Back in the swing of things...

Ya...I know, it's been almost a month since I updated this blog. You know one of the toughest things when returning from a missions trip is re-acclimating back into your native lifestyle. I have come to appreciate so many things....like western toilets and toilet paper, a variety of any type of food, structured traffic....and so on and so forth. So many of these things we take for granted here in the US. I truly believe that every young person between the ages of 15 and 20 need to go live for one month in a 3rd world country. It is a life changing experience. You begin to see the things that really DON'T matter. You see people who have an income less than your car payment and they are content. You see people who aren't afraid to walk a few miles to work and are extremely thankful they have a job. You see where a family of five can make everyone fit on a motorcycle and go to church....while we complain that we cannot go because it's raining! Americans are truly spoiled. I am at the top of that list. I saw people who had a heart of prayer and a love for God that would make us "christians" be put to shame. I loved the warmth and hospitality of the Brazilians and the sweetness of the Indians. I was reflecting back to a couple of things on my trip...one was at my friends Sam and Reena. They have a little girl named Jessica who is the same age as my grandaughter Zarina. Sam and Reena live in a small one bedroom apartment in Bangalore. Jessica quickly adopted me...and Sam and Reena welcomed me with open arms. I spent a nite with them in this lovely little place...they gave me and Jessi the bedroom while Reena took the couch and Sam took the floor. Now how many of us Americans would do that? They apologized for having so little...but I felt so at home with them. They invited some collegues from work to come over for a small bible study. They always had tea or coffee to offer everyone. It was such a blessing! Then.....in Brazil I went to the home of my future husband...this too was a small little home decorated with lovely colors of Brazil. My future mother-in-law was so concerned because their home was so simple. Once I arrived...I sensed the warmth and welcome of each family member. It was a beautiful experience! I loved the simplicity of everything. Sometimes we get so caught up in "things" that we forget what it is like just to relax and enjoy family. So nice!

So, like I said, it's difficult to get back into the swing of everything, and even though I will eventually, I pray that I never become complacent with the things that I have and that I will thank God daily for all his provisions to me. I know that all the things that I have can be taken in an instant......and life is short. May you too always be thankful for what you have.

THE MEETING OF TWO HEARTS...

Words cannot express how my heart felt when I met Wilson for the first time. He was an amazingly gorgeous Brazilian man...far more than I could have imagined. Even though we have spoken via web cam for the past year and a half, I was not fully prepared for how handsome he truly was in real life. But beyond his amazing looks was his personality and his genuine sweetness. I arrived in Cuiaba on the 7th of January and was greeted by about 30 people. As I was walking towards the baggage claim on the tarnac I saw a group of people in one window section of the airport.....all of a sudden they began pointing towards me....then jumping up and down....then they all ran towards the baggage claim area which was in a building adjacent to theirs. I waited patiently for my bags to come off of the conveyor belt of this tiny little airport. I looked outside of the baggage claim and there was my love standing there with his beautiful Brazilian smile and tanned skin. He was wearing a lovely red/white/gray striped polo shirt and blue jeans. There were all kinds of people surrounding him with a banner saying "Welcome Jayme"! I was so nervous! I got my bags off the belt and proceeded towards the door. The young people were shouting....Jayme! Jayme! Jayme! Then Wilson came towards me.....I pushed the cart to the side as he took me into his arms and held me so tightly....we both cried with tears of happiness......then he gave me a long passionate kiss. All of the people of the airport applauded and shouted! I felt like I was in a dream......for so long we have waited for this day to come and now here it was for us. All of the friends who came greeted me as though they had always known me. Many of them were Wilson's students, colleagues and those he attends church with. They were taking tons of photos and giving me hugs and kisses. Wilson then presented me with a huge bouquet of red roses and mixed flowers. Quickly we went outside to get in the car....one of the men from the church took my bags to the place where I would be staying. Wilson's friend and colleague, Kezia, took us to Brazilian restaurant ran by a local family from the church. There we had a wonderful lunch and I met this beautiful family The Roseno's. From the Roseno's we went to Wilson's brother's home where I would be staying.....but first we dropped by Kezia's home to meet her family. They recieved me with open arms and also offered me their home to stay in if I wanted to. They were so kind. We went on to Dilson's home where they recieved me and showed me the room I would stay in. It was a lovely room with air conditioning! The heat in Brazil is intense! They were so thoughtful to give me this room so I would be comfortable. What amazing hospitality! From there we went over to Wilson's home and I met his mother Nueza and his brother Edmilson as well as the family parrot Lodo. Wilson's mother is a very tiny petite woman with a gentle nature like Wilson's. They live just two blocks from Dilson and Christianne. We went back to Dilson's home and prepared for the evening birthday party. I will write more about the days that followed in another blog. But for now.....know that God works in amazing ways and He has nothing but the best for His children. I praise God for the things He has done for us.