It started out as a fairly normal week, but by Wednesday, it was time to shake things up, so we imported a group of 20 Americans to help with that. They go to a church in Alabama that supports Rick and his work here, so they decided it was about time to come check up on what he is up to. It was fun to visit with some of them on Wednesday evening when they came in. It was strange to speak to Americans again, but in a good way. We started to realize how much we had learned when we were finally able to show someone else the ropes, so to speak. They are a fun group! Thursday was a pretty normal day of working with our readers.

Friday was where things got interesting. We went to the camp again to work/play at the camp that Rick runs. The Americans from Alabama were hosting an English immersion camp, so we went to go help out with that. Many of our readers and folks from the church were there. It was a lot of fun to just get out of our routines and hang out and just have fun. In the morning we played soccer, had some worship time, and some small group time before moving on to lunch. After lunch, many of us went to find the lake. There was supposedly a trail to get out there, but once we were there, we found out that the trail was sporadic at best. We were frequently blazing our own path, which was actually pretty fun, despite going on a mountainous hike in sandals. Once we reached the lake, we had a good time swimming and playing in the mud. Later that evening was more relaxation, more worship, a fire, dinner, and all that jazz. Saturday was much the same. In the afternoon, we attempted to teach the Brazilians baseball, which was an adventure in itself. After that, many of us took a ride to the Top of the World, a nearby mountain with amazing views. It was pretty incredible. After that, we packed up and headed back to Belo Horizonte for the evening.

Today we started out by visiting the downtown Church of Christ. We met the group from Alabama there. After that, we headed to the Hippie Fair as the Alabama folk had not yet seen it. After lunch, we went to a lookout site for pictures and then a nearby tower that gives amazing views of the city. Once that was done, we made our way to the church. Tonight was a very special service, as it was our last Sunday here. Also, it was Friend´s Day, so there were many other newcomers there as well, plus the Alabama group. It was a great time of worship and prayer. Towards the end of the service, all of the Americans gave an impromptu English concert. The church seemed to really enjoy it. It will be hard to leave them. They have such joy and are clearly so motivated to serve God. They have had an incredible influence on all of us, and it feels a bit strange that we will not be at church with them next Sunday.

With that said, we have one week left. Time has certainly flown by. We have learned so much and are so glad that we have done this. One week is all that remains, and we are determined to make the most of it. In just a few days, we will be able to share our experiences in person! Please continue to pray for us as we focus our efforts on completing the work we have set out to do. Pray especially for our readers, that they may be impacted by the work we have been doing. We trust God to use what we have been doing for His glory. Pray also that we stay strong for our last week and that we have safe travels home next weekend. Thank you so much for your support, and we will see you soon! Tchau!