Dia das Maes! (Mother's Day)

First of all- Happy Mothers Day to our mothers and all the other mothers who read this blog! Here in Brazil it is quite the holiday- and we have been treated to fireworks for two days now in celebration! (of mothers day and of futball games!) We both had the chance to call our mother's today, which was a treat, but also reminded us of just how far away we are!

Well, this week we finally got into more of a routine. Aside from the fact that both of us felt slightly under the weather for a good portion of the week, we managed to get a lot accomplished! It is so hard to believe we have been here almost three weeks! We met with Bebeto (the director of the mission, and our neighbor) this week to discuss when and how we will be helping the mission. Rick will be working alongside the maintenance man, Claudinho, and I will be assisting in the infants room and possibly in the kitchen- ( dont worry.. im going to wash dishes not cook!). We also had our lessons with Mariana, which seem to be going well. Each class we focus for a while on Grammar, which is by far the most confusing and diffucult part of the language to learn- and the part that both of us struggle with.

Kids playing at Mt. Horebe!

Rick is also beginning to enjoy working with the Mission's soccer outreach school. Of course he doesnt really know alot about soccer, but he is a good teacher so it seems to work anyways! He says the funniest part is when they put him in goal and have the kids practice shooting. (I think they do it to make the kids feel good- he lets so many in!) On Saturday night, Rick played with the church league team and the teams tied, so I guess hes doing pretty good! I tried to take pictures but I just was not at a good location- I will try again another week. Here is one of the ones I got- rick is the orange and blue blur in the right-ish area. Soccer is taken very seriously here- as evidenced by the very nicely lit and artificial turf field in the middle of a "small" town!

We also were able to attend the Bible study again this week. We have started to look forward to Fridays, as the Bible study gives us a chance to really use our portuguese, as well as build friendships and relationships with many people. We have even asked a couple over for supper and games this coming week! We decided to have Pizza- but only if she would help me order!!Lets hope it goes slightly better this time around! I told someone this week that "we are adjusted to adjusting!" Every day there is new and exciting (and lots of not so exciting) things to learn, and we have gotten "adjusted" to adjusting to each new tidbit of information and culture. Just yesterday I spent some time with two ladies from the mission who live beside the soccer field where rick was playing. Between trying new tea and Brazillian PineNuts (i cant remember the portuguese name) it was quite the educational expeirience! For over an hour we conversed, shared family information and likes and dislikes- my brain was exhausted afterwards but I really feel like I accomplished something= CONVERSATION! We also took some time to do laundry this week- Rick is a great helper- and his hat comes in handy too! All in all we are doing well, and look forward the next three months, we know there are tough times ahead, but we are confident with God's help, and the support of our family and friends(both Canadian and Brazillian) we can survive! Again- thank you for your prayers.. and keep praying! God Bless, Heather and Rick