Saudades!

Picture of our Brazilian family (sans kids)

Bel and Wedja

Sandro and Djane's family

Maragogi church after evening service

Fellowship after church spills out into the street

Nathaniel is in Brazil documenting the Mission and Mission Aid work from the Canadian Reformed Churches in the northeast of  Brazil for the past 40 years.  You can check out his facebook group at Brazil Documentary 2012 .  Here he is trying Moizes' famous octopus.

Waving us off!

A view of downtown Recife as we head to Aldeia.

More people sending us on our way.

Pre-flight happiness

Goodbye Recife!

BIG NEWS!

This news is actually a week old already, but I think Shaun and I had to process the reality of it before we made it public knowledge:

OUR BUSINESS NOW HAS A BANK ACCOUNT IN BRAZIL!

Next up: What do we need to apply for our Visas.....

I Left My Heart...

Well, I left half my heart in Brazil.

This past week has been interesting.  There have been many observations about what I missed about Canada while I was in Brazil.  Some of these things are superficial, such as conveniences that we have no idea we have (think dishwashers, not having to put toilet paper in the garbage, dropjes, able to buy in bulk, inexpensive children's clothing that will not fall apart, the cultural and recreational opportunities here (plays and concerts the church community puts on, the church soccer/hockey leagues, swimming lessons)).  Some of these are slightly more understandable (think smooth roads and actual rules on the road, a washing machine that fits a normal sized load, large fridges, less mosquitoes (as of yet), speaking English, less tropical illnesses, health care I'm used to, specifically a doctor I trust).

In fact, I was thinking that it was crazy that we even thought about moving to Brazil.  Seriously, we have everything here.  And I mean, everything.  Or maybe I should say everything we are used to.  Because we wouldn't know if we didn't have it, I guess.

Then yesterday, a friend of ours wrote something about arriving in Peroba on facebook, and I started looking at pictures of our last week there, and I became rather tearful.  And I didn't even know I had emotion after I left.  I was so sad when we left, and even before, thinking about leaving, but after we left, I was just excited to be here in Canada.  I thought I was rather cold and maybe I was an odd person that just could like where I was, when I was there.

Now, unfortunately, I am ruined forever.  I can't be one place without missing another.  How do people do it when they move all over?  Do they leave pieces of their heart everywhere?  Does this feeling fade?  How do I stay connected to both places?

In my mind, there is no doubt that it would be easier to stay here.  Okay, that's not true, there's a lot of things that would be difficult staying here.  Deciding what to do if we stay here is the biggest one.  And missing our Brazilian family.  The people there are warm and welcoming.  The natural beauty is breathtaking.  The pace of life is more relaxed.  There's huge opportunity for business.

What is really strange, is I would never call myself a person who becomes close to people quickly.  I wondered how it was that I grew so close to people after only 3 months (plus I guess the 2 months almost 2 years ago).  One of my conclusions is that "a friend in need is a friend indeed."  When we are in need and there is a friend there supporting us even through that time, that is a true friend.  In general maybe in Canada we are more isolated, we have everything we need, we have our set support system, we don't feel like we "need" people.  But Shaun and I had to rely on our new friends rather quickly.  We had to trust them, we had to ask for help with sorting out our business/banking issues, we had to hope that they enjoyed our company in spite of our limited Portuguese.  And we are so grateful to these good friends, who did not seem to mind having us over for lunch every Sunday, who took off of work to try to get our bank account going, who put up with our children when they at times had difficulty adjusting to the changes, who opened up their homes in Recife when we needed a place to stay for a night or two.  So maybe that is why we feel so attached, how we made good friends so quickly.  They affected our lives and who we are so quickly.

So when I think about Brazil and what I love and what I miss, it does end up being the friends we made.  It is like an act in our life with a different backdrop, and in the end that is not what matters.  What is important is that we have found a wonderful community of friends in both of these "acts", people to rely on and bless us, and we pray that wherever we end up, we can be a blessing to these people as well.

And hopefully along the way, I can learn to live with missing some people while enjoying the others, and know that it is sad to leave, and happy to arrive, and believe that no matter where we are, we have friends in both places.  And what a comfort we have, that we will see each other again, no matter where we end up in life!

On Our Way!

Our last Sunday (and last full day) here in Peroba.  Here comes the hard part, saying goodbye.  And currently we don't know when we are coming back, so that makes it harder.  Tomorrow we drive up to Recife, stay with friends there overnight, and then head to the airport Tuesday morning for the 29 hour trip home.  So excited to see BOTH our sets of parents when we get home to Canada.  Happy Mother's Day to our dear mothers!  We can't  wait to see you!

Here's a few photos of the last two weeks.  Like I mentioned, we decided to "go on holidays" as there was nothing else we could do.  So we checked out a bunch of different beaches around here, as well as the manatee reserve around an hour away.

What would holidays be without delicious watermelon!  This is at the beach in Barreiras do  Boqueirao.

This is the beach of Peroba, right where we live.

Last weekend was a full moon (the super moon you may have heard of).  This meant the tides were extra low and extra high, so we headed out to try find some cool animals.  This was the first hermit crab we found.

Shaun found a Brazilian and wanted to get a picture with the little kid.

We could walk out to the reef, but most of it was still around a foot under water, and it was actually really windy and not too sunny, so it was difficult to find sea creatures.

Suddenly we realized there were millions of hermit crabs all around.

Seth's last day of school.  He hadn't been as keen to go as the first little bit, but I would have it often in Canada as well, that I had to force him out the door and he was fine once he was there.  Notice how he's sitting in the very back of the class?  He told us a story a few weeks back how some kid was kicking him out of his seat, so I wonder if this is the fallout: he finds a seat that is far away from everyone!

Hazel in her class.  Notice she is right at the teacher's desk.  She definitely likes to play up her tears to get the teacher's attention I think!

To get to the Manatee Reserve we had to cross a river to a town called Porto do Pedras.   The Manatee Reserve is called  in Portuguese the Santuario do Peixe Boi.  Now unfortunately Shaun and I got ripped off by the guide we got a hold of, so I am going to explain how to get there yourself so you don't have to phone a guide.  You find the ferry pictured above on the south side of Japaratinga, through some suburbs of Japaratinga (Bitingui, Barreiros do Boqueirao, then Boqueirao, then Pontal).  When you get to the end you get to this ferry (called a balsa).  The ferry costs 10R each way.  You cross into Porto do Pedras, and take a left, drive through all the city, then past another little suburb, then you have to drive around 3 more km before you reach a sign on your left saying "Passeio do Peixe Boi."  You turn there and then drive and drive and drive down a sandy "road."  You will pass a sign on your right for the actual conservation project, but that is for people who work there.  You just keep driving.  Then you see a sign for the Passeios do Peixe Boi on your right, turn there and voila, a little parking lot.  For ages 6 and up it is 35R.  

This is one of the balsas. 

Porto do Pedras.

Once you go to the area where guides are, they take you on these boats in the river, where currently there are 10 manatee.  The river has a little fence towards the mouth of the river, to keep the manatee in.   My understanding is they will find injured or sick manatee, sometimes up in the Amazon or wherever, and bring them here to nurse them back to health and introduce them back into the wild.  The boats are not allowed to have motors.  Also, note that you should bring lifejackets for your young children as they do not have them.  I may be paranoid, as the river is not so deep, but the river also is murky.                                 

Lyla was not that enjoyable of a companion, particularly as she did not have a lifejacket of course. 

There was some beautiful scenery.

There is more of an enclosure where some are kept and where they are fed from.  They eat lettuce and carrots, and grow up to 500 kilos.

This is around as close as we got to seeing one :(
This one was eating, and they eat underwater.  They can stay under between 5 and 13 minutes and then only come up for a quick breath of air.

It's Breathing!

On the way back across the ferry.

We had lunch on the beach, and I think this was Seth's favorite part of the day: a million little crabs,  two starfish (he thinks), and other little animals.

I'll finish off blogging our trip once we get back to Canada and I unload the rest of my pics.  Ate Mais!  See you all Wednesday!

Love the Raaps  

It is Not Possible...

***I wrote this post last week Thursday, and didn't publish it, thinking that maybe it was just one of those days where I was looking at everything in a negative light.  We currently are getting set to head back to Canada in a week, so I'm feeling a bit glum trying to build up enthusiasm for packing and saying goodbye here.***

It is not possible...to have our bank account before we leave Brazil.  We also are concerned about the length of time it could/will possibly take to buy and renovate the land we have been eyeing, as well as order the machinery we need.   We obviously can't do anything with the land or machinery until we have our bank account.  Having a down day thinking about all the hiccups we've experienced.  It's been a long couple of years waiting to actually do this, and we wonder how much longer we will wait until the business is functioning.  And as much as we enjoy this lifestyle, and the amazing adventure it has been, do we continue living off of love :) as we wait for the business to be paying us.

To be honest, in my mind I always imagined being back in Canada in a "short-ish" time, maybe at most five years.  But seeing how long everything has taken, are we looking at longer than that?  Can I think about the possibility of longer without panicking?

Shaun is in Forteleza tonight and tomorrow for some meetings.  Hopefully it will provide him with the clarity that I don't have.  I am so excited to see my family and friends in THIRTEEN days, but also so sad that we are leaving here yet again.  There are some amazing people here and I'm so thankful for our neighbours especially, as well as other good friendships we've made and strengthened.

So, can anyone who is completely completely neutral, without any thought in their head about wanting us either here in Brazil or there in Canada, tell us if there is a logical resolution to this problem?  Or is it one of those "what is right for your family" sort of deals, and you can always look at it from both sides?  The point of our venture is to run a successful business that benefits the community, as well as provides for our family, not have a five year adventure where we live off of our savings.

So then my other question is, how do you know God's will in situations like this?  Can I type it in google: should Shaun and Brenda stay in Brazil?  If we keep hitting roadblocks, is that a sign?  If we decide to stick it out, is that God's will?  If some people tell us it's a great idea, or a horrible idea, is that advice we should listen to (think of many of the Proverbs that talk about listening to advice and heeding instruction)?  Or as it does not seem to be out of line with anything Biblical, is it more a matter of how we feel about it?  As I was looking through the Proverbs I also caught this one:

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed (Pr. 16:3).

We definitely have spent many years praying about this.  However:

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps (Pr. 16:9).

***So Here's An Addendum to this post***
I did end up having a good conversation with some friends of ours here in Brazil the next day while Shaun was gone, and it was somewhat enlightening.  A bit funny because I told them that no one is neutral about where we go... implying that I think we are wanted everywhere :)  If we are doing things for godly reasons, such as benefiting the community, or providing for our family, it is possible that any way we go could be within God's will: that is, his will for a godly walk of life.  Seems like it makes it more difficult, possibly.  And in spite of that, easier.  We want to move here.  We believe that this business venture can be successful in a way that benefits many in the community with work and improved business knowledge.  We hope in some small way to contribute to the small church community here.

So in analyzing whether this business is feasible (if it ever opens ;), Shaun had more good news in Forteleza, where he met with a company that makes the machinery and another government organization that consults with agricultural companies.  There seems to be a continued and even increased interest in the product, which renewed yet again Shaun's excitement.  So we continue on, knowing we have good intentions, we've done our research, and most of all, we've asked for guidance and blessings from the Lord.


Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, 
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
~Psalm 127: 1-2

Now all we have to do is continue in our lesson of patience...

Sea Turtle

Walking on the beach... we see vultures circling around something on the beach... I'm thinking it is a small shark.  Almost as cool, a dead sea turtle!  It is half eaten, so if that sounds gross to you, don't look any further :)