(Joshua)

The Candy Goes Into the Middle

Rock Hunt

We have been here thirteen days now and slowly but surely we are getting used to the changes and challenges that a new culture and language bring. This week so far has kept us fairly busy. We mowed in the morning till lunch time with some of the older boys. We've gotten quite a bit done, but with the daily rain and hot weather the grass grows about as fast as we can mow it and thicker than I'm used to as well. It's a challenge too with the boys because they often do not want to work very hard. We get them to work for about an hour or so and then they get tired or bored. Overall, they work decently though. I've been push mowing each day so far and Steven and Andy have been on the riding mower and weed wackier. We work until about 11:30 or 12:00 and then go and eat. If there is one thing that is consistent in all of our time here it is the food. Without a doubt, there will never cease to be rice and beans and beans and rice. Good thing I like them.

After lunch is kind of whatever. We have had some small projects to do like building a trophy for the volleyball tournament and cleaning up the mechanics shop. Yesterday we were able to move into a bigger room because the people living there had left. So, we moved all our things down the hall into the next room. It has two windows and is twice as big as the one we had. That has been really nice to be in the new room. Every day the kids go swimming at 3:00 until supper in the evening. However, we eat in the short termer's kitchen for breakfast and supper. Pizza has been our food of choice in the evening and for breakfast we eat eggs. Yesterday afternoon I went on a hike with about half a dozen other people back through the bean fields and on a trail through the forest to a spot where there are some cool rocks so I got one big one to take home. The hike was a lot of fun too. It took about an hour one way and it rained on us while we were coming back. It was a good trip though.

So, I am adjusting much better than last week. I have learned some Portuguese and am understanding more our purpose in this trip. It's not an easy ride yet and I don't imaging it will be, but God has proven to be there always and I have learned many things through the difficulties of a new culture. I do ask for prayer that both Steven and I would learn more and more through our time here and that we would grow closer to God. Also, I have been having some problems with my knee because of different stresses to it and ask for prayer for healing for that too. Tomorrow will probably be much of the same but I am looking forward to what I can learn throughout the day.