Boa tarde! It’s hard to believe this is our last day of camp in Brazil. We just said goodbye to our morning group of campers. As they left, I (Stephanie) got the biggest kiss ever from a sweet little verde (green/youngest group) camper, an obvious cultural difference between Brazil and the United States. This morning was slightly more rushed than the other mornings because, unlike the rest of the week, the kids had to go to school this afternoon. We painted nails in Girl World, my oficina, and now my fingernails are an attractive sea foam green. They colored puzzles in Crafts, and played Hot Dog Man in Rec, a version of freeze tag where to be “unfrozen” you have to be sandwiched in a hug between two other players. Shout out to LB for being a creative genius! Man Land made their own slushies, and the girls were all jealous. We were sad to see these precious campers leave, but we are praying that many of them will come tonight and bring their parents to our “graduation.”
Tonight we will go to the church who is sponsoring our camp and where the majority of our volunteers attend. We are hosting “graduation” night for the campers and their families. We are calling it this because the majority of parents would not come to something called a worship service. We are expecting God to do big things tonight as we share with these families. The church was unable to host the camp their because of the limited space, but praise the Lord for a wonderful alternate facility!
Side note: As I write this, we are listening to some of our volunteers’ children sing “Our God is so Big” on the swing set. Presh!
Yesterday, on our way home, we stopped at a gas station to get ice cream. Magnum bars were definitely a favorite among most of our team. I got the classic Magnum bar, vanilla ice cream with a chocolate shell on a stick. So good!! Brazilian ice cream is just as good as American ice cream which means I wanted to eat about 6 of those ice cream bars. Speaking of food, they eat more meat here than anywhere I have ever been. Seriously, I ate 5 types of meat for dinner last night – a major cultural adjustment for a fruit and veggies girl.
Also on our drive back, Joey educated Marney on the American tradition of pick up lines. The conversation started with him asking her, “Marney, did it hurt?” She was very confused until he completed the question with… “when you fell from heaven?” Well, she absolutely loved it and told him to be sure to ask her again when Andre was around. Apparently, pick up lines are not a common occurrence here. The guys all gave her a few more, and she said she would teach them to all her nephews.
Last night after another delicious Brazilian dinner (consisting of mostly meat), we had to rinse and wash all of the tie-dye made by all the campers. This took a few hours and now Kevin sympathizes with all of the boys’ camp moms. Alison, Joey, Kevin, Juliana, Whitney, and myself all have very stained hands. Tie-dyed hands look great with sea-foam green nails. The kids were so excited to get the finished product this morning. Brazilians don’t tie-dye, but I think they should. Maybe we’ll start a cultural revolution. We are excited/sad for our last session of camp to begin in about two hours. Please be in prayer for our team as we finish our work here! Tchau!
-Stephanie
Team Update...
Stephanie – Has worn knee-high socks everyday this week. Jessica Williams, you would be proud…and I’ve seen monkeys every day!!!
Maurice – Great week! Looking forward to the celebration tonight at the church.
Alison – Is going to miss her new friend, Julia. Hope she can come tonight! (P.S. Born…the cups here are still a tease. JD…Glenda is alive and well here!!)
Juliana – Sadly found herself defending Justin Beiber against the Brazilian boys. I never thought I’d see the day. (Happy Birthday Momma!)
Adrianne – I’ve long forgotten what it feels like to work in an office; SO grateful for these special moments and wishing I could bring Felipe home with me! Jesus ama voce!
Whitney – I’m bringing home a new puppy dog pen thanks to Mauricio from chime amarello. I feel so special to have received a gift from such a precious little child. He speaks a little Spanish and English along with Portuguese- we were able to communicate a lot!
Jana – It was so sad watching the first bus drive away after this morning’s session, but I’m excited to play with the afternoon group with my special group of little meninas!! P.S. I voted Jimmy off the island.
Melodie – grandes coisas estao por vir grandes coisas vao acontecer nesse lugar... ninguem e como o nosso Deus
Gabe – The spoken name of Jesus is the most beautiful sound (regardless of the language)…and I long for the sound of my own children’s voice
John – 他有一个状态，但是忘记了它。(Translation: I had a status, but I forgot it.) L
Joey – Moments like these are what I live for. Can’t believe I’ve only known these people for a week and they are already my family. Thankful my team puts up with all my questions. J P.S. Never laughed so hard than with Jana, Jimmy, and Witchney!
Daniel – I am the hot dog man. Also, I am enjoying singing Bieber with the Brazilian boys, but will miss Rosemberg as well as all the other campers.
Kevin – Is glad to have Brazilian ice cream! This morning’s session was quick and painful to see them leave. Looking forward to the last session and the celebration with the whole family tonight!
Stephen – The campers here now refer to me as “Es Loco” because of my Captain America hat, bandanas, and costume. I am considering pursuing an acting career after camp this summer after four Oscar Performances.
Nate – All good things must come to an end… but we still have the afternoon session and celebration tonight with our meninos e meninas!
Marcus – These kids have stolen my heart and I am now known as Marcos (Mah-koose).
Jimmy – Warning Stavish Family: Adrianne might end up on the international police’s most wanted for stealing a child and putting them in her carry on. All Brazilian children are at risk!! (P.S.- We missed Alison on Skype! Sad day.)
1 comments:
We are continuing to pray for you and the team. We hope that things will continue to go well. Mom and Dad (Alison)
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