A new puppy for Christmas
Actually, it's a puppy for a friend. We had the privilege of babysitting this little guy for about a week until Christmas Eve so that the child who was to recieve the puppy wouldn't find out about it. Of course, the one who was supposed to get the dog is a friend of Sydney's and she came over one day to play, so we had to make "special arrangements" to keep the puppy a secret. He was a nice addition to the family for a while.
Christmas Program
What kind of school would we be if we didn't have a Christmas program? PACA has a proud tradition of putting on quite a show for the parents at special holidays. This year's program was no exception. The highlight of the event, for cuteness factor alone, had to be the kindergarteners ringing their handbells.
"Yarning" for the gospel
Some time ago we informed our supporters and churches of some ministry opportunities where they could partner with us in a very hands-on way. One of those projects was to send yarn and knitting/cross-stitching supplies so that we can help some of the girls in the local favelas learn a skill and make soem money or something for themselves. We were trmendously blessed by the ladies' fellowship committee at Grace Baptist Church in PEI (our sending church!) to receive two boxes loaded with exactly the kinds of items we were hoping to get. Sydney is showing as much as we could show in one picture. They even sent a couple of card games for another project we have going on. Thank you Grace! We'll make sure they get used well.
Don't shoot the messenger
We don't name the products, we just pass them along to you. This is concentrated orange juice (which is much more expensive than the fresh stuff.)
Christmas tree - then and now
We've definitely upgraded our Christmas tree and the decorations in the house since last December. This is what our tree looked like last year...
This is what it looks like this year...
An American family moved back to the States in June and we were able to buy their tree from them. It makes SUCH a difference, even though it's as artificial as NutraSweet.
We're flooding!
We've been having some very heavy rains recently, which has exposed the fact that our roof has a leak. Water has been running into the attic making pools of water on the concrete. Of course, water finds its way down through any crack or hole, such as a wire hole for the lights. This light fixture was so full of water that we had to use a small bucket to drain it. We not only had water in the lights it was...
...in Kilah's closets...
...and all over the table in the kitchen. To name a few spots.
Fortunately, we were able to get a repair man from the school to come and fix our roof. We've had some pretty good downpours since the repair and no major damage to report. **Phew**
An expensive lesson
Getting packages from North America is one of the most exciting things we experience here in Brazil. Even though the contents of the package might not be that exciting, our hearts beat faster than normal as we dive into the goodies. It's like Christmas every time.But this week we got a package that was bittersweet. Our parents sent us a package and, in an attempt to make sure that everything went well, insured the contents for $75. When the Brazilian authorities saw that the package had been insured, they figured the contents must be really valuable (even though the contents were clearly listed on the box) and charged us an additional $75 US to RECEIVE the box.
If you are ever sending a package to us, please follow these instructions:
1. Never insure the contents.
2. List the contents, but be as vague as possible. "Childrens toys" is preferable to "a doll, a Tonka truck, and a puzzle."
3. Send items by the cheapest method. Paying the extra for faster shipping usually isn't worth it. $25 for 6 weeks or $40 for 4 weeks. We're not that fussy about when we get it, as long as we get it.
I don't want anyone to be discouraged from sending things, but we can't afford to double-pay for items sent to us either. Thanks.
Boiçucanga
For our one-year anniversary getaway, we travelled to a little town on the coast called Boiçucanga. We rented a pousada (poo-SAW-da) which is like an inn or a small resort. We ended up having perfect weather, which was such a blessing. We all got tans (and burns) as this was really the first time we've been exposed to the sun for months. (I know this sounds strange to some of you (ahem- Shauna) but the weather hasn't really been nice enough to lay out in the sun. In fact, the school pool just opened about two weeks ago.)
We also had accumulated some special Thanksgiving food treats from Americans who were moving away. It was a big deal for us to have little pumpkin pies and sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, we wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, but nobody was selling frango assado (pre-roasted chicken) that day, so we had to wait until Friday to eat our Thanksgiving meal.
The supermarket was practically across the street from where we stayed. We were especially pleased with what the banner they had hanging over the exit said. Translated, this sign says,"Jesus Christ is the Lord of this business." We had no trouble supporting this establishment.