The Southern Cross

A Couple of Random Thoughts from California

2007-09-29T11:12:00.000-03:00

Random thoughts from California where we are on home ministries during September:

Some one who once was a missionary kid exclaimed that as missionaries we really do ask a lot of our children. Our lifestyle asks a lot of them just because they are part of our family. Here are just a few of ours from home ministries. How many of us......

Ask our children to live with a different family every few days all with slightly different rules and patterns of living. The cups and toilet paper are never in the same place; every faucet seems to operate differently. Just how do you get the right amount of hot water for your shower?

Sleep in a different bed – maybe just on the floor – in a bedroom - or the living room or wherever there is an extra place changing every few nights. Maybe mom and dad don't even know where you will spend tonight.

Live on the road without a home, out of a suitcase with just a backpack full of toys for six months.

Leave home and country for six months to accompany parents while they work.

Live with just their family and without close friends nearby.

Eat lunch with other adults.... and then sit and wait while their parents talk for two hours afterwards... not just once , but three days in a row.

Stand up or speak in front of groups of strangers...sometimes asked to say a few things at a moments notice.

Another random thought:

All he had spent his whole life working for had ended when he retired. When he retired he was replaced at work, his programs wrapped up, and the company moved on almost like he had never been. There was little except retirement to show for the years of his life. He had not been involved in a church for years until recently. It was empty and he had realized that. How sad to spend your life working for that that doesn't matter and will not last.

The one who prays has faithfulness and love to show.
The one who gives has sacrifice and generosity.
The one who goes has also sacrificed and loved.
There is nothing given that will not be noticed by the Lord.
No minute nor penny he does not see.

Crick-ettes

2007-07-25T16:34:00.000-03:00

As missionaries one of the questions we are sometimes asked is,"Do you eat bugs?"

This year at Momentum, the Grace Brethren youth conference, some youth and their pastors are enjoying the pleasures of Cricket and Meal worm Lick-its, Crick-ettes, and Scorpion pops. Each lollipop contained either a cricket, meal worm or for the youth leaders, a scorpion for those who like a little protein with their sugar. If bugs are just not your thing, Jalopeno flavor or hot pepper pops were on the menu. For those with more classic taste, apple, watermelon, cherry and cinnamon hit the spot.

Josiah and Caleb shared a box of crickets, and to show that she could do it too, I downed one very crunchy cricket.

All to remind them about the challenge of missions and taking the church where it is needed most - where it isn't.

So did your youth pastor take the challenge?

What's that?

2007-07-25T13:14:00.000-03:00

Sleepily Josiah poured himself a bowl of cereal and added milk. He was really looking forward to the treat. It is not often we ate cereal in Brazil, it is costly and the types are very limited. Suddenly, a look of concern crossed his face, something was not right. He left the bowl on the counter an came to me.

"Mom, something is wrong with my cereal, it's making noise."

He really looked confused when I chuckled. There was simply nothing wrong with his cereal or milk; He simply had no idea that Rice Crispies say "snap, crackle, pop".

Caleb grabbed his dads arm and pointed to the billboard up ahead. "Dad, what's that," he cried.

Wayne looked up at the big hot dog with chili and cheese. "It's a coney.

"But, dad what's a coney?" Caleb replied.

Jacob came to me with a blank look on his face and an envelope in his hand one morning. "Mom, how do you mail a letter here?"

Every day we are reminded by little things that we are not all American any more; things that are so much a part of the culture we don't even think about them, our kids don't know, things that Wayne and I don't know because they are new or have changed over the last few years. Some days there is the vague (or not so vague!) feeling of being lost in a familiar world.

America, England, Scotland, Paris and Holland

2007-06-27T15:05:00.001-03:00

If you are interested in reading more about our trip - chsck out our son Jacob's blog. He has posted some of the stories and a few pictures from our trip so far over several posts. Somehow he finds the time while Mom is taking care of her responsibilities! You can check it out at http://www.xanga.com/jbongo

Although there have been some challenges, losses and suspensful moments (begining with the question of can we leave here and get there on time at the aiirport in Belem!) our family has had a great time. The trip is giving our children a different view of the world and seeing how God works. ( Like a few days ago when the bag with most of our valuables in it was stolen, including the CD with all our pictures of getting here and England and the two weeks camping in Scotland. God didn't allow our friends in London to delete the pictures from there computer - so we are able to get a copy of them.)

We arrive in Dayton, Ohio the 5th and will be back at work, speaking in our home church, Centerville GBC that SUnday. We thank those of you who have been praying for us. Please continue to pray for us as we finish up our vacation and begin six months of home ministries.

End of an Era

2007-05-31T06:22:00.001-03:00

Friday our oldest, Jacob, graduated from Amazon Valley Academy in Belem, Brazil.

One of the trials that missionary parents face is sending their children off to another continent, to the strange land called America when they graduate from High School. It is a land and culture they do not know well. Since they are so far away they won't be home for the weekend-- or Thanksgiving, Christmas or school breaks – or maybe even for years.

Like my son they may have never driven a car or held a job because of visa restrictions, they may not know the latest teen talk or styles. Like Jacob they may look American, but they won't really seem American as they will do things like stand to close or use gestures or words in ways that are not understood there, but are part of life here. I know he wil have his struggles as he adjusts to life there. Jacob's cousin who also graduated this year said we ruined him by taking him away to a foreign country.

But, like my son, they have a different view of the world, they have experienced so much more of some areas of life and seen God work in ways that are so much different than if they stayed in the states. The three years we spent getting here and the first year here were tumultuous and the time since then not always easy. We moved from the states when he was half way done with 9^th grade, a hard time to move a child to another land. Some missions won't even send families out with children over 12, because of the problems they often have.

Yet, in his graduation speech Jacob said he was glad he came here and he would not have choose another way that the time here was special to him.

A few weeks ago it really hit home as I watch the seniors, one by one, play their last play in basket ball and leave the floor during the last few minutes of their last game. But the proudest moment came when at aan after graduation party one of the other seniors told Wayne and I that he really looks up to Jacob spiritually and admires his strength and maturity.

And so Jacob goes with us to the states to start a new life. He will be living with my parents in Ohio for a year and going to a community college nearby, partly in order to become an Ohio resident so next year tuition will be cheaper. We don't know when he will be home again. But our tears and prayers and love go with him.

Loose Ends - Orality, Vacation, Home Ministries

2007-05-31T05:46:00.000-03:00

Well --- we finally are back online with our computers after receiving parts from the States -- just in time to shut it all down for a while. I was unable to finish the orality blog series. I will do so sometime in the future. In August we will be attending a training session at Wycliff in Dallas about orality.

We leave Brazil June 3 for Vacation and Home ministries. Please remember to pray for us during this time.

During June we will be visiting friends in the Netherlands and London with a side trip to Paris and camping in Scotland and Iceland. It all ends with a bang - the fourth of July in Washington DC! As we are used to nothing below about 74 degrees at night and days in the 90's with high humidity, we expect to freeze! (Iceland will be in the 50's). This will be our last family vacation before Jacob heads off to college.

July 5 we begin six months of home ministries. It has been over three and half years since we came to Brazil. Much has happened during this time. During most of home ministries we will be on the road with three of our four children. We will be at Momentum (BNYC) and Equip.

Because it has been four years or longer since we have raised support we are needing to raise over $25,000 in order to return to the field. Like everyone else costs have gone up. In addition the Real (the Brazillian currency pronounced similar to hey- al) has fallen from over three to the dollar to slightly less than two to the dollar and the cost of living in Brazil has risen sharply.

Please pray for our children during this time as we will be doing school on the road, for our support, and for safety as we drive thousands of miles.

Because we will be traveling, most likely there will not be another post until early July.

Thank you all for your prayers in the past. This ministry would not be possible without them.

Love In Christ, Ellen

The Birth of Two New Churches

2007-05-31T05:27:00.000-03:00

Two days of celebration marked the baptisms and communion of new believers and birthed two new churches in two different towns a few hours outside of Belem, Brazil last weekend. Wayne & Ellen have been working with a number of lay leaders to evangelize in a number of interior towns. This past weekend we witnessed the fruit of this labor. A group of twenty adults and children traveled from the Marituba, Nova Uniao church led by Pastor Nonato to be a part of the celebrations. They have worked and prayed with Luis and Katia and Satuca in Peri-Meri and Val and Neti, Evaldo and Neci and Luis and Fatima in Capitao Poco over about the last two years to evangelise in these towns.

In Peri-Meri four new believers were baptised in the cool waters of a stream under the hot noon amazon sun. Some others who had expressed an interest hung by the edge of the stream, watching to find out what this was about. Afterwards several said they now want to be baptised.

After a celebration lunch of stewed chicken,
beans, rice and macaroni for about forty people and a time of rest, they along with some others gathered under the trees of Luiz's father's home to join in taking their first communion. As Luis, who has a servants heart, washed his father's feet for the first time, their faces glowed. No longer will these feet go to find crabs, but to spread the gospel he told his father as he finished. Indeed his father has already begun to help evangelise a near by town. Vatapa, a thickened mixture of shrimp, a special palm oil and spices was served for the fellowship meal.

At the end of the service, as Nonato spoke of the beginnings of the Grace Brethren church in Germany, under a tree and without a building Wayne linked each one together with another, arm in arm, others stood and joined in till ten people stood together to become the new church of Peri-Meri. Nonato challenged them as a body of baptised believers, the new church of Peri-Meri, to be bound together in love.

The next day in Capitao Poco, a group of six stood together at a shaded stream to be baptised. Over 25 came from the town to watch. Each testimony recalled something different that God had done to bring them to him. For Dona Raimundo, in her 70's it was seeing how Neci, who sometimes came with her husband, was different and wanting what she had. For another it was being able to buy a Bible and read it that made the difference. Although baptised over 40 years ago, he said it really ment nothing to him since he did not know the words of God. For another it was a hunger for God and to know the word. Colinho, Rosa and their daughter Marta were also baptised with Marta expressing the change she saw in her father brought her to Christ. Here as in Peri-Meri, others who have been studying the Bible expressed an interest in being baptised after seeing the people here baptised. After a cool dip in the water, churrasco (a type of grilled beef) for lunch and a nap in our hammocks we shared communion together.

Again as the time of communion ended Nonato challenged seven who stood and linked together arm in arm to be bound in love, to share fellowship together, to share the word and to grow.

For both our car and the van who carried the visitors from Marituba, the celebration continued for several hours as we sang songs of worship and praise most of the way home.

Prayer for Baptisms

2007-05-18T12:41:00.000-03:00

Well we are back up with one computer working. I will continue the orality series later next week -but first let me tell you about this weekend -

Wayne and I , along with Nonato, pastor of the Marituba church, and his wife Rute and Luis, Katia and Nicolas and Eval and Evaldo and maybe their families and Luis and Fatimia and others will be traveling to the towns of Peri-Meri and Capitao Poco where the two Luises and Eval and Evaldo along with others have been evangelizing discipling and leading group and individual studies. We are going to be a part of the great event of Baptisms in both towns. Peri-Meri will be Saturday and Capitao Poco Sunday, both will be in streams in the towns. A communion service will follow each group of baptisms.

Please pray for safe travel for the two vans and our car as we drive 4 hours to Peri-Meri, several hours to Capitao Poco and 4 hours home from Capitao Poco. Please pray also for those who are taking this big step of a public commitment of their faith. Pray also for those who are being trained to help lead these spiritual families. Give thanks for those who have given their time and resources and prayers through the years so that these baptisms might happen.

Thank you for all your prayers, Ellen

Intermission - Failed computers

2007-04-26T08:51:00.000-03:00

There will be a brief (we hope!) intermission to the orality blogs for computer failure. Earlier this month one of our computers failed. This past week the other started failing. Wayne is trying to get all the information off of it before it fails completely. Since my orality work is on that computer it is currently unavailable. Please pray for us as there has been a number of things that have cropped up that have interfered with us getting ready for our home ministries (We leave here June 3 and return January 9).

Orality: Part Six Types of Bible Teaching:

2007-04-19T15:18:00.000-03:00

Orality: Part Six and Seven Types of Bible Teaching:

There are a variety of terms that are used to describe different methods of sharing Bible stories. Although western style theological education tends to validate exposition more and teach it as the pattern of training for leaders and pastors, all of these methods have been used to evangelize, disciple, train leaders and plant churches. As missionaries we need to take a critical look at how we are teaching and training on order to understand where these types of sharing may be most effective in our ministries.

Exposition - an analysis process related to a body of information. In general it produces a list of teachings, ideas, concepts points or principles that are them communicated to another. Requires both the listener and the presenter to be literate and communicate literally.

Bible Storying - A general term that includes various ways and forms of telling the stories of the Bible. Stories are told chronologically, in thematic groups or individually as opportunity and need arise.

Bible Storying Toolbox – A Bible story tool box would have a variety of stories available for various situations. There would both be long term story groups or tracks as part of a strategic plan and individual stories or groups for more limited times and opportunities of ministry. Generally, although long term tracks are chronological, limited engagement stories may take several forms such as thematic and may not be chronological. It is being prepared by having different story tools available to be able to use the one that best fits the ministry opportunity.

Chronological - sequential, arranged in the order according to time. When telling stories in chronological order one can look back and refer to whet has happened, but not forward and talk about what happens after the point you are in time.

Chronological Bible Teaching - Refers to stories in a chronological order but does not necessarily tell them as intact stories. Uses explanation and exposition as teaching approaches. The hearer needs to have a fair degree of literacy in order to readily understand the presentation. The presenter must be literate. Contains too much exposition for an oral communicator.

Chronological Bible Storytelling - Presents Biblical truth chronologically in a general story format. The story may be paraphrased or interrupted for teaching or emphasis. The story may or may not be presented intact. Some exposition and instruction may follow the story, but the storytelling and narrative is more emphasized. Adapted from Chronological Bible Teaching as people realized that it was too literate and because of this not reproducible among some groups. Some literacy is required by both the listeners and presenters.

Chronological Bible Storying - Telling stories as intact stories in a chronological format without interruption to explain, interpret or clarify. After the story, the listeners are led through questioning and dialog to discover the truths in the story. Avoids exposition. Developed from Chronological Bible Storytelling as others realized that it needed to be further adapted for use with oral communicators, especially illiterates and semi literates. Both listeners and presenters do not need to be literate. Can be reproduced by oral communicators.

The next blog will have more details about the ten steps given below for Chronological Bible Storying. Much of the ten can also, with minor variations be applied to the other types of storying also.

1. Identify the Biblical principle or truth you want to communicate.

2. Know the people you are teaching.

3. Identify important bridges, barriers and gaps in their worldview.

4. Select the biblical stories that will communicate the principle or concept you want them to understand and that take into consideration their worldview.

5. Plan the story and plan the dialog that is going to precede and follow the story so they learn how this biblical story addresses a critical worldview issue that they have .

6. Tell the story in a culturally appropriate manner.

7. Facilitate the dialog that will help them discover the truths and applications, usually by asking questions.

8. Guide the group to obey the biblical principle so that it can be lived out in their lives in practical ways.

9. Establish accountability within the group to help members obey the biblical principle.

10. Encourage the group to reproduce all of this by modeling the principle in their own lives and then telling the stories to other people.

Orality: Part Five: Orality and the BIble

2007-04-17T08:38:00.000-03:00

Part 5: Oralitly and the Bible

God created us with the capacity and ability to tell and enjoy stories. Much of the Old Testament, the Gospels and Acts are stories that teach us about God, man, and how they interact with each other. Both much of the Old Testament and Gospels are narratives of happenings presented as stories strung together over time in the order they happened. One story is linked to another by the commonality of the story of God and Man.

Jesus often taught using stories and parables. It was a form of teaching that was molded to the oral learning needs of those he taught. Literacy during the time of Jesus has been estimated to only be 3-8%. It is believed that most of the disciples had little formal education and did not know how to read, yet they they became effective leaders. We know at least part of their training was in accomplished through the stories Jesus told. Mark 4 illustrates how Jesus shares a story to teach and then maintained the focus on the story as he shared more about it with the disciples. Later, after his resurrection, Jesus uses the stories of the Old Testament to tell about himself to those with whom he walked. What do these things tell us about knowing and telling the words of Jesus as he told them – as stories?

Sharing the stories of the Bible chronologically was used by Stephen in his speech before he was stoned. We know they caused at least one of the listeners to think about what he had heard – one of the persecuters named Saul. Later the author of Hebrews presented a story of faith chronologically.

Knowing the stories and parables of the Old Testament was emphasized by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Consider the reasons he gives for knowing the stories of the Old Testament. Other reasons are given in John 20:31, 1 John 5:13, Romans 15:4 and 2 Peter 1:19. What a great resource for the Christian life, so many reasons to know what was written in stories and poems and by the prophets. Yet how many of us as literates, choose not to teach the stories of the Bible and the wisdom they contain, but, instead, to teach the more literate sounding Pauline letters?

At first the stories of the Old Testament were passed on in verbal form and later written down, although the luxury of reading them were only for a select few. In the Old Testament we again see chronological presentations like those in Psalm 138 as well as 105, 106, 78. In Nehemiah 9 Ezra recounts the major events in Israel's history to the people.

A story is a powerful way to confront and change the way a person understands their world. It can confront someone in an indirect manner, where direct confrontation would fail. Nathan uses a story to teach rather than confront directly when he approaches David about his sin. God used a story to change a heart.

From generation to generation until the 1400's God's word was heard by the masses of people. An oral Bible was all they knew. Only a select few could read and study the Bible in printed form. Each copy was painstakingly made by hand.

Since the time of Gutenberg the desire to know the word of God has led many to learn to read so that they might better understand more about God and their relationship with him. Even so more than 300 years later in the 1790's it is estimated that literacy was only 10%. But since the time of Gutenberg “Christianity has increasingly walked on literate feet”. “By the 1900's Christianity and missions were so literate that believers were required to become literate before being baptized.” Being a leader or even just growing spiritually was associated with being able to read and write and understand and operate with in a literal approach to the world.

Pastors and Church Leaders are usually highly literate and teach in a literate manner with systematic approaches and abstract and logical reasoning presented with points and outlines and steps. These forms of communication are not understood, remembered or reproduced by oral communicators. Here in Brazil we have heard teachers try to reproduce what they have heard from a literate communication style. Most do so very poorly even though when they approach communication orally they are good, interesting teachers. To a certain extent it seems as if they desire to reproduce the form of literacy because that has been the form of presentation of many of the missionaries and their guests. Missionaries can help set the stage, so to speak, for the success of the local teachers and pastors by conforming at least some of our teaching to their way of communicating instead of the literal way we are often more comfortable with. We need to relearn how to be oral communicators.

It does not come down to a question of either oral or literal ways of communication as if one is right and the other wrong, one better the other not as good. There is a need for teaching that addresses both types of learning. What one needs to realize though is that the literal way we so often approach evangelism, discipleship, teaching and traning of leaders does not reach a certain segment of people in any place around the world. We can not just read to them either. The written word is not always seen as an authoritative source where people are oral. Other verbal means like the way a story is shared or CD's or DVD's may carry more legitimacy and authority in peoples minds.

The Bible simply needs to be made available to those who are oral in a way they can hear, understand, respond to and reproduce. We need to take a critical look at what training we require of our leaders, especially in countries where literacy is low and people do not, can not or will not read. If they can fulfill the Biblical requirements, is it really necessary that they be able to read? This is not to say that we should not teach them to read. Learning to read among believers is sometimes driven by a desire to know more of te word of God for themselves. We have a developing leader here who is well respected in his town but can not read. He has the desire and the heart to share Christ, but can not use our current materials to evangelize.

Even among those here that we know that do read, are some who are leaders in their church and have the desire to to evangelize and plant churches. Under the current system, they will never become pastors even if they desire to do so. They quite simply can not do the work a seminary would require of them. They can not function well in the literal world; their literacy skills are too poor. Should we deny them the opportunity to use their talents and gifts solely for this reason? What requirements should there be for a pastor in an oral society? How can literacy and orality exist side by side? How also, can we use the differences between secondary orality (it has been termed media literate) and literacy and primary orality to reach and train people? These are questions that need to be answered both here and in other locals for our ministry to become more effective.

Both orality and literacy have existed side by side for thousands of years. At the end of his life, Moses is told by God in Deuteronomy 31 to write down the law and give it to the priests. They in turn were to read it to the people so that they could hear and learn They could not refer to print to know the word.

Then Moses used the words to compose a song in chapter 32 that was to be a witness about God. The Israelites were to take the song spoken by Moses to heart, learn from it and live it out, with the words in their hearts. But beside the Arc of the Covenant was also a written copy of the law. It was also to be a witness.

Other stories were written later to be shared with the people. Much of the Old Testament is in the form of narratives or stories, poems, songs or proverbs. In the future, when word of mouth failed, the word of God would be found written on scrolls with the understanding that those who could read would share it with those who did not.

For some, though, as in times past, an oral Bible will be the only one they will ever have. They will carry it around in their hearts and minds and not their hands. They can become effective leaders and disciples and evangelists .They will be free to share stories in places and times where Bibles would be scorned or little understood; they can tell the stories from Genesis to revelation that will tell others of Christ. Will we give them the chance?

Orality: Parts Three and Four: Secondary Orality and Communication Styles

2007-04-14T05:56:00.000-03:00

Part 3: Orality and and Secondary Orality.

You can teach those who do not read to read and better understand the printed word; there are many good works in that area, but this will not reach the vast majority of people. Not only will it delay teaching them about Christ until they can read and understand what they read, but teaching them to read and then approaching them like they think and learn like a literate ignores the fact that simply learning to read does not automatically change the way they learn, think or communicate.

Even some of those who are what we often think of as literate because they can read are not really literate in their thinking and approach to life. Some still function as oral communicators, this may be especially true if their society functions in an oral mode. Literate ways of thinking replace oral ones only gradually and sometimes incompletely. It takes at least ten to twelve years of literate style education to produce someone who is fully comfortable with literate means of communication. If, as is the case in Brazil, the approach to education is one of rote memory, they may continue to be oral learners and communicators regardless of the years of education. Also, unless one continues to read and write regularly, literary skills and ways of thinking can be lost over time.

In some countries, thought of as literate countries, people are more influenced by audio and visual means than print. Secondary orality or post-literacy is a recent development of our technologically orientated world. It is dependent on literacy, but expressed through audio and visual means like television, radio, and the internet. It causes one ” to think, process information, make decisions, and socially organize ourselves more and more like oral people rather than literate ones” For this reason it is called secondary orality.

Some counties have gone from being oral in nature to secondary oral in nature, without going through a literate stage. This is especially true in places like Brazil where the electronic experience came before the written experience.

But Brazilians’ indifference to books has deeper roots. Centuries of slavery meant the country’s leaders long neglected education. Primary schooling became universal only in the 1990s. Radio was ubiquitous by the 1930s; libraries and bookshops have still not caught up. “The electronic experience came before the written experience,” says Marino Lobello, of the Brazilian Chamber of Books, an industry body.”

A 1999 Newsweek profile of Brazilian television suggested that many Brazilians are moving from the primary orality to the secondary orality without ever passing through the stage of print orientation that has historically separated the two”

When literates stop reading, they no longer form their conclusions through reading and abstract reasoning, but through the basis of sounds and images. They revert back to the basic primary means of communication – that of orality. Today even most of the literate people in the world no longer obtain a lot of their ideas of the world from reading. Secondary orality or being post-literate affects the way people think, make decisions, process information and organize socially. In short it shifts us in the direction of having an oral culture than a literate one.

It has a lot of implications now and in the future for the way we teach, disciple and train up leaders.

Part 4: Characteristics of Orality and Literacy

What would happen if we, with our lists and study books and Bible study guides and logical sermon outlines, exposition and notes, suddenly had no access to the printed word? How would we survive both in daily life and as Christian workers if we had to rely solely on what we remembered and could communicate by word of mouth, not on what we could reference in the printed word? How would we teach? How would it change the way we communicate, learn and even think? What do literates do that is incompatible with oral learning?

We have to ask ourselves these questions in order to answer the question of how can we help others who lack the literary skills we have, to know, understand and apply the lessons in the Bible to their lives so that they may live for Christ and reach others for Christ. We need to begin by understanding how they function within their oral world. We must ask ourselves: How do they think and learn? How do they see sounds and words different from literates? How do they use language differently? How is context, style and dialog different? How are relationships different within oral and literate communities? In order to reach those who are oral communicators we first need to understand how literate communicators and oral communicators differ.

Not only is it a question of knowing how to read or not, but one of understanding how the thought processes, values, behavior and social organization are affected by literacy. Some are so deep and significant as to be barriers to the gospel if literate communicators approach an oral communicator in the way in which they have become accustomed.

For an oral communicator, words have no visual presence. Words are sounds, used to paint pictures and talk about people and events. Words are defined by and given meaning through their context; they do not stand alone as individuals with specific definitions. When speaking, clarity, style, articulation, context and dialog are all important. Communication is not stripped down to get a point across, flowery language, repetition and redundancy are common. Set words and phrases may be used as they carry a common cultural understanding that goes beyond just the words spoken.

When sharing information, ideas concepts or facts an oral communicator will employ narratives, using stories and symbols to relate them to others. They encase and pass on information in ways they can easily remember since they must rely on only what they can recall when needed. Not only are stories more easily remembered that lists, steps or outlines for an oral communicator, so are poems, songs, proverbs and sayings. They tend to communicate in groups and learn in interaction with other people. Studying as literates know it is unknown to them, instead apprenticeships are sometimes used in order to train and pass on skills. When questions are used they are indirect in nature. They will avoid asking or answering direct questions.

Information is placed on a flow of time, so order of presentation can be important. As they organize their experiences and knowledge through narratives they string happenings together to form longer narratives. Common themes may be repeated in the different experiences strung together.

Narratives form an important part of the communication process. Stories,songs, poems and proverbs are like containers that holds those thoughts, concepts and ideas presented together. They may take them out of the narrative container to examine them, but place them back when done and store them as part of the story. Gestures or movements are used to help them express their words. Those listening may participate in the narrative, responding to the speaker while speaking. Shared stories are deeply felt. Parts or details may be left unsaid, depending instead on shared backgrounds and non-verbal methods of communication to pass on the information. They can always clarify something not understood.

If they can read they will either read aloud or imagine the sounds of the words as they read. Written forms of communication are seen as records of something spoken and a way to aid in memorization for later verbal sharing.

Oral communicators learn by hearing. They view things holistically, in the totality of their context and of those involved. They are highly relational and concrete orientated. Knowledge is passed on through what is remembered and taught to future generations.

For a literate communicator, sounds are recognized as words that are objects or symbols on paper. They are used to convey information and talk about concepts, ideas or principles. Words stand alone as individuals with specific definitions that give the what is said meaning. When speaking, clarity of reason, brevity, detailed description and logical analysis are all valued. Communication is stripped down to get the point across. Flowery language, repetition and redundancy are usually avoided, since anything not understood or missed can be read and analyzed later. Words are used more independently and set phrases are often avoided, instead they are encouraged to come up with new ways to say the same thing.

When sharing information, ideas concepts or facts, a literate communicator will employ logical arguments, analysis, charts, diagrams and lists, using stories and events just as examples to illustrate a point. They explain in detail, comparing, classifying and analyzing to break what they know into parts. They expect others to take notes, fill in blanks or remember steps and principles. Since they can rely printed matter when needed, they store and pass on information in printed forms. Memory skills are reduced because of lack of use. Verbal presentations and text are often reduced to lists, principles, steps, outlines or other similar forms of brevity for printed matter. They tend to communicate more one to one and learn alone in interaction with printed materials, studying and showing what is learned in a written form. When questions are used they are direct in nature. Order of presentation is not as important as clarity of logic.

Narratives like stories, poems songs and proverbs are not the most important part of the communication process. Narratives and events are used just as illustrations and examples of the main thought or idea. The container is the general principle encased in progression of thought and logical analysis. Gestures or movements and non-verbal communication are not used as much as for oral communicators. They can not be reduced to a written form. Those listening do not enter into the story as deeply as an oral learner, they approach it more objectively. Descriptions are detailed as one can not depend on shared backgrounds and non-verbal methods of communication to pass on the information. Ambiguity is avoided as they can not clarify something not understood by a reader.

Literal communicators learn by seeing. They view things abstractly and analytically, compartmentalizing and breaking down into pieces. Knowledge is passed on from various sources through facts, books, computers and not what is remembered. The literate approach to life is not just confined to their written materials, but permeates their speech, relationships and thought patterns.

Few people are totally exclusive to one category or the other. Those that are classified as semi-literate are in a grey area between the two types. To a certain extent they can learn to recognize, understand and use the principles and ideas and teachings of literate communicators, but they may not be comfortable there and will live day to day as oral communicators; in critical learning situations they will favor oral communication styles.

Oral communication is the basis for all print communication. It is the primary form of communication basic to humans and because of this can be understood by literate communicators as well. Literate communication and the associated learning preferences as taught responses and attitudes.

The mistake a lot of literates make is to “assume that literate presentations (especially ex positional and analytical ones) can be understood by anyone, even oral communicators.”This is simply not the case. This is why it is not enough to simply take and read materials created by literates for literates and expect an oral communicator to learn from them. Making it verbal does not make it oral communication. Although literate communicators can learn through oral means the reverse is not so. That is not to say that oral communicators can not learn and comprehend as well as a literate communicator. They can, but they must be taught in ways compatible to their learning styles.

What would happen within our ministries if we began to communicate and approach teaching as oral communicators with narratives grouped in common themes presented in the flow of time? What would happen if we verbally guided them through the process of examining what a story contains for their lives, allowing them to remove the gems from the treasure box of the story and discover what jewels are there for them and their world? What would happen if we did it in a way they could replicate?

If we want to reach those for Christ who struggle to understand the literate ways of communication we must change how we present the message of the gospel and train up disciples and leaders. We must attempt new ways of reaching the more than 50% of the people in the US and the more than 70% around the world who do not communicate as we do. To do less is to place obstacles in front of those who can not, do not or will not learn through the literate means we rely on and so often use.

Orality : Parts One and Two: Orality and LIteracy.

2007-04-12T08:34:00.000-03:00

Several years ago we saw the need to have oral resources for some of our leaders. In conjunction with Bill Burk's Plumb Line Ministries, Wayne is involved in a recording project to make teaching CD's available to churches and people here in Brazil.

Seeing that there is a need for oral material and that it needs to be different from printed material we have been researching and studying orality and its implications for our ministry. Over the next few posts I will be sharing with you some of what we have learned.

Part 1: Literacy and Brazil

Antonio is excited about Christ and wants to help his son evangelize both in the town where he lives and in another nearby. He has seen the changes faith in Christ have brought to his own family. Antonio wants to learn more about God's words to him in the Bible. But... Antonio can't read.

The study group sat in a circle and each read a verse. Over and over again they struggled to read out loud, their voices were flat and they had problems pronouncing some of the words. They put so much effort into reading the words on the page, they did not know what they had just read.

The man, who looked to be in his thirties, had come to a study in a neighbor's house. He didn't know the stories of the Bible, even though he had been part of a church for 13 years. (not Grace Brethren). He could not read.

I asked some of the women I know, “What are some of the biggest obsticals they see when they study the Bible with others?” Again and again I was told that they do not understand what they read. In what way do they not understand it? They do not read well enough to understand the words on the page was the most common reply. They do not know how to apply it to their lives was the second.

A recent article called Brazil a nation of non-readers. It said

“MANY Brazilians cannot read. In 2000, a quarter of those aged 15 and older were functionally illiterate. Many simply do not want to. Only one literate adult in three reads books.....In a recent survey of reading habits, Brazilians came 27th out of 30 countries. Argentines, their neighbours, ranked 18th.”

“Reading in Brazil continues to be an activity reserved to a very narrow minority. from those who can read only 7 percent have the habit of reading.”

"While France and the US, for example, sell in average 10 books a year per capita, a Brazilian buys a mere 1.9 book a year. If we exclude the didactical works, this number falls to 0.9. There are only 2000 bookstores for a population of 168 million people, which means one bookstore for every 84,000 inhabitants. In the United States there are approximately 20,000 bookstores."

The literacy situation in Brazil is well summed up in this exert from a recent article.

“Last year the director of Brazil’s national library quit after a controversial tenure. He complained that he had half the librarians he needed and termites had eaten much of the collection. Along with crime and high interest rates, that ought to be a cause for national shame.”

Part 2: Orality and Literacy

Levels of learning exist on a range from illiterate to highly literate. In order to evaluate where a person is in this range it is necessary to look not only at the question of reading, but how well they perform the writing and analytical skills of literacy. While it is true that someone who is illiterate or semi-literate communicates and thinks as an oral learner, the reverse is not necessarily so. Someone who can be classified as literate, may simply prefer to remain an oral communicator. This is especially true if the community in which they live functions in an oral manner over a literate one.

Oral communicators and literary communicators quite simply approach not just learning, but life from different points of view. Each has their own culture. Oral communicators find the literate way of communication and thinking difficult to follow. Even if read aloud, or spoken, the words of a literate communicator may be difficult for an oral communicator to follow. Making something spoken does not necessarily adapt it to an oral communicator simply because they approach communication differently and think and process information differently. The characteristics of orality span cognitive, communicative and relational realms.

Pastors and Missionaries are usually part of the 10% of the population that fall into the category of highly literate. It is estimated that “ninety percent of the worlds Christian workers present the gospel using highly literate communication styles”. These ways are simply not well understood by those who are not literate or highly literate themselves. We, in effect, when we do not consider orality are limiting our message to the minority who think like as literates do. That limits our message to fewer than 30% of the world who are literate communicators.

So the question here in Brazil is not just how can you reach someone for Christ who can't read, chooses not to read, or isn't literate enough to understand what they are reading. The question is also how can we reach those who are oral communicators. How can we, in Brazil, reach the 80% who either don't read or don't care to read and how can we also reach those in the 20% who read, but who still function like an oral communicator and do not use or rely on literacy and the thinking skills it fosters?

The question for those of you in other countries, where literacy seems to be well developed is similar. Knowledge of literacy and orality and associated dynamics are not just applicable to locals we often think of as literacy poor. Studies have shown that only 20% of the US population is ranked as literate or highly literate. The rates in Canada are similar. One needs to look at not simply can someone read and how well, but how well they learn through literacy influenced forms of communication. What are the implications for your ministry?

Grant Lovejoy, an expert in the field of orality and literacy leaves us with the following point.

If researchers of orality and literacy are correct, then certain kinds of expository sermons are using thought forms and communications strategies that are foreign to half of the adults in the United States and Canada, not to mention most teens and children. We may be doing good expository preaching of certain types and failing to connect with listeners because of it” .........” We must acknowledge and accept that the ways of literacy are not the only ways to communicate in speech.”

We must learn about the different communication preferences of those we work with and how to evangelize, disciple and train up leaders in ways that reach not only those who are literate thinkers, but the greater part who have an oral culture, that may be completely foreign to those who are literate thinkers. Therein lies the challenge of Orality.

Two Weekends - Two Retreats

2007-03-29T21:39:00.000-03:00

Over 100 women from teenagers to grandmas gathered last weekend for the first women's retreat for the Grace Brethren Church in Brazil. Over two days they enjoyed studies about the women at the well, living water and studying the stories of the Bible. They enjoyed spa treatments for their hands, feet and face. They spent time playing games together, singing, praying and worshiping together and sharing with one another, ending their time together with a communion service. Some of the ladies comments were....

'Thank-you for this opportunity to minister.”
“It was helpful and encouraging to be able to learn from and share with women from other churches.”
“I really enjoyed the studies and learned something.”
“I had a special time.”
“It was our first time at a women's meeting, we didn't know how it would be, but we really enjoyed it.”
“I was encouraged.”Some of the cost of the retreat was covered by a GBIM ministry grant. Thank-you for making this opportunity available to the women of Brazil. Thank-you to Sue Mathes of Centerville GBC for helping with the retreat and Centerville church for providing supplies for the spa and gifts for each women. Thanks to Sue's husband Denny for his behind the scenes help.

The weekend before some of the high school missionary girls from Amazon Valley Academy (AVA) and their mothers spent two special days together on a mother daughter retreat. They also enjoyed spa treatments and studied the women at the well led by Sue Mathes. Each one made a special gift or card for their mother or daughter. All enjoyed the mother-daughter times together and the makings for s'mores from the USA. Each mother and daughter received the book Closer, donated by Focus on the Family. Missionary Kid Lydia Patton who is a sophomore at AVA came up with the idea, planned the retreat and helped raise some funds to offset the cost.

What did the moms and daughters say?....

“We have to plan so much for others, it was nice to have someone plan something for us.”
“It was a lot of fun and a really worthwhile time for us.”
“It was great to be able to get away and spend time together, it was good to have time together to talk and pray.”
“If someone told us to sit down and have a mother daughter time together it would be awkward, but it was special to be able to get away from being busy and spend this time together talking about some things that needed to be talked about.”

Pictures
(1)Greeting each other in different ways at the women's retreat.
(2)Having fun with a foot rub and treatment.
(3)What would your team yell for women be?
(4)Sue and Lydia wrap surprises and glue Bible verses on Hershey kisses for the mother daughter retreat.
(5)Moms and Daughters
(6)Two of the daughters perform a modern day versions the of the women at the well.

A Tale of Tools

2007-03-05T18:26:00.000-03:00

It all looked so easy – the tools of the TMSM building teams were at the last project in southern Brazil. All that needed to be done was to have someone see what was there and send the ones we wanted to keep to us here in northern Brazil.

It all sounded so simple – but this is Brazil. So we sent out the best man for the job, Edson. Edson has been working for the mission here in Belem battling the city offices of Ananindeua and Belem to resolve some property and tax issues.

Edson's job was to get the tools back up here and check on the property ownership down south. He left for the loooooog bus ride south early Monday morning. Some 37 hours later over bumpy roads he arrived in Uberlandia.

After cutting the locks off the tool containers because no one knew where the keys were, one though is that they were in the United States, he inventoried the tools. Just what is the easiest way to get seven containers of hand and electric tools back to Belem? Let's just prepare them and ship them up with a mover he though. Sounds easy enough, but this is Brazil..

Well here in Brazil if you want to transport things you have to have receipts to prove ownership or pay a special tax. Since these tools were brought down from the United States there are no receipts to show ownership. The official evaluated the tools at $25,000 on which they wanted us to pay a tax of $5,000. This is one way they try to prevent stolen items from leaving an area. They weren't willing to change that. Well we were not going to ship them via a shipper for sure, after all these tools were all used and some were fairly old. It wouldn't cost $25,000 to buy them new in the states.

So what about taking them on the bus as baggage? To take the tools on the bus from Uberlandia to Belem would be both difficult since the bus baggage area was usually already packed when it got to Uberlandia and he risked being stopped and asked for papers.

After they looked at taking the tools to Rio and catching the bus there Edson and Eslon decided to go to Brasilia where Edson would catch the bus to Belem. If they got stopped, he could always abandon the tools if they wanted to much in taxes.

So Edson settled in for a 37 hour bus ride from Brasilia to Belem after a 5 hour ride to Brasilia from Uberlandia. He made it through the states between here and there OK, only to be stopped at the border to our state, Para.

The Police at the inspection point for Receita Federal (tax police) took out every suitcase and bag on the buss and searched them all. Finding the seven containers of tool they demanded $1000 in taxes from Edson. Edson, knowing how to talk to them set out to convince them not to charge any taxes since we are a tax exempt religious organization and we did own the tools even if we didn't have receipts. For over half an hour they bantered back and forth. Finally they agreed. Edson would pay $250. the only catch being he didn't have enough with him and wold have to leave his very important identity card hundreds of miles away from Belem at the state border and would only get it back when and if he paid the rest. The rest of the bus? All told they paid out $5,000 total between all the passengers.

So early Saturday Edson arrived back in Belem. Monday morning he returned to the border to retrieve his identity card. After waiting hours at the boarder for the return bus he finally caught the midnight bus for home.

.

How Are Missionaries Like Lizards? Part B

2007-02-20T14:04:00.000-02:00

So just how are missionaries like lizards?

1. Lizards are found all over the world and adapt to nearly every climate: Missionaries all around the world are about a global challenge with a local impact for the Kingdom.

2. Lizards have been around for a long time: Missionaries should recognize their heritage since the time of Christ and contribute to the future of their craft.

3. Each kind of lizard was created with its own special characteristics and ways to protect itself and find its prey: Each missionary has their own special gifts from God to be used for the kingdom of God.

4. Lizards are on their own from the moment they hatch: Missionaries should seek to plant churches from the start that are free of dependence on the missionary or his money; they should seek methods of evangelism, discipleship, leadership training and church planting that are reproducible by the locals.

5. Lizards strive to blend into their surroundings: Missionaries should both seek to make sure that they are integrated into the Masters plans and that what they do considers the local culture and is culturally appropriate within biblical standards.

6. Lizards diligently hunt prey: Missionaries are on the hunt to find and do whatever it takes to help initiate ministry and church planting movements, they can't just wait for it to come to them.

7. Lizards quickly regain mobility after basking in the morning sun: Missionaries should draw inspiration and direction daily first from the Lord, basking in his warmth and word to revive and strengthen them.

8. Lizards have to worry about becoming prey: Missionaries must keep aware of the environment within which they work and learn to recognize spiritual dangers. They need to stay close to the cross and seek to avoid sin that could ensnare them.

9. Lizards are vulnerable to attack in the early morning hours: Missionaries must recognizing when they are vulnerable to attack by Satan and his wiles as he tries to attack them and their ministry.

10. Some Lizards drop their tails and grow new ones: Missionaries are not perfect, but will learn from bad experiences in order to stay on the hunt and drop ourselves in order to grow more like Jesus.

How Are Missionaries Like Lizards? Part A

2007-02-08T16:18:00.000-02:00

How Are Missionaries Like Lizards?

We have begun planning for home ministries and one of the things you need to do is to come up with a program for children. Since we have a lot of lizards and geckos here, both inside and outside the house we thought that would make a good starting point. We like the ones inside since they eat the other bugs we would rather not have inside. The ones on this page are two of the ones we found in our yard.

Lizards only show up twice in the Bible. Once when they are declared unclean to eat and will make things unclean when they die in Leviticus 11 and again in Proverbs 30 where they are compared with ants, coneys and locusts as things that are small but wise. So what does it say? Vesrse 28 says a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.

So what did my children say when asked how missionaries are like lizards?

Has teeth (spoken by one who has been bitten, yes, even geckos have teeth!)
Goes around all over the place
Can be green ( ?)
They try to stay away from cats, dogs and other dangerous animals
They have good stories about escaping
Can climb trees ( from my tree climber)
They eat bugs
Can be captured and eaten by cannibals (historically speaking)
Swim in rivers
Kill mosquitoes (but the missionaries don't eat them!)
They speak foreign languages (well lizards do speak lizard tongue)
Missionaries catch lizards, lizards catch bugs
They live in forests and cities
Occasionally geckos change screens, missionaries change continents. ( geckos seem to prefer the same window screen night after night)
Lizards shed their skin, missionaries changetheir clothes : ) hopefully more often than lizards shed their skin!)
And Lizards go find bugs, Missionaries go find people (but frogs just wait for flies to come to them!)

If you have any thoughts as to how missionaries are like lizards, write me.

Next Week

Nícollas Turns One

2007-01-23T10:49:00.000-02:00

Some of you know Luis and Katia, evanglists working in Peri-Meri, Santareim Novo and Marituba. Last week there son, Nícollas turned one.

The first birthday here is quite a big deal and they had a grand party with food, clowns and fun for the other children.

It looked like there was over one hundrend people there, but it was hard to tell as they came and went over several hours.

Luis's sisters and mother came from out of town to help fix and serve food. He is very special to them as they had been married for over ten years before he was born.

Is there no peace on earth?

2006-12-08T17:13:00.000-02:00

A few days ago on the way home from Lydia's basketball game, as I looked out the window of the bus at the evening lights of the city, my thoughts were abruptly turned to the words of that familiar Christmas song that begins, “ I heard the bells on Christmas day ...” Remembering the phrase in one verse.....

There is no peace on earth.

Seven shots rang out. At least three hit the roof of the bus I was on a few seats back from where I was seated. The bus erupted in nervous chatter as the driver sped on. One rider watched me intently, probably wondering what my reaction would be. We have seen busses shot at before, but this is the first time one of us was on a bus when it happened.

There is no peace on earth.

The lines were long, a few people behind me in line at the checkout a man yelled at the clerk and complained for a good thirty minutes about having to wait in line. A few others joined him in heckling the clerks.

There is no peace on earth.

The stores are full of things to buy, Papa Noel or Santa Clause is everywhere, Christmas carols play through the loud speakers at the store, but in English and not Portuguese as they rarely sing carols here. As I enter the magazine shop the headlines on the newspaper scream out – protest blocks main road. That is not all that unusual here.

There is no peace on earth.

As I left the house yesterday and went through or front gate I met the guard who roams the road in front of our house. As he escorted me to the bus stop he told me he would like to go to the USA to meet all the rock stars. Crime is down on our street since he patrols during the day, another guard at night. Later as I returned home through the school, a barrier was lowered to let me pass down the road the school is on and a guard opened the gate to the school property.

There is no peace on earth.

All around me, every day, are reminders that there is no peace here. Where ever you are, you need go no further than your own neighborhood. No matter where you are as you look around hate or greed, or evil or human sinfulness seem to mock the words that angels spoke so long ago to shepherds. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

But, there is no peace on earth.

What happened? Where the angels words just a nice thought for Christmas time? Has the message of the angels gone unfulfilled? Even Christ himself said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” ( Mat. 10:34)

Look at the words again that the angels said, they did not say that the baby Jesus whose birth they announced came to bring peace on earth, but on earth peace to men. And so he did bring us peace here on earth through his death. Even when we look around and see battles, even when hate or greed, or evil or human sinfulness seem to mock the words that angels spoke so long ago to shepherds; when there is no peace on earth, there is always, for those who choose to make Jesus the Lord of all here on earth peace in their hearts and souls.

There is no peace on earth, but there is peace to men on earth.

Answered ahead of time

2006-11-17T11:51:00.000-02:00

The day had been long and hot and filled with various problems. We arrived at the camp for a training seminar to discover there was no refrigeration for food for one hundred for the weekend. Wayne had gone out and found someone who could sell him blocks of ice to keep the meat cool. The cooks had cooked the meat for the next two days ahead of time so it was less likely to spoil. The old standby – Duct tape had helped gain us one small refrigerator when we used it to keep the door that had lost its seal closed.

But now it was after 8 pm and we were tired, we just wanted to sit down and listen to the main speaker for the retreat, Dave Guiles who was speaking about missions. But the cooks in the kitchen had a different idea. One hundred had been expected, but when only 60 showed up there were quite a few leftovers. Three of the cooks had decided that the leftover food needed to be taken back into town and distributed to some of their neighbors. They asked Wayne to take them. It would mean over two hours in the car; I would have to go with him since we have a policy o f men not riding alone with women who are not their wives.

Reluctantly he agreed to take them. As they happily loaded food we wondered if it couldn't just be taken to a closer house and distributed tomorrow. But the cooks said today.

All five of us piled in the car and off we went to Marituba. Just as we arrived at our first house we saw a lady clapping her hands to get the attention of those inside. (like ringing a doorbell in the states, one claps their hands here). All she was asking for was to borrow the equivalent of 50 cents to a dollar. Who was she? A neighbor with seven children who husband was sick and had been unable to work. They had no food and she wanted just enough money to buy a little food for her family. As Neci gave her leftover beans, rice, farinha, salad and meat she smiled. After a few other food packets were left we finished delivering food to several other houses in a different town. But this lady stayed in my mind. She was not a Christian, but she saw displayed Christian love and caring in action. God had answered her knock at the door hours earlier when the cooks had prepared to much food and later decided who to take the leftovers to. Even before we or Neci's neighbor or Neci knew. But God knew, and he had prepared a feast just for her and her family

Praise Who?

2006-10-19T08:27:00.000-03:00

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied. Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (Luke 18:35-43)

Every second Sunday in October one of the largest religious gatherings in Brazil happens here in Belem. Over a million people come to the city to pay homage to Mary, Mother of Jesus through a statue of her with the infant Jesus in her arms. The focus of the festival is not the infant in her arms, but Mary.

During this time, the statue that is named Nossa Senhora or Our Lady, is paraded though the streets of the city.

First comes a police escort to clear the way, then the offering takers walk the route holding out their bags to the people, then another police ad fire escort and finally the statue itself arrives decked out in a special shawl and in a casing covered with flowers. The whole parade stops frequently as fireworks salutes are shot off as she passes by. The car having the statue on top of it is followed up by more police and firemen and a host of other followers and lastly, the traffic that has been delayed because of the parade. The faithful will wait for hours for a glimpse of her as she passes by. The day they passed near our house we heard fireworks for 6 hours, only stopping after dark.

The day of the main procession the parade includes a rope for the penitent to pull that pulls the cart the statue is on, a cart of fake body parts to which you may add your own if you want to pray for healing is part of the parade.

For this special day even the poor make an effort to wear fancy new clothes and shoes and eat special foods in celebration.

But to whom is the glory? Who is praised? When all the people see what is happening they give the glory to Mary, not to the infant son of God she holds in her arms. Those who praise, praise Mary and not her son Jesus, the son of God.

What a contrast to this healing in the scriptures.

When can you not be arrested in Brazil?

2006-10-02T21:41:00.000-03:00

Today the busses were crowded, unusual for a Sunday morning. Crowds gathered in front of some schools as lines snaked around the corners with those waiting to vote in today's presidential election.

Voting for Brazilian citizens is mandatory. If you do not vote, you lose some of your rights as a citizen, like being able to get a passport and certain social benefits among others.

There are around 185 million people in Brazil. Over 126 million are eligible to vote. One person – one vote. Who ever gets the most votes wins as long as they get at least 50% of the vote. If no one gets 50%, there will be a run off between the top two candidates in four weeks. Looks like there will be a run off for president between the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who received about 48.6% of the vote and former Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin, who took 41.4% of the vote.

Over 30 million live in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Only about 1.5 million live here in Belem. Since Belem is just a drop in the bucket compared to the south, we have seen little of the presidential election here, mostly it has been local offices.

If you were a candidate here what would you do to let others know about you? For starters you would hire cars to drive around neighborhoods and blast out your theme song with your name, office and numbers as giant flags waved from the windows. Just what are “numbers”? Each candidate has a set of numbers you need to punch into the voting machine when you vote. The higher the office, the smaller the number. Lula, the current president had “13” as his number. The senator had three digit numbers. The state representative had 5, the federal 4. Each political parties numbers start with the same two digits for every candidate.

Next you would tackle the easy job of finding some people who are willing to stand at a street corner all day waving a flag or holding a plaque in front of cars at stop lights for a little pay. Maybe you would even find 15 bicyclists to ride with your flag that, of course, has the number 15.

You would get your number and office and name painted on walls. Then you would stuff mail boxes and hand out little bits of paper with your face, name and number on it. You would put adds in the paper with the same. Notice a theme here?

The next thing it appears some, if not all do, according to the papers is play dirty.

The current president, Lula, suffered a significant drop in the polls over the last two weeks when two men with links to his political party were arrested carrying $800,000 dollars in cash. (Do you wonder why they had dollars and not the Brazilian currency, reais?) lt is believed that this cash was the payment for a dossier of corruption allegations against the president's rivals.

Six members of Lula's party, including an old friend who ran his personal security detail, have arrest warrants for their alleged roles in trying to buy the dossier. Lula fired his campaign manager just a few days before the election. The president has repeatedly denied knowledge of any wrongdoing.

But allegations resurfaced over the weekend with newspapers publishing photographs of the wads of bank notes. Local media reported the photos were leaked by federal police. The president party claimed that Alckmin's ( his rival) supporters were behind the leak and asked a judge Sunday to invalidate Alckmin's candidacy. The judge said he would consider the case. Alckmin's campaign has denied involvement. Although the investigation was delayed until after the first vote, one is supposed to begin before the runoff the last Sunday of October.

But what you won't see are pamphlets that tell you what the candidate thinks or plans to do. No adds in the paper explaining positions on anything. No voters guides to tell you the priorities and voting records of a senator.

If you are Lula, the current president up for reelection, you even skip the last of the presidential debates.

So what happens if you commit a crime during the week before the elections? Unless you are caught red handed, you can not be arrested till after the day of voting. Why you may ask? So you can't have your opponent and their supporters put in jail, which of course would mean they couldn't vote. There is more than one way to stuff a ballot box.

Why is there no milk in this list?

2006-09-13T21:30:00.000-03:00

Ever wonder what missionaries pay for things? Some of our things are cheaper, others more expensive then in the USA. There are some things you have we just can not get. THere are some we have here, you can not get there.

I tried to convert our prices and quantities to those of the United States. For example all our oil is in 900 mL bottles. Many of our containers are smaller than there. The standard for ketchup is just about 9-10 ounces. Prices can vary quite a bit depending on the quality of the item. Rice for example, can be bought a little cheaper, but the grains will be broken. Availability varies soem also. Frozen vegtables are only available in some groceries, generally only corn, peas and brocoli.cauliflower are available. Sometiems you buy them only to discover they probably have been unthawed and rethawed and are bad.

Cost of food

Rice 33 cents a pound
Brown Rice 90 cents a pound
Beans 40 cents a pound
Sugar 37 cents a pound/1.83 for five
Flour 33 cents a pound/1.63 for five
Oats 1.55 a pound
Coffee 93 cents a pound /3.92 for five
Crackers(like saltines) 83 cents a pound
Oil Soy 1.02 per liter
Oil Canola 2.85 per liter
Laundry Soap 1.46 per pound/7.30 for five
Ketchup 1.68 for 16 ounces
Spaghetti Noodles 58 cents a pound
Tuna 1.55 for 6 ounces/2.07 for 8 oz.
Canned Corn 93 cents for 16 ounces
Frozen Peas 2.55 a pound
Jelly (cheap strawberry)1.42 for 8 ounces/2.84 per pound
Coke 1.45 for 2 liters
Tomato Sauce 1.20 for 16 ounces
Potatoes 3.22 for ten pounds
Carrots 33 cents a pound
Onions 2.10 for five pounds
Eggs 1.37 a dozen
Pineapple 56 cents a piece
Raisins 1.45 for 16 ounces
Brazil Nuts 4.28 per pound
Hamburg 1.20-1.70 per pound
Hot Dogs 1.48 per pound
Filet (as in beef) 3.43 a pound
Bread 93 cents a pound
Fish 1.61-4.30 a pound
Mozzarella cheese 3.45 a pound
Cheddar cheese 5.40 a pound
Margarine 73 cents a pound
Butter 1.30 a pound

A few Other things:

daily newspaper 50 cents or 1 dollar
500 piece puzzle about 20 dollars
4 duracell AA batteries 3.85
21” Television 365 dollars
29” television 670 dollars
Basic CD player with radio 143 dollars
Smallest Microwave-18L 150 dollars
Refrigerator(basic medium) 1142 dollars
Basic washer (clothing) 748 dollars

Gasoline 4.70 per gallon

Why no milk? Because we do not get fresh milk here. All our milk is either dried and we need to mix it up or what they call UHT milk. UHT milk has been specially treated (hence the T) with ultra high heat (hence the UH) to kill all the germs, then sealed in boxes. These boxes do not need to be refrigerated. We buy UHT milk in 1 liter boxes and pay about 2.60 a gallon. Dried milk is similar in cost.

What? No Starbucks in Brazil?

2006-09-05T05:21:00.000-03:00

It had to happen sooner or later in one of the worlds largest coffee producing and consuming countries. Starbucks just announced they would open there first store in Brazil in November.

Although they did not say in which city, it will most likely be over 2,500 miles away in Rio or Sao Paulo.

After lunch it is 95 degrees out and the humidity is so high it fails to register a percentage on my humidity indicator. But there I was in the kitchen making hot coffee for our guests. At first it was hard to drink hot coffee when it was hot out, but now it seems normal. Iced coffee is unknown here.

I am not sure that the Brazilians at the house we were visiting believed that Wayne really was going to drink his coffee black and without sugar. Coffee here is served very hot with lots of milk and sugar. On the other hand, although I satisfied them that not all Americans were crazy when it came to coffee for I like a lot of milk and sugar, they just couldn't understand why I would drink a mug full when a rather small cup is the norm. Definitely, my average sized American thermal mug (which are not available here) was a curiosity, both for its size and function.

Brazilians drink it morning, noon and night. Adults and children alike drink it. Called cafezinho, which means little coffee it is always served in very small cups, very hot and with a lot of milk and sugar.

Wonder how Starbucks will adapt their grande?

A few facts about Coffee and Bazil:

Annual per capita consumption of coffee exceeds that of the United States.

The world's largest coffee producer is Brazil with over 3,970 million coffee trees and 30-40% of the worlds total output. Two of the trees are in my backyard.

By 1816 there were 1 million slaves in Brazil, comprising 1/3 of the population, more than half of them working on coffee plantations
from dawn to sunset, eating once a day.

The coffee crash in Brazil occurred only a few weeks before the 1929 economic crash. Some claim Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas committed suicide over coffee politics in 1954.

Brazil, the world's largest-volume producer of coffee, has seen steady growth in its coffee consumption and now is the main consumer of the coffee it produces. Coffee here costs about 75 cents a pound (3.75 for 5 pounds) and is generally only available ground,vacuum packed in about one
pound bags.

Permanent Visas

2006-08-21T12:11:00.000-03:00

Last week we took yet another trip to the federal police and gave then our fingerprints for the third time. It has taken reams of paperwork, numerous trips to the American consulate, Brazilian federal police and the agency that makes official copies, hundreds of dollars a person and 32 months in country. For the first two times we turned in paperwork, the file for our family, at more than an inch, was thicker than my masters thesis. It included copies of all the pages in our passports, school records, statements saying we will not enter Indian territories, financial statements, letters verifying our children are ours, police records (including for all our children) and so on... After the umpteenth time to the American consulate for extra paperwork, the consular said they were harassing us and refused to produce yet another document and said if they insist, to have them call her.

But in the end there was success. We were granted our permanent visas for Brazil. A big Thank-you to those of you who have been praying for our visas for the last five years.

That is all except for Caleb, our thirteen year old, whose process for a visa is being followed up on by a lawyer.

Now we will need to obtain Brazilian drivers licenses. So far we have been driving on translations of our American ones, since we are unable to get one here till we had a permanent visa. Pray for this process. We are searching for an option other than the one we were told by the license agency here – it involves going back to square one in the driving process, beginning with driving school at hundreds of dollars.

You know you are a MK when......

2006-08-07T14:54:00.000-03:00

You know you're an MK when....

My kids and some friends kids recently spent soem time lauging over the items in a book called You know you are an MK When.... by Andy and Deborah Kerr. Here are a few of the list with their comments, a few modifications for Brazil and a few new "whens" they said.

You speak two languages and can't spell in either one. (that's Lydia)
Your life story uses the phrase, “Then we went to...” multiple times
You watch a movie and you know what the nationals are really saying. ( Would you believe they were speaking Portuguese on an episode of Gilligans Isle?)
You watch the latest movies in the theater with subtitles – and miss them if they are not there! (for some reason my family has taken to watching DVDs at home with the subtitles on – even when both are in English!)
You want to go barefoot , automatically take off your shoes when you get home... and only put them on when forced to because you are headed to a store or church. (that's all of us I think!)
You wake up one day and realize this is home and you are not a foreigner any more, but another day you wake up and realize this isn't home and you really still are.
You yearn for fruits unknown to those in the states.
You dream in a foreign language. ( Jacob had one recently,ask him about ordering at McDonalds in Portuguese)
You know they don't speak Spanish in Brazil.
Getting a mail pack with magazines is the highlight of your day. (and the children would like it to mean you get the day off to read!)
You carry Bibles in two languages to church.
Home is where you hang your hammock....and you would rater sleep in one than a bed. (some of my family has developed a love for sleeping in hammocks...so why did we ever by beds?)
You think it normal to have had lice, parasites, and strange tropical diseases.
None of your neighbors can pronounce the name of your cat – or understand what it means. (We have a black cat and the kids wanted to name it licorice, well that is an unknown thing here and doesn't translate. To many people thought we named our cat liquor, which they also thought quite unbefitting a missionary. Our cat is now named Shadow.
You wonder if people really do drive in straight lines.... instead of swerving to miss the potholes, busses, bicycles, people, horses, carts and occasional buffalo or cow in the road.
You go two days without eating rice and beans ... and miss them.
You don't know your shoe size or clothing size when asked by grandparents.
You don't know how to make Hungry Jack pancakes and wish you could just make them from scratch. (My kids wanted to know who was Hungry Jack... and why wouldn't you just make them from scratch).
You can easily fall asleep while traveling on a rutted dirt road.
You get lost at Wal-Mart. (this prompted a discussion of what is Wal-Mart really like?)
Your American friends have strange eating habits, but you want them to bring you American food when they visit.
Before you were ten you had a police report run on you (they even had to invent a process to do so just for you!), been fingerprinted more times than a criminal and spent hours at the federal police.
You know exactly how to pack a suitcase to 70 pounds and which airlines still give that baggage limit instead of 50 pounds.
A 40 hour plane ride and four airports seem normal to get to where you used to call home.
You tell people you are from a city of over a million at the mouth Amazon River and they assume you live in a grass hut.
The phrase “act your age and not your shoe size “ doesn't mean what you think. (a favorite of a teacher here is “act your shoe size and not your age!”)
The concept of dying for your faith is easier to grasp than being ridiculed for your clothes. (They had no idea why anyone would be ridiculed for their clothes.)
Your host in the states catches you admiring the way salt flows freely from the shaker. (Josiah wanted to know if this was so - here it lumps and is always damp)
You are defined by your parents profession. (They cheered and said we like being MK's).
Weather forecasting means looking to the east... and if you see an approaching wall of rain you know you have less then three minutes to get all the laundry down.
Heaven is the only place you can really call home.

Marituba - Nonato's Church

2006-07-24T10:46:00.000-03:00

After touring the area of the church and inviting people to that afternoon's program, some played volleyball.

The team studied the Bible together and spent some time encouraging one another.

In the evening the team played cards and watched two of the three back to the future movies.

The next day the team put on two programs, one for Sunday school and one that evening for church..

Narcoleptic puppets! (or are they really dead and need Jesus to resurect them?)

Continuing to encourage one another.

One last show.

OBI Marituba - Eugenio's Church

2006-07-22T07:58:00.000-03:00

Althogh there is a statue of Jesus as a child (modeled after the mayoyor's son at the time), there are many here who do not really know who Jesus is.

What do you do when there are not alot of cars in the community? A bike wash! The team spent the morning washing bikes and motos. They did turn down washing a garbage truck however!

After lunch it was nap time!

Will you come to our show?

Behind the scenes.

After the show everyone enjooyed a snack and seeing baby Nicollas again.

At the end of the day there was time to talk and study together.

July 12- Marimbaia

2006-07-15T09:51:00.000-03:00

Happy Birthday !

We're off for another day of ministry!

Walking the streets of Marimbaia and puppets inviting the children in.

Pastor Sebastão and his wife (In the white shirt and lady behind him) told their story to the group.

July 11 - Out on the Town

2006-07-14T13:39:00.000-03:00

On July 11 the team had a chance to see some of the sights of the city, buy things to take home and take a boat tour to learn more about the way of life along the river.

Wow! McDonalds!

The team learns about the fuit that the locals say really tempted Eve -Açai, a smaal purple palm fruit made into a soupy juice. It is well loved by the locals.

Logan gets lessons on how to climb an açai tree Brazillian style!

The team tried to take shelter under a tree, but it rained so hard the raindrops reflected my flash.

All enjoyed the boat trip.

Better then Baskin Robbins 31 flavors -48 to choose from! Some of which were flavors they had never heard of like green corn, bacuri, brigadeiro, cupuaçu and açai.

OBI Road Trip Part 3 - São Fransisco

2006-07-13T08:52:00.000-03:00

The third stop on our road trip was the town of São Fransisco where the team stayed in local homes. Here the team put on three programs. They did a great job of continuing in the midst of showers during two of the programs.

The boys played basketball in the morning, they did a good job, but lost the game.

Once again they all slept in hammocks.

A treat of hamburgers!

A new job for OBI - bouncers!

MK's Jacob and Lydia Patton and Maria Triplehorn helped translate and run the sound system sit with Patricia and Davi, two of church planter's Luis and Fatimas children.

Luis and Fatima, church planters in São Fransisco tell the team their story.

Having fun in the local igarape (a type of stream)

Home at last!

OBI Road Trip Part 2- Peri-Meri and Santareim Novo

2006-07-12T13:15:00.000-03:00

A Day off--Then on to Peri-Meri and Santereim Novo. Peri-Meri near Santeraim Novo has a point of light that wanted to start evangelising near-by Santeraim Novo. Through OBIs shows they were able to obtain names for contacts. One of their shows was even announced on the local radio! Peri-Meri is a small village adn Santeraim Novo a small town. Luis and Katia who lead the work here were thrilled with the group. Around 200 showed up in Peri Meri for two different shows. They wern't sure there was going to be a show in Santeraim Novo, but by the time they eneded there were 50 people. The next evening around 200 came to see them and hear their witness.

Check out the sleeping arrangements below in Peri-Meri where the team slept at a school!

Wow! beans and rice again!

Look Mom! I can clean the bathroom!

Church Planter Luis leads a spiritual Family and Katia his wife, shows off their house.

Getting Crabby in Santeraim Novo

OBI Road Trip Part 1- Capitão Poço

2006-07-12T12:31:00.000-03:00

Church Planters and Evangelists Edivaldo and Evaldeci have been working in Capitão Poço for about a year. They were excited about the team and their results!

There were over 250 people at each of two programs! Bibles were raffled and names were collected for church planters and evangelists to follow up on.

If I were an elephant......

Giving the cross illustration in small groups.

A new experience for the team was fans wanting autographs and the feeling of being in a zoo!

The team with the director of the school where they slept, translators (Maria Triplehorn, Curtis Schultz and Lydia Patton, missing Jacob Patton) and missionary kids Caleb and Josiah Patton.

OBI Pictures

2006-07-03T05:41:00.000-03:00

We have been helping host OBI and are headed out on aweek long road trip to some of our churches in the country today -July 3rd. Enjoy these pictures !

At the Sunday Market.

Washing brakfast dishes!

Introducing themselves at the English service at the missionary school of Amazon Valley Academy.

In Icoraci, watching part of the team during a VBS program.

Resting after a VBS Program.

At a Youth camp Ralley in Coquerio .

Manaus Prayer Team Part 1

2006-06-21T12:19:00.000-03:00

What is the first step in opening a new city? Prayer. A group of ten gathered in one of the most isolated cities in the world, Manaus, Brazil where the Amazon river begins. They came to pray for the city and its people and help evaluate the need for a Bible believing church.

What did they find? What did they do?

They found a people proud of their city; a people united by soccer, but not Christ.

In the two largest malls in the city they found a few book stores .... but not a single Bible for sale.

They knew that their coming here was not an accident. That God wanted them there.

They felt frustration at not being able to speak Portuguese, overwhelmed that they are just one person, and homesickness for their families and American food.

They saw things in the city that broke their hearts and God heart. They saw ways to engage the people and their passions

They found Wallace, Josara, Beg and other real people who do not know Jesus, real people who need their prayers. The spoke to them and heard their hearts

They experienced fear for safety, poverty, paying to go to the bathroom, the markets, busses and a little of the lives of the people.

They showed some what the body of Christ should be like.

They learned that for some life is hard, that life there for many does not take care of itself and may be devoid of future hope for a difference. That there was frustration, but there was also joy in missions.

Please see part 2 for the rest of the thoughts and pictures!

Manaus Prayer Team Part 2

2006-06-21T11:52:00.001-03:00

They saw God at work in arranging the teams logistics and at work in their own lives. They picked a bus, switched to another bus they picked and one time got off at a place that was not even a bus stop and saw God lead them to some special people who they learned from, helped and witnessed to.

They saw people whose focus was not Christ; but where Mary or Saint Sebastain filled the front of the church.

They started the foundation of prayer in the spiritual battle for the city.

They learned about the lives of missionaries, Brazilian church planters and planting churches in Brazil.They saw despair and fear and anger and joy and hope in the faces and eyes of the people.

They made contacts for the future.

They went away knowing how to be part of the future process – to pray, to tell stories, to keep Manaus alive in their hearts and the hearts of the people they know.

They were unanimous as a group – Manaus needs a Bible teaching church.

They were reminded of how big God is and the glories of His creation where the Negro and Solomoes rivers come together to begin the Amazon.

But only the teenager, Tyler was brave enough to swim in the river with the Piranhas!

They learned that churrasco means BEEF!

Sunday 10:12AM...In front of our church.

2006-06-05T17:00:00.000-03:00

“In the parable of the sower and the seed what did the ... “, began the Sunday School teacher when suddenly we heard a crash on the street outside. A second crash of shattering glass soon followed, and, as we turned to look at the street in front of the church, another and another. A bus had been attacked by a gang. It had tried to back away, but stopped in front of our church.

The gang continues to attack the bus, with logs and heavy sticks they shattered all but one window. Bottles filled with kerosene and fire were tossed inside and smoke billowed forth, but they failed to ignite the bus. The church people watched from the windows. After the second crash, the children who had been outside on the side of the church were quickly hurried behind it, away from danger.

Meanwhile, shaking as he hid behind the pulpit, the teacher called the police. He would not want the gang to know he was the one who made the call. We were shocked when a short time later a police car and a fire truck actually showed up. ( It is not the norm for a quick ,or even at times any response to be had) Passersby stopped to gawk, joined by some of those who had attacked the bus. No one would rat. Fear of retaliation was too great.

Broken glass lay all over the road as a few cars and trucks passed by, driving over it as they passed. The driver, who had been hiding came out and tried to start the bus; it failed to start. Slowly most of the spectators left.

No one, though it seemed, really knew why the bus had been attacked. I asked several people and received almost as many answers as those I asked. Maybe it killed someone....they changed a bus route and the people are upset....the fares just increased ...the bus owners are upset at the violence on the bus routes here and substituted old busses for new ones... its an Icoraci bus.

Attacking busses as a form of protest has been common enough the last few weeks as people protested a fare increase of 5 cents. This was not the first bus we have seen attacked. But usually just he rear and front windows are shattered. This one was well planned and more violent.

I happened to have my camera and quickly snapped a few pictures through a open window.

Bar-Mitzvah In Brazil?

2006-05-28T15:16:00.000-03:00

What it morning it was experiencing Jewish Culture here in Belem. One of Caleb's friends that attends his school is Jewish, and he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah this past weekend. He invited most of his friends from school to attend which included a grand reception afterwards.

The Jewish Synagog was tucked away on a little side street in the center of town. It had a nice size auditorium with two floors. The men congregated on the lower floor where the service was held while the women sat upstairs and observered it all from a bird's-eye view.

The two hour service was held in the Hebrew language which for my ten year old son, Josiah, it was a little too long to sit though. The most exciting part for him is when the ladies upstairs showered down candy at the boy reading the scrolls for the first time. They through down hand fulls of hard candy creating a rain fall of sweets.

Ellen asked one of the ladies why they threw the candy. She responded it was to remind them that the Word of God was sweet and it was sweet for them to hear. It was in enjoyable time ending with a large recepiton with a mix of traditional Jewish and modern rock music.

Wayne Patton - In Brazil

Closed Communities & Open Doors

2006-05-20T10:04:00.000-03:00

In Brazil the cities are teaming with folks that have moved to these large metropolis for jobs and hope in a great future. The small country towns are left behind in this new cutural trend and have become closed communities because no new folks have moved in for years.

Most of the folks in these small towns grew up here, their parents grew up here and grand parents are buried in the local cemetery. All new people that move into the community are considered outsiders for years after they arrived. This makes it hard to develop relationship to share the Gospel. This is one of the challenges Luiz & Fatama face as they look to establish a new church in São Fransisco in the state of Para.

This past month they open a new corner fruit and can goods store across from their house. What a success this has been. Not in selling items but as in building in roads into the community. As you can see from the picture above the local media is interviewing Luiz at his new store. Fatama told me that she has tried to talk to a number of her neighbors for the past year but this has been very difficult. Now they her neighbors come and buy two or three tomatoes and talk for an hour. This small stand has oppend doors in ways they had never dreamed.

Pray that the Lord continues to make this new fruit stand the center of activity permiting them to build new relationships and opening opportunities for the Gospel to be preached.

Wayne Patton

Bus Strikes & Broken Glass

2006-05-16T18:28:00.000-03:00

The buses here look like any city bus in any city around the world. Yet the culture here makes the bus ride a different experience than most places on the map. This past week the two city governments and eight bus companies are at odds over the price of the bus fair where we live, Belém Brazil.

The bus companies have gone on strike and like most plances the local court justice has ordered that the bus companies must run at least 40% of their fleet. This is where normalcy ends, because here the city streets are filled with broken glass.

As we drove home from church this past Sunday morning, we witness the breaking of the back window of a city bus. The people looked scared and confused, those in the back end of the bus. As the glass rained down on a car waiting for the bus to move, he quickly back up and took off like a dart.

Protesters, mobsters and the general public who do not want to see the price of bus fare raise are throwing rocks and busting out bus windows. Not just any window but the front and back windows. Why?

Well it ends up there is a custom here that involves bus drivers. The bus drivers are personally responsible for the front and back bus windows. If they get broken the cost to replace these windows are taken out of his pay, in monthly installments of course. So if you are upset at the bus driver, you just bust out the window for revenge.

In São Paulo they are having other problems but using the simular tactics. The gangs and mobs have been busting out bus windows and have burned out over 60 buses causing the bus companies to stop operating until the police can get control of the situation in the city. We are 1,500 miles north of São Paulo, so the situation is much different than here in Northern Brazil.

So next time you pass a bus remember the bus may look them same but buses here represent political power and a way to strick back against the political system.

Cell Phone Craze In The Amazon?

2006-05-09T19:56:00.000-03:00

You are walking down the beach on the Amazon river. There are fisherman in small wooden boats, feries for small towns, barges with cattle and ocean going freightors. All of them have peoplke with the ir cell phones out, joined in on the cellphone craze.

As you look up the beach you can mark your position by where the cell phone towers are located. Cell phones are an important part of peoples lives here. Many of the poorer people own one, but have no phone in their home. If you have a small businees - you need a cellphone here. It is very inexpensive compared to a land line. Most people here use a pre paid card system.

The deals are better in the USA though, it is a technology that is very expensive but greatly desired. A large number of people have cell phones and not just the financialy well off.

So to my suprise I (Wayne) learned a hard lesson about friendship and cell phones. In a discussion with one of my friends he ask me the question. “Do you know why I do not call you any more on the phone?” His answered surprised me. “It cost me money to call you, most the time you kids answer the phone and you are not home. Get a cell phone and I will call you!”

It ends up after talking to a number of people the cell phone is an important device to build friendships. People here want to know you care and know that when they have you on the cell phone you are giving them your time and attention. They do not want to wait till you call back. It is to important. So you call them on their cell phone and get their immediate attention.

So what if they do not have the money to pay for the call. They call collect. There is a custom here. If you have the money to pay the phone bill your friends call you collect (from their cell phone) and hang up. On the cell phone you have caller ID so you know who it is. If you want to talk with them you call them back. If they are really one of your friends you call them back.

There is one good thing about this system. Everyone knows it is expensive. So most the time your conversations are short. And then there is the messaging service. You know sending messages over your cell phone. Well I am still trying to understand that world. Sending text in English is easy compared to trying to use the Portuguese charater set.

It is amazing you can be in the heart of the jungle surrounded by large trees, thick forest, and mud. Pull out your cell phone and call your friends to rescue you. Only in the Amazon.

Car Accidents are Different Here

2006-04-20T06:51:00.000-03:00

Wayne came to a stop at the traffic light as the small bus in front of him went on into the intersection. It stopped, and then, without warning, began to quickly back up. Seeing what was coming, Wayne laid on the horn. Still the bus came back. Smash into our front end. The bus continued to push backwards as Wayne applied the brake and blew the horn. The bus pushed the car backwards a bit as people crossing the street in back of Wayne scrambled not to get hit by him. Eventually he did stop.

So what would you do next in the United States? They did try numerous times calling the police but they didn't answer their phones. ( I once told a Brazilian about 911 and the thought that is was incredible and a little unbelievable that police would always be there and come when needed).

All the people got off the bus and went to find another way as Wayne, the driver and Saba, Wayne's ,passenger, decided what to do. So it was off to the police station to file a report. But there was a catch, the bus driver fled the police station before the report was filed. Illegal, yes, but unlikely to be prosecuted. Wayne still filed a report, since he had the license plate number, bus company name and name of the driver from his name tag.

The car was drivable, but had no headlights and need some repairs. So what do you do next in the states? The driver asked us not to tell the bus company, that he would pay. But he had no money to pay. But the bus company was another story. Their story to us was that this driver was in his first few months so he was not covered under any insurance. Even though it was their driver's fault, they would not cover any of the cost of repairs. So we have to pay for it ourselves.

Well we do have an insurance policy, it said it covers 100% of the cost of repairs from an accident not your fault. So what happens next in the states? Well here, insurance firms each have their own repair shop and you must get your car repaired at them if they pay. So it was off to the car repair shop. A week they said, and we will have your car to you.

That was three weeks ago. We still do not have a car. ( No rental cars for those in accidents here). Yesterday, the company said the car was ready, but we owed them over 1000 dollars and we could not have the car till we paid. It seems like deep in the policy description is a clause that allows them to discount how much they pay out. So 100% coverage was not really 100%., it is more like 50%. Ok ,so we pay the money.

Well the car won't start. Looks like the alternator has failed. They want 250$ for a used junk yard one, a lot more than a new one in the states. So the car sits in the insurance companies shop while we have the alternator rebuilt.

Ode to Iggy, Rainbow and Spring

2006-03-27T15:18:00.000-03:00

All it took was a dishonest person and a few moments and Iggy, Rainbow and Spring were gone from our lives forever. A thief stole two bags from our car. In one was Wayne’s Portuguese Bible, the families church song books, a new pair of pants and a few small things. The other was Caleb’s carry-on bag. In it was a few days worth of dirty clothes, including his favorite shirt with a lizard on it and his three favorite stuffed lizards, Iggy, Rainbow, and Spring.

In an airport in Knoxville, Tennessee while at a Guinea Fowl convention I spotted Iggy, a stuffed Ty beanie buddy high on a shelf. I knew his curly tail, cute smile and bright colors would win Caleb’s heart. And so they did on his 6^th birthday. Iggy soon developed a personality and would tell us what Caleb was thinking and feeling when Caleb couldn’t. He entertained the family with his comments and unique voice.

As we left our home the next year and took to the road to begin support raising Iggy became more a part of our life and more a part of Caleb’s security in an ever changing world. It wasn’t too long after when on a cross country trip, Iggy found Rainbow (planted by mom) on the side of a trail in the Petrified National Forest in Arizona. It was love at first sight. The next day TRB (a stuffed cardinal named The Reward Bird) performed the wedding while we traveled through New Mexico as the assorted stuffed friends of my children looked on. Rainbow quickly developed a different and distinct personality, though Iggy remained the favorite.

It was in Branson City, Missouri, a year later, when Caleb spotted Spring and Sherbet on the clearance shelf at Silver Dollar City. He had a few dollars to spend and decided his two friends needed some friends of their own. Caleb said he had to buy two – what would Sherbet do for a wife if he didn’t buy Spring? So off the shelf, out the door and into our families hearts walked two more stuffed lizards.

When we came to Brazil he tied all four of their tails together and slung them over his shoulder to carry on the plane. He didn’t want to be parted for a moment. They most definitely were not going to be locked up in a suitcase.

They preformed Bible stories together. In one, the Christmas story, Rainbow was Mary, while the three wise lizards road various creatures to Bethlehem.

Constant companions on all of our trips, our family loved them. Each had its own personality and voice. They were Caleb’s voice and security in all the turmoil our family went through for five years from 2001-2005 as we worked on getting to and settling into Brazil.

Caleb was in tears when we discovered their loss. They will be deeply missed, for they were dearly loved.

Carnaval Time in Brazil

2006-03-02T14:54:00.000-03:00

It is Carnaval time here in Brazil. For three days the country goes nuts and sins as much as it can for Monday and Tuesday with Wednesday starting a day of repentance of sin (a catholic holiday). They have street celebrations and paradies featuring sexual themes. For the Christian community these days of sin are a problem.

The Christian community here in Brazil deals with this cultural event by running to the interior. They go to camps, visit family in the country or someother place away from these carnaval celebrations. This year Wayne headed for Per-Meri a Point of Light located 200 KM from Belem in the interior.

It was a quite time in the country walking country trails to homes of folks who had an interest in studying the Bible. I worked with our church planters to review the situation in Per-Meri and to see what could be done to boost the ministry there. It is such a suprise to walk in a small community where there are a mix of mud huts and brick houses. Electricity is still a new addition to this comminity yet even here people had televisions with satellite dishes all of which were featuring the Carnaval Celebrations in Rio and Sao Paulo, the big cities in Brazil.

So now even in the deep interior, the country, it is getting harder and harder to escape the Brazilian culture of sin. Which means that the church has to change and that is what we are all about walking the streets of Per-Meri changing this sinful nation one house & one life at a time.

Wayne Patton

The little annoying things... That BITE!!!

2006-02-07T20:49:00.000-02:00

So, what is little, bites, has a straw like mouth and is a pain? For those who don't know yet.... Mosquito's. Yes, it is that time of year again (that's all year, but during the rainy season it gets worse) . Normally we are safe since our windows have screens, we use bug plugs (kinda like the scented plugins that go in the wall, except these don't smell and chase away the mosquitoes) and we try to keep the door closed. That would normally take care of most of the bugs. Although, the last weekend we (the Patton family) were out at this seminar for the Brazilians. So, mom was smart and didn't put on bug spray. Even though she wasn't there during the night, they still got her. The mosquito's here carry something called dengue. (the word is a link so you can look it up since I am short of time)

In short mom is really sick. Pray for her.

well, thanks for reading

In place for the normal writer.....
Jacob Patton

PS: I did this more like my blog since I am NOT mom

What Has Seven Lives?

2006-02-01T22:24:00.000-02:00

It is eight o’clock in the evening. I have a bullfrog in the shower waiting (although he doesn’t know it) for dissection on Friday. Caleb was home for the day with an ear infection. The man who is learning to edit and produce CD’s was here all day.

For the last three days two workers have been taking down what was left of our plaster ceiling and the supporting framework. We now look up at the roof. Generations of dirt from the ceiling and plaster dust are over everything. Last evening I had to wash all the dishes in the cupboard as I found out they were dirty when I went to set the table for supper. I have been one day ahead of the workers packing up all the things that were in most all the up stairs. Tomorrow they will rip out the wall between and the cupboards inthe office and the boys room

Earlier this week we received an urgent note from my parents to stop using out ATM card, the only way we get monay down here. We were overdrawn even though our records showed we were OK. Unbeknownst to us the fees for the ATM card we use to get all our money down here have gone up from approximately 3$ to 20$ for about ever 400$ we take out – the beginning of January.

Our internet has been down for two days. They say we were disconnected since the credit card they use to charge the monthly fee expired…. in 2004. Even a native Brazilian was unable to reason with them in a timely manner.

Four days ago the cat let the birds out of the cage, although he was unable to eat them, that did not stop them from flying the coop. The two of them left a single feather behind.

<>Today two busses I got on didn’t go where I wanted them too, so I didn’t make it to the ce dream shop to buy peanut paste, our only source of peanut butter. The natives get restless if we run out. So I will have to head back downtown tomorrow morning for it.

This is the third day the car has been in the shop, who knows when we will get it back – I haven’t been able to do the weeks grocery shopping yet; I will have to carry them home by hand tomorrow. We have a guest to pick up at the airport on Friday and a team arriving Sunday. The repairman needs 300$ for a sensor we could get for 60$ in the states. One of the members of the team arriving this weekend will try to get it for us.

So what keeps us all together? Knowing the Lord is here with us and we are doing his work.

Back to our question, what has seven lives? Here in Brazil cats have seven lives. One night last week a stray preteen cat was dumped over our wall into our yard. Josiah found him in the morning. How the cat ever survived with two guard dogs that don’t like cats loose in the yard we will never know. By lunchtime the kids had fed and named the cat – and I knew we were in trouble. It was such a friendly, well-behaved little thing. With no place else to go we kept it. The dogs have stopped quivering when the cat looks down off the second story at them, but Dexter is planning on cat for lunch if it ever sets foot downstairs outside while they are loose.

The Humans are winning!!?? Part 2

2006-01-20T12:42:00.000-02:00

A few months went by. The children happily ate breakfast and scrambled off for school. Then that fateful morning we once again heard the cry “What’s for breakfast mom? Our bread has been chewed on again”

Ok. Just how are they getting into the kitchen? No holes in the walls, ceiling or cupboards. Time to call in the best sleuths in the family. The investigation crew combed the area and found a hole in the screen of the window above the stairs beside the kitchen. Fair enough, we fixed the hole. Next night our bread was again sampled and adding fruit to his diet, he enjoyed a bit of banana for desert. Checking the screen, made of plastic netting, our investigators saw another hole.

“Catch them when they come in”, we thought. and set the trap up right on the ledge in front of the hole. For a few night the trap snapped happily as we caught the family of rats one by one. The kids once more smiled at breakfast.

Ah ha, now it seems we have caught them all it is time to go all out and buy expensive metal screening.Not to be daunted by our rescreening with metal screen, the rat came back the very next day and chewed a hole in the bathroom screen, this time bringing his family with him. They enjoyed a meal of bread and apples and departed laughing. So we inquired of yet other Brazilians.

“Xubinho kills anything”, they all replied shaking their heads.

“Well”, we thought, “xubinho is the poison from manioc plants. Manioc not processed properly can kill a human. " Sounds good enough.

We fixed the bathroom screen with a metal one, put the bread in the oven for protection, poured Xubinho on a small piece of bread and went to bed with smiles on our faces.

Just a Table? ( A Christmas Blog )

2006-01-02T18:11:00.000-02:00

They came to our door on Christmas morning, Alejandro and his daughter Angeline. Their faces shone with happiness as they sang to us the songs of Christmas that morning -years ago when we lived in the Philippines. As is customary there, when they were finished, we offered them a few coins I knew the family badly needed. "No ", Alejandro told us. "That is not why I sing for you today. It is our present to you, for you have helped bring us the Savior." Angeline smiled up at us. She now had her father and her father had his Father in heaven. It was one of the best gifts I have received for Christmas.

Those songs of thanks so long ago were rivaled this year by the smiling faces of a family.

Saba makes candies with his wife and later sells them on the busses in the evenings. Some days he works for the mission here. When he works for the mission he takes home a little over 10$ US per day, more than he makes selling candies. Although that sounds like very little, it is more than the going wage. To give you an idea of how far that goes here - it costs about 15% more for us to live here than at the same level in the USA.

As you enter the home where Saba lives with his wife and three daughters you notice the walls of unfinished block and a rough cement floor. There are only a few beds, a small rough table, a sink, a refrigerator and stove. You are graciously offered the only chair, made of plastic and partly broken.

For most, if not all, of you reading this, a table and chairs is something we assume a house will have. Indeed we have several and all are most likely taken for granted. For them to buy a table and enough chairs for the family would mean saving almost a months pay.

We showed up at their door the morning of Christmas Eve with a table and 6 chairs, our gift to them. "We no longer have to sit on the floor when we eat ", excitedly exclaimed Saba. "The children will have a place to sit and draw and do school work". As we sat around the table with them and chatted, their smiling faces and excited voices were rivals to the songs of Alejandro and Angeline for the best Christmas gift.

The Humans are winning!!?? Part 1

2005-12-18T07:24:00.000-02:00

A week after the last post a series of severe electrical storms went through every afternoon for a week. Because of power problems when storms go through, all most all our electric appliances are plugged into stabelizers and the computers, TV and a few others go off when it storms. One storm knocked out power to half our house for several days. ( The elecric in our house is on more than one phase. It is split to get power to the house. The electric company lost a phase.) Fortunatly it was not the half with the refrigerator, washing machine and well pump.

<>
On to the first installment in the saga of the Rat Wars.

It started innocently enough - the previous occupants of our house warned us that there were rats living in it. At first they didn’t seen to bother us and we didn’t bother them because we saw no signs of them. Then late one night one snuck in and helped himself to our breakfast bread. Not content to take as much as he wanted from one piece, he sampled a bite or two from each one. The kids wondered what was for breakfast. And the rat wars were on.

So we asked the age-old question of missionaries in Brazil - what would a Brazilian do?

“This one kills em dead and dries em up really fast”, replied Ceaser as he recommended a certain poison.

Over the next few days our poisoned bread was sampled several times but remained mostly untouched until that fatal night. One day a week later a stench arose from the attic above the office.

“Yes”, we cried, “got one”.

But the rat had the last laugh, he died where we couldn’t reach him and didn’t dry up any to fast for us.

The next week we noticed the same smell in the kitchen. Another one! Wayne worked all day to rip out the floor of the kitchen cabinets to extradite him from his tomb. It was a good thing that in a few months a work crew would be here to install new cabinets. Over the next few weeks our poisoned bread remained untouched. Were the mornings of last minute plans for breakfast over? Did we dare celebrate?

From 23 C to 23 F and Back Again

2005-12-01T17:23:00.000-02:00

I was recently in the states for a short time to tend to some legal matters. The coldest it ever gets here is about 23 degrees Celsius or 73 Fahrenheit – and the warmest it ever got one day while I was back in the states was about 23 degrees Fahrenheit! Was I cold? You bet! During the day I looked over dressed in winter clothes, long underwear and coats, gloves and scarf at 40 degrees. At night I slept in my flannel nightgown and bathrobe with 4 blankets, a bedspread and a quilt over me and still woke up cold at 4 am. We get chilly here and sleep with a blanket at 75 degrees. Today it is a balmy 93.

While there I made a list of some of the things that we don’t have in my area of Brazil enjoyed while in the states.

Paths to walk through the woods
Autumn leaves and skies without clouds
Snow, snowmen and winter coats (that is my snowman)
Sundogs and certain types of clouds
Gas less than $4.50 a gallon and roads without potholes
Lima beans, pumpkins, cranberries, grapefruit, V-8 Juice, chili powder
Strawberry-rhubarb pie …
Used bookstores and stores with lots of books (my downfall)
Goodwill, Wal-Mart and all the inexpensive manufactured goods
Ester Price Chocolates
Good rat traps (see entry entitled – The Humans are Winning to be posted Dec 3 for more.)
The scent of a pine wreath from Oregon (I used to live there beside a tree farm)
Central heating and air in homes
Jet trails across the sky (ever wonder where they are all going and why?)
Squirrels foxes and deer
Cardinals, juncos, blue jays, tufted titmice, gold finches…
Lack of security guards and openness of houses and stores.

Well you get the idea. What do they all have in common? They are all temporal. Although I enjoyed them when I was there and sometimes miss them here, they are just part of the things I have left behind to serve the Lord here in Brazil. There are other things I would miss from here if I left.

But I’m a Card Carrying Member…!

2005-11-08T11:38:00.000-02:00

As Jose slipped quietly into the great beyond there was a smile on his face. Coming up to the great gate in the sky he saw Peter there; Some were allowed to enter heaven, some were turned away. He knew he would be allowed in for his fate was secure. “Why should I let you in to heaven “, Peter asked of Jose. Grinning from ear to ear Jose reached into his back pocket and whipped out the card he had carried with him for years. On one side was his pictures, date of birth, date of baptism and the signature of the pastor and missionary. Turning it over he held it up in front of Peter, “Why it says right here that I have all the rights and privileges of a card carrying member of my church”.

Fantasy? Yes and no. Let me tell you about Jose. As a group of us was studying the Bible with Claudia, a neighbor of his he came into the simple mud and stick house and sat down on the dirt floor. As we finished, his neighbor introduced us. He proudly whipped out an identification card issued by his church and passed it around for us all to see. One the back it did proclaim he had all the rights and privileges of a member.

Not satisfied one of the Brazilians with us began asking him simple questions about the Bible. Turns out he knew almost nothing. Why? Because the church he goes to does not teach the Bible and he does not read.

The Brazilian evangelists we were with knew where Jose was coming from. One of them had grown up in this same town, in this same denomination. For eighteen years he had gone to church. And had never known who Jesus is.

Happily Deluded

2005-10-26T06:19:00.000-02:00

Sometimes his barking awakens us at nights as he tracks creatures that are not there. Other times my children laugh as we watch our dog Dexter prance in small circles, then suddenly jump grabbing a mouth full of dirt when he probably thinks he has a lizard. Last night he flung himself upward, grabbing branches as he chased birds long gone.

Happily deluded we have decided. His mind damaged, his sense of smell gone, probably from the poison that he has ingested several times as robbers sought to kill him in order to break into our home.

How like that some people are. Chasing dreams that are mirages. Thinking they have it made, when they have nothing that really matters. Putting their hope in the false without a clue to the fact they are just happily deluded

Prepared Ahead of Time

2005-10-20T06:16:00.000-02:00

Tuesday as I prepared bean to soak for Wednesday’s lunch something prompted me to prepare extra for Thursday also, even though I already had another meal planned. I decided to cook all double Wednesday – beans, rice, meat, vegetables and a condiment called vinagrete.

Thursday mornings I spend a half-hour at my children’s school watching the elementary school play during recess. As recess ended one little girl tripped over the jump rope and fell skinning her chin and nose. The teacher asked if I would be able to help with her class while she comforted her. Over the next hour and a half I read books to a class of first and second graders and helped get them to an eye test that was being done. As I left I glanced at my watch – my own four would be home in twenty minutes for lunch. Then it hit me – God had prepared ahead of time that I would have lunch all ready for my family. I thanked him for his care as I warmed up the food they would be home to eat in a few minutes.

A Golden Glow

2005-10-17T06:12:00.000-02:00

I awoke to a light of yellow washing the room with its faint light. Lifting my head and peering out the window, high in the sky, above the mango tree, I saw the source a golden moon. Although it looked like a harvest moon in color, it was high in the sky and would not set yet for a few hours. I watched as its color deepened slightly to an orangey hue. The moon slipped behind the mango tree; fruits that would soon bear the moons color in their juicy insides now hanging green from the branches. I thanked the Lord for his display of beauty and relinquished myself to sleep. That morning the sun rose like a ball of fire and the sky took on an ethereal glow so unusual that others commented on it to me.