How I know I’m starting to fit in:

• I took a nap, without A/C, under a sheet and two blankets and it was 80 degrees outside.
• Sometimes I want to stay home at night to watch the 9:00 soap opera.
• People talk to me at the bus stops.
• Sometimes I understand and talk back.
• I’ve seen some CUTE spandex outfits.
• My Portuguese teacher asked me what you call grapes all together and after five minutes, all I could come up with was “stem of grapes”.  On the way walking home, I thought of “bunch of grapes”.
• I know about the secret bus stop.
• When people are coming over, I ask morning/afternoon/evening instead of what time.

Brent & Jill May Niteroi Report

Please click on the link below for this months newsletter

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How the Fire of Botafogo Warms My Heart

Brent has not yet chosen a soccer team to support here in the state of Rio de Janeiro.  And I have no doubt that once Brent chooses– he will be a better fan than I am, in that he will know all the players, their statistics and how and who they should recruit.

I chose to support Botafogo on of our last campaigns to Brazil with the Edmond church of Christ.  And since then, I keep finding more reasons that we are a perfect fit together.  For one, their emblem is a “lone” star.  Obviously I love Texas, where my father was born and raised, where I chose to go to school, and the place where my favorite in-laws live! 

Their colors are black and white.  Very easy to dress in support of my team and also appropriately for any occasion.  And last and most importantly, they can cheer even when they are down.  Any good Texas Aggie can tell you the value in team spirit even when the chips are down.  We do our yells before the game, during the game, and after the game, no matter the outcome.  So my choice in teams was confirmed last night, as I saw a group of Botafogo fans chanting and cheering in the street after a tough loss earlier in the day.

It is this loyalty and this commaraderie that will catapult us to our 19^thstate championship in the coming weeks.  Viva Botafogo!!!

Brent’s birthday!

Brent turned 32 this year and we celebrated with our team, some friends from Rio, and some new Niteroi friends!  Brent’s first priority was getting some people together to play basketball.  When they weren’t on the court, we ate Brazilian BBQ and enjoyed spending time together.

It was awesome and overwhelming to have so many of our new friends there.  We were changing languages with every conversation; no wonder missionaries are so weird!  We were so blessed by the people who came, even though, of course, we miss our families at times like these.  Love to all of you, enjoy a little piece of the party!

Brent ask to have candles on potato salad so that NO wax could get on his peach cobbler.

On the court!

And with our friends!

Jill got cold in Brazil!

Each Thursday night the team gets together for a little bonding time.  Sometimes we pray, sometimes we praise, and sometimes we fellowship.  A couple of weeks ago, we decided to have a movie night.  All of our apartment buildings have some common areas that tenants can use for entertaining.  Ours has a movie room, that conveniently has an air conditioner.

I think I’ve mentioned before that my husband is….thrifty.  So, when he has an opportunity to use an air conditioner, FREE OF CHARGE, (keep in mind: he has not stopped sweating since we got here); Well, let’s just say, he went for it!

After 30 minutes to an hour, most of the girls were freezing.  I went upstairs and got sweats and blankets.  Brent never got cold, but he sure stopped being hot.

Same window, different days…

We are so blessed to have the most beautiful view of God’s creation out of our window.  No matter the weather, it always reminds us of His power and creativity.  Enjoy!

Staying cool while it’s SO hot.

So, two days ago Brent and I went to look at some Clubs in Brazil.  Clubs are a place to go for sports and recreation in Brazil.  Each one is a little different and has different sports to offer.  We are attempting to meet the challenge of finding one with a basketball court.  Of course, since we don’t have a car, we are also looking for a club close to our apartment.

Part of our strategy in meeting new people in Brazil, could be accomplished through membership at a club.  Not only can you meet new people, but you can entertain the people you have met there too.  They have BBQ areas available for reservation and party rooms.  Living in a two bedroom apartment where one room is the office, well….let’s just say our get-togethers have been small so far.

So, back to the tour.  We are being shown around the club by a young girl in jeans and high heels.  We are pounding the hot, cracked pavement while she shows us around the different sports that they offer.  She appears completely fine, walking around each sport court and taking her time explaining what they offer.  I am concentrating on two things: her rapid Portuguese and the fact that I feel like I am literally melting.

Brent is also sweating, but that has become fairly normal here.  So, I try to focus and make use of this tour so that I don’t have to come back and hear it again.  We walk by the pool and I have the thought, “I have to either get out of here or get in that pool.”  So, we rush the rest of her tour, take some information with us and start walking back home.  I begin thinking aloud, that I am such a wimp in Brazil.  Why can I not stop sweating today?  Am I drinking too much/not enough water?

Then Brent points to the sign with the digital temperature readout:  It’s 106 today.

The New Normal

I waited for one of these thoughts to help me throw off the sheet and start brushing my teeth.  It didn’t come.  Instead, it felt like any regular, ol’ day.  It felt like nothing special would be going on.  It felt like why get excited about this day that is the same as every other day for the next 5 years.

Eventually, I went to class.  It doesn’t sound so flattering to say that the missionary was not wanting to get out of bed.  But I think it sounds pretty normal.  I think that’s what was so weird about the feeling is that it felt normal.  It didn’t feel new.  We are so accustomed to new feelings and experiences that it was strange for something to feel routine.  So get excited!  We have a HOME in Brazil, we’re not visiting anymore.  Honeymoon is over, and real life has started!

So I now have a new normal, good and bad as you will see.  It’s normal when:

·         I’m sweating.

·         I wake up and see mountains and the beach.

·         Old school Beverly Hills 90210 is on TV and in Portuguese.

·         People are friendly and helpful.

·         We walk where we are going.

·         They deliver my groceries for FREE

·         We eat bread and cheese for breakfast.

·         The only time I use the internet is at McDonalds.

You know it’s a good day in Brazil when….

• It’s not raining!
• Your internet works.
• You walk outside your apartment, JUST as your bus pulls up.
• You meet someone new and they invite you to a family get together!
• You eat at Bibi Sucos.
• You do your homework……correctly.
• You see someone you know on the street.
• You get a package from home!

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!  We are missing everyone so much during the holiday season.  We are thankful that we are never truly alone.  God is the most faithful companion.  Love to all!

God’s Faithfulness: 1; Jill’s Faithfulness: 0

I had one of my best days last Tuesday.  I spent all day with Gladis.  Gladis is the most wonderful woman in the state of Rio.  She lives across the bay, in Rio de Janeiro, but before that lived in Niteroi for two years.  Brent and I still have many things we need for our apartment and so I called Gladis to see if she could help me for one full day.

She worked me into her busy schedule and we decided Tuesday would be the day.  She came to our apartment, looked it over, and then measured every square…meter.  Then we were off.  First we went to Brazilian “Home Depot” and chose colors for paint.  Gladis talked them into letting us test paint in their store so we didn’t have to take it home and come back.  We bought 5 gallons of paint and other painting supplies.

We then went to furniture stores, supermarkets, you name it and were able to take care of the majority of my list!  And because Gladis is Brazilian, we definitely had lunch, a snack, and coffee.  It was AMAZING to get so many things done in one day.  I felt so successful.  I felt so blessed!

Obviously, God is pleased to bless his children and pleased to see us happy.  But I worship the SAME God every day.  He does not change but the amount we are blessed sometimes does.  I know I am not wise enough to know the reasons for that.  But I do long to stop being so emotionally fickle!

God does not love me any less today.  His blessings are not the indicator of His faithfulness the way His promises are.  He has kept His promises; I cannot say the same.

“Jesus Cristo e o mesmo ontem, hoje, e para sempre.”—Hebreus 13.8