What do you do, anyway???

"So, are you a pilot too?" I can't tell you how many times I have been asked this question. Not that it is a bad question to ask, after all why not? But no, I am not a pilot or a mechanic like Jeyson. After giving this answer the next logical question of course is "So, what do you do then?". That is what I'm going to attempt to answer in this post by taking you through some of the things I might do in a typical week. However, before beginning let me mention a few things.

First, my main focuses right now are adjustment, relationships, and outreach. Adjustment means language learning and learning all that I need to function here to make it long term. Relationships means doing whatever is necessary to get to know Christians and non-Christians for the sake of discipleship and evangelism. Right now one of the tools I am using for that is Teaching English as a Second Language but you will also see just plain relationship building in what follows. Lastly outreach has to do with being part of the direct evangelism that our mission does. Jeyson is also a part of this, but I have decided to also join a leadership team that is preparing a new part of our outreach which will target teens. Jeyson will continue with the already existing ministry to adults.

Second of all I just wanted to add a note that this is how my week looks right now, but I am fortunate to have a lot of freedom to change things up as new ministry opportunities open. So anyway, here goes....a glimpse into my world.


My week begins on Sunday with involvement in our church. As I've mentioned before, Jeyson and I are working with another couple to be leaders of the junior high age ministry. This past Sunday we had an event - breakfast with your mom (since it was Mother's day). We made breakfast and had a short Bible Study section. It went really well!

Here's our breakfast. I was in charge of making the food. I made some Brazilian things, but I also made waffles, or "way-fulls" as they started to call them during the meal. They were a big hit and word got around the church about this novel American breakfast food - so gourmet :) Now everyone is asking for me to make them "way-fulls" and one person even wanted to know if she could have the recipe so she could try to make them in her grilled cheese maker - too funny! It's hard to imagine a waffle looking like a sandwich cut cross-wise, isn't it?
Here we are enjoying the breakfast....

And here are some of the students.


Presenting their work....

Two of the "mothers", though actually one is the aunt of a student. The aunt brings the student to church because the mother is not a believer and I found out she is actually a prostitute. Not all of the students have such difficult situations, but it is definitely much more so than where I grew up in New Jersey! I am learning to have so much more patience with their behavior because you never know what their life story is!
Us and the other couple we serve with, Fabiana and Joao.

Also on the weekends we try to spend time with our other missionary friends. We really feel like it is important to have relationships with others in our same situation! We are especially close to this couple who is also married cross-culturally. On Sunday afternoon we went to the park with them and drank "Mate" a traditional Brazilian tea that you drink in this little cup.
Church is held on Sunday evening here in Brazil, so we go back there for the service.


Before we know it the weekend is over and it's Monday morning. What a gorgeous sunrise from our patio!

Monday Jeyson and I head over to Asas together. He goes to the hangar to work on maintenance or fly and I go to the office. I spend the morning with my language partner practicing Portuguese conversation. Then in the afternoon I usually do those not-so-exciting things like grocery shopping at the market down the street and walking to the local lottery ticket store where everyone has to go and pay their bills in person. (Don't worry I don't buy any lottery tickets, but isn't that interesting that you pay your water, light, etc bills there??) After getting through all of that excitement I head over to my neighbor's house where I spend the rest of the afternoon. She is the one who is the young single mother. Really this is just pure relationship building time - spending time with her and looking for opportunities to share the gospel with her through words and my life.
When Jeyson comes home from Asas we spend time together. This week one of the wild trees near our house was ripe with "aserola" a fruit sort of like a cherry. We went arerola picking together..
Then comes Tuesday, when my week really picks up. First thing in the morning Jeyson leaves me at PETI - the children's program I am working with. I spend time with the students as they eat breakfast, then teach a group of them very basic English for 1 1/2 hours. As part of the class I read through a Children's Bible with them. After class I spend time with a few of the students who are particularly interested. A few I just chat with, but a few others who are not Christians are especially interested in my Bible so we read more of it together and talk about it. We're now about 1/3 of the way through the book! At lunch time Jeyson picks me up and we go back over to Asas together. I am part of the women's group at Asas so I go to the meetings which are Tuesday afternoon. Then this Tuesday we had a meeting for the people who are working on the teen outreach as I mentioned in the beginning. Then Tuesday evenings after dinner we go over to our small group meeting where we have Bible study together. On Wednesdays I am back over at the Asas office in the morning with my language partner. In addition to practicing Portuguese we also work on some projects around the mission....very practical and effective language learning I think. Then at lunchtime Jeyson and I drive over to the local Bible college where I have started teaching English. We eat lunch there in the cafeteria with the students and he goes back to the hangar. Then starting this week, at this time I will meet with a young student (about 17 years old) who's mother is a student. I have really felt God putting on my heart to build a relationship with her. So, I asked her is she would like to begin spending time together reading the Bible and she said yes! Beginning Friday I will do this every Wed and Fri before class. After this I teach English for two hours and spend more time with the students for the next two hours until Jeyson picks me up after Asas. Again, more relationship building here. Students working on conversation practice....

Anyway, then Thursday I finally get a day to breathe! I stay at home in the morning and catch up on emails, blog (hence my blogging right now :), clean the house, wash the laundry...the usual things around the home. Someone told me that it takes longer to do stuff around the house in Brazil and I didn't really believe them until I tried it myself! Really, things just take longer! Laundry means pre-soaking it in the sink and washing it with a brush if needed, running the machine, hanging it, then ironing just about every piece (since we don't have a dryer). Anyway so that's my Thursday morning. Then Thursday afternoon my one student, Angelina, comes over for one-on-one English. This has been such a neat blessing! She seems to be a bit of a lonely women because she stays out in the country caring for her mom most of the time. She is a Christian but really lacks involvement with a church because of her mother's needs. We read the Bible together and practice English. It's really been a great opportunity. (Sorry no pictures yet).

Then Friday, I repeat exactly what I do on Wednesday - going to Asas in the morning and the seminary in the afternoon.

Then finally Saturday!! Saturdays are so different. Sometimes it means just relaxing, but often it means youth group activities or helping Jeyson's parents in Goiania, or like this weekend an Evangelistic trip. On Saturday we will be going the WHOLE day (5am-11pm) to Brasilia where there is a huge city dump where people live and work weeding through the trash. We will be ministering to the people there through teen activities, medical/dental clinics, person to person evangelism, and more. Please pray for us on this trip, especially since we're both have a bit of a cold right now.

Anyway, all of that to say, I don't fly but definitely am involved in ministry! One thing I've been wrestling with is knowing that just because I'm in full time ministry it does not mean I have to take EVERY opportunity that comes up. We're learning to balance our time and especially try to keep our evenings free for family time. We've also had to say no to some things, like a church retreat coming up next weekend. We can't do everything, but we're trying to really do well at what we do do!