2/3 missions

Back to the 2/3 missions philosophy!!!!! I have promised God if He gets me out of here alive, I will do the praying and giving and my sister can go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whatever positive glowing reports I have given ……. They are past tense!! Do not ask me any questions about yesterday because I intend to do everything within my power to forget it ever happened. I will not sleep at night if it is in my memory!


It started out hot in Sobral. We were to leave at 9:00 AM and we finally got off at 10:00 AM which is pretty good for Brazil time. I am not sure how to describe this little van other than to say it is not made for 7 people. However, other choices were very limited so it was 7 people in this little van.

Did I mention it was hot??? We caravanned with several cars from the Sobral church who were also going to the conference. The happiest moment of my morning was when Jonathan said we were stopping for lunch. I should have known there was a catch. There was a zoo there and everyone decided we should go to the zoo (using the term loosely). Jonathan thought we should see the animals that were native to this area. As we went from cage to extremely smelly cage, it soon became apparent that most of the animals were really not from this area. Did I mention that it was extremely hot??? Add to that dusty and smelly. Those of you who know me well, can guess that my smile was becoming a bit plastic!!! I told one of the men who speaks English that I did not do zoos in Kansas when it is cool. I am not sure what I am doing at one in Brazil when it is HOT. After that odiferous experience, we were now going to lunch. The actual stools in the ladies bathroom were tucked away, but where you wash your hands…..well that was right out there for the whole restaurant to see. You try to not be obvious but I pulled the whole towel container down with a loud crash, another fine moment.

The lunch was good but I did struggle a bit. One fly can dim my appetite but we were not limited to one. Then we also had bees. Jonathan told me not to wave them away because that would irritate them and then they were come back with more!!!!!! Now these were not your average bees of Kansas. These were the AFRICAN KILLER BEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am serious. That was why Jonathan told me to leave them alone. I was to just let them land and wait till they flew away. Can you all just picture me in this setting.

The trip thus far has been the “good” part. It was hot. They we start up the mountain road. It winds up and up. Part of it was cobble stone. Another teeth rattling, bone jarring experience!!! With 7 people in this small car. Your one thought is just to get where we are going!!!! Jonathan gives us a horticultural tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He stops in the middle of the road to point out all the vegetation. Other times, he chose to do it while driving and Chima makes Kathy and I Iook good when it comes to yelling and gasping!!! My sweet spirit was wilting.

We are going through this small town and out of a side street comes a complete CATTLE DRIVE!!!!!!!!!! I am not kidding you!!!!!!!!! Cowboys with probably 75-100 cows and they just drive them through the street in front of us!!! Because we are climbing we cannot use the AC so here we are plodding behind all of these stinky cows who are NOT in a hurry. By this time I have COMPLETELY given up on the plastic smile. Jonathan decides he has had enough so he starts honking his horn!!!!!! Oh great! A stampede!

At this point we REALLY start to go up. They don’t believe in switchbacks so we are talking serious UP. After what I am sure is 6 weeks, we get to the last climb before the “camp” Understand Kathy and Ruth??? This road supersedes any vertical I have every experienced in my life. Straight up is tame. It soon became quite obvious that the car was NOT going to make it with us in it. If you have seen me less than thrilled, try to picture me at this point! We start up the hill. I am wearing sandals and there are rocks and boulders everywhere. Someone called me and as I turned around my sandal went one way and I went another and that was all she wrote!!! There was NO WAY to get stopped. Rod was a little behind me. I looked like a flying windmill with huge eyes!!! Rod Was able to brace himself and catch me or I would have been at the bottom. Rick thought he was going to see “Jack and Jill” enacted before his very eyes. There is no way to describe the total vertical of that hill. Of course this near tragedy changed nothing. There was still no way to get to the camp but to climb the hill so up we started AGAIN!! Made it!!! I told the ladies I was happy to be here and I was here to stay because I had no intentions of getting anywhere near that hill.

When we got to our rooms, we were shaken, sweaty from head to toe and I just looked at Rod and told him there was a line that was just too much and we had crossed it. It was just all too much especially in the heat. Rod’s opening debut was to promptly blow the guts out of my little fan which was going to be used to cool off our room. Oh for 110 wattage. We don’t seem to do well with the electrical systems.

It really is beautiful up here and COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Wish I had a jacket. It is a little primitive but for the first time since leaving Overland Park, Chima said it was safe to brush our teeth with running water. AHHHHHHHHHHH the major issue of life!

Had a great session with the ladies this morning. There are probably 80-90 ladies. Their husbands have such a desire to reach Brazil for Christ. There are some sharp couples here.

Don’t know if you will see me for awhile. Have to decide if I REALLY want to go near that hill,

Pray for Chima. She sounds terrible but she did a great job this AM.