Hi! Brazil Gateway Team Leader Randy Schmor here once again. Thanks to Team Secretary Nalanda Barber for her last post of the team's activities through August 12! (and the great pics too!)

Nalanda hard at work painting grates.

Sorry for the lack of pictures in the rest of the postings regarding the August 2008 Brazil Gateway Team as I simply forgot to bring the USB cable for my camera along! :( Oh well....I'm glad Nalanda brought hers and that she uploaded a few pics of our time there.

Wednesday (Aug. 13) continued our time with another full day of work projects, craft and games classes that the team led. We also had the opportunity to have the evening to ourselves as the bulk of the CHAIN of Love kids headed to church events. Wednesday was also the day, I believe, that team member Zach W. had a little run in with a tool he was using to cut some vines with. After a trip to a local clinic and a couple of stitches, he was on his way to recovery! Thanks for prayers that God would keep us safe from serious injuries....

Assistant Team Leader Charissa and 'Tiara' in craft class.

Thursday was our last full day with the morning and afternoon activites and also our evening 2 levels of ESL classes and sports. A small group of us also visited a number of the 9 homes to take some pictures of the parents and kids as well as to deliver some August birthday gifts to 9 children (altogether) who have birthdays in August; 6 of which were during our 16 days in Campo Bom. It was really neat to see the reactions of the kids when we gave them the gifts and to have a chance to connect with the parents and other kids as well.

August birthday gifts to House #4.

Friday. As our time in Brazil was rapidly coming to a close, we took the opportunity in the morning to walk to the city center of the city we had been in for the last 2 weeks, Campo Bom. Everyone had a good time looking for souvenirs and getting some gifts for friends and family back home. A few also enjoyed a Brazilian ice cream buffet where you can basically fill a cup or waffle cone as much as you want and just pay by the weight! "Sorvete", as they call it, is pretty good! That afternoon was also given to a very important 2-3 hour Team Meeting dedicated to 'Debriefing' the entire experience and preparing the team to re-enter life back home. As was discovered during this time, some of the most important things considered were how this experience would be used to effect our world-view and our decisions for the future. It was also a time to remember and reflect on all that God had allowed us to experience, people we had met and just how wide our eyes had been opened to seeing the world a little more as God sees it. We also talked about 'saying goodbye' appropriately to people that have significantly affected your life and how to do that in a meaningful way.

We also headed into the evening for the closing classes of ESL and sports as well as a special treat that all the CHAIN of Love kids were looking forward to; a basketball game with all of the house mothers and adult women of our team! I don't think anyone was prepared for what that would be like, but just to give you an idea; my wife Shelly still has a bruise on her arm and can't fully extend her elbow, AND some women came out of the game with teeth marks!! I'll say no more.... :)

Nelson, Sara (Assistant Team Leader and Gateway Teams' summer intern) and Telmo enjoying the ladie's basketball? (if you want to call it that!) game and some 'chimarrao'. Nelson made over 20 pair of custom tennis shoes for our team members (no kidding!) and Telmo is the volunteer coordinator at CHAIN of Love Homes. 2 awesome men with an incredible hearts for kids.

Saturday was our last day in Brazil and we took the opportunity to have 3 of the kids help us ride the public bus about 10 km into downtown Novo Hamburgo and do some last item shopping. It was a great experience for everyone and some found some pretty good deals too! The women assistant team leaders also suggested that we treat the team to an ice cream before heading out....great stuff! It was also time for us to begin the process of packing and cleaning our 'home' for the last 2 weeks; which was no small task (dirt AND smell wise, hey guys?). :)

Also, Chris and Ingrid Kidd (missionaries working at CHAIN of Love) brought over their 2 day old new baby boy to visit before they even went home from the hospital!

Then...conversation, hugs, laughs, tears...and goodbyes continued well into the night and finished up on Sunday (Aug. 17) morning as our bus came right on time at 8:30am to begin our 40 hour (more or less) trip(s) home.

We met up with our good friends Arthur and his father Filipe (who attend Boas Novas church and works in Gramado at the chocolate factory we visited last week) and their family as they met and helped us at the airport before we headed through security. Then it was 2 hours to Buenos Aires, Argentina, a 7 hour lay-over there, 10 hours to Houston, 2 1/2 hours layover, and 4 hours to Calgary. In Calgary, the 4 of us from Gateway Teams had 2 flights back to Milwaukee via Minneapolis and the bulk of the team waited for another 7 hours before finally arriving back in Regina, SK Monday evening (Aug. 18). Unfortunately, the 4 of us who headed to Milwaukee had to rush to check in for our flight and because we were actually late checking in, had to rush in for our security checks and US immigration before the rest of the team made it upstairs to say good-bye :(. But, we were able to connect by phone a little bit later...........

All in all, lives were changed by this experience....for many on this team, it was a first opportunity to see life outside of North America and as we had the opportunity to interact with the children, house parents and missionaries who make CHAIN of Love Homes the amazing place that it has become; you can only wonder and thank God for how children's lives have been totally transformed because they live there.

It was an incredible opportunity to see the world from a child's point of view and at the same time from the Creator's point of view as well.

In a world where community has become possible across many barriers and borders, including distant geographical ones, the relationships that have been formed are life-changing much like the God who given the opportunity, changed our lives as well through being of service to 'the least'. How much more could you ask for?

Thanks for your prayers for this team and all the other Gateway Teams that served in 2009. We'll see you in September at our next post! Blessings!

Kameron and his friend Pablo. They became friends on our last trip to Brazil 5 years ago when Kameron was 5 and Pablo 4.

Randy (for the Brazil Gateway Team from Faith Baptist - Regina, SK)

Well, Saturday came and went as a pretty laid back day, especially compared to the rest of the week. Not many people work on the weekends in Brazil, and Chian of Love is no different. We got to sleep in, eat a leisurely breakfast, and hang out in the dorms for the morning. After another delicious lunch, we headed outside to hang with the kids, who were all pretty excited for the upcoming Festa Inverno, which was planned to start around 6:00. All afternoon people had been setting up tables in the gym, and as 6:00 grew closer, these tables started filling up with crafts, games and most importantly, food. We all agreed that the "common" Brazilian food is some of the best food we have ever had. There were pastries with meat in them called pastels (to die for) and the best dessert ever: little balls of goodness with chocolate icing and sprinkles on it. According to Luke F. they are "life changing". The gym was packed with people, all having a great time. Outside of the gym was a mechanical bull, which cost only 1 real (60 Canadian cents) for three tries. Of course, a lot of our team wanted to try. By the time 10:00 rolled around, we were all pretty tired, and headed off to bed.

Sunday gave us a little more of a busy day, as we got up and ate breakfast, had a team meeting and headed off to the hippie market in Porto Alegre. We arrived at 10:30, and the ladies powershopped until 12:00, when we were to meet at the bus. Most of the guys found a lot of the merchandise very feminine (there was a lot of jewlery), but still enjoyed the very unique experience of an open market. At 12:00, we were driven to a genuine Churrascaria, with a gaucho (cowboy) show and everything. A Churrascaria is a restaurant that is similar to the Pizzaria in the way you are served, but differs in one aspect. It's not pizza; it's meat. And it's giant chunks of meat on swords. On the left, you see a picture of one of the waiters, holding a large sword with meat on it, and the very sharp knife used to cut it into serving size pieces. A very unique experience, for sure. After the meal, there was a show, with some traditonal dancing and rope tricks. These ropes were used with cattle, and have weights on each end. The gauchos in the show demonstrated some very intense tricks, including spinning the end of the rope so close to someone's head that their hair moved! Very cool. After the Churrascaria, we all headed back to Chain of Love, very full and very ready for a siesta. We left for church at 6:30, and enjoyed another service of worshiping in two different languages. Because this Sunday was Father's Day in Brazil, they had the little kids come up and sing a song. I think the only word that any of us (except Randy S. and Krista D.) caught was 'pie' - dad! Soon after we got back from church, we quickly headed to bed, as we had a busy day ahead of us.

Monday was pretty normal. We got up, ate breakfast, the got to work. Between craft classes, sport classes and other work projects, we were kept busy. Lunch was delicious, as always, and siesta was delightful. Then it was back to work until around 4:00, when we got to hang out with the kids until supper. Randy, Shelley, and Kameron S. as well as Sarah H. headed off to eat supper at the house of a family from the church. We had ESL and sport classes that night, with Josh D. filling in for Randy S. in ESL. At 10:00, we had a team meeting, then went to bed.

At breakfast on Tuesday, Ken and Jerilyn Bayer and Chris Kidd shared with the team a little bit about Chain of Love's ministry and how it started and then left the floor open for questions from us. Then the rest of the day went fairly normal, with the exception of a little outing for the lady leaders and Ingrid Kidd in the afternoon. They were planning on getting manicures and petticures, and then going grocery shopping, but the nails took a little longer than expected, and the rest of the team picked them up on our way to our second Brazilian Pizzaria, which was absalutely amazing. There were atleast 10 different types of dessert pizzas, all very delicious. On your left is an example of one of the dessert pizzas - white chocolate and strawberry. Delicious! After the Pizzaria, we headed back to Chain of Love, and went to bed.

Nalanda Barber (for the Brazil Gateway Team from Faith Baptist - Regina, SK)

August 8, 2008

Hey there everybody! Sorry it's been a little while since I posted.... :(
But, as many of you can probably imagine, things have gotten quite busy here at CHAIN of Love Homes these past few days.

Tuesday evening we had the chance to go to Porto Alegre and visit with Lyndell Campbell (a NAB missionary that teaches at the Brazilian Baptist Seminary there). She gave us a tour of the school and we had the chance to meet the president and to meet one of the classes being held that evening. Then after that, we had another of our Brazilian restaurant experiences; Dom Vitto's Pizzeria! Pizza in Brazil is nothing like anywhere else as you are served and served and served up to 35 different kinds of pizza without leaving your seat until you say you can't have another bite. Then they start bringing desserts around; all you can eat! These teenage boys (and girls!) were all in heaven! ......and actually, the leaders all enjoyed quite a bit too! :)

Wednesday was another day of work projects, craft/art classes (morning and afternoon led by Nalanda B., Sarah R. and Jaclyn W.) and games (morning and afternoon led by Josh D. and Krista D.). Most of the kids here headed off to church on Wednesday night, so we had time for a great team meeting together. Shelly S. and Sarah H. have been heading up and doing a great job on our breakfasts and suppers. Our noon meals (the big meal of the day here in Brazil) have been cooked by some ladies connected with the CHAIN of Love Homes; great Brazilian fare and always plenty to eat whether being cooked by Americans or Brazilians!

Yesterday (Thursday) we had the same schedule during the day as shown above but also re-added English class (advanced taught by Randy S. and beginners taught by Krista D.) as well as a sports hour (basketball, North American football...) in the evening which is led by Zach W., Rebecca W., Jordan F. and Luke F. After all of that, we still had a team meeting in the evening as well! Busy times. Our work projects have been headed up by Stewart K. (painting metal grates), Shayne R. (staining window shudders), and Shelly S. (greenhouse weeding) and supervised overall by Randy S. There's definitely not a dull moment around here! Everyone enjoys the chance to get a little rest after lunch.......

Today (Friday) we had an outting scheduled into the interior hills/mountains northeast of Campo Bom as we went to Nova Petropolis where we walked through a natural labyrinth and happened upon a German Festival (yes, German, there's many of them here!) where polka dancers were performing and a craft fair was going on. We then headed to Gramado; a touristy city in the mountains famous for their International Film Festival, chocolate and pinheiro trees. We stopped here for lunch at a type of restaurant called a 'Cafe Colonial' where over 85 varieties of meats, cheeses, cakes, and many other dishes were served until we said 'no more'. These people know how to eat here! After this we hiked at an incredible park with a view of a high waterfall, mountains and valleys. We walked all the down to the base of the waterfall and then puffed (at least I did!) all the way back up the 1000 stairs. This being right after lunch was a bit challenging but we did it!

On the past Sunday, a man named Filipe from the church here in Novo Hamburgo (where the CHAIN of Love kids go) had invited us to visit the chocolate factory in Gramado that he manages so we made that stop. He was a great host, as we got a tour of the factory, a little free chocolate and a stop in the company store. Our last stop before heading back to Campo Bom was in the city center of Gramado where there was a lot of opportunity to shop and just generally check out the town. They were setting up for the film festival there and there were many people out on this early Friday evening braving the 10 C / 50 F temperatures that characterize winter here in southern Brazil.

As we returned here to Campo Bom, we were a bit late but went ahead with our 2 English classes and a sports class for girls which was very much appreciated. Rebecca W. and all the rest of our girl team members and leaders participated and had a great time as about 30 of the girls came from the homes. They rarely get the gym to themselves and this basketball clinic was a really a great time for them.

Well, that's probably enough for one blog post! The weekend's ahead and so are a number of new experiences as we hit the mid-point of our Brazil Gateway Team's trip.

Everyone continues to be healthy and as I type late into the night here, they're all sleeping and relishing in the fact that they finally get to sleep in tomorrow (9:00am) as we look forward to a Festa Inverno (Winter Festival) happening here tomorrow evening at the Homes.

Much more to blog about real soon! :)

Thanks for your prayers and for reading. Blessings!

Randy Schmor (for the Brazil Gateway Team from Faith Baptist - Regina, SK)

August 5, 2008

Boa tarde desde Brasil! :) (Good afternoon from Brazil!),

Our Brazil Gateway Team from Faith Baptist, Regina, SK continues to enjoy and get more accustomed to life here at the CHAIN of Love Homes in Campo Bom. We're beginning to settle into a routine here, but definitely an active routine!

Monday the team painted most of the playground equipment various primary colors and Shelly and Sarah Hagan did some weeding in the on campus greenhouse they have here. We also begin to schedule various sports, recreation and arts sessions/classes for the kids here over the next 2 weeks. We're offering craft classes every morning and afternoon and recreation games for younger kids every morning and afternoon as well. Those all begin and are in session as I write (Tuesday afternoon).

We also began 2 levels of ESL (English as a Second Language) classes last night and had a huge response with over 30 kids involved. We'll be doing those ESL classes 2 more nights this week and 4 nights next week. Beginning after the ESL class on Thursday night, we'll begin to have Basketball, Football (Canadian) and Floor Hockey clinics/scrimmages as well. We'll do a total of 2 this week and 4 of those next week.

On top of all of that, those not involved in leading/helping in all of these classes are doing other work projects involving painting, staining, weeding, etc. Justin Jaarsma, from our team, is an electrician by trade and he has been put to work with some new wiring in the activity center.

We also had the opportunity to go to House 9 last night for Marcia's birthday and give her a gift from one of her sponsors (my parents in Milwaukee, Art and Irma Schmor) and a gift from the team. Those who didn't need to head back to start the ESL class were also treated to an exceptional meal by Marcia's house-parents which they're still raving about!

Tonight we have plans to visit NAB missionary Lyndell Campbell in Porto Alegre for a tour of the Baptist Seminary where she teaches and also dinner out.

So, as you can see, we keep quite busy and this place has been able to keep all 20 of us quite active. Shelly Schmor, Sarah Hagan, Josh Docksteader (Faith's Youth Pastor) and Krista Docksteader have also been helping Chris Kidd with some of his office work by filing, taking pictures of the kids, and other general needs.

Thanks for your prayers! Pray for endurance and adequate rest. The team definitely eats enough as we have Worley (a Brazilian lady) cooking for us each noon hour and Shelly overseeing and cooking the rest of our meals.

Blessings,

Randy Schmor

August 3, 2008

Hello everyone again from Campo Bom, Brazil!

Our first Sunday here at CHAIN of Love was a nice day as it hasn't rained here since the evening we arrived on Friday. Although cloudy and cool (15 C/60 F), we enjoyed time hanging out with the kids here, playing indoor soccer and getting to know them better. We also had a team meeting this morning (church would be later in the evening) that a cut a little short because our bus driver arrived to take us to our first Brazilian restaurant experience; the 'Primavera' Galleteria (literally the 'spring chicken'!). The team was more than enthused with the amount of food and the quality of it as well. The Bayers (NAB missionaries who oversee the CHAIN of Love Homes) and the Kidds (other NAB missionaries who work at CoL) along with their family from Canada were also there with us at the Galleteria.

We also had a chance to rest up before heading to the main church service of the day which is in the evening. We rode the CHAIN of Love bus with all the rest of the kids and their house-parents; quite the loaded ride but really fun and a great opportunity to know the kids better. The service of course, was entirely in Portuguese, but the team was happy when the worship team did 3 songs that we all knew in English (one was by the 'Newsboys'). The worship team was quite professional and good! Everyone was really friendly and we greeted and met many different folks; including a school teacher who'd like our team to visit her religion class sometime while we're here.

Well, our work projects begin in the morning (painting, weeding, other) and also classes that we're planning on doing with the kids (English, crafts, basketball, other).

More to come......

Randy Schmor (for the Faith, Regina - Brazil Gateway Team)

August 2, 2008

Greetings from Campo Bom, Brazil!

Our team (from Faith Baptist - Regina, SK) arrived here at the CHAIN of Love Homes yesterday after a 30+ hour trip from Regina to Calgary to Houston to Buenos Aires to Porto Alegre!

We've had a great first day getting to know the kids, volunteers and house-parents here and are excited for the 2 weeks ahead of us. God surely has had His hand on this place and our team as we traveled long and hard to get here.

The kids had a kite competition today that we watched and our team played soccer, basketball and just plain horsed around with them for most of the afternoon. Many of our team members have been experimenting with their Portuguese and having good success at communicating!

The weather has been cool but comfortable; around 14-15 C (60 F) with rain and thunderstorms last night but partly cloudy skies today. We're looking forward to going to church tomorrow night and our first Brazilian restaurant tomorrow. Everyone's trying to get used to the Latin eating schedule which features the biggest meal of the day around 1 or 2 pm, but hey, it's not wrong, just different, right guys?!

More tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

For the Brazil Gateway Team from Regina,

Randy Schmor