If you’re like the typical American, you’re completely unaware of World Cup – and of its significance.  Seemingly, the U.S. is the only country in the world that fails to recognize the global impact of the World Cup.  I believe it’s even more unifying than the Olympics which involves nations, but not in the same sport.  And soccer isn’t an economically elite sport; the only equipment needed is a field, a ball, and something (coconuts, sandals, sticks, etc.) to mark the goal posts.  Not even shoes are required.  (I actually prefer playing barefoot.)

In the past, only dedicated soccer buffs follow the World Cup games in the U.S., although that is slowly changing.  And it’s about time that it did because outside of the U.S. (which, by the way, isn’t the center of the universe), everybody watches the World Cup, even if they don’t like or watch soccer on a regular basis.  Seriously, everybody does.  And no, it’s not just Brazil.  You’ll notice in the commercial below a quick shot of some Africans in a dimly lit room trying to get reception on their TV.  That’s not an exaggeration.  Anybody and everybody outside of the U.S. will go to any and all extremes to watch the World Cup.  And, of course, they’ve decorated for the occasion.  Brazil becomes a colorful blend of green, yellow and blue during the World Cup, with people and surroundings decorated and painted in the national colors.

Here in Brazil, life literally stops when there is a Brazil game on television.  I realized this one day during the last World Cup in 2006.  I had planned to go over to a friend’s house before the game started; but I got bogged down in my morning chores and ended up leaving my apartment at kickoff.  The streets were absolutely deserted.  I didn’t pass or see a single person on the way.  It something I had never seen nor have seen since in Brazil, in part because I made sure I wasn’t late for anymore games!

During the World Cup, televisions are put up everywhere – malls, shops, restaurants, bars, even supermarkets! – because when Brazil plays, everybody watches no matter where they are or what they’re doing.  Fred and his colleagues at work have already been advised that when Brazil plays at mid-day, they’ll be dismissed as a group to go out to lunch at a restaurant where they can watch the game together, then return to work in the afternoon.  When Brazil plays in the afternoon, they’ll be dismissed early to make it home in time to watch the game.  And nobody will feel their absence because nobody else will be at work either.

Are you grasping just how big this is??  If not, try to watch a few games.  You might learn something.

Nike has.  Below is a commercial which anticipated the World Cup.  Just so you know, the first guy  is Didier Drogba who plays for the Côte d’Ivoire.  Unfortunately, he broke his arm in a pre-cup match against Japan.  He may or may not play, and even if he does, it won’t be his best performance.  Another note of interest is that Ronaldo Gaucho, the key Brazilian player in the commercial, wasn’t chosen for the team, something I’m still disappointed about since he’s one of my favorite players…but if Brazil wins the World Cup, I promise not to complain.

The Brit Lit reading circle (starting with blues): Michael, Jennifer, Briana, Marisa, Joyce

My Brit Lit class just finished reading Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth.  In follow-up, the students did a great job with the creative half of their final projects.  It seems a shame for them to go to such effort for such a small audience, so I thought I’d broaden the playing field and post them.  Enjoy! Senior Briana Hopkins cloned herself to sing background vocals for her solo performance in Macbeth’s Bet.  In addition to writing and performing the lyrics, Briana also designed the CD cover case.

Jennifer Pierce, the other senior, designed a promotional poster for the movie Macbeth.  This dovetailed with Jennifer’s written  project, a film casting review in which Director Pierce promoted (and defended) the roles of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macduff which she assigned to Al Pacino, Kate Winslet and Hugh Jackman, respectively.

Juniors Joyce Alencar and Marisa McMaster showed their flair for drama in mini-movie projects.

Joyce Alencar produced a trailer for the Macbeth film (that unwittingly paralleled well with Jennifer’s projects).  The filming of the movie teaser was definitely a family affair as all family members play one role or another to capture important scenes and themes from the play.

Marisa also recruited family support, duking it out with her big sister (home for Christmas break) in a modern-day fight scene between Macbeth and Macduff (Act V, Scene*).  For some reason, I don’t think they fought so light-heartedly when they were younger…

Annnnnnnnnnd, cut!  That’s a wrap, folks!!

It’s only fair to give Andrew a little advertising boost since I’m using his video clip, so visit his family’s website at http://www.comingstobrazil.com/blog/ (only be prepared to see repeats of the Bruno posts on my blog!).  You’ll find it an interesting read.

The most prominent assault occurred two weeks ago when Bobby Dennis, one of my students at FA, was robbed after youth group on Saturday night. He had planned to spend the night at a friend’s house and the two were walking by themselves on a secluded road near the church. Two armed men pulled up on a motorcycle and took Bobby’s backpack, which had his laptop, his palm pilot, and his billfold; they took his friend Casio’s cell phone as well. It was definitely a successful robbery.

In some aspects, the two brought on their own misfortune. They shouldn’t have been walking on that road by themselves at that hour; but upon their return (via bus) from a youth outing, they decided to walk the rest of the way home instead of calling and waiting for someone to pick them up. At the same time, they could just as easily have been assaulted while waiting at the bus stop. Ironically, they were assaulted on the “safe part” of the road, after having passed through the more dangerous section.

It’s unfortunate, but robberies, especially with motorcycles, are becoming more and more common – and at all hours of the day. I’ve heard of four incidents in the last few months.

The first was the brother of recently returned Luis Coelho who serves under BMM with his wife Shari. (I believe they’ve presented at Faith.) Luis’s brother was struck in the face by a rock while driving his motorcycle by would-be assailants, another growing practice here. The robbers toss a rock in front of a motorcycle driver, often causing the driver to lose control and crash; then the robbers take his belongings and either kill the drive or leave him to die, if he has not already done so in the crash. In an amazing act of grace, God allowed Luis’s brother to maintain his balance in spite of the severity of the blow which hit him directly in the face (the assailants are well-practiced in tossing the rocks) and smashed every bone therein. Five minutes later, when he arrived at his destination, one eye was swollen shut with only a small slit through which to see on the other. I don’t know how many reconstructive surgeries he has had since then.

Another was Dona Edissa, the Portuguese teacher at FA. She visited the bank one afternoon with her sister who took out a large sum of money. As they were entering the front gate of Da. Edissa’s home, two men on a motorcycle pulled up, and one followed the two women into the front area where he pulled out a gun. The gunman didn’t ask Da. Edissa for her purse but only demanded that of her sister. When the sister refused, he shot the gun into the ground as a warning. Da. Edissa fainted and the sister gave the assailant her bag. Obviously, the two men had been tipped off, but the question remains by whom? It’s sad to think that it was most likely somebody at the bank.

The next was an attempted robbery that occurred a few weeks ago while Fred was waiting for a bus downtown. A motorcycle pulled up to a woman who was standing off from the group (perhaps waiting for a person to pick her up instead of the bus). He pulled out a gun and would have assaulted her, but her scream forced him to rapidly drive off.

Last month, Karen, a friend and pastor’s wife, was talking on her cell phone while standing on a median in the middle of the street. A motorcyclist drove by and snatched the phone out of her hand.

Many worry about our ministry in Edson Queiroz, a notoriously dangerous neighborhood, but the reality is that assaults and violence are a danger everywhere. We try to be responsible and minimize the risks we take; but at the same time, we recognize and trust in God’s sovereignty and control.

Today at lunch, I learned of two more recent assaults; one, unfortunately, was Da. Edissa who was robbed of her bus money by a teenage girl wielding a broken bottle as her weapon. The other was the father of one of my students at FA who, while sitting in a guarded recreational park, had some teenagers approach him with a gun. They initially robbed him of everything – including his shoes – and intended to kill him, but his calm manner and God-given wisdom to speak to them about God’s awareness of their actions pricked their conscience; and they eventually let him go, restoring all of his belongings but his money. Da. Edissa also spoke to her assailant about God’s awareness of the situation, but it did not have the same effect – yet more proof of God’s sovereignty.

Sometimes I wonder how I will respond when (not if) I am finally assaulted. As common as it is to be robbed, it is not an experience easily forgotten (so I am told). Pray for the faith of those robbed to continue to trust in God’s protection as well as His wisdom as to whether or not the stolen items are ever restored. Please pray also for wisdom in our daily interactions. In the last two robberies mentioned, the assailants first approached the victims with “innocent” intentions. Continue to pray for our daily personal safety, as well as those around us.

In spite of the dangers, I am thankful for how life in Brazil has taught me to devalue things. I know of no better description for seaside Fortaleza than in Matthew 6:19-21 where it says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The only thing I would add to that list is mold, especially during rainy season! So much more reason to look forward to heaven!

And yes, all of those men got on that one little boat.  Big men, little boat.  Not quite the deep sea luxury cruise Americans are accustomed to use for deep sea fishing.

It was rainy, so the waves weren’t so bad out on the ocean; however, a day later when some others headed out, a few returned a little “green” from all the movement out on the water.

(The white box is typically used by fishermen when they go out for longer periods of time.  It contains big chunks of ice to help preserve the fish.)

Fred returned wet from both the rain and a short swim he enjoyed while they were out.  Personally, I don’t know that I would have readily jump in deep ocean waters where big fish swim – too scared – but I enjoyed playing in the waves later that day as well as the fish they served for lunch!  Mmm.

Happy fishing!

Fred and I recently spent five days camping out on the beach in Almofala, Brazil, for IBBM’s Carnaval Retreat.  It was an adventure, to say the least, as we spent time with our church family in close quarters under leaky roofs and rainy skies.

The bulk of activities were held under a thatched roof shelter (made of tree branches and dried coconut tree leaves) built right on the beach, which also served as the boys’ sleeping quarters.  You would be amazed at how many hammocks can be strung across a small space!  The girls slept in a small house up the dune from the barraca (ba-HA-ka). You women will be interested to know that there were only two bathrooms shared among our group of 50+ and, of course, neither included modern conveniences.  Well, not entirely.  Each had a “modern toilet” but it lacked a seat and flushing was by bucket, as were the showers.

The housing conditions were aggravated by rain.  It’s rainy season here in Brazil, and although we were on vacation, the weather wasn’t.  This proved to be particularly significant for Fred and me as we had taken a pup tent along for our sleeping quarters. Our tent was water-resistant, but not water-proof; thus during the downpour of the first evening, we were forced to make an early morning evacuation to the boys’ barraca where we slept on the sandy floor.

The next day we spent scouting out a vacant barraca under which we could pitch our tent.  We ended up moving it twice when an afternoon shower proved the roof of the first barraca we found to be inadequate.  The night we slept dry for the first half until the leaky roof and the wind-driven rain (no side wall to the barraca) moistened the walls sufficiently to allow water to seep in to the tent.  Unfortunately, the rainy weather continued throughout the next day, so we were unable to dry out; however, we did make some “improvements” to the barraca with garbage bags we had used to keep our luggage dry on the trip out there.

The sun finally came out with force on the fourth day, and we were able to dry and air out the tent, sleeping bag, etc. – all that just in time to pack everything up in the rain the following day!  Needless to say, it was a special delight to sleep in my dry bed that evening – that is after the convenience of sitting on the bathroom stool and taking a shower with running water.  Ah, modern conveniences!  It was also nice to simply sit in a chair! Sitting options for the week included the sandy floor, which can be surprisingly stiff after a time, and a few tree bark benches built into the barraca.

That was the housing adventure; the meals were an entirely other matter.  They were very basic with very little variety – lots of bread, corn meal, rice, spaghetti noodles and other starchy foods.  I had some apples packed along, but after three days of the same diet, I (and my body) gratefully accepted a friend’s generous offer to drive to town and buy some papaya and pineapple.

There were, of course, team competitions. (Being Brazilian means being competitive!) If you have never seen a six-month pregnant woman sprint (at least attempt to sprint), you may have missed your chance. My team picked me for the sprint/swim leg of a relay race, but only because I was the only one who knew how to swim. Beggars can’t be choosers! I quickly discovered when I tried to stand and dive over some of the initial waves that a heavy belly definitely changes one’s center of gravity; I also don’t have the endurance that I did six months ago, especially after my month of bedrest!

Pastor Tiago spoke in the evening services, focusing on the retreat’s theme: “Fishers of Men.” Fred headed up the music for the retreat and gave a devotional the second morning on not being ashamed of the gospel (Rm.1:16-17). A special blessing of the week was the salvation of two sisters. Their husbands accepted Christ as Savior last year and have since been praying for their wives. It is a neat continuation of God’s work of grace in this family as the sisters’ mother Vilany and younger sister Paula (the first one saved in the family) have been praying for them for nearly five years. Now they all are praying for Vilany’s sister Gracilene, who attended the retreat, and other sibilings/family members.

So, in spite of the showers (that is, the natural ones), it was a good retreat, a spiritually refreshing and edifying time for our church family. As youth leaders, we were especially excited to see the teen’s initiative in working and saving up money for the retreat.

Speaking of, please continue to pray for this ministry. Daniel, an unrepentant teenage boy, was recently disciplined by the church. Some of the teens are really struggling with the change in how they are now relate to Daniel.  You can pray especially for three who have strong ties to Daniel: his sister Isabelle, his best friend Michael, and his ”crush” Lucience (who is a very young, impressionable Christian!).

It may seem like a silly request, but please pray also for my feet. Do pray that they will be the beautiful feet of one “who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, [and] who publishes salvation” (Is. 52:7); but also pray that I will be able to wear shoes the remainder of my pregnancy! Although my blood pressure is low (per usual) as is my salt intake, I’m having a tremendous problem with swelling feet. Trivial, but true. The swelling usually goes down a little a night, but it doesn’t take long for them to fill in the morning.

It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I took a one after our we arrived home from retreat.  Pretty, aren’t they?

This weekend, two in my small circle were assaulted.  The first was Edissa (eh-gee-sa), Fortaleza Academy’s Portuguese teacher.  On Friday after school, Edissa went to the bank with her sister who withdrew a large sum of money.  As the two entered Edissa’s front gate, a man suddenly appeared with a gun, demanding the sister’s purse.  She refused and he shot the pistol into the floor, threatening that the next would be for her.  When the sister again refused, the man called for his partner who was waiting outside on a motorcycle.  The two men easily wrestled away from the older woman and escaped on their bike.  At this point, Edissa fainted.  She was taken to the hospital but returned home later that day.  Later, we deduced that the men must have been tipped off by someone at the bank because the men demanded only the sister’s purse, not Edissa’s.

The other assault hit a little closer to home.  There is a large praça kitty-corner to our church in Edson Queiroz that includes some park benches and a large cement quadra that is often used for soccer, volleyball and occasionally basketball games.  On Saturday afternoon, Lydia, the daughter of ABWE missionaries Jerry and Lynda Neuman, was lying on a bench when she was approached by two guys.  One flashed a revolver and asked for her purse.  Lydia asked if they were joking.  In response, he showed her the bullets in the gun.  She handed over the purse but, in shock, refused to let go it.  By this time, the guy with the gun had taken off, so the other literally ripped the bag out of her hand, the material tearing the handle.  The scuffle ended with Lydia chasing and yelling after them as the second robber made his escape.  The two boys ran down her boyfriend’s street (André actually locked the door as the two ran by, a clear indication of trouble) and so Lydia stopped when she reached his house.  The authorities were able to recover the purse (minus cell phone, I think), but there is now a lot of red tape necessary for Lydia identify and prosecute the thief.  In addition, the family of the thief threatened André and his family should Lydia do so.  Unfortunately, the boy with the weapon was not implicated and cannot be charged.

As I mentioned earlier, all assaults leave an impression on their victim.  Please pray for faith, peace and calmness in Edissa and Lydia’s life.  Edissa, especially, is struggling with fear as the threat occurred within the confines of her home. 

I confess I wrestled with some doubt, as well, after hearing Lyida’s tale, for while I have known since the beginning that Edson Queiroz is a dangerous neighborhood, and Fred and I are just weeks away from moving into our apartment there.  It would easy to allow this story (and that of Lilica, our pastor’s wife, who was very nearly assaulted by these same guys just two weeks ago!) to make me fearful; but “God gave [me] a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control” (2Tim. 1:7).

So I ask that you pray.  Pray for our daily protection and that of our church family.  It is not something we take for granted, especially now with the threat made against André and his family.

Pray also that this incident, rather than incite me to fear, will heighten my awareness and burden of the need in Edson Queiroz.  There are so many lost, hurting souls crammed into this economically depraved neighborhood, and entrapped by their sinful nature, they have no choice but to sin; but praise God for the hope we have in Christ!  And God is at work.  Before this the assaults occurred, I had planned to blog about the testimonies of recent converts and the five women recently baptized at Saturday’s baptismal service; but that will have to wait for another day.  Até mais!

Last weekend, in the midst of my house-sitting assignment, I managed to squeeze in another trip to Fortaleza for a wedding. Neto is a seminary student at SIBIMA and a good friend who loves English and music; so in addition to the song he sang to his bride, he asked two other missionaries and me to sing “Agnus Dei” in English. As most weddings, it was a fun and beautiful evening, but the real excitement happened the following night at mocidade (youth group).

Just before youth group began, two guys who attend fairly faithfully showed up in an apparent hurry. They talked with a few other teens, hopped back on their bikes and were gone. Contrary to their odd behavior, the youth meeting was quite ordinary with times of singing, bible reading and a devotional. There was a lot of noise outside, but that, too, is par for the course. Near the end of the devotional, however, cell phones started ringing, LOTS of them!

I should take a moment to explain about cell phones in Brazil because you might be wondering if this church is in such a depleted neighborhood, why the kids would have cell phones. The fact is that everybody in Brazil has a cell phone – everybody, including those who live in the favelas (slums). That is because NOT everybody has a land phone in their home. Often it is more expensive to have a fixed telephone than to a cell phone.

The majority of people have pre-pay plans, and they guard their precious minutes carefully. One way they do this is by using the “three-second rule.” If you call someone and talk for only three seconds, you’re not charged for that time. I have watched people call one another back and forth for fifteen minutes using this method. One calls and as soon as the other person answers, he speaks a phrase or a question and hangs up. A short time later, he gets a response in the same manner. Granted, it’s crazy, inefficient, and, in my opinion, a horrible method to communicate; but it saves them money they don’t have.

Anyway, to return to the story, phones started ringing. My first reaction was to wonder why so many had forgotten to turn off their cell phones, but as more and more received calls, it became obvious that something was going on. I soon learned what it was when Fred, the youth leader, closed the evening with prayer. Unbeknownst to me, just a few blocks away, a gang war had taken place during youth group, leaving one dead and very near it. Parents were calling to warn their children not to leave the church without an older teen or adult. Needless to say, no one lingered after youth group. Instead, we formed groups and escorted the adolescents and teens home.

Something else different about Brazil is that when there is a tragedy, people flock to the scene of the crime or accident; but no one offers help.  They are there only to gawk. There is no such thing as a police line, so the people are intermixed among the police. One of the boys from youth group lives on the very street where the fight took place; so to get to his home, we had to walk through the crowd, by the very corner where the crime occurred. The police had ordered the people home, of course, but the area was still full of spectators and reporters. As we entered his street, a wailing woman stumbled past us.

As I have mentioned in previous posts and prayer letters, Edson Queiroz is known to be a dangerous neighborhood full of thefts, drugs, prostitution, etc. in addition to gang wars. The two gangs have a long history, and there is a very definite diving line between the upper and lower parts of the neighborhood. A young man from the lower part came up and shot one from the upper level; but before he could run back to safety, a group of boys caught him. They beat him, knifed him and stoned him before the police arrived (who, by the way, have a permanent watch in the area because of such occurrences). Incredibly, the boy was still alive when taken to the hospital but died once there.

What never ceases to amaze is how quickly the life goes back to “normal” after such tragedies. The next morning as we drove through the neighborhood to church, people were out and about as usual: kids were playing in the streets; men were at the bars; women were conversing on the side of the road.

For those in church, however, the event was not so easily dismissed. The adults have been learning about the Ten Commandments in Sunday school, and ironically, Sunday’s lesson was on the sixth commandment: “You shall not murder” (Ex.20:13). Life is indeed precious and, although we often forget it, very fragile. How often we take tomorrow for granted. “For what is your life? It is eve a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’” (Js.4:14-15). And how important that we seek to accomplish the Lord’s will during our short time on earth for “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hb.9:27).

Please continue to pray for the ministry of Igreja Batista Bíblica Maranata. The people of Edson Queiroz face incredible challenges and pressures, but such difficulties merely expand the platform of opportunity for God to incredible things. Pray especially for those responsible for shepherding and caring for this small flock.

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints
what is the width and length and depth and height –
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.”
Ephesians 3:14-21