This weekend we went away from Saturday to Sunday. We went one town or so over to Murrebue It was supposed to only take us a half an hour to get there. Our directions were, ”once you get thought the town look for the white sign with blue writing, go left. At the triangle, go left.” Of course we got lost. Lost in Africa is amazing though, well except for the roads. It just so beautiful out here. The roads make Detroit’s roads look amazing. We were out in the country and when there is a hard rain it really takes a toll on the road. The rule of thumb is drive where the road is the best. You’re supposed to be on the left, but if the best side of the road is on the right that is where you go. Granted there isn’t much traffic out in the country, but still it’s a new experience. One part of the road was so badly damaged from rain the locals had crammed bags full of trash in the space where the water had eroded the road.
I forgot to mention that we got 31 people and 1 dog with food, clothing etc into 2 vehicles. One vehicle is a mid-sized SUV and the other a truck with 5 seats and a roof over the bed of the truck.
The beach we stayed at was so amazingly beautiful, it was paradise. Crystal clear blue ocean and sand so soft it might be mixed with baby powder. We set up tents on the beach for sleeping and I introduced the kids to some Campus Life games. These kids are hilarious and unlike kids in the states, they show NO fear. I mean NO fear for themselves or others. We played Buck Buck, where you jump on each other backs trying to create a big pile of people without anyone falling off and they just threw themselves onto each other with no regard for heads or backs anything. It was so funny to watch them though. We also played a game where you pile things in the center and each person around the edge gets a number and when the number is called people have to run in and grab as much stuff as possible. Granted I probably didn’t set up a big enough game site but you would have thought this was tackle football. The last number I called every kid ran in and we had a huge pile up!
The kids played soccer or football as they call it till dinner… they have so much energy I don’t even know what to do with myself. After dinner we had a fire. The kids were so funny they went out hunting crabs in the dark, armed with bamboo. They would see one making a run for it and then wack it on the head and then bring them back for cooking. I went out with them with my flashlight and I don’t get how on earth they could find these little fast moving crabs in the dark. They dog must have been their secret weapon. They probably got about 20 or so and they would just bring them back and cook them. I ate some at it was much better than what I remember crab tasting like.
The boys began singing around the fire as well. I don’t even know how to describe their singing, but it was so amazing! Jesus was about the only word I could pick up on and they probably even sang some in their tribal language. These boys are just all so talented and full of life, it’s just amazing to watch them be themselves.
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sleep on the beach in Africa… so while everyone else slept in a tent or on a tarp surrounded by all the tents, I slept on a blanket on the sand. I probably should have slept in the really soft sand closer to the water, but I didn’t want to get run over by any crabs =)
The sky was amazing and the stars were so bright, looking around you see no sign of life. No building, no electrical towers, no nothing… just God’s beautiful creation. I probably ruined the moment by reading on the Kindle app on my phone, but I can’t resist a good book and crashing waves.
Sunday morning Adriano and Michael had to run to town, because the kids who packed the food had forgotten the spaghetti for dinner the night before, which threw every meal off. While waiting for them to come back the kids played Uno, Jenga, swam and who knows what else. We all hung out in the shaded area and once the guys arrived back we ate, and had church.
After lunch we played capture the flag. They played on the beach and it appeared as though they all really like the game. I sat the one out and went swimming in the Ocean and took pictures. I still can’t get over how warm the water is here. It’s actually more refreshing to jump in and then get out that it is to stay in the water.
The weekend was lots of fun, but it was nice to get home and sleep in my little bug protected bed =)
Prayer Request:
- Continued prayer for health and learning Portuguese.
- Julie and Adriano are leaving on Sunday for Brazil and then the US. Pray that they are able to accomplish what they need to before they depart and for their stress level.
Amanda
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