Sunday 3 May 2009
Atlanta airport.
After a bit of a shaky landing, I arrived at Atlanta airport. I trekked from one end to the other at a leisurely pace as I knew I had plenty of time. Arriving at my gate I saw that the flight was delayed and heard messages on the loudspeaker that the airport is closed due to bad weather. It brought back memories from my last time here when my flight was 5 hours delayed, I sincerely hope that’s not the case today.
I bought myself some interesting honey and mustard chicken with rice served in a Styrofoam container, and joined with some very sweet lemonade it made for my dinner…not the best meal I’ve ever tasted, but at least it’ll keep me going.
Now I’m sat here at my gate waiting. The wireless internet isn’t free here (as opposed to Kansas City airport where it was free!), so that’s a bit of a shame. Still, my laptop is plugged in which is good as I used up all my battery in Kansas City (where you had to pay to plug stuff in- very strange).
I am excited to be flying back to Fortaleza, but wondering what it’s going to be like. How will it be to see everyone again, and what will it be like to be there, yet not live there. And what about those who aren’t there anymore, who in my mind are supposed to be there? I will find out soon enough. For now, I am just sat here waiting, and hoping to depart soon.
Saturday 9 May 2009
Finally a report from Fortaleza!!
It is so good to be back in Fortaleza! It feels as though I never left…yet I’ll soon be leaving again. Strange. Since arriving Monday I’ve done so many different things and there are so many impressions and things I’ve tried to take in, I think it’s best to start at the beginning and just take a day at a time. That said, this might end up being a long blog-post…I hope I get it posted today so that those who’ve been facebooking and emailing me for news can get an update.
Monday- coming home!
Before landing in Fortaleza I had a layover in Recife, and it was really strange to buy a bottle of water using Portuguese and using some of the cash I’d kept from last time I was here. It really started to dawn on me that I was actually on my way back to Fortaleza!
I was met at the airport by Peter and Juliana. It was great to see them again. Juliana works, but had taken the bus to the airport to meet me and had brought a little box of “essentials” to get me started…those being big-big, pastilha de hortelã, nescau and a few other things. It was so sweet of her and made me feel even more at home.
I arrived at the farm in the morning. It was great to recognise familiar scenery on the drive there and catch up with Peter about the blessings and challenges of the last 2 years since I left…although it didn’t seem at all like it had been that long. The main change was that the road that was in construction after the base, i.e. a two lane dirt road, is now this really nice four-lane road.
Anyways, it was so great to get to the farm and see Selma and the boys again. The boys are now young men and they are so well! Dayanne and Fabiano had a little girl four days ago and so I went to visit them and see the little princess. She is gorgeous!
Ok, I realise that if I keep writing detailed I won’t finish so I am going into keyword mode:
Monday evening I was sat talking to Peter and Selma when Neide appeared. It was great to see her and hear her characteristic laughter and catch up properly. Email doesn’t quite do it. She’s working with a TESOL school on the base helping out with administration and hospitality.
Tuesday: meetings.
Tuesday was a relaxing day. I shared with the staff and boys at the project a bit about IHOP-KC and about keeping the first commandment first and just what God put on my heart to share. It was really good to share my heart, although I obviously couldn’t try to pass on everything I’ve learnt, I think I managed to share a bit. The exciting thing is that in June a team are coming with the objective to build a chapel and prayer room here on the farm. It’s amazing how God does things and I am excited to see how justice will be brought forth through intercession!
I was also allowed to participate in the staff meeting which was fun, although I had to remind myself that I was only visiting and that it was better for me to stay quiet then come with a millions suggestions I wouldn’t be here to carry out. They are a great staff team and it was a good meeting (in my opinion).
The evening we headed off to the base for the YWAM base meeting. Again I got to see people I hadn’t seen for ages- Steve and kids, Luzamira, Sandra, Izanir, Eliseu, and others. The message was about dreams and letting God expand your dreams. A good message.
At this point I just want to say that the staff here at the farm are really amazing. There’s Peter and Selma who of course are amazing in themselves, and then there’s Jander who is so faithful in all he does, Michiel who is just a star and who always makes me think back to when he was a volunteer with us ages ago telling funny stories. Miriam from Spain really reminds me of Elisabeth when she worked here, full of energy and passion. She is great! And Fabiano and Dayanne, who just had a baby are so faithful and so full of joy.
Wednesday: a day with Jo and Fortaleza vs Flamengo.
Wednesday I had a lovely day with Jo and Allan. Our first activity was to buy some more chickens as their dog had devoured 3 or 4 of them and so they needed some new ones. It was an interesting venture- the people selling them had a cage full of chickens and they’d go in and grab the ones we pointed out by the wings. They’d tie their legs together and their wings and we’d transport them like that and release them into the cage at Jo and Allan’s house. It was interesting to see, I must say.
Jo and I had a good long chat, and when evening came I was picked up by the guys on the farm to head off to Castelão for a football game; Fortaleza vs Flamengo. It was an amazing experience. The stadium packed with around 50.000 people. The torcida full of life. The game wasn’t the best, and in my non-expert opinion Fortaleza didn’t play very well (reflected in the result being 0-3), but it was fun and I highly enjoyed it!
Thursday: Febem.
Thursday we went to two youth prisons. First we went to Dom Bosco which was great. We ministered to a group of 10 boys. It was really moving as we talked to them about value and what society thinks of them and then what God thinks of them. As I looked at them and spoke to them I could see such potential in them…one boy you could see he really wanted to know what God thinks about him, another you could tell he knew his Bible, yet wasn’t living in the freedom that Truth brings. One boy gave his life to Jesus, which is a big step to do this in front of the others.
In the afternoon we went to CECAL and ministered to a larger group. It was also great to see the staff there again, and some of the boys even remembered me from when I used to minister in all the youth prisons 2 years ago…it’s nice to be remembered, but sad that 2 years down the line they are still in the prison system. The encouraging thing at this prison was hearing of how they have a group of about 20 boys who are saved and evangelise the other boys in the prison. It’s such a testimony of what God can do. And even as we were finishing our presentation, one of the boys got up to share a word with the rest of the group- a very courageous thing as he’ll probably get mocked for it later. At the end of the day the messengers in the prisons are the boys themselves, and they are living examples that it is possible to change.
Friday: streets.
Friday we set off for Parangaba to visit the streetkids there. It was pouring down with rain, but we went anyway. When we got there it wasn’t raining much and so we got out of the car and went to see the kids. Several kids I knew were there; Marcio, Daniel, Willame, Leandro, among others. It was hard to see them- the same kids yet 2 years more broken, dirty and abused. We spent a good while talking, doing first-aid and praying with them, in spite of constant interruption by drugs arriving or other kids drawing their attention.
After lunch we headed off to Beira Mar. We didn’t see many kids, but it was again strange to be in that place and see the nothing much has changed. Mostly the familiar faces being the same only 2 years older, a bit more worn-out and a less hope of change then before.
Friday evening Juliana and Neide came and we hung out which was great.
Saturday: Prainha.
After hearing the pouring rain throughout the night I’d prayed hard for sunshine today, and God answered. After breakfast I headed out with the girls to the beach to relax and hang out and enjoy the sunshine. It was a very relaxing and very lovely day! Neide, Juliana, Selma, Melane and I had a good time catching up and just chilling. Lunch was delicious fried fish with baião de dois and macaxeira frita.
Atlanta airport.
After a bit of a shaky landing, I arrived at Atlanta airport. I trekked from one end to the other at a leisurely pace as I knew I had plenty of time. Arriving at my gate I saw that the flight was delayed and heard messages on the loudspeaker that the airport is closed due to bad weather. It brought back memories from my last time here when my flight was 5 hours delayed, I sincerely hope that’s not the case today.
I bought myself some interesting honey and mustard chicken with rice served in a Styrofoam container, and joined with some very sweet lemonade it made for my dinner…not the best meal I’ve ever tasted, but at least it’ll keep me going.
Now I’m sat here at my gate waiting. The wireless internet isn’t free here (as opposed to Kansas City airport where it was free!), so that’s a bit of a shame. Still, my laptop is plugged in which is good as I used up all my battery in Kansas City (where you had to pay to plug stuff in- very strange).
I am excited to be flying back to Fortaleza, but wondering what it’s going to be like. How will it be to see everyone again, and what will it be like to be there, yet not live there. And what about those who aren’t there anymore, who in my mind are supposed to be there? I will find out soon enough. For now, I am just sat here waiting, and hoping to depart soon.
Saturday 9 May 2009
Finally a report from Fortaleza!!
It is so good to be back in Fortaleza! It feels as though I never left…yet I’ll soon be leaving again. Strange. Since arriving Monday I’ve done so many different things and there are so many impressions and things I’ve tried to take in, I think it’s best to start at the beginning and just take a day at a time. That said, this might end up being a long blog-post…I hope I get it posted today so that those who’ve been facebooking and emailing me for news can get an update.
Monday- coming home!
Before landing in Fortaleza I had a layover in Recife, and it was really strange to buy a bottle of water using Portuguese and using some of the cash I’d kept from last time I was here. It really started to dawn on me that I was actually on my way back to Fortaleza!
I was met at the airport by Peter and Juliana. It was great to see them again. Juliana works, but had taken the bus to the airport to meet me and had brought a little box of “essentials” to get me started…those being big-big, pastilha de hortelã, nescau and a few other things. It was so sweet of her and made me feel even more at home.
I arrived at the farm in the morning. It was great to recognise familiar scenery on the drive there and catch up with Peter about the blessings and challenges of the last 2 years since I left…although it didn’t seem at all like it had been that long. The main change was that the road that was in construction after the base, i.e. a two lane dirt road, is now this really nice four-lane road.
Anyways, it was so great to get to the farm and see Selma and the boys again. The boys are now young men and they are so well! Dayanne and Fabiano had a little girl four days ago and so I went to visit them and see the little princess. She is gorgeous!
Ok, I realise that if I keep writing detailed I won’t finish so I am going into keyword mode:
Monday evening I was sat talking to Peter and Selma when Neide appeared. It was great to see her and hear her characteristic laughter and catch up properly. Email doesn’t quite do it. She’s working with a TESOL school on the base helping out with administration and hospitality.
Tuesday: meetings.
Tuesday was a relaxing day. I shared with the staff and boys at the project a bit about IHOP-KC and about keeping the first commandment first and just what God put on my heart to share. It was really good to share my heart, although I obviously couldn’t try to pass on everything I’ve learnt, I think I managed to share a bit. The exciting thing is that in June a team are coming with the objective to build a chapel and prayer room here on the farm. It’s amazing how God does things and I am excited to see how justice will be brought forth through intercession!
I was also allowed to participate in the staff meeting which was fun, although I had to remind myself that I was only visiting and that it was better for me to stay quiet then come with a millions suggestions I wouldn’t be here to carry out. They are a great staff team and it was a good meeting (in my opinion).
The evening we headed off to the base for the YWAM base meeting. Again I got to see people I hadn’t seen for ages- Steve and kids, Luzamira, Sandra, Izanir, Eliseu, and others. The message was about dreams and letting God expand your dreams. A good message.
At this point I just want to say that the staff here at the farm are really amazing. There’s Peter and Selma who of course are amazing in themselves, and then there’s Jander who is so faithful in all he does, Michiel who is just a star and who always makes me think back to when he was a volunteer with us ages ago telling funny stories. Miriam from Spain really reminds me of Elisabeth when she worked here, full of energy and passion. She is great! And Fabiano and Dayanne, who just had a baby are so faithful and so full of joy.
Wednesday: a day with Jo and Fortaleza vs Flamengo.
Wednesday I had a lovely day with Jo and Allan. Our first activity was to buy some more chickens as their dog had devoured 3 or 4 of them and so they needed some new ones. It was an interesting venture- the people selling them had a cage full of chickens and they’d go in and grab the ones we pointed out by the wings. They’d tie their legs together and their wings and we’d transport them like that and release them into the cage at Jo and Allan’s house. It was interesting to see, I must say.
Jo and I had a good long chat, and when evening came I was picked up by the guys on the farm to head off to Castelão for a football game; Fortaleza vs Flamengo. It was an amazing experience. The stadium packed with around 50.000 people. The torcida full of life. The game wasn’t the best, and in my non-expert opinion Fortaleza didn’t play very well (reflected in the result being 0-3), but it was fun and I highly enjoyed it!
Thursday: Febem.
Thursday we went to two youth prisons. First we went to Dom Bosco which was great. We ministered to a group of 10 boys. It was really moving as we talked to them about value and what society thinks of them and then what God thinks of them. As I looked at them and spoke to them I could see such potential in them…one boy you could see he really wanted to know what God thinks about him, another you could tell he knew his Bible, yet wasn’t living in the freedom that Truth brings. One boy gave his life to Jesus, which is a big step to do this in front of the others.
In the afternoon we went to CECAL and ministered to a larger group. It was also great to see the staff there again, and some of the boys even remembered me from when I used to minister in all the youth prisons 2 years ago…it’s nice to be remembered, but sad that 2 years down the line they are still in the prison system. The encouraging thing at this prison was hearing of how they have a group of about 20 boys who are saved and evangelise the other boys in the prison. It’s such a testimony of what God can do. And even as we were finishing our presentation, one of the boys got up to share a word with the rest of the group- a very courageous thing as he’ll probably get mocked for it later. At the end of the day the messengers in the prisons are the boys themselves, and they are living examples that it is possible to change.
Friday: streets.
Friday we set off for Parangaba to visit the streetkids there. It was pouring down with rain, but we went anyway. When we got there it wasn’t raining much and so we got out of the car and went to see the kids. Several kids I knew were there; Marcio, Daniel, Willame, Leandro, among others. It was hard to see them- the same kids yet 2 years more broken, dirty and abused. We spent a good while talking, doing first-aid and praying with them, in spite of constant interruption by drugs arriving or other kids drawing their attention.
After lunch we headed off to Beira Mar. We didn’t see many kids, but it was again strange to be in that place and see the nothing much has changed. Mostly the familiar faces being the same only 2 years older, a bit more worn-out and a less hope of change then before.
Friday evening Juliana and Neide came and we hung out which was great.
Saturday: Prainha.
After hearing the pouring rain throughout the night I’d prayed hard for sunshine today, and God answered. After breakfast I headed out with the girls to the beach to relax and hang out and enjoy the sunshine. It was a very relaxing and very lovely day! Neide, Juliana, Selma, Melane and I had a good time catching up and just chilling. Lunch was delicious fried fish with baião de dois and macaxeira frita.
That is the very very quick version of the events of this week. Obviously there are a lot more things to tell, impressions and things that I have been thinking about and seen, but I am going to finish there to at least put these few things on my blog. Hopefully I’ll have time to put up some photos and deeper reflections later on.