Zen and the Art of Procuring Motorcycles

It appears as though we might have procured ourselves a motorcycle. Procure is both an English and Portuguese verb so I am going to use it if I can get twice as much bang for my buck. Getting the motorcycle was no small task. There is paperwork required on Josh's end, that he did not have, and papers that the owner should have had, that he did not. Finding used motorcycles are not easy either, although easier than finding a car. There are not classified ads here so you know if something is for sale if you hear about from someone else or you see a for sale sign. Josh often went to look at a motorcycle he heard was for sale only to find out it was not or already sold. One time we went to check out a motorcycle which was supposed to be in great condition, only to find it in a million parts. Apparently there was a peculiar knocking that required investigation. Motorcycles are like mirages, Josh said, just as soon as he got close enough to a bike to take it for a test ride, it would just disappear. One time Josh took his language helper with him to look at a bike. His language helper is really intelligent and works hard at his English but he is not fluent. While looking over a bike, Josh asks this language helper to ask the owner if the bike had ever been raced. Racing is kinda common here and it would obviously devalue the bike. Without asking the owner, Betu answers "No." Knowing that there was no way Betu would know that Josh presses him to aks the owner, which Betu does and again tells Josh, "No, the bike has not been erased." Good! Because we were really concerned that some of the decals might have been changed around. So after almost a month of searching we are proud owners of our fisrt vehicle. I just can't drive it. Yet.

A Foreign Version of the Familar

Christmas here is a strange blend of the familiar and foreign. The other day I saw one of those stupid dancing Santas like they used to have at Wal-mart stores. But I also saw another Santa that I’ve never dreamed I would see. One of the peculiarities her in Brazil are the advertisement trucks, they are trucks (sometime just motorcycles or bikes) stacked high (sometimes 10 ft. high) with an assortment of speakers. These trucks drive slowly up and down the streets blasting their wares. Usually it’s a combination of music and a voice convincing you to buy something (I guess). These trucks are so loud that when one passes by you have to stop your conversation, there’s no chance you’ll be heard (even if you are inside a store). The sight I saw the other day was a Santa on top of one of these trucks, dancing and throwing candy to no one in particular.

The other evening we went down to the riverfront where they had some Christmas decorations set up. Everything from a nativity to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The girls loved it. Brin and I weren't sure what to think...

This morning (Christmas Eve), we opened our presents. Tonight we have church (as usual on Sunday evening) and then tomorrow morning we have a breakfast at church.

Even in the familiar act of opening presents, we experienced something that reminded us again that this was to be no normal Christmas... Some of the presents we bought were wrapped at the store, and they used Portuguese gift tags. To top that off, the order is reversed: who it is from is on the first line, and then who it is for is second (backwards from what I was used to). We finally got all the gifts sorted out, but Ava ended up opening one of Mia’s gifts. She was so excited (see picture below), even though it was actually a gift she had bought for Mia (she didn’t even recognize it).


To see more Christmas pictures, and a short video go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/brinleezj/Christmas

Scratching Where it Itches

Now I know where the carnival rides from the Tremont Turkey Festival go during the winter. Altamira, Brazil. No kidding. I think I recognized some of the “carnies” from last summer. We really did go to a fair that was in town. The girls loved it. They rode the rides, won some candy at a shooting gallery and even bought carnival treats (carmeled apple, carmeled popcorn, and cotton candy).

The other day Brin asked Ava if she likes it here in Brazil. Her answered captured how we sometimes feel: “Yeah, but I itch a lot… but that’s ok, I like to scratch.”

Our House

I’m not sure many of you are interested, but I thought I would post some information about our house. Our house is actually sort of a duplex. We live in Bud and Suzannes old house. I did not include drawings of their new part, just know that it’s plenty big and plenty nice. The only access to their side is through the shared office between. We are slowly getting comfortable in it. Although it is much smaller than our old house, it seems to be adequate for our needs. The rooms are all small (except for the master bedroom). There are some quirks, such as the low ceiling in the kitchen, lack of outlets, and weird placement of light switches (some ridiculously low, others ridiculously high). We do have air conditioning in the office, the rest of the house stays relatively comfortable. With a fan on us at night we are usually comfortable. We spend a lot of time outside, the veranda and gazebo are great for the kids to play on.

We’d love to have any of you come and visit and see it first hand! We even have an extra bedroom (the girls are currently sleeping in BR 2, but will soon move into the bigger one).

The pictures are: 1) A view of the front of our house, 2) a view of the kitchen and dining room area from the front hallway, 3) a view of the kitchen from BR 2, and 4) a view of BR 2.

A Little Missionary Journey

This past week I had the chance to go on a day trip up river with Bud. It gave me a better picture of the ministry that Bud has. We took the “speedboat” (I use that word loosely, it was only speedy in comparison to the other larger wooden boats), an aluminum hull boat about 4 ft. wide and 15 ft. long with a 40-horse outboard motor. Our journey was about an hour up river to a community called Boa Esporansa. The purpose of the trip was for Bud to meet with, and disciple, a couple who hosts a church meeting in their home. They themselves are young believers, but the most qualified in the area to lead the young fledgling church. The couple has been going through discipleship material that the church gives out to new believers and Bud was there to answer their questions and encourage them. He spent 2 or 3 hours talking with them and praying with them. I tried to keep busy, listening to the Portuguese, walking around the homestead, and reading. It was fun to get out on the river and see some more remote areas, but more than that it was exciting to see firsthand people with a hunger to learn more about Christ, and the role that I may play in the future.

Jungle Bells

We’re anticipating Christmas just like the rest of you. Tonight we decorated a tree and ate some Green and Red Hershey’s Kisses that Angie (another Missionary with Xingu) brought in from the States. It was a timely moment to replicate our family’s Christmas traditions that we had always done in the States. It was lovely, for the most part. Look closely at Ava in that last picture. Notice that lower lip? As touching as our family time was tonight it was also pretty indicative how the entire day went. Mia spent the night puking last night; she’s fine now because apparently she didn’t eat any more dog food. Mia was whiney and clingy, Ava was disobedient and antagonistic with Caleb (although better from days past) and Ella was poorly motivated to do her schoolwork. There were moments today where I resented my children and their overwhelming neediness. It was nice to end the night with a tradition that the kids could connect with their pasts. -BZP

See more pictures from today at: http://picasaweb.google.com/brinleezj/DeckingTheHalls

I scream, you scream

Our first field trip was to the ice cream factory. Actually it is just a storefront with a little production room and freezer in the back. Since we are such good customers, they let us come on a day they were making the ice cream and gave us a little tour and lecture. At the end we got samples, which is what the kids wanted all along. Me too. My favorite is maracuja (passion fruit) and abacaxi (pineapple) and coconut and chocolate. They also make popsicles there in a variety of flavors, including corn.

Note to those who like to critique our blog… if you thought our grammer and spelling was poor before we left for Brazil it is getting exponentially worse each day. I think the immersion in Portuguese is putting our English off kilter.

Monkey See

Yesterday we got to watch a pair of white monkeys playing in the jungle that borders our back yard. It was so exciting even though the sighting lasted less than 5 minutes. 

Identity Crisis Sprinkled with Parasites

As of lately I have found myself thinking about my self. The Brazil Brin is different but I am not always sure in what ways, or even if they are good ways. I do realize that during this time of self-reflection it is an obvious opportunity to figure out what sort of person God created me to be.

I have not been very pleased with myself since we got off the plane in Altamira. I have allowed my attitude to be based on circumstances and shushed the urges of the Lord to grow in challenging situations. A year ago it took a lot of courage for me to listen to God and follow the path He laid out for me. But I did it. Now I am on that path, and I find my behavior like that of Peter witnessing Christ walking on water. I feel close to drowning as I take my eyes off Christ and instead focusing on the waves crashing around me. Waves of sick children. Waves of culture shock. Waves of inadequacy. Waves of a chaotic schedule. I cried over silly circumstances, like when Ava sat on the fan we had just bought and broke it. A fan. Granted it is really, really hot here but c’mon, that girl was known for breaking things and I never cried before.
The waves are beginning to calm down now but I still have the memories of how I floundered attempting to make sense of my new world. I question much, who I am and who others are. Above all, I am deeply loved by God and He has set the course for me. Everyone I interact with is a masterpiece of God. I write that but question whether I really know it, or live it. Evidence of the words that fly out of my mouth would say otherwise. If I have a hard time getting along with someone, I comfort my ego by saying, “I was voted Miss Congeniality in college, people usually like me.” That is only a placebo to heal a wound that occurs when I view others through fleshly eyes. Josh reminded me of a time when I was annoyed by a friend who had quit, what I thought, was a solid career to work at a lowly comic book store, because of a conviction he had. I put such emphasis on status and position that I could not comprehend why someone of such quality would choose to be apart of something of lesser quality. I am ashamed to say I have seen people by what they do, not who they really are; a creation of God. I let ugly and erroneous thoughts cloud my estimation of people and also myself. And that is just the one example Josh could think of, there are so many more I am certain.

So what do I do now since all this has flooded my conscious? I want to know more, I want to have more experiences, but I want all of these under the umbrella of my relationship to God.

Jed left today which is too bad because he missed the mass treatment of pinworm in our household (Jed on his last day pictured). All 10 of us got de-wormed. The girls ate their medicine crushed in a tablespoon of coconut ice cream, none the wiser. I kinda didn’t want him to leave because it solidified the certainty that I am here for good.

Out on the Rio Xingu

Sunday afternoon we left on a long anticipated boat trip. Before coming to Brazil, we had talked with the girls for a long time about how we would be living near a big river and would go out on boat trips and see the jungle, and on and on. I think our girls starting wondering if we had made all that up. It wasn't until about the 4th day when they actually saw this misterious river. And almost 3 weeks past before setting foot on a boat.
We spent only two days on the river, but there was a pink dolphin sighting (no kidding, there are pink dolphins here), we saw and heard monkeys playing in a tree and were able to spend most of the day on a white sandy beach. It was good time of relaxing for the whole family.

Choosing to Feel Good

I went to the “Supermercado” with a Brazilian to stock my house with all the housekeeping essentials. She knew no English with the exception of colors and I knew ridiculously few Portuguese words, strong on colors. Mostly she just loaded up my cart and behaved as if she had just won a shopping spree. I wasn’t sure what a few items were but didn’t question her until she started picking out really pretty, but expensive glassware. I gave her a not-a-chance look and motioned for the checkout. We went home and organized. Pleased with finally putting together a home and having a new friend to help (with good taste I might add), I feel my shoulders start to relax and my attitude more grateful. My circumstances became easier and the burdens of feeling out of place dissipating. I stopped fixating on what God could possibly have been thinking by placing me here. I feel better, yet ashamed that I couldn’t feel this way no matter what the circumstances of the moment are.

-BZJ

Just Do What it Takes

I got upset the other day while cleaning my outdoor bathroom (we do have an indoor one as well!). I wasn’t entirely sure if I should approach it like I would in America. That would involve a sponge, Tilex, Comet, rubber gloves and good ventilation. I knew that wasn’t right so I asked Suzanne if I could just use the garden hose and spray the entire thing down. She said “sure.” So I did. But the hose didn’t reach so I could only spray the portion of the bathroom to where the stream of water would reach and use buckets of water for the rest. The mess seemed to grow worse and I was drenching myself in the process. I knew I could not be doing this the right way. Twenty minutes into the project my tears mix with the hose water until Gabriella arrives and finds the cleaning process, and my current state, quite pitiful. She laughs so I do too.

Everything takes so long here. And a lot more effort. And a lot more flexibility. And that is just how it is and I am sure I will get used to it. But at this point it is just simply painful to my psyche. We passed a bike on a bumpy road with a guy pedaling and a girl riding sidesaddle behind. That is how people get around. What impressed me was that the girl was carrying a two layered sheet cake completely decorated. The kind of cake that if I were to have one made in the States I would have secured it in the back seat of my mini-van and, very cautiously, driven directly from the bakery to home. Maybe that will be me someday or at least it won’t seem incomprehensible.

-BZJ

Happy Thankgiving!

Thanksgiving in Altamira, believe it or not, brought some familiar sights. We met together with all the missionary families, and a visiting work team, for the evening meal. Since we were the new family we just brought the soda. We didn’t have turkey; chicken and steak were the meats of choice. Pumpkin pie even made an appearance. The ratio of adults to children was roughly 1:1, while it did remind us of home, it was trying nonetheless. We left feeling bloated, and a little queasy, so I guess in the end it proved to be authentic.

However, there were some differences. I bet there was no tarantula slaying or ant eating at your thanksgiving dinner. I guess the ants were like that red cranberry stuff that is always served at thanksgiving and no one knows why. Mostly the MKs were eating the ants, but Brin doesn’t pass up a chance to eat something that crawls. The ants were more the size of a very large wasp, and you actually just eat their hind end. Of course they were baked over an open fire first – we’re not savages here.

More thanksgiving pictures at: http://www.picasaweb.google.com/brinleezj

Unpacking

Mia made herself at home in one of our boxes. Of course it had to be the one with our computer stuff in it. She also seems to have made herself at home here in Brazil. She’s a good eater, sleeps well, didn’t get sick and is generally happy, as long as mom is around. The other day at dinner, she asked for “agua” when she was thirsty. She has a little more trouble with “obrigado”, but don’t we all…

See more pictures from our first week here: http://picasaweb.google.com/brinleezj/WeekOneInAltamira

Record Temps

So Jed was out by the driveway building a garbage stand. They don’t use large trash bins here instead they just pile everything on a wooden platform that stands 5 feet off the ground. Ava was out there watching and was our family’s first victim of a sting of some sort. Both Ella and Ava have had a rough go of things in Brazil. When we first arrived the Simon kids were running fevers and it didn’t take long for it to get to the girls. Ella has the record for our family with a 104.5 that a Tylenol/Motrin combo couldn’t touch. It is just not the same keeping kids cool in a tropical climate with no air conditioning. I was anxious. I lost a night of sleep and prayed a lot. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later I just had not prepared my heart for it to happen on Day 2 in Altimira.

In the picture Ava has some bug bites but they really are not that bothersome.

Link to more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/brinleezj/BrazilArrival

In Over my Head, I Want to Be

Ella got up in the morning and asked Josh what the temperature would be today. Josh informed her it would be hot and raining, for the next two years. And thus begins our story in Altimira.

We’re in. We share a home with Bud and Suzanne and their three children. The house still has construction going on but we have our own bedrooms and bathrooms. Speaking of which, Ella had to learn how to turn the shower on. And then she asked where the hot water was. There is no hot water to be found anymore, just hot, heavy air. I do not mind the cool showers nor do I mind the little bugs that I share the bathroom with. I counted six little bug carcasses that had an untimely demise on my bar of soap.

Josh and Jed spent the first days putting up screens on the windows, cleaning up/repairing bookshelves that were out on the veranda (You have a veranda? Yes, I do believe so!) and finding a place to put all our things. So like I said, we’re in. There are noisy saws and hammers in the house, we have tubs of our stuff just lying around, and we have not met our language tutors yet (that’s a big frownie face from what we learned in Colorado). That’s ok. I don’t always feel that it is “ok” but I just keep telling myself that.

Belem, Brazil

I'm sitting at our hotel's "Business Center" in Belem. It's about 9:00 pm local time. We arrived at 3:15 am this morning. Our flights went as smooth as possible. The only glitch, taking place on our flight from Chicago to Miami, during the commotion we caused while trying to board a full plane with three kids and 6 large carry-ons, my carry-on was taken by an over-achieving flight attendant and sent to the check-in luggage below. When we arrived in Miami I sent an overloaded Jed with my family to our connecting flight while I ran to the luggage carrousel, and anxiously awaited my backpack (which, by the way, had about $1700 worth of camera equip, some of which was Bud's). When it finally arrived I ran off to stand in line at security so I could again enter the terminal. Fortunately, I arrived in time and we boarded the plane together.

The girls did well on the flights. They didn't sleep as much as we hoped, but we kept them busy, for the most part. Thanks for your prayers. We were actually able to enjoy our trip - something I was praying for.

Today we did a lot of running around in Belem. We had to register with the Federal Police, something that requires about 5 different stops, all of them time consuming. And we had to go as a family. While we were waiting for some pictures to develop we saw a McDonald's and decided to take the girls there for a treat (it was recommended to us in our training that we give the girls "comfort foods" occasionally, providing familiarity when everything is foreign can help with adjustment). However, we were greeted with an unfamiliar scene when we arrived and found that the power was off so they were not serving food. We decided to rest there for a bit (see picture) and were able to return later when the power was back on.

Tomorrow Bud and Jed leave in a truck for Altamira (about a 15 hour drive on bumpy roads) with some of our baggage. The rest of us will fly there on Friday. We are thankful for this transitory time in Belem. Thanks for all of your prayers. We covet them over the next couple of weeks especially!

-JTP

And We're Off...

In 24 hours we will be boarding a plane in Chicago that will begin our journey to Brazil. In reality though, we began that journey about 1 year and 3 months ago, when God first started prompting us to move to Brazil. It's hard to believe that the day has come. We are experiencing everything from excitement to fear, and everything inbetween.

We've spent the last couple of weeks saying goodbye (pictured is Ella at a goodbye party with her friends). We've been promising our girls that our goodbyes will be rewarded with lots of hellos. But hellos can be hard too. We again (still) find ourselves in a place where we can only trust our heavenly Father. I think I am becoming more comfortable in this position. I hope I can stay here forever. 

Leaving Behind Candy

Tonight we went trick-or-treating. Brin prepared the kids the last two days by not letting them eat anything with sugar. I'm sure they'll go to bed with stomach aches anyway. One of the things we learned about in our training is how being a part of a new culture will go against everything that we are. Things that are funny or just different at first will later start to just annoy us and we will detest them. Eventually, when we learn to embrace the culture, those feelings will fade.
There are a lot of things in our culture that I don't like. Even things that get on my nerves. But it's still my culture. It's what I'm used to. Our kids, growing up in two different cultures (and a third which is made up of kids like themselves) will be known as 3rd Culture Kids. They will miss out on a lot of things from Brin and my culture, but also experience a lot of great things from the Brazilian culture. But it's a difficult upbringing. Being fully part of no one culture, 3rd Culture Kids feel home in neither. But they are highly adaptable, highly relational and grow up quickly. It's difficult knowing that the decisions I am making for my family may potentially bring pain into their lives. I can live without Halloween. But it's more difficult for me to deprive my kids of the upbringing that has made me who I am. I suppose it's just another area of my life that I'm going to have to release to God.

-JTP

Goodbyes in Chicago

Yesterday we went to Chicago to, we thought, pick up our visas. Instead, we dropped off our passports and they will be mailed to us, with visas stamped, in a week. There's nothing like cutting it close! While in Chicago we ate dinner with and said goodbye to some friends. Gary and Jessica are on there way to Dubai where Gary will be flying for Emirates Airline. We made plans to meet in Johannesburg for the World Cup in 2010.
In the picture Gary is cutting ice cream with a knife, evidently it got a little hard in thier freezer. We will miss hanging out with our friends, but we are grateful for these memories. 

Museum with Chris & Dana

We went to a chilren's museum with Chris & Dana the other day. That counts for homeschooling, right? So will language learning and hikes through the jungle. I will teach gravity jumping from waterfalls and the metric system measuring tarnatulas and snakes (dead ones ) that make the bad decision to enter my yard. She does her math from a DVD, how boring. But she likes it. 

Livin' the good life- while we can

We live in farm country, ya know? So it's fittting to spend our last days in Tremont in a barn. Even if it is spoiling us. But seriously, we feel very blessed to have this place to stay and to be surrounded by friends and family that are praying for us and cheering us on. And to be back to our turf where we can be a part of friends' lives. While we were gone Josh's sister, Rachel, got married, Ben & Joanna went to Guatemala and brought back Joshua, and Dave & Sonya met their new Ethiopian daughters (they will go to Africa 20 days after we leave to get them). Friends moved away and new friends arrived while we were gone and I felt a little sorry for mysef that I couldn't be there to be a part of it all. 

The Beginning and the End

A few months ago we were in church (NCF) and the congregation knelt and sang a chorus with a line in it about trusting God’s timing. Afterward, Brin told me she realized she shouldn’t be uptight about how long we have to wait for our visas. “Time is in His hands, beginning and the end.” Brin sang and allowed God to take away her quest for a countdown to Brazil or having plane tickets in our hands. I have to admit my journey was not as quick. In my head I trust God. I know He knows best, but I still had all these questions. How long can we continue to live on no income? Where are we going to live? We hadn’t heard anything from the Brazilian Consulate for 2 months. We didn’t know what that meant, and I was admittedly getting a little nervous. Every time my cell phone rings I about have a coronary.
Yesterday (Nov. 18th), after several attempts, I got a hold of someone at the Brazilian Consulate and they informed me our visas had been accepted! Unable to fully enjoy the moment, my mind raced ahead to all that we needed to do before leaving in as short as two weeks. In addition to that good news, we learned just a few days ago that we are now at 100% for our financial support. Two things for which we have been waiting for over a month came to a close within three days of each other. Sometimes I wish that I were not so rational, that I could just enjoy the goodness of God and His provision, without immediately looking to the next thing down the road.
When I got the news of our visa, Ella and I were the only ones home. We didn’t want to just come right out and tell mom when she came home. At the time we were playing a game of scrabble (pictured above) so we decided to be subtle. Something our girls and their mother is not known for. It took Brin a little while to get it. I suppose I’ve been like that when it comes to seeing God’s hand of provision.

Here are a few things that are looming that we would appreciate your prayers about:
1. Plane tickets are expensive right now and airlines seem to be booked because Varig, a Brazilian Airline recently went out of business.
2. Jed Stuber (Josh’s 2nd cousin) is planning on going with us to help us move down, we will be applying for his tourist visa when we go to Chicago next week to pick up our visas.
3. We have a lot of luggage. We are grateful for Jed’s help, but hauling 12+ boxes around the airport with 3 kids still seems like a daunting task. Also, we have to make decisions about leaving some things that we don’t have room for.
4. And on a more personal note: we learned a lot at MTI about what might be asked of us as missionaries…becoming part of a new culture without losing our “saltiness”…finding peace with fellow workers who may hold to different doctrines…maintaining closeness with God amidst the fog of adaptation…relating with nationals so they recognize Christs’ centrality in our lives…finding enjoyment in Altimira despite hardships or disappointments. There is a ton more but at heart is the desire to give of ourselves in service to Christ, knowing how much we will have to learn from our teammates at Xingu, nationals, friends and family back home and God. Just writing these things brings up feelings of inadequacy and nervousness as we remind ourselves to be vulnerable and teachable.

 

Back in Tremont

Our days have slowed considerably. We are back in Tremont staying at Sauders Barn and awaiting word on our visa status. I suppose I need to admit to anxious moments, we have not heard anything from the consulate, nothing! It would so comforting to hear a "yes," "no," "maybe," or at least any word that gives us some sort of timeline. But for now we wait. Our goal for Brazil is now mid November.

a dear friend Jane

We stopped for an overnight in Omaha on our way back home. My friend Jane of many years (and many languages, I'm so jealous) was stateside in Nebraska for only a two weeks. She is a fellow pilgrim in the middle east. And as God would so generously provide, she was home during the exact time that we would be traveling through her city. I talked through some things we had learned at MTI, drooled in the Apple store and tried to justify why we each needed a video ipod, and mostly just soaked up each other knowing the goodbye we say might be for many years.

Pilgrims in progress

Josh asked Ella if she was ready to go home and she said yes without hesitation. So Josh asked her where home was. And realizing that answer wasn't obvious she said, "with Stephen, Caleb and Abi." So we head home soon. And I wish I could communicate how it feels to leave people with whom we made some strong bonds and how we have responded to God's presence in all we've done. Frankly it's a little overwhemling so we will speak of it later. For now please celebrate with us that we have grown in self-awareness and God-awareness. Knowing better who we are in relation to God and desiring to live it daily.

Playdoh in the Carpet

The past five weeks have started to wear on Ava and Mia. Mia proclaiming her confusion with tears and really snotty attitudes. Ava communicates hers by dumping 100 ounces of ALL detergent onto the floor (and into one of the dryers we later found out)and then sneaking into the offices and rearranging their belongings; moving papers, pens, picture frames from one cubical and transporting them to another one. She and her accomplice also opened four jars of playdoh and smeared it into the carpet. Of course Josh and I didn't find out until morning-after the staff had already arrived.
So this was good timing for Mom & Dad Distad to arrive for a visit. They gave each girl a night out and plenty of love and attention.
OK. It sounds like we are stressed. We're not. But if we were we would be armed to combat it because today we learned how to deal with stress in class. I realized that I often take a bath for stress management. I won't have a bathtub in Brazil. ~bzp