Fiel Youth Conference

We just got home from spending the week at the 4th annual Fiel Youth Conference. It took place at a camp in the mountains called Valle dos Cedros-Valley of the Cedars. More than 200 college-age young people were in attendence. The theme of the Conference was "Standing Firm on a Great God". One of our speakers was Pastor Kendall Holley from Louisiana. (pictured below with Rick's parents) It was a fun time of growth for all! James had fun with his many girlfriends on the playground. James and I trying to keep warm as we were "Clue Givers" during a treasure hunt. James made friends with eveyone. In fact, they started calling him the conference mascot. We enjoyed a ride on a paddle boat during one of the afternoon breaks.

On Saturday, we invited the guys to come and play a game of soccer out at the ranch. Actually, it was their idea and we were happy to have them over. They were one man short from making two even teams so guess who volunteered to play? What was I thinking? I hadn't played soccer for 5 years! I was the only gal out on the field, ( no girls play soccer in Brazil) and I prayed the whole time that I wouldn't twist my ankle or pull a muscle! It was a lot of fun and I think the guys were impressed with my playing. Shocked is probably a better word to use! Rick and I had a great time, however, we have been limping from sore muscles the whole weekend! After, the game, some of the fellows jumped into the icy pool and then called it a day and went home. Oh, I forgot to mention on the way out to the ranch, we saw a motorcycle accident. Actually, we didn't see it happen but drove up just minutes after. The two teenage boys were hurt but still alive........as for their motocycle, it burned up in the middle of the road. It appears no other cars were involved. I think they were speeding and lost control. Unfortunately, this is something that happens often in this country.

Last night we took James to the circus. We arrived about 15 minutes late as I got a late start in feeding James his dinner. So we walked into the big tent during the show and James had no idea what was going on. He had a death grip around my neck but after a few minutes he lessened his hold. I wish I could give you a comparison of circuses in the states but I have no memories of this when I was a child. The highlight of the event had to be the two giant, healthy-looking giraffes they led out on leashes. All the children in the stands ran down to the center of the ring and were handed carrots to feed the giraffes. Rick carried James on his shoulders to pet these beautiful animals. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos. James loved the whole thing; what an amazing experience for our little guy!

Mommy reading to her favorite little boy.

James found a new place to relax!

Has anyone seen our horse Patria??? She was stolen from our stables at the ranch. (pictured in the last two photos) Yes, that's right, I said STOLEN! Our caretaker said that during the night someone had cut our barbwire fence, walked down the hill and took her. We think we know who did it. Let me first explain the story. Rick's sister Faith was here on vacation last year and helped us pick out two horses which we bought from our neighbor. He promised us official breeding papers for Patria and said he would later deliver them to us. The other horse didn't have papers as he is mainly used by our farmer to do work around our ranch . So we waited and waited for our neighbor to keep his promise. This was a year ago. After arriving back in Brazil two months ago, we had our accountant friend start calling him asking for Patria's documents. And now the horse has disappeared. Hmmmmm.......... We know who did it but we can't have the police look into it as we don't have the proof (the documents!!)saying Patria belonged to us! This makes me really sad, not only did we loose our best horse but we can't even trust our neighbors!! This is very discouraging to us. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom in this situation.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! (yesterday) Congratulations to 4o years of marriage! I am so proud of you guys....You give us all such a wonderful example. I love you and miss you.

Ricky is home! And everyone is happy at this household! Guess what Nana and Papa sent for James......His very first Radio Flyer tricycle!!! Luckily it folds and is easy to transport. Thank goodness for duffel bags. We pack ours to the hilt every time we travel. Rick also brought me some of my favorites that I can't find here, for example: marshmallows, chocolate chips, maple syrup, ziplock bags and blue cheese salad dressing. Thanks honey! It's good to have you home.

Here is our fruit and vegetable market that takes place behind the city park every Thursday. The produce is fresh and very cheap. For example: a head of lettuce is 50 cents. This is one of my favorite parts of Brazil, fresh fruit and vegetables always. I bought a can of corn once and it was terrible. The crazy thing is that it is more expensive to buy frozen or canned fruits and veggies than fresh. It makes no sense, I know! I thought you would like to see a photo of purple cauliflower. I've never tried it, in fact, this is the first time I've seen it. Also, notice the many varieties of bananas. One of our favorites is the banana maca, a banana that tastes like an apple. It's very interesting. Our market also has a candy stand which James tends to have a mini heart attack if I don't stop. There is also a "salty" stand that sells typical Brazilian munchies. I'm not a big fan. The texture of these snacks is very much like cheese puffs minus the flavor. But children here love them. (double click on the picture to have a better look)

Ricky comes home tomorrow. Yipee! It has been a long 10 days without him. He and Edivanio from the Fiel ministry flew to Denver for the Christian Booksellers Expo this past week. They were also able to spend a few days in Melbourne to check on our house and to take care of some business. They also visited with my family and our home church. I called him last night and they were at Cracker Barrel with my mom. Oh, what pain not being with them eating biscuits and jam! Ha! Well anyway, I had a little party of my own; I had the young people of our church over for some mini pizzas and fondue.( pronounced "foon-gee" in Portuguese) Ricky's nephew Ryan (the redhead) arrived in the morning for a two week visit and I wanted him to meet some of our friends. They stayed until midnight and I crawled into bed when they left. I guess I'm not as young as I thought! At least, not when I chase a toddler all day long with no husband at home to give me a break!

I forgot to include these photos on the last post. They help give an idea of what the fair looked like. As we were getting ready to leave, we noticed everyone gathering in front of the main entrance. All of a sudden, we heard loud drums and saw elaborately dressed people twirling about. A type of parade? Maybe. It looked like the king and queen of the festival was arriving. We needed to have a Brazilian with us!

This is my sweet, beautiful, American friend Stefani. She teaches at the same bilingual school where I used to teach. She is married to a Brazilian and will be in Brazil for a few years before they move back to Texas. It has been such a blessing having her as a friend. (especially one that can understand what I say!) On Saturday, she invited me to a churrasco, a Brazilian BBQ, at the house of her in-laws. It was a nice treat! Later in the evening, we went to Brazil's version of a county fair. It was definitely interesting but way too crowded. Notice the giant puppets. James was a little unsure of the one that had a strange resemblance to Weird Al Yankovic. We also enjoyed looking at all the handmade products from the different regions of Brazil. James made himself at home among the baskets. I couldn't pull him away. I am kicking myself for not buying one. What was I thinking? Home decor and an unbreakable "toy" in one!!

It is almost impossible to hold this little fellow still for a photo!

Here is a photo from our last game vs. France. Yes, we lost. How? I think everyone here is asking that question. It's funny how the day after the disappointing game, the weather was dreary, cold and pouring rain. The whole country was depressed. The children still had fun playing together. Too bad it ended early for us.

Photos from Rick's birthday party




Rick's mother Pearl does a marvelous job hosting parties, so it was decided to have the party at her house Monday night. Not to mention, it is very spacious, something our little apartment is not. Several young people and friends from our church came to celebrate. They enjoyed the sloppy joes, chocolate chip cookies and other American treats we made. There was plenty of food and fun to go around. Mom also sat down at the piano and we sang a few Portuguese hymns. James was a riot! He kept opening his mouth wide and waving his arms around like he was singing and conducting a choir. Everyone had a good laugh. I took a mini video clip of it on my digital camera but can't seem to figure out how to post it on the blog. If anyone knows how, please leave a comment. I would love to share it with you.

Happy Birthday my sweet husband! The big 4-0! Way to take it in stride! I am so proud to be called your wife. Thank you for being a loving, God-fearing husband and a daddy who thinks the world of his son. You have so many wonderful qualities Ricky D! I love you. Thank you Jesus for the partner you sent me. You are so good!

Last Friday, we were invited over to our friends Ariesly and Giovanni's house for dinner. They have a son around the same age as James named Johann. Ariesly plays the piano for our church when Rick's mother is unavailable. She and her husband also own an English school in our neighborhood and they keep super busy. Rick and I have really enjoyed their friendship. It helps too that Ariesly speaks English! The photo to the left is of the men trading the World cup album cards. The cool thing to do during the world cup is to collect cards of all the players of each team. Rick has already completed his album. Now he is trying to help everyone else. Fun Brazil Fact: kitchens in Brazil are always tiled from the floor up to the ceiling. Notice the photos.

James found his swimsuit life vest and decided to model it for me. What a looker!