Sunday Funday End of September

This happened today:

Caid sharing God's Word, in Portuguese. It was round table style today, and a blessing to all present (especially me).
I was very proud of the videos we put together this week, mostly about Ana Sofia, but I was especially excited about the video from our zoo trip. We are seeking to be more and more professional in all we do, but being professional can be painful and so time consuming! So seeing results is a blessing:). Here is that video:

And here were the Ana videos:

I was blessed with some good, deep discussions with friends and these thoughts about Josh Harris and screwing up the next generation. Time is ticking as we leave Brazil in a little over 2 months, and the list of things to do is longer than the days. But God knows, and certainly helps prioritize things! Here are some good reads from the "Interwebs"

1. Farewell to the Missionary Hero--and it has some of my internet favs listed in it! I think--and am excited to see what happens with--missionary vlogging and sharing about day to day things.

2. "If I had to name a regret in my life—it would be this: That I didn’t discover the breathtaking beauty of serving others sooner." Read more.

3. Because I trust her judgement and wanted some advice on some good podcasts and documentaries to check out!

4. "When I give someone the chance to meet my needs they either do, which helps me continue to invest into them but with a mutual connection, or they don't. If they don't understand or are not able to meet my desires then I have this opportunity to love sacrificially." More Karianne awesomeness

5. Watched a really great talk by Christine Caine about Deliverance vs. Freedom--you know, the Isrealites were delivered from slavery, but never got to the freedom of the promised land. I couldn't find her talk on YouTube, but if you have a chance to check her out, you should. And while she spoke, I kept thinking about the kids I have been working with since I was 16, and how many of them have not made it to freedom yet. But then I realized: even God only managed to get two Isrealites to the promised land. He brought in the next generation. I am excited to be working now with this next generation! 

Josh Harris Victim

A good friend of mine posted this article: Abstinence Author, Pastor Joshua Harris, Apologizes for Telling Christians Not to Date in 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye , and I took the click bate and followed it to this article: Against Evangelical Victim Culture (Stop Blaming Josh Harris for Your Problems), which led me to this article: Truth Matters: A Response to Gregory Shane Morris. It was a lot of reading. 

As an ATI, homeschooled, IKDG reader, I find all of these things interesting to read and understand. I feel like I am still figuring out my own past and how it works into who I am today. A couple of years ago I would have told you I had a pretty awesome childhood. Today I would tell you the same thing. If you had more time to discuss it, there would be more to say about it--ups and downs and what not--but I was blessed and am not afraid to say it. Especially after living in a developing country and realizing what a "hard childhood" can really look like. 

I have accidentally wandered into Facebook chats full of angry people against homeschooling, against Bill Gothard, against ATI, against Josh Dugger, against Josh Harris...and they always leave me reeling. First, I feel overwhelming sad over the amount of people hurting--truly hurting--from their childhood. Second, I feel overwhelmingly shocked at the bitterness and hatred spewed out by those hurting people, and others who join them (for I am not sure what reason). Lastly, I tend to run and write a blog to try to organize my thoughts and perhaps just add one more voice to the pile. (See my blog about the Duggars , Josh Duggar, and Bill Gothard)
My childhood was full of all of these people, and they affected me, in some good ways and some bad ways. But more than any of these people, I remember my family. And my family affected me much more--in some good ways and some bad ways. But I love them and miss them and can't wait to see them again and hug them and argue with them and cry and laugh and hopefully not scream too loud. Because that is family.

The thing is, I relate to Josh Harris. I knew much more of what I believed and what was right and wrong and how I would live my life when I was 20 than I do now. I am trying to imagine what it would be like to have written a book when I was 20--and that be the only thing that people know me by now. And then, taking that book and taking all those opinions, pain, bitterness, and hatred thrown at me and not flinching. Having read discussions. Hurting with those who hurt. And trying to find a way toward healing and love and truth. Yes--truth. Sticking to the truth of God, while realizing what parts I added in.

That sounds like what I have been working on for the last 10 years of my life, and will probably take at least another 20 years to do. A comment on the first article about Josh Harris said, "Being able to examine past decisions and consider the possibility that they were mistakes is a sign of a deep, intelligent person. Respect." I hope to be that person too. Especially when I realize, in all of my study of my childhood, that I am currently creating someone else's childhood. Someday, my daughter is going to be writing articles like this about how I raised her. I really hope I don't screw it up.

Mid-September Sunday Funday

We are half-way through local Brazilian political campaigning. They vote October 2nd--and there is a lot of differences between Brazil and the USA when it comes to politics and voting:

Last week had some awesome experiences, and I am excited to share them with you as soon as I finished the videos (like going to the zoo) 

Here are some really great resources I found on the internet this week. Can I just say that I feel really blessed with the online communities I have found lately? It means a lot, being in missions, to talk about missions:). 

1. Resource to teach kids about missions. Actually, I think you should check out our vlogs first :), but this (FREE) course looks amazing as well!

2. My favorite read from earlier this week hit me hard. I am hoping for some time to sit down and really pray and think and figure out what this means practically for me. This other article about how we do missions is along the same lines. 

3. This one is for my bilingual friends--how it seems "me" is a little different in Portuguese from who I am in English. 

4. I am really, really excited about Craig Greenfield. You know when you find someone who is writing just what you wanted to say? Here is a (long) pdf about the role of an Outsider. And here is a website of a work they are doing--which is something I need to study more about because it is the heart of what I want for Living Stones. 

5. Keeping up with American news and Colin Kaepernick

6. One of my online communities, Velvet Ashes, had some awesome resources about sex this week. SO GLAD THEY WENT THERE! I love and need healthy conversations about sex. yep. I looked up a bunch of these resources, but will only highlight two about same sex attraction--so important and needed! Seven things I wish my pastor new about my homosexuality, and a website. 

Sunday Funday Holiday

One of the things about being in a different country is that while one part of your life is remembering somberly (9/11), the other part of your life is celebrating in the street (September 11 is when we celebrate Carpina being founded). The world is small, but not that small. We also celebrated Independence Day this past week:

and part two of our cooking series--fish and chicken:

Ana Sofia has learned how to say "please" in sign language, and how to climb out of her crib. It has been an exciting week. I hope everyone had a lovely Labor day--and here is an interesting (and important!) Labor day tradition. Talking about sex, here is a beautiful article about sharing with your daughters. 

Tomorrow is a big, important day: my parents have their 35th wedding anniversary! (so if you are near them, give them a hug from me) It is hard for me to wrap my head around 35 years. It is longer than I've been alive, and certainly longer than I can remember. As someone who has been married less than 3 years, I don't have much to say but WOW. 

When I think of being married a long time, I think of my grandparents, and the 50th anniversary video that Uncle Dan made. I watch that video every year. I made Caid watch that video. That video is amazing. And it makes me hum "Through the Years" just thinking about it. Mom and Dad--you only have 15 more years until that! What a thought! 

Mom and Dad, thank you for working through things. Thank you for sitting me down and explaining that just because you were arguing didn't mean you were getting a divorce (when I was young and scared and first understood what the word meant). Thank you for showing me that being in a marriage relationship wasn't easy, but it is worth it. Thank you both for still growing, still learning, still changing. 

So the only really cool thing I ever did for my parents' anniversary was on their 30th anniversary: I wrote some kind of "family" story every day for 30 days on my blog. I was single and had much more time back then. But the website is still up, and you can read those 30 days here. There is some good stuff, and I had almost forgotten about it five years later (meaning--mom, please print it out for dad to read)! 

I love you guys so much! I am excited about making my own 35 years (slowly) married someday. It is hard to be away on special days like this, but I am hoping we can save up all the celebrations (including your big 6-0 mom) and celebrate when we are home. 

September Sunday Funday

Finally have an authentic Brazilian rice and beans "recipe"!!

This vlog sorta made itself, after hearing more crazy excuses for why they were not in school:

Today, Caid shared his first sermon in Portuguese at Cajueiro Claro! It was an awesome, wonderful time! We hope you all, in the USA, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. In Brazil, we will be celebrating Independence Day on September 7th. Unfortunately, it is on Wednesday, so no nice long weekend. 

Here are some awesome reads this week:

1. Entitlement is definitely not just an American issue to deal with

2. Bouncing Back after having a baby...I appreciate this perspective

3. The many more responsibilities of being pro-life

4. Hope Chases Us (I need to read this often) "Cynicism is the wide path of least resistance, and hope never seems to find me when I’m on that track. (hope finds me) when, by my all-too-human standards, I’m not really making much progress at all." 

5. Welcome to the tribe of nomads. We were just talking about this today, at an "International group thing" that doesn't have an official name yet. 

6. This is one of the "real-ist" things I have read in awhile: When it all blows up in your face. "Many missionaries would say that they would rather be persecuted or deported than have their ministry blow up." I would be in that group of missionaries.