Musings

There was a “recolhimento” today while we were down in Lapa. Basically, the cops come, pick up the kids that weren’t lucky or smart enough to run away before they pulled out their guns, and take them to a central location, some sort of children’s court, where they’re logged and then sent on to shelters. They run away from the shelters and boom! they’re back in Lapa. Only four boys were picked up today. I’m not sure if I should be happy that the cops are doing something which could be beneficial for the kids, or if it’s just another example of how much the city wishes they could just sweep the street kids away like so much accumulated trash in the
gutter.

I’m excited that my computer is now connected to the internet. Of course, we still just have one phone line, which makes things complicated, but it’s so much easier than typing everything out on my computer and then inventing creative ways to transfer it to Rich and Rebecca’s...

Junior’s birthday was Sunday and we had a little family party after church, which was fun. I got to play with some of his nieces and nephews, who are just too cute! Little Mateus is only about 2 years old and everything within his chubby arm’s reach has to be hidden or locked away because he’s fond of chewing. And grabbing. And breaking. I’ve been trying to win him over for weeks and I’ve finally hit on the key: fish faces. He loves them! And now I get all the baby kisses I could want! The older two girls are darling, all brown eyes and long, long blonde curls. They kept on looking at me like I was an alien...and I couldn’t help but recall this story about a friend of ours down here. He’s married to a Dutch lady, and when they were dating, she was still learning Portuguese. The first time he brought her to meet his family, one of his nieces pulled him aside and said, “Tio Fernando, why are you dating a woman who is mentally handicapped???” Sometimes I wonder if people don’t think the same thing about me...when I told this story to Junior and his mother, she collaped into giggles, howling all the way out of the room...

Maybe that’s a sign that I should start Portuguese classes again.

This week will be hectic, with our church’s anniversary celebrations and a group of American missionaries coming in, who may or may not need translation help; another group of Americans coming in on super-short notice for something akin to a missions trip; my last-minute visa worries; lesson planning for the music classes that start next week; and, of course, all of our scheduled weekly activities as well. I’m already looking forward to the weekend!