Our own home!

The past couple weeks have been eventful in that we finally moved into our very own apartment.  We are so thankful to be living within three minutes of the school on foot, next to a nature preserve, and overlooking a park.  Despite being very close to a hectic avenue and gigantic modern shopping mall, our condominium is serene.  All I can hear as I write is the whir of my running computer and the twittering of birds outside our third-story window. 

Our apartment is the most spacious one we have ever had!  We have three bedrooms with built-in closets, cabinets, and desks.  Our kitchen is very clean and cute, as you can see from the picture.  The only thing missing right now is chairs to sit on.  The apartment came furnished, including four cute chairs reminiscent of those in a Parisian café.  However, when we went to sit on them, we fell right through the seats.  We'll need to get them re-caned this week so we can sit at the table to eat.

We are one of two apartments on our floor.  Our next-door neighbors happen to be a family of three from India.  They have been here for three years for work, and they have been so welcoming to us.  Yesterday they invited us over for chai and snacks, and we brought over a pizza Z had just taken out of the oven.  Last week, I invited S (the mother of the family) to speak in my Bible class about Hinduism since we are learning about different world views.  I never thought I would be learning so much about India in Brazil!

Some friends have been asking to share about Brazilian life, but truthfully, we feel somewhat sheltered from it due to where we live in a very modern neighborhood, and also because we are teaching at a school where we are required to speak English all day.  Occasionally, we are in situations in which we feel the discomfort and excitement of being in a foreign country, such as this morning when we visited a local church.  What we need to do is find some Brazilian friends who will show us the way so we can become part of the local community here.

This week was a challenge emotionally.  At the beginning of the week, I was feeling overwhelmed from teaching full-time.  I am so exhausted at the end of the day that all I can do is sit on the couch and stare for a few hours.  My voice is often tired out and this causes me to feel tired overall.  By Thursday, I started to feel refreshed again because I had a slower work day.  Then, Z seemed to catch what I had and was feeling like he could not go on any longer.  (I have never seen Z quite like this before.)  He is preparing five different courses, which according to Z, is not possible to do without compromising some of the content or activities.  He is still trying to figure out a way to teach to the best of his ability while also managing his health and stress level better.  Please pray that we may soon find answers to our prayers and be able to better discern the Lord's will for us.

On the brighter side, we have reached a rather important decision in regards to our visa status.  After much thought and prayer, we have decided to work as volunteers (that is to say, foregoing our salaries) at the school until we get our work visas (or until our tourist visas give out and we have to leave).  We agreed that it is better to follow the law and keep a clear conscience.  It is indeed a leap of faith, but with the school providing housing for us, we are confident that Lord will find other ways to provide us with food and other comforts.

We also made it to Ipanema Beach and Leblon this weekend for the first time.  The bus ride there was a very scenic route with ocean views.  I do prefer our local beach better because it’s quieter, but how exciting to be where the “Girl from Ipanema”originated!

We look forward to hearing from you all.  Please let us know how we can encourage you and pray for you.  Until next time…