We had a pretty uneventful week, as Jessica is pretty little to go anywhere, and everyone is on vacation, so it is pretty much a ghost town. The electric company decided to take advantage of this time, and Saturday and Sunday cut the electricity to fix some wiring around our apartment. Unfortunately, it is hot hot summer, and Jessica sweats like her dad. We had to get out of the house to escape the heat (no electricity mean no fans, no lights for Ana to play with her toys, no TV, no internet, no opening the fridge...) and so we ran off to the mall in Recife to enjoy the air conditioner for a couple of hours on Saturday. They have a special "Family Space" with changing tables and a private place to breastfeed and all--and free strollers--it went really well as our first "outing" with Jessica. On Sunday we ate out for lunch and then sat on a shady bench in the center of town, watching ants take our cookie crumbs. It made for some lovely moments in some sweaty times!
*Interesting note* In Brazil they not only have paid maternity leave, but it is also traditional to not leave the house with the baby (or the mom) for the first month. As a do-it-all-now American, it has been quite challenging for me to allow myself to rest that long (ok, so i made it about 2.5 weeks...). Jessica will be a month old this Friday! YAY!
Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Six Marks of a Heathy Missions Partnership: as someone who works with missions partnerships, this is right on! Love it, and love the amazing people/churches we partner with!
2. The way we talk to our kids about sexting is failing our girls: this is a secular and important look at how we approach the conversations we need to have: why are we FOCUSING on telling girls not to send nudes, instead of FOCUSING (or even equally) on telling boys NOT TO ASK/PRESSURE for nudes?
3. If you are not sure of your purpose, follow your passion: great advice!
4. A hard look at Prejudice (in missions): “Missio Dei is not a call to culturalize and patronize nonbelievers; rather, it is delivering the Gospel without judgment or cultural bias. A decision to devote your life to missions means you agree to represent the heart of God as best you can and as accurately as you can.” “Missions is living the way things should be. Missions is a way of life devoted to making justice, equality, and grace prevail in broken lives, including our own. It is making shalom reality.”
5. The Ministry of a Missionary Mama: I am still working on this...
6. Luxeccesities: Yes! This word:). This is by my cousin (second cousin?) serving in Africa
7. Three Missions Resolutions to keep Hope Alive: Souls, not Statistics, Pray against Distractions, Embolden others to Serve
No comments:
Post a Comment