Father's Day Sunday Funday

Happy Brazilian Father's Day! Or, if you are like me, you are happy for a chance to "try again" in celebrating, since during American Father's day we were returning to Brazil and I completely forgot about it. Oops.

This week I suffered the mini-crisis of my computer crashing. Again. It has been at the computer doctor all week, but there is still no prognosis on if it will survive (fingers crossed). Fortunately, I was able to go back (I didn't delete my deleted videos) and rescue the footage about Ana Sofia's first day of school. So you still have a video this week:).

(Something happened in my second attempt at this...the beginning skips. so jump to 40 seconds in if you have any troubles!)
As we celebrate Fathers today in Brazil, I feel so incredibly far away from the men (many of them fathers, many more will be fathers eventually) I see in pictures, carrying torches and hate in Virginia. In our small little yellow church in the middle of nowhere Northeast Brazil, we had four fathers that we celebrated, and felt the absence of the so many more fathers who were not present. Our church is basically made up of 50% Living Stones children, and yet, no Living Stones child's father was there.

How often does the thought, "Where are the men" Go through my head? More than I want it to. And so I hug my husband tight and scroll through my Facebook and see them...so many of them...marching in Virginia. How are we at a place where (those white) men feel so challenged to stand up for their (idea of lost) rights? Honestly, I feel almost a sense of jealously in me--if only I could inspire even a bit of that passion (horrible and misguided as it is) in the fathers of the Living Stone's children to be FATHERS. To be present.
I feel tied up as to what to do and say...to the men (and the whole racism monster) in the USA...and to the men (and lack of fathering) in Brazil. My prayer this morning for the men at church was that God would bless them and make them strong, and draw them closer to His heart every day: for it is only as they learn to be sons (of God) that they will be able to be fathers. I'll keep praying.

It was a wonderful week, teaching and figuring out new schedules and enjoying life. Saturday was Ana's first school presentation (for dad): keep an eye out for my Father's day video coming the next couple of days (with just as much crying as you would expect from ten 2-3 year olds "presenting").

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Bring your expectations to the field: yes, yes, yes! Please.
2. Language of Transition: I am building this, and working through this not just for me--but for my kids. I believe this is a fundamental need for all missionaries to do.
3. #Charlottsville: Since I am in Brazil, most of my news updates actually come from Facebook (great, right?) I have been reading a lot of what friends and acquaintances have been posting. I do not admit to be any kind of anything on the matter of race, or of finding out what actually happens in a country I am not living in. But I am praying, and I am feeling many things. Perhaps enough for a blogpost eventually, but not now.