There's a Clock in My Floor

Despite extensive searches to locate the ticking, it has been narrowed down to a small area in the middle of the floor in the entry way (on the west wing of the apartment, of course). I cannot come up with a more logical conclusion that someone misplaced, buried, or hid a clock in my floor.

Point of interest: I think I have ringworm.

Now I realize that my posts have not spoken much about what exactly I am doing down here and even some have eluded that my blog looks like a vacation diary...so let me fill you in. My first few weeks have been a time of relationship building and participation. Monday night bible study with a pastor from the church in Flamengo and one of the worship leaders (about 12 total in the study), Wednesday night service in Morro Azul (favela in Flamengo), Thursday night (worship service, main church Flamengo), Saturday mornings prayer breakfast in Morro Azul followed by English classes, and Sunday night services at Morro Azul. I have been interviewing and visiting different English schools because I will need to teach part time in the mornings. Nothing has materialized, yet, but it will.

Bangu, Villa Alianca. I will be focusing on get a medical clinic that is pretty close to completion up and running. This clinic will have both medical and dental offices. In addition, I will be teaching English in this favela once a week and working with the kids in an afterschool program offered through the church.

English is in extremely high demand here. It seems like everywhere I go most people are either studying it or want to study it. I see this as an incredible tool for outreach while meeting practical needs...speaking English opens the doors to many opportunities (except teaching English, apparently).

I am at almost all activities the church offers during the week and take advantage of any opportunity I get to enter the favela. My hope is that the community of Morro Azul will have more options than only attending church services in the near future.

I Love Jiu Jitsu

As much as I love jiu jitsu, I just not willing to pay the prices they are charging here...what a shame.

This morning at the free gym there was a guy with califlour ear, wearing fight gear. I asked him if he practiced jiu jitsu and he told me that he teaches it. He said classes around here were expensive but we could meet up tonight and go to his class together...awesome!!! He came to our meeting place riding a bike and pulling a second one. We rode for over thirty minutes in rush hour traffic, with buses scaping our handle bars, to a downtown gritty, hardcore gym tucked away in a neighborhood. While we were training, I noticed that his gi had the phrase "atletas por Cristo" (athletes for Christ) and when we finished training I asked him if he was a Christian. He said absolutely and then we formed an instant bond talking about that. He asked me what church I attended and when I told him, he said that he goes there frequently but it is not his main church. In fact, he said he said he had sent an email to the leadership offering jiu jitsu classes as a form of outreach...ding, ding, ding!!! I couldn't believe it as I let him know how much I wanted to do that in the favela where I am working. We talked all the way home, while riding, about working together in the future using his talents and my love for jiu jitsu to reach the kids in the favela. He embraced the idea and wants to make it happen. He recognized that our meeting was God ordained and was really excited about making this a ministry. INCREDIBLE!!!

btw...I tapped out a couple of people unfortunately I was tapped out more.

My Blood Boils

Come with me to make a photocopy:

First wait in line downstairs with pendrive to print a document.
Only pendrive capabilities upstairs.
Wait in line upstairs and get one copy, but wait I want 10...sorry you have to go downstairs for that.
Pay upstairs for the one copy, now back downstairs.
Wait in line again and give the copy from upstairs. Receive receipt to pay for the copies, but no copies.
Go in another line and wait to get to cashier to pay for copies and get another receipt showing paid.
Return to first line and wait for other 9 copies.
Give receipt showing payment and now you have your ten copies.

I consider this an exercise in practicing patience...care to join me?

Rules of Engagement

Under no circumstances are pictures ever to be taken in the favela...if seen and the drug dealers are in a good mood they will ask me who I am and then go and talk to the pastor of church, bad mood--not a good scenario. (Sorry you can just google favelas and get a fairly accurate idea)

When asked if from the neighborhood, just say yes....a nice lady pulled me aside after getting out of a small van used for transportation in the favela and whispered in my ear...don't ever tell them you are a foreigner.

Always have a bible in hand when entering the favela.

When fireworks light up the sky at night this is not for entertainment purposes but a signal that the drugs have arrived and a beacon for the location.

The chickens that run around the neighborhood are not for producing eggs but for sacrifices used in a form of voodoo.

Don't take the small white vans because they are illegally run and will take alternative routes to avoid the police and just drop you off in a random location.

Don't bring anything that may be of value when riding on the train.

When someone gives a specific time for something to be ready, give at least a 24 hour grace period.

....just a little heads up for when you come to visit

I'd Die a Happy Man

Every time I walk out of my apartment, I encounter something new and exciting. Sometimes it's people acting neurotically in the streets, maybe a clown on stilts, perhaps a man on a train with more items attached to him for sale than Ace Hardware, or just an open air fruit market for the day. Today as I was walking in the park I saw green tropical birds and then when I was walking back from the free gym, I stopped on the boardwalk to soak in the moment. On one side there was the statue of Cristo peaking out of the clouds and on the other crystal clear skies with mountains jutting out of the ocean. I could only praise God for how good He is to me and allowing me to experience this beauty. I thought that if I died today, I die a happy man. Just about at that moment, I looked a few feet below me and there was a dead body washed up on the beach...not kidding.

Great Discoveries and Mild Frustrations

New Discoveries
Supermarket that has aisles that accommodate more than one shopping cart
Lunch meat
Free gym in the park
Live music in the plaza
Relatively inexpensive laundry mat
24 Hour corner eatery only one block away
Cus-Cuz man
Subway station two blocks from home
Skype works from home
Church and work only a 10-15 minute walk
Found a ladder to clean the spanish moss off of the ceiling fan
If I lower the water pressure to a little less than a trickle I can get it hot

Mild Frustrations
Expense comparison: Regular rayban sunglasses: $300+, Nano 4mb $300+, Protein powder $55, Nike shoes $250-$300....Who can afford to live like this???? (good for me actually, no temptation to buy anything)
A small army of insects is determined to cohabitate with me despite my living on the 8th floor and repeated Raid attempts
My kitchen ceiling resembles the stalagmites at Carlsbad Caverns...soon to be fixed I am told
No escalators in the favelas...maybe a future project for us.
Language barriers...I went to a bible study last night and one of the pastors was in the study, as we were leaving he said something short to me in English and I told him to have a good night...his response "Your welcome." I feel like that many times when talking with others in Portuguese.

My Backyard

As I leave my apartment I am greeted with an ocean breeze as I take a short walk to enter my playground. I can run until I get tired and never have to cross the same path. The paths wind through the park filled with trees one one side and then runs along the beach on the other. My backyard has multiple soccer fields, basketball courts, a skate park, a workout facility, and shaded cabanas to stop and grab an agua de coco or quick snack for more energy. The view can be seen on many postcards, but for me, the Sugar Loaf mountain feels like just an arms length away. Only 100 yards from my building is my side patio. This includes towering trees hundreds of years old, paths the cross bridges over water, a musuem, art exhibits, and frequent visits from local musicians playing live music.

The best part of it all is that I do not have to mow the grass, pay a landscaper, have HOA or membership dues, or put chemicals in the water. It is all part of God's magnificent creation and I just get to enjoy it.

ARRIVAL

Upon arriving in Rio, the reality of a dream realized had not yet fully set in. I still felt as if I would only be here for a while and then have to return to the states. Melissa was waiting for me at the airport and we spent the day walking the streets as she showed me what to expect from her previous six weeks in Flamengo. The team, from City of Grace, arrived one day later a little exhausted but ready to roll. Our plans changed frequently but the team adapted well and were extremely gracious and flexible. Events included:

Touring Flamengo where I am living and working
Tour of the favela, Morro Azul, and Wednesday night service along with a meeting with the senor pastor of the church
Tour of another favela in Bangu (using planes, trains, and automobiles to arrive) where I will spend some time partnering with the local church and visit to a rehab center for former inmates, addicts, and dealers
Walking and more walking
Trip to Cristo Rendentor...the big statue at the top of Rio
A little beach time and a couple of churruscarias (all you can eat beef!!!!) Julie accepted the challenge to eat an entire skillet of fried cheese after we finished dinner...Mission accomplished...I was most impressed.

Our time together was precious and the team displayed unparalleled generosity and love. I will miss them greatly.