Our First Thanksgiving in Brazil

Our first Thanksgiving in Brazil was quite enjoyable! We had an almost traditional meal. Isabel was able to find a turkey! Woohoo!!! The biggest one they had was 8.5 pounds, so we didn't have a lot of leftovers. I think it was the best turkey that I have ever eaten! Isabel and Nita arrived at my house between 6:30 and 7:00am and we started cooking. The green bean casserole was slightly varied. I had to make cream of mushroom soup (bring back memories Jill?) from scratch. Since you can't get french fried onions here, I added diced onions to the mix and put shoestring potatoes on top. It turned out pretty good! Isabel made mashed potatoes and gravy. I made a broccoli casserole and we had some rolls. Nita made an apple pie. The pumpkin pie was a little different. They don't have evaporated milk here, so I substituted creme de leite. It tasted the same but the texture was different. Instead of being kind of thick and heavy, it was light and fluffy! No complaints here! It was fun to spend Thanksgiving with the Nichols crew.

Class #5-6

Things are going well. We talked about ministries and relationships. One of the main aspects of both of these is to remember that everyone is different, has different opinions, and different abilities. As long as everything lines up with the Bible, it's not a problem. We need to accept people as they are and help them become what God wants them to be. Just as a sidenote - this does not mean that it is your job to go around correcting people. That comes with position or having been asked for the help. You can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped. Use the Bible as your basis for everything in life. It will never steer yoiu wrong.

For me, a lot of these things have become common sense. I must remember that I have been spoiled by Pastor Allison's preaching and Mrs. Allison's advice. Not that I know everything...who does? The girls seemed pretty interested and had plenty of questions. Some of their questions were easy to answer, some were more challenging. Either way, the class has been a lot of fun and a good reminder for me about some things. I think that that is the best part of teaching. It forces you to remember things that you may have forgotten or help you with things that you need to work on.

A Busy Week!

This week will be extremely busy. We have Missions Conference, Wednesday through Sunday. Tim and Weber are preaching it. Of course, Thanksgiving is on Thursday. On Saturday, we are having an International Banquet. I am in charge of the cooking and will be assisted by some of the ladies from church. I am looking forward to all of it. It will be a busy week and a fun one! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

What a day!

On Saturday, we were scheduled to have the youth activity at our house from 4-6pm. The day started with my normal schedule of getting up at 6:30 and heading off to the feira (open air market). After the feira, I go to the grocery store, then to the butcher. When I arrived at the grocery store, I discovered that it was closed because it was a holiday. Bummer! So, I continued on to the butcher's, hoping he would be open. Thankfully, he was. I now had enough food to get us through the weekend! Whew!!! When I got home, I started cleaning the house to get ready for the activity. As 4:00 approached, I was getting a little worried that I would not finish in time. At 3:00, I still had to clean the carport and take a shower. I started in on the carport. In case you don't know, all of the floors are tile. I was in a hurry and probably not being as careful as I should have been. As I bent over to pick up the hose and move it, I slipped and fell, landing on my rear. Initially I thought no problem. However, as I regained my bearing, I realized my right pinkie finger was bent to the side. Not good. Tim came to check it out as a surge of pain hit. I carefully moved the finger back to its rightful position and promptly iced it. Tim took over finishing the carport as I prepared to go to the hospital. After waiting an hour and a half, the doctor looked at my finger and said that I needed x-rays but would have to wait until Monday. (Remember, it's a holiday.) So they put a splint on the finger and sent me on my way.

Monday morning, I go to the place for x-rays, only to be told to come back at 1pm. When I return, there is a long line. Three and a half hours later, I finally get my finger x-rayed. Now, it's back to the hospital. After an hour wait, the doctor says the finger is broken, anf to come back to see the orthopedic doctor. We go to make the appointment and are told to come back Wednesday morning at 7am.

Wednesday morning, I show up promptly at the hospital. What do I see? Oh! It's another long line! I waited for three and a half hours before being seen. The doctor agreed it was broken but it did not need a cast. He put a new splint on it and said to come back in three weeks. Oh the joys!!!

Class #4 - Your Children

So, we've talked about having a right attitude, walking with God, and husbands. Tonight we talked about raising children. Some of you may think, but...you have none! This is true. My husband says that it means we have no bias! It does make it difficult to teach on because I must rely totally on the experiences of others and personal observation. Thankfully, the Bible says a lot about raising kids, especially disciplining them! It was an interesting class. Raising children is a tremendous responsibility and opportunity. Train your kids t0 serve God in whatever capacity He desires. Prepare them for life. Be consistent. Communicate with your child(ren). Know what is going on with them. Expect the unexpected! Enjoy your children. You only have them for a short time before they go off on their own. Love your children.

As Americans, we take many things for granted. We have every tool and resource imaginable to help us raise our kids. It's not like that everywhere. Here in Brazil, homeschooling is not an option for most people. You would have to have a teaching degree and an administration degree. The private schools are either Catholic or charismatic. Who knows what kind of junk you would learn there. The public schools have a strong Catholic influence and introduce sex education right from the start in kindergarten! Crazy! If our kids get in trouble, there are programs and girls/boys homes we can send them to for help. We have books by Godly people to give us tips. Most importantly, we have the Bible!

Class #3 - Your Husband

Wow! Can you ever learn too much about your responsibilities as a wife to your husband? My students consist of three single girls. Talk about getting them excited! They talked more last night than the previous two classes combined! They had lots of questions, some of which made me laugh, and some of which made me roll my eyes? (For example: If there is something that I want, can I ask for it? or What if my dad wants me to marry a guy that I don't like, do I have to?) It also caused me to think, is there eally no such thing as a dumb question? :) Needless to say, it was an interesting class. I can't help but think, did I think that way about marriage when I was single? Anyway...we talked about a lot of things. We covered topics such as: praying for him, loving him, supporting him, encouraging him, helping him, and the all-time favorite, submitting to him. In a nutshell, being a wife is a grave responsibility but can be a lot of fun too! The Bible has a lot to say about marriage. There are three main passages of Scripture that talk about the duties or responsibilities of the wife. They are: Proverbs 31:10-31, Ephesians 5:22-33, and Titus 2:3-5. Learning as much as you can before you are married is a big help. However, there are some things that can't be learned until you are married. There are some things that you have to learn and re-learn. Marriage is work. The more you put into it the better it will be. Prepare and be prepared for whatever may come your way. The key? Walk with God and have a right attitude. Kind of funny how everything works together!

Recipe for Bagels

Combine:
1 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

When this mixtures is 105-115 degrees Farenheit (hot to the touch, but not burning), add and dissolve for 3 minutes (take off of the stove so you don't kill the yeast)
1 pkg active dry yeast

Blend in
1 to 2 eggs
3 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Knead this soft dough about 10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to make it firm enough to handle. Let rise, covered, in a greased bowl until doubled in bulk. Punch down and roll out to a rectangular shape. Divide into 18 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 7 inches long and tapered and overlapping at the ends, to form it into a doughnut-shaped ring. Let rise, covered, on a floured board about 15 minutes. Drop rings, one at a time, into a solution of
2 quarts almost boiling water
1 Tbsp sugar

As the bagels surface, turn them over and cook about 3 minutes longer. Skim out and place on an ungreased baking sheet. coat with beaten egg white

Bake in a preheated 400 degrees Farenheit oven 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.