I can’t believe I have been here two weeks already! The time has gone by quickly as I’m getting settled into my new home and experiencing new things every day! The Lord has been so good, and the adjustment is going well so far. I have already been to 7 two-hour Portuguese language classes, so my Portuguese is improving a little bit every day.
One of my favorite things is going to church. The Brazilians are so excited to worship Jesus! There are 7 services at the largest church here in Santarem and all of them are packed out! I have also been plugged into a cell group with Brazilians from the church. It meets weekly on Wednesday nights. PAZ believes that every believer needs to be discipled on a regular basis and involved in a cell group, where they can grow in their walk with Christ and also be trained up to be leaders and bring others to Christ. I can’t understand much yet, but this week I was able to read scripture verses and pray a few sentences! I also attend Tadel on Tuesday nights, which is a training service for those in the church involved in leadership.
My host family is wonderful! Cristina has welcomed me warmly into her home and has been so patient in helping me with my Portuguese. We have had many laughs as we try to understand each other and often use sign language! She has promised to teach me how to cook Brazilian food, which I’m excited about!
Transportation here is interesting. I do not have a vehicle and plan to use public transportation for a while. The bus seemed like a good idea, but the buses here are not very dependable. Several times they have been late, and a couple times they have changed their route on me! My favorite mode of transportation is the mototaxi. It’s fast, easy and adventuresome! Not sure how it works during the rainy season, though! And then there’s always a creative person who comes up with their own way to get people around, like lawn chairs in the back of a pickup! That’s how we got home from cell group one night. Probably not exactly legal in the U.S.! When all else fails, my own two feet get me around. I’m getting good exercise for sure!
I’m going on my first trip with the health team this weekend! It’s a village where the church has recently started a work. We will be leaving early Saturday morning and returning Sunday. I would really appreciate your prayers that the Lord would bless our time there and give us opportunities to show the love of Jesus. I look forward to sharing about it next week!
I end with a Brazilian saying that they use when saying good-bye, “Fica com Deus.” Stay with God!









