A wasted talent

Today one of the kids from the orchestra gave back his violin to the church. Even though he was not my student, it made me sad that he won't play anymore. It is not that we have lost our best violinist in the orchestra either.

Those kids, they all learned to play their instrument in church and develop their talents playing for the Lord every Sabbath in the orchestra. They did not even have to pay for their instrument! The church (and a sponsor family) bought all the instruments for them to learn and use. If it was not for what God has given to them through this church, I don't know how many of them would still be in church now.

God allowed Sandrinho to develop a beautiful talent > music. And what a better way to learn to play the violin than in church, worshiping our Lord every Sabbath?! Sadly to say, after a few years of classes in the conservatory, he decided he did not want to play for the Lord anymore. There, he saw that other kids from the conservatory play in orchestras on the weekend. Last year he was invited to be part of a group that practices on Friday evenings. He started missing orchestra practice in church some Friday evenings hoping his mom would let him go to the conservatory. Since he saw his mom was not going to let him go, he decided he was going to give back his violin. Around November last year he started saying he was going to quit. We all prayed for him, talked with him and his mom, encouraged him to continue, but he has finally decided to quit.

God gave Sandrinho one talent. For a while, he developed it and it looked like he was going to make it into two or three. But, he finally did like the servant in Matthew 25, he gave up and has "hid his master's money in the ground" (25:18, CEV). I pray that Sandrinho changes his mind and takes back that one talent and use it for the Lord.

My cute student

"Happy Mother's Day!" A kid came to me last Sabbath afternoon during the orchetra/choir rehersal and said this to me and gave me a heart balloon. I was like, I am not a mother but thanks. And then he told me "but you are an excellent teacher." That was so sweet! We had just had one class up to that day but every time he sees me he tells me he's practicing his violin!

"No problem, I play"

It is of good use that I can play almost any hymn from the church hymnal by heart with my viola. And I am not saying this to show off. I just want to emphasize the importance of being prepared to worship our Lord with our instruments (or voice).


Today I was asked last minute (or second lol) to play a special music in church. We are in evangelistic meetings in church so there has to be special music every evening. The person in charge of the music this week decided to go for a social event today instead of being responsible. Since there was no one to play for special music, I was asked to play. So what did I do? I just opened a hymnbook in a random page, saw the hymn it opened at, gave it to the pianist and checked in which key the hymn was. Praise the Lord, He showed me which hymn to play at that moment, because it was all in a rush! And I was NOT nervous at all!! I actually enjoy a lot playing the "good-old" hymns in the simple hymnbook style (it makes me feel free lol).


But, what if I did not know any hymn? What if I was too shy to play a solo? 

Whould I had to say "I'm sorry but I can't"? Thank God, people see in me a person who can praise the Lord with my music. Thank God for my parents who encouraged me, since I was little, to play hymns (that was a Friday-evening thing at home).


Although I prefer things more organized (as in, I prefer when I am asked ahead of time) it is good when people add some excitement to my life asking me to play "ao vivo" (*).


(*) An expression in portuguese that, though it is literally translated as "live", it means, as far as I've understood, last minute or like always ready.

Spiritual Retreat

It is not uncommon for the churches in Brazil to organize spiritual retreats during the Carnival holidays. I believe it is totally programmed with the intention of drawing the people's attention (esp. young people) to something  meaningful rather than waisting their time in events such as the famous Brazilian Carnival.

I was blessed to be invited to go camping with Central Recife SDA Church.

Our little 'villa'

With Priscila. The day we met, she invited me to go camping with them!
She's amazing!

With the youth leaders of Central Recife SDA church

The whole group

A sweet naughty boy

Jean was one of my English students during Caleb Mission. He was not supposed to be in my class because of his age, but somehow I could not reject him in my class. I felt like I had to accept him  even though he was older than the rest of the kids. Soon I discovered he was a naughty boy! He also had a look of a little gangster boy lol but somehow he would always come to class. Sometimes his older friends would come and tell him to go out with them, but he never went (I also did not let him lol).

The last day I was there, I sort of had a party with the kids. When Jean came, he just opened the door but did not get into the classroom. I could see in his face that he wanted to get in, but I did not understand why he wouldn't, so I left the kids inside and went to talk to Jean. I asked him to go in but he did not want to. He looked sad, so I asked him what was happening, I told him it was my last day with them and that I wanted him to enjoy the party together with the rest of the kids. Then he said something that almost made me cry. He said that he hates goodbyes because he does not like missing people. I tried to convince him to go in the classroom but he did not want, so we took a picture together. Then he finally accepted to get in, but he just sat there and did not really enjoy the party. I could tell he was really sad. In the end, I had prepared special gifts for the kids who did not miss any class during the 3 weeks, and luckily I had an extra gift, so I gave it to Jean.

Jean showed me that every kid has a sweet side, even the naughtiest of them all. He also made me remember that every single kid is important to God and that we should love them because Jesus loves them.

"And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." 

(Matthew 18:5)

Missão Calebe 5.0

Maraial, Pernambuco, Brazil

I'm finally posting some pictures of Caleb Mission (previous post about it).

The whole month of January was a blessing in Maraial (and I'm sure it was a blessing all around Brasil where the "Calebs" were). I was the first to leave the group (I came back to Recife on Jan 31st); therefore, I did not have any information about the number of baptisms they had. However, to my surprise, Mr. Marcos and Mrs. Sandra (the Mayor or Maraial and his wife, who is adventist) came to Recife yesterday and decided to visit me at the Union. She told me that 16 people were baptized and that her husband is getting baptized this coming Sabbath. It totally made my day, my week, my month!

I left without seeing the fruits of the mission there. All these time, I had only been praying for them, but yesterday the Lord allowed me to hear just a little bit of what He's doing in that town. The Lord is pouring his blessings unto those people and is guiding them to the light. I thank my Lord for allowing me to be part of that story, but most important, for allowing me bring people to Him.

Calebs in action (L to R: Mauricio, Naide, Sendy, Mr. Itai-the evangelist, Rafael,
Wesilany, Cizinha, Jessica, Sister Vade-the cook!, Cristina and Jedson.)

My kids!! I taught them English every evening for three weeks.

Maraial

Inviting the people of Maraial to the community service project and evangelistic meetings

Major updates - Christmas & New Years

Christmas this year was great, though simple. My friend Cherry, a missionary from the Philippines, was on her way to Thailand after working in IAENE for a year, and decided to visit me in Recife :) It was fun! It was great speaking fast/fluent English with her without having to worry about speaking slow or explain some terms lol.

It's was also the 2nd time I spend Christmas in a tropical area, so guess what!? We went to the beach on Sunday :)

With Cherry & Pr. Ivanaudo. He's the one in charge of the AVS in this union.

Christmas program @ the church

The only good picture I have of our Christmas Dinner lol

Christmas at the beach!

New Year was indeed great!! Cherry invited me to go with her for a week in Rio de Janeiro. Rio is probably the most famous city of Brazil, and especially during the Reveillon (New Year's), so with the excuse of having to renew my passport, I did not have to think twice when Cherry invited me. Our host family (Pr. Marcio Nascimento, Angelica & Arthur) was extremely kind. They were a true blessing for two missionary girls that wanted to do some sightseeing lol :-)

L-R: Angelica, Arthur, Cherry & I
Behind us, the Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain)

We got to stay at one of the nicest (and safest) neighborhoods in Rio > Recreio.

Maracanã Soccer Stadium, one of the biggest and most famous in the world.
*The Stadio Azteca is still bigger though.

Christ the Redeemer. Do I have to explain more? :P

With Cherry (left) and the Nascimento family.

A nice visit

I love how God keeps surprising me making my life in Brazil a total adventure. I was starting to feel sad because I had not had a chance to revisit Maraial and see the church that started with our mission work during January. However, last Friday evening I received a phone call from Mrs. Sandra, the wife of the Mayor of Maraial, telling me she was sending a car to pick me up in Recife so I could be in her husband's baptism!

Not only did I get to be in the baptism, but I also got to see some church members and the new church that is growing there. It was a blessing!

With Mrs. Sandra and Vitoria (her daughter). I taught her violin for only 15 days, and she is already playing in church :)

Some church members. All a result of the mission project in January :)

The church in Maraial. This was taken at the beginning of the service. Later, more people came in. It was packed!

Mr. Marcos getting baptized. He's the Mayor of Maraial.

The Second Month – November

The Challenge

*Sorry for posting this entry super late, I had been procrastinating :( But it is finally here (the report for December will be posted soon).

After all the excitement of having a new English teacher at the Union headquarters passed, the students started to miss classes. My basic class started with 10 or 12 students and after a month I regularly had 3. The intermediate class is a little more regular with 4 students.

At the church things were tough as well. I missed orchestra practice and music classes for several Sabbaths because I had some invitations to play for other events in the city. Then an orchestra performance at a camporee was cancelled because most of the kids said they were not going to be able to go. Two Sabbaths in a row, the orchestra played at church with only eight instruments. Things were looking not that great. However, I was still hoping things could improve, especially because of the church anniversary appointment we had. In the end, the kids got motivated enough to go to class on Sundays and not miss the practices.

The church anniversary program (blog entry) was a blessing, and even though it was tiring for the kids because it was three evenings in a row, they performed well. Now all we got for this year is the Christmas program, and it is finally ready! Oh, and we have a new instrument: a Xylophone.

Nov. 7th, 2010 (Violin lessons)

It was a productive day, from 9am to 5pm with 1 hr lunch break.

There are other ways of enjoying the water. 

We don’t necessarily need the beach!

FB fasting

Last week I said to God that I was going to stop using FB for a while. I said so in an attempt to stop anything that makes me waste my time, and also because I decided to feed my mind with productive things that prepare me for the great challenge that is coming ahead next month. I know that only with God I'll be able to 'conquer stars for my crown' and be a faithful Caleb.

Sadly to say, I decided to stop using FB last week but I wasn't able to do So I'm trying again. This time, with God's help and power I'll do it!

Sent from my iPhone

People will always talk

I was told that some people at the church got mad and complained that the orchestra did not play last Sabbath at church. They do not know the reason and they do not want to listen to any explanation. They just want to criticize and complain.

The reason why the orchestra did not play is because of our busy weekend. We were invited to play at another church Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. Therefore we thought it was nice for the kids to have the morning to rest and enjoy church without playing. After all, they were going to play three evenings in a row and had so far performed well that they deserved the morning off.

It is sad that some people just want to criticize. However, we should not let all those things and people affect us and make us walk away from Jesus. We should focus on what we are to do and do it our best. People will always talk and complain, but we must be careful to please God and serve Him with the best we have.

Let people talk! As long as things are OK with God ;-)

So, in a happier mood, here are some pictures of the orchestra from last weekend!

Cruz de Rebouças church orchestra

Jardin Paulista church

Never a small job for God

God knew David was going to be king of Israel. Even when David was forgotten by his father, despised by his brothers, and left all alone with the sheep, God had a plan for him. But it was necessary that he spent some time alone with the animals to shape his character so he could learn to trust and depend on God always. “The Lord had chosen David, and was preparing him, in his solitary life with his flocks, for the work he designed to commit to his trust in after years” (PP 637.1).

The same way, now I understand that no matter where I work, at home or abroad, God has a plan for me. Just like David with the sheep, I know God puts me in places where I can learn to trust and depend on Him so he can lead me throughout my life.

Another thing I like about David’s life as a shepherd is that there’s no such a thing as a small job. “David had proved himself brave and faithful in the humble office of a shepherd, and now God had chosen him to be captain of his people” (PP 641.1). We always have to do our best in whatever we have to do because God is always watching us. The Bible says that “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” (Colossians 3:23, NIV). One of my favorite quotes “I will serve Jesus while I’m waiting” (song by John Waller) exemplifies David’s spirit while working out in the hills. Even as a ‘simple shepherd boy’, he was excellent. When we do an excellent job, we are serving Jesus (we cannot say we are serving Jesus and be mediocre). God will see our small job and He will see that we are faithful in the small things, then He will trusts us with greater things (Luke 16:10, NIV).

*Inspired by Pr. Ivan Saraiva @ the church Jardin Paulista, PE, Brazil.

Read David’s story in 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Patriarchs and Prophets (EGW) chapter 62.

Babysitting

Babysitting in an amusement park! Can that be called babysitting?

Yesterday I went to Mirabilandia with a 9-year-old PK and her school. The point is that she was not allowed to go alone, and her mom could not go. Since I'm the volunteer and my schedule/job is more 'flexible' than everybody else's, I was asked to go with her. It ended up being fun but tiring as well. And I think my cold is the result of all the sun from yesterday :(

At the roller coaster... first time in one that has a corkscrew. I think I like roller coasters now lol. Though I got a headache after a few rides.

The other time I babysat here in Brazil was with another PK. I was staying for a weekend with a pastor and his family in Caruaru (here) and on Saturday evening I stayed with Andrezinho. This time was funny cause the mom would call me like every five minutes telling me she was on her way back lol.

Andres watching his fav. Bible story movie

Do I look like a babysitter? I guess it's all part of my versatility :)

Caleb Mission Training

“Your talk will be in the afternoon. You will have 30 minutes.”

I was shocked when the Youth Pastor told me this on Sabbath morning. I was going to give a palestra on being a missionary in different countries (This is my first official missionary place. People usually do not understand when I say I went to Thailand but not as a missionary). I had never given a talk on that, and to make it more shocking, I was going to do it in Portuguese! It was for a youth-evangelistic training (700 people), Treinamento Missão Calebe 5.0, on Sabbath November 27th at the Central Pernambuco Mission (MPeC), which is part of the Northeast Brazilian Union Mission (UNeB), where I serve as a volunteer for this year. Playing viola and singing was definitely OK for me, but talking!?!?

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Treinamento Misssão Calebe - MPeC

I was a little scared and had no idea what to say or where to start. I prayed and asked for guidance because I knew God had planned something for me that day. I knew I was there for a special reason. After praying, ideas came to my mind on what to say. God put the words in my mouth to talk to all those young people. And, what about my Portuguese? God can make us fluent in a language when it is used for His purpose! And as the Brazilians often tell me: da para entender.

With Pr. Andre Lima (MPeC Youth Director) and his son, Andres.
The little boy is so cute! The pastor would say "I am.." and he would complete the sentence "Caleb!"

I know it was not me but God who talked that day, and I pray that the impact in them was not of a ‘traveler’ or a great girl who has lived in other countries, but of a servant who, just like them, loves God and wants to share that love to others through missionary work.

*Missão Calebe is a youth evangelism project by the South American Division (SAD). It started five years ago and  thousands and thousands of young people in all the countries of the SAD spend their summer holidays (January) doing missionary work, giving Bible studies and having evangelistic meetings. According to the Division, Missão Calebe is one of the biggest, best and most important projects in Youth Ministry in recent years. In the Northeast Brazilian Union Mission, 12500 young people will participate in this project in January 2011.

Missão Brasil – The first month

In Salvador, Bahia, on my way to Recife

The adventure began 2 months ago, in September 16^th when I landed in Recife International Airport. *Well, it actually started in Mexico, by collecting EFL books a lot of orchestral scores.*

I was welcomed to the 4th-largest Metropolitan area in Brazilian (according to Wikipedia), but not as crowded, polluted and developed as Sao Paulo. It is colonial, historical and nordestina (that would be like a southern city for the USA and Mexico), but most important, it is a coastal city :)

Boa Viagem beach, Recife

I work as a volunteer in two different places. On weekdays I live and work at the Northeast Brazilian Union Mission (UNeB) headquarters. I teach English to pastors, staff and PKs. I like my classes very much, though they are very unstable and varied.

UNeB headquarters

UNeB staff members

PKs

My second job is conducting an orchestra and giving music lessons on weekends in a church in Cruz de Rebouças, a small community 25 kms away from Recife. That church has a great music ministry: a choir, two singing groups, and an orchestra of around 20 people. Sometimes the orchestra is bigger, but most of the times it is smaller (please pray for us, as we face challenges every week).

My packed weekends are like this: on Friday evenings we have orchestra practice, on Saturday mornings we practice before church service and then play for the Divine Service (hymns and offertory), and then in the afternoons we practice with the Conjunto Joven and with the choir, all that before AY. On Sundays I teach music (violin, viola, flute and clarinet –I know what you are thinking!!! Sendy teaching clarinet/flute?!?! It’s been all by God, not me!!).

Cruz de Rebouças

Cruz de Rebouças church

Orchestra @ Cruz de Rebouças church

Playing for a Publishing Ministries Annual Meeting

Thank God life is not only about working :) and though I am the only SM in this place, which means I do not have a travel partner or things like that, God has given me the chance to visit some nice places with some families from the Union.


I have been here for 2 months, and I have got more holidays than I could probably get in a whole semester in any other place. Brazil has a big amount of holidays and of that I am grateful! :) And living in the litoral nordeste brasileiro mans that the best beaches of the country are just within a few hours driving. What make these beaches so beautiful is the clear and warm water pools naturally formed by coral reefs during low tide. There are a few things that Brazil has changed in me, and one of those is that now I like the beach. I do not mind the sand anymore, nor the salty water either!

Boa Viagem beach, 15 mins walking from where I live

Praia dos Carneiros

Maragogi, Alagoas (another state, 3 hrs driving south of Pernambuco)

Maragogi

Snorkeling @ Porto de Galinhas, the best Brazilian beach according to a well-known Brazilian magazine

Food is another great thing that I have been enjoying here :) It basically includes arroz e feijão (rice and beans) all the time, but it is still great! But the best part is the wide variety of fruits (which means delicious juice!). Oh, and now I drink coconut water, and I eat papaya (fruits I used to say I did not like).

*Just the way Memphis helped me to like bananas, Brazil is doing it with coconut. Who says we cannot learn to like something? lol *

Pão de Queijo... I loved it even before I got to Brazil.

Maracujá = Passion fruit :) Love it! esp. the juice!

Pinha = Sugar-apple