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Getting into the swing of things...

It is really good to be here. It feels right.

It's now 23:30 (local time) and I just got back from the prayer room. They do 2 hour shifts for the worship/prayer teams which minister and I did an hour with one and then an hour with the next one. It was amazing how they overlapped and there was no stop in between the two teams. This is truly continuous prayer and worship 24/7.

So yeah, it's been good so far. I've been to two services in the church connected with the IHOP centre, and one seminar which was in conjunction with the Women's conference they had here this weekend. And on the more "touristy" side I've had food and junk-food at various establishments, and I realize that everything is big and generous, and distances "are not as near as they may seem". Yesterday I had my first drive (as in me driving) here. We've rented some minivans and I am signed up as one of the drivers. It was great to drive. Automatic gear, power stearing, comfy seats, and really just a great car to drive. It helps that the roads are wide and that there are hardly any pedestrians and no cyclists.

I am enjoying it here, and I believe that there is so much more to come. I think the greatest challenge is really to be here in a group of 13. Coordinating that amount of people isn't always easy, and it also means that I get easily peopled-out. But today I "got away" (that sounds not quite like it's meant, but we were at a shopping area and so we arranged a meeting time and everyone went off to where they wanted to) and discovered a nail-salon. I had a manicure and pedicure. To be honest the result isn't great, and I realize now how good the Brazilians are in this area, but it was time for me. And it was fun. The chair I sat in had built-in massage hands in the back, and so I was being massaged by these (a wee bit creepy feeling) hand-like things the whole time. A young woman from Vietnam did my hands and she was lovely, and a young lad (probably Vietnameese also) did my feet, which did strike me as a bit odd. Especially as he didn't strike me as the beautician type of boy. But hey, he was a very silent young man and so I guess it will remain a mystery.

Even being in a "rich" country and in quite a "protected" Christian environment, it seems like my heart is always alert to what is out there. This evening we went to the supermarket, and as we were leaving we saw a security guard send two young boys on bikes away. Two young boys who it seems really need something to fill their lives and time with. Two young boys who seemed really "lost" in this place.

It makes me wonder sometimes how people can live in darkenss right next to a place which shines such a bright light.

I'll stop there for today....must get some sleep, because tomorrow is a new day.

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