The First 24 hours
Hey everyone, thank you so much for your encouragement and your prayers, and especially for the comments posted on the Blog! They mean so much to me!
I won't be able to post any pictures for at least a day or two more, but I wanted to just give a quick update on what is going on. Today I had my first meeting with my coworkers at church (Paul Gale, Micheli Lopes, and some others) about what will be happening this summer. Paul, who is a missionary from Michigan who is a pastor at the church speaks English, but the meeting was in Portuguese, and after an hour of trying to understand what was going on, asking questions, and trying to comprehend the answers, my brain was fried!! Fried in a good way. Like how your muscles hurt after a long workout. :-) Today was so exhausting, and all I was doing all day was trying to understand what was going on around me! It is definitely a humbling experience to feel so ignorant, tongue-tied, and otherwise confused to everyone I meet! Good thing smiles are universal. :-D
Anyway, here is my schedule as it stands for right now:
Tomorrow: Help out with a trumpet sectional in the morning, go to the college and career group in the evening with Micheli, a girl my age who I've been e-mailing for a few months. She works under Paul and is a total sweetheart, although right now she is in a lot of pain because she just broke her collarbone in a car accident and has to wear a pretty uncomfortable brace.
This week: I move into the apartment on Monday and will hopefully start teaching soon thereafter. I found out that I'll be teaching private lessons (not classes, thank goodness!) in trombone, french horn, tuba, and probably some other random instruments and I could even have a translator if I wanted. (Me? A tuba teacher? Ok, Lord!)
Each week: Help Paul Gale with arrangements during the day, teach during the afternoon. Wednesday nights are band rehearsals (I don't teach these, thank goodness!) and Saturday afternoons are choir rehearsals (I get to sing in the choir!!)
June 9-13 Trip to Itapeva: Itapeva is a city in the interior of Sao Paulo, about 4-5 hours away. The church there has services that are broadcasted live on the radio, and they want me to sing. I'll probably sing "He knows my name," which I've already translated into Portuguese and I have a trak for. I'll also be teaching a recorder class and helping out the percussion section a little. (Me? A drum teacher? Ok Lord!!)
June 17: Valentine's Day-type thing, Brazil-style--I'm singing and playing at a dinner for couples at the church. I think Sonya Gale (Paul's wife) is going to translate the song I wrote for Nick and Tyreen Heybeck's wedding so I can perform it then. (is that ok with you, Nick and Tyreen?)
June 21-23 Pedra Grande: Camping trip with the college and career group to a beautiful mountain that we can see from the church. I didn't tell them that I've only been camping once in my life. ;-)
June 23-26 Trip to Sierra Negra: I think this is similar to Itapeva--a mini-masterclass type trip into the state of Sao Paulo. For this one I'll probably be doing more vocal coaching.
June 28-July 6 Trip to Paraty: This will be so fun! Paraty is 4 hours away, p retty close to Rio de Janeiro (it's the old historic section). We will be doing some English classes here. (Me? An English teacher? Ok, Lord!)
Ok, that's a lot of information. I am glad that I finally kind of know what I'm supposed to be doing. Maybe I still am not confident of my ability to do it, but I know that God has me here on purpose, and so by default, He is going to either supernaturally bless me with ability beyond what I currently posess (in teaching as well as Portuguese) or provide unexpected help (like He did on the plane ride here).
Our God is SO good, and SO sovereign! (What a good combination, right, Pastor Mitchell?) I mean, think about it--He could have just as easily put me somewhere where I'd be, like, teaching piano or choir or something that I feel confident in myself about doing. But how horrible would it be if I were confident in my own abilities?? I know that the absolute only thing I can be confident in right now is the Lord and His promises to give me (exactly) what I need to do His work today (no more, no less). I know that any good that comes out of these next few months will only be by His grace and not by my power. Zechariah 4:6 says it best, in a prophecy about Zerubbabel's upcoming ventures in battle: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."
On that NOTE (haha)...here we go, Lord! Day #2 awaits us!
--Joy
I won't be able to post any pictures for at least a day or two more, but I wanted to just give a quick update on what is going on. Today I had my first meeting with my coworkers at church (Paul Gale, Micheli Lopes, and some others) about what will be happening this summer. Paul, who is a missionary from Michigan who is a pastor at the church speaks English, but the meeting was in Portuguese, and after an hour of trying to understand what was going on, asking questions, and trying to comprehend the answers, my brain was fried!! Fried in a good way. Like how your muscles hurt after a long workout. :-) Today was so exhausting, and all I was doing all day was trying to understand what was going on around me! It is definitely a humbling experience to feel so ignorant, tongue-tied, and otherwise confused to everyone I meet! Good thing smiles are universal. :-D
Anyway, here is my schedule as it stands for right now:
Tomorrow: Help out with a trumpet sectional in the morning, go to the college and career group in the evening with Micheli, a girl my age who I've been e-mailing for a few months. She works under Paul and is a total sweetheart, although right now she is in a lot of pain because she just broke her collarbone in a car accident and has to wear a pretty uncomfortable brace.
This week: I move into the apartment on Monday and will hopefully start teaching soon thereafter. I found out that I'll be teaching private lessons (not classes, thank goodness!) in trombone, french horn, tuba, and probably some other random instruments and I could even have a translator if I wanted. (Me? A tuba teacher? Ok, Lord!)
Each week: Help Paul Gale with arrangements during the day, teach during the afternoon. Wednesday nights are band rehearsals (I don't teach these, thank goodness!) and Saturday afternoons are choir rehearsals (I get to sing in the choir!!)
June 9-13 Trip to Itapeva: Itapeva is a city in the interior of Sao Paulo, about 4-5 hours away. The church there has services that are broadcasted live on the radio, and they want me to sing. I'll probably sing "He knows my name," which I've already translated into Portuguese and I have a trak for. I'll also be teaching a recorder class and helping out the percussion section a little. (Me? A drum teacher? Ok Lord!!)
June 17: Valentine's Day-type thing, Brazil-style--I'm singing and playing at a dinner for couples at the church. I think Sonya Gale (Paul's wife) is going to translate the song I wrote for Nick and Tyreen Heybeck's wedding so I can perform it then. (is that ok with you, Nick and Tyreen?)
June 21-23 Pedra Grande: Camping trip with the college and career group to a beautiful mountain that we can see from the church. I didn't tell them that I've only been camping once in my life. ;-)
June 23-26 Trip to Sierra Negra: I think this is similar to Itapeva--a mini-masterclass type trip into the state of Sao Paulo. For this one I'll probably be doing more vocal coaching.
June 28-July 6 Trip to Paraty: This will be so fun! Paraty is 4 hours away, p retty close to Rio de Janeiro (it's the old historic section). We will be doing some English classes here. (Me? An English teacher? Ok, Lord!)
Ok, that's a lot of information. I am glad that I finally kind of know what I'm supposed to be doing. Maybe I still am not confident of my ability to do it, but I know that God has me here on purpose, and so by default, He is going to either supernaturally bless me with ability beyond what I currently posess (in teaching as well as Portuguese) or provide unexpected help (like He did on the plane ride here).
Our God is SO good, and SO sovereign! (What a good combination, right, Pastor Mitchell?) I mean, think about it--He could have just as easily put me somewhere where I'd be, like, teaching piano or choir or something that I feel confident in myself about doing. But how horrible would it be if I were confident in my own abilities?? I know that the absolute only thing I can be confident in right now is the Lord and His promises to give me (exactly) what I need to do His work today (no more, no less). I know that any good that comes out of these next few months will only be by His grace and not by my power. Zechariah 4:6 says it best, in a prophecy about Zerubbabel's upcoming ventures in battle: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."
On that NOTE (haha)...here we go, Lord! Day #2 awaits us!
--Joy
posted by Joy | 7:27 PM
1 Comments:
Dear Joy, Please know I am praying for you and the whole gang! When you see Ken & Susan Collins please tell them Carol Hamm sends her love to them. Ask them if they ever receiced my book "ABC's For Your Health"? Have a great time serving JESUS! He is so worthy of our love & service (which you know all about!!!!!)
Love & prayers, Carol Hamm
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