Photographs

Here are a few photographs from the banana farm visit yesterday:

This is Leonal (not sure if this is the correct spelling), the owner of the banana "sitio" (again, not sure of the correct spelling). He has worked this farm for 30 years.


This is Clara, our translator. She works at the feira for Leonal. We found out that she just started going to school this year to learn computer programming or maybe some sort of computer engineering degree. Her schedule includes 8 ridiculously difficult classes. We were surprised by the classes she was taking all together at the same time and that she had 8 classes! She said that's pretty normal.


When you first walk in, there is a open area with two small buildings.


A trail into the banana "groves".


Leonal cutting fresh sugar cane for us to try.


Another view of the banana trees and Vale Verde.


This amount of bananas, cut in one day, will all be sold in three different feiras around Cubatao.

Eddie & I went wandering around again this morning. Here's a photograph of one of the signs as you enter Cubatao. Since it was once nicknamed "The Valley of Death", they now call it "The Valley of Life". This sign is pretty close to where Vida em Cristo is located.

Another photograph taken downtown Cubatao this morning.

This winter is going to be a busy one for the mission. Another couple arrived this morning and they'll be staying for 10 days I believe. After we leave Cubatao next weekend, a group of about 8-10 will be arriving. I believe there's another group or two coming in July as well. One of the groups will be here for "vision-casting" for their home church in the states. Another group will be a work group to help with some construction on the church. The church still needs floors and ceilings to be finished as well as various other projects that need to be completed. The church members have faith that the building will be finished one day and that the money will be there to finish the projects. Sooner would be better than later!

We still have another week here in Cubatao but we already feel the trip is coming to an end. We are just now beginning to really connect with some of the kids and others in the area so it's going to be hard to leave. However, we hope to remain in contact with some of them. Also, we hope to continue to learn some Portuguese once we go home. I think that now that I know a little bit of the language and have spent several weeks immersed in it, I think it'll make more sense to me as I try to learn. We hope and pray that the seeds of encouragement, hope, and support we have been able to plant will bloom into something more down the road. You never know what the results of your actions will be, so we just pray that ours will have a positive impact. We believe we were obedient to come to Brazil, and we will continue to be open to what we are needed to do. The last two photography assignments I have given have allowed me to get to know the kids better and the assignment they are working on now will hopefully open the door for me to talk about my faith, even if it's briefly, next Monday.

Happy sabado everybody! To our Bozeman friends...I understand it's either snowing or has snowed recently...ick! I hope it clears up for you guys soon! Thanks for your continued prayers and support and thanks for reading my rambling words!