Making the Days Exciting

A couple months before I left for Brasil, the BCM intern asked me what I was most excited about in going to Brasil. Then, I answered, 

“Getting stamps in my passport!”

Ha.

At that point, that’s all my mind could come up with being excited about. As the weeks went on before my departure, I started getting excited about building on the foundation the previous Hands On students, Corey and Erika, laid out for us.

Now, after being here for almost five weeks, 

I’ve found new things to be excited about.

Sure, there are big things I get excited about.

Being able to tell Chris and Melody I made a new friend.

The open doors at UNILINGUAS.

The chance to take Portuguese classes at Achieve.

Christ centered conversations.

But there are so many small things that are exciting.

E-mails from my Padre of fish and snakes and his garden.

The impending care package.

Seeing people’s reactions and convictions from the words I write.

Seeing people share my words.

At our team meeting on March 5^th, Chris and Melody made hamburgers. 

I have never been so excited in my life to eat a hamburger.

Waking up in the morning and smelling the bolo Isabel is already baking.

Grilled pineapple with cinnamon.

Rice and beans at RU.

Ice cream cones.

Waking up in the middle of the night, hearing the rain patter against the roof, 

and knowing that, even if for just a few hours, the heat is being washed away.

Having GMoney set up a Skype conversation with some of your favorite people.

Hearing that The Girls are, indeed, learning at school.

Catching a breeze while waiting on a bus.

Getting on the correct bus.

Getting to the top of the stairs just as the train is pulling up.

Fresh, dry, laundry off the line.

Coming home to find the boys stayed up late because 

they wanted to play a game with me.

Pictures of Kamryn.

The cold or hot shower at the end of a hot day.

Talking about mother-in-laws with my host parents.

Planning a seven year old boy’s upcoming birthday party.

The jokes within my team.

(Knife, knife, knife!)

(FALLA INGLÊS?!?!)

(Urubu.)

Getting off the train, the smell of brownies and 

knowing that I am almost home.

Being able to say I’ve been to a football game in one of 

the most legendary football countries of the world.

Inevitable awkward moments.

Finding new blogs to read.

An electric bug repellent.

Reading new genres of books.

Then there are the things that normally wouldn’t sound exciting.

Asking for help.

Differences of opinions.

Answering the tough questions.

Having areas that need some extra attention pointed out.

Seeing the flaws in my native culture.

Working through my struggles and doubts with other people.

Over the last five-ish weeks, I’ve noticed random things being exciting. I’ve noticed normal things being exciting (I mean, we all know I loved dessert in the States.). I’ve noticed that I’m excited about the change that’s taking place in my life and around me. Things I couldn't even imagine

 before now are exciting to me.

Did I do that in the States? 

Did I notice when the sun was shining just right through the clouds? 

Did I notice the actions of grace and love around me? 

Did I notice little exciting things?

Or did I just focus on the negative things? 

Did I brush over the exciting things to dwell on the negative things? 

Did I force others to also dwell on negative things?

Oh how it is my prayer that I will continue to find things exciting. I hope that I can turn negative events into exciting things. I pray that, as time goes on, the little things will not just become routine. I pray my eyes stay open to little things. God, thank You for being found in the excitement. 

Thank You for making Yourself known and pouring out blessings.

Can you tell I’m excited?

Taylor Lea

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:18

I wrote this yesterday...

I just got home after our weekly team meeting at Chris and Melody’s. We have this meeting to come back together and celebrate what God did in the past week and be encouraged for the upcoming week.

How it works:

We talk about our weekends. What we did, where we went, who we saw/met… If we have something from the week we want to share, we do that too. After that, we go over our cultural assignment from the week before. Tonight we talked about how Brasilian’s carry themselves and why it is that way. We compare what we see to what we know in the States. When we’re done with that, we either watch the weekly video for David Platt’s Follow Me or go over the homework, depending on which week it is. Tonight we watched the video. After the video, it’s dinnertime. Always a good time. Melody (and Chris) cooks for us; we clean up. It’s a great system with great food. The time after dinner varies week to week. Tonight we talked about how our schedules were about to change.

Let me throw it out there that during the Follow Me video I got a headache that turned into a splitting headache with a side of nausea really quickly. I would have loved to go back to my house and crawled in bed until the morning. Pride kept me from asking to go home. I didn’t want to leave in the middle of our meeting, didn’t want to be the only one not there. I didn’t want to miss out on the new information we got, on the “family” time around the table, on hearing Michael’s (Chris and Melody’s son) “Gotcha Day” story. 

So, I took a quick nap, and sucked it up.

Back to the story.

After dinner, Chris and Melody started to fill us in on the changes that were coming our way. You probably know, I don’t really like change, so this was difficult for me.

You mean after I’ve gotten into this routine that works, I now have to start over? What about the people I’ve been hanging out with? Are these things really going to work?

These were all questions that ran through my mind. Looking back, I can see that there was some actual concern, but a lot of it stemmed from doubt the enemy was throwing my way. I wasn’t looking at this the way I should have been… These are opportunities from the Lord.

We went on talking about the new things headed our way. What we thought might not work because of what we’ve gathered since being on campus the last couple weeks. What we thought could become overwhelming. What we thought might be beneficial.

Then the conversation got turned around. As it often does. We started talking about our mission here. What is our calling? What is church? What, as Christ’s disciples, are we supposed to be doing?

We’ve talked about this before. A lot, actually. Chris likes to repeat this conversation. Some might look at this as boring and draining. I find it grounding because I know that my leader is consistent. So, we’ve talked about this before, but never before has it made me want to cry so badly.

What is church?

I’ve never really had to think about this question before. I was raised to think that “we are the church” and we just go meet on Sunday morning at a building called a church. Even when I went to school at Southern, after everyone said “Oh your faith will be questioned so much at the university” and so many other things, I never had to question what the church was and what it does.

When I came down to Sao Leopoldo, I definitely didn’t think I would be questioning the church. I mean I’m working with missionaries, right?

Nope.

Since I’ve been down here, I’ve experienced a new and different kind of burden and guilt. Things I’ve been taught and have practiced, essentially, all of my life are being questioned. Not by unbelievers, yet by my supervisors and myself. Woah.

Chris and Melody have called us down here to make friends. When I explained that to people before I left, I got mixed reactions. Some laughed and some questioned it saying, “That’s it? You’re going five months to Brasil to make friends?” That hurt. It hurts now to think about those reactions.

Very few understood the severity of that calling.

There’s a second part to our calling. We want to make friends with the intention and prayer of seeing them become followers of Christ. A true follower of Christ. Not one that raises their hand because the Americans asked them to. Not one that comes to these huge events the Americans are hosting. A true follower of Christ who develops a relationship with the Lord. A relationship that sees good times, bad times, struggles, joy, laughter, tears.

Our mission isn’t to make the most friends we possibly can while we’re down here. Our mission isn’t to invite all of these unbelievers to our “church” that will meet on Sunday night. Our mission isn’t to rope them in with 

prizes or huge events.

We’ve been told to “go where they are.” Go hang out with the people. Go to coffee shops, go to football games, go to the mall, go to the movies, go to the nail salon, go to dinner, go to lunch, go to the campuses.

Go. Not invite.

The first church didn’t invite the unbelievers to their church. The first church went out to the danger, to the hate, to the mockery, to the death. 

The first church went out to the people.

Then, they came together as a group of believers. A group who needed restoration, encouragement, advice, help, prayer, guidance.

 A group who called upon the Lord. A group who praised the Lord for what was happening out there.

I’m learning that this is the way a church should be. 
I’m gaining an understanding as to why it should be like this. 
I see things in myself that I want to change.

So why did I want to cry tonight?

My entire view on the way church is conducted is being reshaped. Everything I’ve known is about to change. I myself am about to change so much, and I won’t be able to express fully what I’ve learned to the people at home. My heart is breaking for the unbelievers I could have spent time with back in the States. I’m thinking about my family and friends and wondering if there will be tension in our relationships because I now see things differently. I thought about how poorly I was doing at honoring the greatest thing Christ asked us to do; make disciples.

What I thought was keeping me at the team meeting wasn’t pride, but the Lord’s plan for me to talk these things through with my supervisors and teammates. He’s laying the groundwork for a HUGE time of growth in my life.

Does it scare me? Yes. But oh, how excited I am to see what the Lord has in store for me. I’ve been in Sao Leopoldo for a month now, and I’ve learned so much about so many different things. I still have four more months of learning and growing and seeking. Yay!

I walked away from the meeting tonight a little shaken up. My mind was racing and floating and spinning. After spending some time thinking it through, my mind is still doing those things, however not in a state of fear, 

rather a state of anticipation.

Lord, thank You for keeping me at the meeting tonight. Thank You for Chris and Melody. Thank You for the years of experience they have. For the comfort and reassurance they can bring. Thank You for teammates who are patient while I ask question upon question, trying to work through this. God, I pray that I continue to grow. I pray that I don’t get complacent with just what I know now. God, I pray that I remember this is a process. Help me to look for You in the ordinary places.

I’ll probably be thinking this through for a while,

Taylor Lea

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, 

because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Jeremiah 33:3

the days are so much ...

Okay, I'm a terrible blogger. Someone asked me before I left if I was going to post everyday. I laughed then, but little did I know I'd have trouble posting every week. Or every other week at that. 

Once I sit down to blog, I can't think of what to say. So much has happened. So much has been learned. So many people have been met. So much food has been eaten. So. Much.

There have been ups and downs as I've gotten used to living in Sao Leopoldo. It's been a little over four weeks since I said goodbye to my family and friends. It's been a little over three weeks since I got to Brasil and Sao Leopoldo. It's starting to sink in that this isn't a one week, two week, one month trip. 

This is my life. 

So much has happened.

I have visited three different university campuses. I've gone "camping" with a huge group of new friends. I've gone to five or six different cities around Sao Leopoldo. Some fifteen minutes away, some two and a half hours away. I've walked, rode bus, train, car and now paddle boats. I've gotten on the wrong bus, walked into the wrong building, said the wrong thing in Portuguese. I've waded through mini lagoons when the city has "flooded" from rain. I've shopped. I've been to a birthday party. 

So much has been learned.

My host mom and I have a great system where at the end of the night, when we are settling down, we work on our languages. She asks me questions she has about English. (English is such a random ((and forgive me, sometimes stupid)) language.) I struggle through trying to find an answer to those (How do you describe the difference between "would, could, should, maybe, might"? Ponder on that a bit.) and we discuss that. Then, I tell her the new Portuguese words I learned that day. Some nights I have five to ten words I can tell her. Other times, I'm scrambling to come up with one or two. It's caused me to become more aware of what I'm hearing with the people and to be intentional when remembering them.  I'm loving this system. It's a fun time with my host mom, Fabie. Lots of laughs and lots of head scratching take place during this time. 

Other than the language, I've learned a lot about the culture. After I saw the city "flood," I understood on a better level why we throw our toilet paper in a small trash can rather than flushing it. I've learned a lot about the bus system. You can't just ride and ride and ride. You've got to get off or the bus driver is going to kick you off. (Dumb American Card comes in handy during this adventure.) I've learned a lot about the students. College is not a life style for them like it is for us in the States. They work ten hour days, drive a couple hours to the class at night, then drive a couple hours home. Repeat. I've learned about why they walk with a purpose at all times. I've learned so much about this lifestyle that it's become normal to me. I have to ask "Why do they do it that way?" to gain understanding.

So many people have been met.

I couldn't even begin to list all of the names of the people I've met so far. It's so exciting to be introduced to Brasilians by Brasilians; it has helped with feeling at home here. I am happy that the people I've met want me to meet their friends and their family. I'm building connections and relationships with every introduction. I've spent a lot of time with two girls in particular. 

Luana and Dani. 

Luana has such a sweet nature, and she wants to show her culture off to me and the rest of the group. She wants us to feel at home! (SO grateful for this!) We've laughed at the way us Dumb Americans pronounce different Portuguese words. We've cheered on runners, and we've made dessert together. Luana has filled us in on the parts of culture that you won't learn in a "Brazil for Dummies" book. I met Dani when we went camping. Dani helped Hannah Morrison and I struggle through the camping weekend. She really encourages us to learn Portuguese. We've all laughed at the English word "squirrel" and "stoichiometry." We've walked around campus in the rain, and she's helped us get to the right bus stop. I've had so much fun with Luana and Dani so far!

So much food has been eaten.

Emphasis on the "so much." Oh, the food. I've eaten food that I've loved - let me tell you about this dessert from this family owned Italian restaurant - and food I haven't cared too much for - not a fan of chicken hearts. It seems I can never get full here. Chris and Melody joke because when ever they see the group, we're stuffing our faces and they question if our host homes are feeding us. (They are.) My host home has a lady who cooks lunch every weekday. Isabel. Isabel makes some awesome mashed potatoes and "bolo." Bolo is "cake" in Portuguese and was one of the first words I really learned. Imagine that. Brasilians want you to try their food. You have to pace yourself. There is this one "por kilo" (by weight) restaurant on the UNISINOS campus that has the most amazing rice and beans. There are random times when I will be craving rice and beans. Hannah West finds this extremely funny. Hannah Morrison and I are always like "Where's the dessert? Where's the chocolate?" 

This Brasilian food is great. 

So. Much. 

The Lord has blessed me So. Much. in these last four weeks. No way did I think I would be this comfortable after only three weeks. No way did I think I would have the connections I have now. No way did I think I would have learned so much about the city and culture. No way did I think I would be doing this well. Chris and Melody have talked to us a lot about seeing God throughout our days. It doesn't always have to be the big things. God is in the ordinary things too. God is there when we get on the right bus, when we catch a couple Portuguese words, when we converse with people on campus and in our host homes. 

God's presence throughout the day is such a blessing. 

I'm excited about the so much more to come. I have the rest of March, April, May and June. So much can happen, be learned, be met and be eaten in that time. I am praying God works in a mighty way in and through me! I am praying for my teammates. Thanking God that they're going through this adventure with me and praying that they meet their people. 

Thank You, Lord, for loving on me in Brasil.

Taking in the so much,

Taylor Lea

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.

Psalm 27:4

My cup overflows as if it were alive.

Psalm 23:5

(Aramaic Bible in Plain English)