September 8, 2012: Arrival

Well, I finally made it! After four airports, 3 airplanes, twenty hours, five bags of pretzels, and rushing to get through customs and security at airports that are way too confusing for me, I made it... I'll skip all the traveling stuff since it wasn't very interesting and mostly involved me trying to move around my seat to get a minute of sleep. But there was one story that was pretty cool. When I finally found the gate in Atlanta that was going to Brazil after stuffing my face with mcdonalds (which was my last meal in America, yuck!), I saw many Brazilians preparing to board and my heart skipped a beat. I had waited so long to get back to the people God has given me a heart for and it felt amazing to be there with people that didn't even know me. It was a strange feeling to feel something for these people that didn't know me from any other white american guy. I knew then that Jesus was responsible for giving me a heart for the people of this country and it gave me great comfort.

When I got on the plane, I naturally expected to sit by a Brazilian and practice my portuguese a little, get confused, and go to sleep, but God didn't work it out that way. A little bit after I sat down, a pale-skinned red head girl came and sat next to me. Having been to Brazil before, I knew she was not a Brazilian. So I was really surprised to hear her speaking Portuguese perfectly. After she got off, I couldn't help but see how she was so good and why she was going to Brazil. She quickly opened up and told me about her being a Mormon and that she chose to do her mission work (Mormon men have to go on mission but girls have the choice) and they had sent her randomly to Sao Paulo, Brazil. She had no knowledge of the country and had no idea how to speak Portuguese. However, she just accepted it as God wanting her to go there and went without hesitation. She said it was hard going from door to door in the favelas (slums) every day and trying to speak a language she didn't know to talk about her faith, but that's exactly what she did. Even though I don't agree with her religion and we had different views, I respected her so much for having faith to go to a place and talk about who she thinks God is to random strangers in dangerous places. God helped me to see that I can have faith that He is with me and even though it might be tough, He will protect me and get me through it. And he taught me through a faithful Mormon girl.

When I finally arrived in Brazil, I was too tired to really be excited but I was trying my best. When I finally made it through customs and made sure I wasn't going to be shipped back to America, I stepped outside and felt the cool Brazilian breeze and the exotic trees popping up everywhere, I came alive. After guessing the right airline and finally making it to Recife, everything finally hit me and I realized I would  be here for a long time. When I was taken to my apartment, I quickly started freaking out because, to say the least, it was not what I was used to. The apartment was very small, had no stove, no tv, no hot water, and no washing machine just to name a few things. I started wondering how in the world I would live here for months and be o.k. After all, I was a spoiled American and I needed hot water! But the Lord quickly helped me realize how ridiculous I was being. The people I will be around here have no home usually, no food, and no one to turn to. Compared to them, I still had so much and I should be thankful to even have somewhere to sleep when so many others around me didn't. He quickly humbled me and since then, I have had a peace about living here and know that I'm blessed beyond measure with an amazing family back home, a place to lay my head, and enough food to get by.

God has also blessed me with two of the best guys I know. One is a Brazilian named Robson (pronounced Hobson, which is awesome) and the other an American named Stephen. Both have a heart for the hurting and a deep love for Jesus, both things I hope to have more of here. Robson is probably the nicest guy I've ever met and I feel like he has been my friend for years. He's one of those guys that just goes up to everyone and starts talking to them, no matter what they look like. He's genuine, real, and loves the unlovable. His English is funny sometimes but I can understand him most of the time and when I can't, we speak in Portuguese. Every time he talks about going to the beach, it sounds like he's talking about another word for female dog, and it makes me laugh every time! He wants me to learn Portuguese and helps me with any word he can and he has a heart for the kids of Brazil like me and wants to rescue them all. God has already started blessing me with friends here to make me feel more at home. I hope the Lord gives me faith like his while I'm here because he trusts Him with everything and whatever he's given, he's thankful. He took me all around town last night looking for the perfect Rodizio (pizza buffet) until we found a good one after six places. I want to be selfless like that and learn to put others first whatever the cost.

 Here is some pictures of where I'm living right outside of Recife. Very Yellow! There are also many dogs that are stray that roam around as well as cats. Hopefully, I will have a pet soon! haha Next blog, I will talk about a kid we met on the streets of Recife today and how my heart is already breaking.