Well the wedding was nice and interesting and long - about 1 hour. Which wouldn't have been so bad except that it was all in Portugese so it was a tad difficult to follow. But the bride was beautiful of course and their faces were beaming so that translates in any language:) The reception wasn't quite 4 hours long - maybe just a couple - but there were definitely many cuts of meat brought to the table just as in a restaurant we went to. It is really neat but a little overwhelming to be eating one piece of meat and then have 3 or 4 more offered in rapid sucession. Plus a huge salad bar and dessert. Whew! It was a pleasure and honor to attend and to see my parents up front as the "parents" for the groom.

Today we are driving to the beach per my mother's wishes and as I am really a guest on their trip, who am I to argue?? I love the beach!! And yes I said driving. We rented a car and I have been the designated driver for the last several days. It has been fun and my driving experience in Ghana has been extremely helpful. Actually the traffic and driving habits here are quite tame compared to Accra. I mean there are lanes marked and people drive in them - other than the insane motorcyclists who do whatever they please - and there are many traffic lights and stop signs and those are obeyed. And I hardly ever hear a horn which is just weird! So the driving itself has been good. It is the navigating that is very challenging. There are many one way streets and it seems like we make circles after circles to actually end up where we are going - even when following a native. The signs are in Portugese which is hard but overall we have done a great job and have enjoyed it. A friend of the groom from the states has been hanging out with us and he is really good with directions and getting us home from places unknown. He is an unbelievably intelligent IT guy from Washington and he seems to already have a map of the city imbedded in his brain. We will all miss his navigational skills when he leaves today.

A couple of days ago the four of us went golfing. I hadn't intended to golf but my mom really wanted me to so I did. It was the first time in about 3 years and I fully expected it to be awful. The first hole was. I kept swinging and missing the ball. Never a good start to golfing. But as we went on and I stayed relaxed about it, the ability to play the game came back a bit and so I really enjoyed it. My dad was happy to have achieved his goal of golfing in another foreign country.

We haven't really done much tourist stuff b/c of the wedding and also b/c of the city we are in. While it is beautiful and clean and interesting it isn't a tourist area. Nonetheless we have enjoyed ourselves and have found the Brazilian people in general to be extremely kind and friendly - going out of their way to help us with directions, reservations, etc. etc. If only I knew Portugese... :)

First impressions of Brazil

Some of you know that I am in Brazil right now. My parents were coming here for a wedding and invited me to go along when I returned from Ghana. What a gift. Sao Paulo where we flew into is a huge sprawling city. It reminded me of Accra and America at the same time. The roads and traffic signals, etc. are very similar to the states. The actual driving and traffic are like Accra! The motorcyclists here do the same thing as they do in Accra which is drive between the lines of cars on any road they care to. It is crazy!! The poor areas here are immense with shacks packed close together all over the hillsides. They reminded me of the slum areas in Cape Town, South Africa. The dichotomy between the rich and the poor is very evident. I can´t think of any poor areas I have seen in the states that can touch what I have seen in Ghana, South Africa and now Brazil.

We drove 2 hours north to Campinas where we are staying and where the wedding will be performed. I haven´t seen a ton of the city yet but it is very modern and like cities in the states. Last night the groom and bride to be took us to a real Brazilian restaurant. It was amazing. Those of you who have heard of the restaurant "Carnivores" will understand what I experienced a little bit. As soon as we were seated we were inundated with servers bringing us all types of little appetizer things and then skewers of meat. They simply stand by your plate and offer you the selection and cut off how much you want right there. Unlike Carnivores we weren't offered strange meats like camel, but they came in rapid fire with skewer after skewer. It became quite comical after awhile. And of course everything was amazingly good. Then after all this meat, there is a huge salad bar, followed by a dessert tray where again you can select a sample of several things. I am resigned to the fact that I will weigh 100 more pounds than I do now by the time I leave this country. The bride told me at the restaurant that "this was nothing. We will have 26 meats served at the wedding reception". TWENTY-SIX. Did I even know there were 26 ways to cut beef? Good grief. She said to be prepared to eat for about 4 hours. I so did not bring the right dress for this. Really burka would be so much better than the cute little dress I will be wearing. I may explode at that wedding. But really I am excited to be here and to be able to go to the wedding. It will be a real Brazilian one with all the ethnic traditions, etc. I can't wait.

Side note: I am typing this on a Brazilian keyboard which is rather different than a US one so if there are weird or gross typing errors try to ignore them.

The bride and groom met over the internet. No not through E-Harmony or one of those but the internet nonetheless. It really is rather romantic:) Regina was searching for evangelistic ministries and information in Canada but something popped up from the US and was interesting to her. She corresponded with Lee about this ministry he has in the states about his work and materials, etc. Through their theological discussions and sharing they discovered that they had a lot in common and as these things go, the relationship grew from there. For about a year and a half, they communicated by email and phone - never seeing each other in person until Lee moved here about 2 months ago to prepare for the wedding. Of course they exchanged pictures and all but still...they just met face to face a short while ago. Most of you are probably thinking how silly and dangerous and whatever that is but I think it is awesome. Romance isn't dead!! :) They are adorable together and those that know them well here - especially her family - are very approving. It is neat to hear Lee talk about my father and his important role in his life. My dad teaches at Bible Study Fellowship and Lee was a participant in that study for 10 years. Since Lee's parents are gone, he really has no family left. In a very real sense my parents are his parents at this wedding and I have been embraced as a sister. It is so cool and we are all very honored to be here. My parents will even have a role in the wedding!! Lee and Regina are amazingly on fire for the Lord and are involved with a church plant here. They live in the poorer areas near where they serve and their hearts for the lost cannot be missed. I am inspired to be with them and have enjoyed hearing their stories and how they freely share their love for the Lord. What a gift to be here - much more than I ever expected!

So today we will be going with Lee and Regina and another friend of theirs from the states to see the city of Campinas and I am sure eat some more. I am glad they suggested walking in the park b/c that will be necessary with all this eating. I may have to take up running - which by the way I think might actually be a sin:)

I'll write more later and of course there will be pictures at some point. I want to say Obrigada - thank you - for reading and sticking with me through all this transition. Talk to you soon.

The crazy and fun part of being in Colorado

I may write more of the details of the debriefing time I went through in Colorado this past week but for now I just want to post some pictures and details of the fun and relaxing things I got to do which were really needed!!

Some photos from my time out west

These are the 5 single gals who spent quite a bit of time together at our debriefing in Colorado. They were all a source of encouragement and fun for me. L-R: Heather - Mexico, Tina- Central African Republic, Margaret!!, Ari - Russia









Pike's Peak from the back porch at The Hideaway where we had our debriefing time. It was a beautiful retreat place with trails, woods, birds, swings, etc. etc. A real place to rest and process what has happened over the last year or more.








Friday night after the debriefing Margaret and I went to an out door concert. We had already bought tickets weeks ago so the fact that it rained all day was not going to stop us from attending! Somehow we still enjoyed it and have a great memory to boot. Oh yes, we also spent the night in the back of her Aztec with too few blankets and no mattress in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We turned the car on for about 2.5 hours in the middle of the night without cracking a window b/c we were freezing! Praise the Lord we didn't die of carbon monoxide poisoning. We'll remember to crack the window next time:)

On our drive back to Chicago from Colorado Springs, Margaret and I decided to take the scenic route through S. Dakota. We went through Custer State Park and saw the hundreds of buffaloes there - plus amazing scenery. So good for the soul!! These buffaloes were as close to the car as they could get without actually getting in. And they are huge and not shy of giving you the "evil eye"!!




We got to see Mount Rushmore for the first time for both of us. It was awesome. For those who don't know: L-R: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

The ride home with Margaret was very special. We were able to continue talking about the debriefing we had just gone through, we shared fun and special memories about Ghana and made new memories for the US. I am grateful for the time to debrief and to relax in God's Creation afterwards!

I was able to visit with Kevin and Dayna Garland in Colorado Springs. They had come to Ghana back in Feb. of this year and stayed at my house. It was great to connect with them here and to hike up Stanley Canyon. I think they tried to kill me on that hike but the view at the top was worth it!!







A much needed rest with a great view.













Colorado is so beautiful!












I ran up the last bit of the climb - b/c I was about to die- and as I came over the top this is the view I met. Isn't it amazing? Even on a cloudy day. It was so quiet and serene. I could have stayed there all day but rain was threatening so we had to hurry back down the mountain. It was a very challenging and wonderful hike.

I haven't written in awhile. I have been in Colorado at my debriefing and meetings at HQ. My hope is to write something later this week and put up some pictures too. Talk to you soon!

Gonna miss this

Who knew that a country song so could accurately reflect what God seems to be teaching me at this stage of life - contentment, accepting where He has me now and not longing for something else. I really want to appreciate this stage of my life in spite of its unsettledness. This song I heard on the radio by Trace Adkins really struck me the other day. The verses talk about a daughter who doesn't seem to see where she is or what she has at the moment but is always longing for something else, something more - first being 18 and an adult, then getting married, then having a bigger house for the kids, then wishing the kids were grown up and moved out....you get the point. Wishing her life away. Missing what is right in front of her. Oh my, I don't want to do that. God has blessed me so much and has so much for me right here and now. I don't want to miss it. Here are the words to the chorus.

" You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"

I don't want to look back and regret not appreciating this time back home. I don't want the uncomfortable unsettledness in life to cause me to wish this time away. May God continue to work in me a spirit of contentment regardless of the circumstances.

Some thoughts from this past Wednesday morning

I started reading a book recently called “Calm my anxious heart” by Linda Dillow. I was smacked upside the head in the very first chapter, pages actually. It was a good smack. The focus of this chapter was on contentment in whatever God has given as my portion, regardless of the circumstances. Not being content with what God gives breeds anxiety and then I try to take control of my life instead of leaving it to Him. I have been struggling with an anxious heart since I returned home. I have not been content that God has seen fit to have me walk through a time of life where I have many, many unknowns for the future. I have been focused on my circumstances and not on the One who controls them so I have been striving to direct and control anything and everything I can. Doesn’t that sound like a pleasant and restful heart? Definitely not! The Deceiver has been feeding me the same old line he fed to Eve – that God isn’t good and is withholding something good from me, therefore I must take things into my own hands to get what I want. Just this morning the Lord revealed to me how I was falling for that lie hook, line and sinker. The verses that I focused on this morning are Psalm 84:11-12. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in Thee!” That doesn’t sound like a God who is plotting to withhold good things from me. The truth of God’s word pounding down a lie of the devil. These same thoughts were repeated in “Calm my anxious heart”. “Contentment is essentially a matter of accepting from God’s hand what He sends because we know that He is good and therefore it is good.” (J.I Packer) Do you find that hard to swallow? I do. There are some things in life that are just plain hard, harder than not knowing what the future holds, and yet they are from the hand of a good God. It is a matter of believing that God is good and that the plans he has for me are “plans to prosper (me) and not to harm (me), plans to give (me) hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11) A friend in Ghana wrote in an email recently regarding the future and its uncertainty... “there is no need to fret. The future is God’s and (you) are His Beloved”. What a precious truth. I am His Beloved and He holds my future in His good hand!