Brazil Nuts

Our 530 mile drive to Louisiana and back went well this weekend. Was good to visit friends in a church that has shared faithfully in our Brazil ministry for over 30 years. The couple we stayed with before was traveling so we enjoyed the Jameson Inn near I-20 over Saturday night. Even swam some laps in the pool. Sunday AM in the adult Bible class just before we began rolling our power point slides, Mr. Bell asked if we’d brought our Brazil nut pod again. I said, “Yes, if you insist, I’ll get it out just after we see the slides.” And I did, much to the amusement and amazement of the folks. Later when introducing me to speak in the worship service, Pr. Bob referred to what I had said, that we are all like re-seeding Brazil nuts, some more visible than others in God’s work but all vitally important in bringing spiritual life to others within the context of our daily lives. Don’t know what this missionary would do without a few visuals. People of all ages respond well to show and tell. Guess I should have gotten out our piranha too!

Grapes & Oranges

Made an interesting discovery these past months: American grapes and oranges do not have seeds in them! At least not the ones that we’ve enjoyed from the supermarket. Things are different in Brazil. Most grapes and oranges, DO have seeds in them. Wonder why? One reason could be that the desire or demand for seedless fruit in Brazil just is not there yet. People don’t mind picking or spitting out the seeds. Maybe it’s for the same reason there are so few cars produced with automatic transmissions in Brazil. People prefer the cheaper, basic models and so don’t mind shifting gears. Plus the fact that gas mileage is a major consideration with fuel costing 30 to 40 percent more than in the U. S. (yes, even with recent U.S. price hikes!) That brings me to ask, would seedless grapes and oranges in Brazil cost more? Probably, but I don’t want to go there. I have decided that this missionary must stop analyzing and simply enjoy what each place has to offer. And once you get past the seeds and clutches there really is little difference in the taste and ride!

Welcome to our new blog site! My purpose here is to share some of those interesting, special or even mundane moments of life in a more informal format. Like experiencing God’s immediate protection when I braked just in time for an oncoming car while turning left at an unfamiliar intersection in PA. Singing hymns to my saintly friend now lying unresponsive with Alzheimer’s in TX. Listening to the country-western performer in a restaurant in Missouri singing about his girl from Texas. Playing ball with kids in Penna. and falling down going after a fly ball. Babysitting our adorable, active grandsons. Praying with a long time friend facing cancer surgery. Explaining the outstanding merits of our son-in-law’s hilarious CD of Christian music for kids. Speaking & showing our Brazil slides for the umpteenth time and still enjoying it. Writing thank you notes to so many good friends. Beginning to learn from our son Mark (pictured above) how to do a blog site! And the list could go on…