Gateway Teams

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)