February 4, 2011

• Cajueiro Claro and dirty feet

  I went to Cajueiro Claro with Flavio today for the first time. Walking. 4k (less, since we took a short cut). Each way. Both ways proved to be uphill. “30 minutes” Flavio says. He is even more of an optomist than I am. If you can imagine that. It is closer to 45 minutes.

  If you have ever had the image of “missionary” and “missionary things” in your head, I probably don’t fit anything you are thinking of. Yeah, some things are more difficult here…I had cold showers for awhile when my showerhead broke…but I love it here. I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything. And no, I don’t swim with pirana, and yes, I do have electricity (and yes, I have been asked these questions before). But today, it felt/looked “missionary-ish.”

  Walking (with a breathtaking view) down (and up) little dirt pathways through the mata, which is the tropical foresty/farm land under the hot sun, to arrive in a little town where many of the houses are made from dirt. It feels like the middle of nowhere.

  (notice the dip–we go straight down, and then the lil strip of brown that goes up the hill and winds around? yep.)

  The church is in dire need of some upkeep/repair. It needs a fence, and to fix the busted widows. The government had been using the church as a school for this poor community (of about 1000 people), but decided that there were not enough children to justify it. Now the children are bused to the next town, but they didn’t leave the church in very good condition.

  (notice busted windows)

  Flavio introduced me to the kids (two of which were scared to come in and meet me) and by the end, I had most of them saying “Good Morning” in English. He shared a Bible story, and while explaining about the fruit of the Spirit, they didn’t know what “selfish” meant. So he explained further, and just as he finished, a little voice from outside the window said “that’s me! I am selfish!” and then ran away (I found out it was Paulo, who wouldn’t let me take his picture).

  (the soccer field. Notice the dirt house in the background)

  They practiced a song to sing/mime for church tonight (Flavio also opens the church for a Friday night service for the community), and then we all played soccer. I scored a goal and earned friendships, playing barefoot in ze hot, hot sun. The field was covered with ant hills and other sized holes, and the kids kept putting their hands down then while I was worried that something would bite them down there. After an hour of playing in the sun, we made the trek back, with my nose nice and red, even though I did remember sunscreen this morning.

  

  L to R: Flavio, Gustavo, Marcela, Diego, Van (something or other with Van in it), and Paulo (not to be confused with his brother, also named Paulo, who would not let me take his picture. I told him his mother must have a hard time with that…)

  I am excited to see what God is doing in Cajueiro Claro. I could see the kids had built a relationshipn with Flavio, as well as anyone in the community (that we saw). He has dedicated a lot of time and energy (and walking), and really loves these kids. I will be helping out as much as I can at least three mornings a week with this project, teaching at the school three afternoons, and then the other two days I am hoping to help out with my kids from PETI as much as possible–setting them up with the character/Bible program, and doing what always happens–playing games and getting dirty feet.

  Loving it!

  • 4:36 pm
  • 1 Comment