Sunday Funday June

Our weekly vlog:

When I talked to my family this Sunday, my dad said "Does the government pay for all those holidays? You have had holidays every week for the past three weeks!" (St. Antonio: June 13, Corpus Christi: June 20, and Sao Joao: June 24) This was our vlog from last year around this time:

Here is a video from three years ago about Sao Joao, for you to know a bit more:

Our regular schedule has been off, but it has been a good time for our family together, and getting ready for the short term missions trips coming this year. Sofia was dancing around the house, chanting "English camp is coming!" last week, and I know all the other kids at the International school are just as excited for this fun time. 

Reads from the Interwebs:

1. What Makes you a Great Dad: Musings from Ann Voskamp about Father's Day, and basically I am waiting to celebrate it until Brazil does in August--that is how I organized holidays this year (because you have to organize them or celebrate some twice, which sometimes you just don't have the energy for).

2. Expatriate, Immigrant, Racist? Answering some definition questions I had: " Immigrants have an intention to stay, for the expatriates this intention isn’t mentioned and isn’t clear."

3. How to Welcome her back: "For you, her reentry is an event you’ve been waiting for. It’s here. It’s over. It’s time to continue your daily rhythms of life. For her, it’s a marathon and she’s barely at the halfway mark. She is staggering in intense, complex, conflicting emotions. Exhausted by the logistical and emotional fatigue of farewells and deluge of decisions, her life is in upheaval."

4. Burnout Cure: "So there is this rest rhythm — even 5 minutes in the middle of the day to: Look up into the limbs of a tree and stretch out your own arms and breathe in deep. The Japanese call it “forest bathing.”

5. For Those who Don't Belong: "Could it be that this is a feeling common to those who reside in the margins? Are there places where someone can feel accepted, perhaps because compassion is offered and empathy is freely given, and yet still not feel a sense of belonging? How do we determine that we are not alone? Storytelling.

We can break the cycle of loneliness and the sense that we do not belong when we take the time to share our stories and listen—genuinely listen—to the stories of others." 

No Father's Day Sunday Funday

The Holidays are all messed up again! Valentine's Day was June 12, June 13th was a local holiday (with no school) for St. Anthony Day, and Father's day isn't until the second Sunday in August. Our weekly vlog was our awesome couple's dinner:

Having a surprise (to us) holiday on June 13th was a really great reset for our family, and a time to snuggle in our home with lots and lots of rain! It was cold enough that Sofia wanted to wear a sweater (for about 5 minutes), and Caid even put on pants (by cold, I mean like 70 degrees). I (Rachel) really loved getting to do a special English lesson on Valentine's day (how it is the same and how it is different from Brazilian boyfriend/girlfriend day) with candy and games at all the Living Stone's programs and at the Trash dump community. We also got to celebrate lots of birthdays at Living Stones--right before most of the programs are ending for winter break (Cajueiro Claro's break isn't until later).

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Even Jesus had a Boat: "“Ok, this is what life is like there. You can’t change all the stuff happening around you. So what can you change to help you continue living there?” asked my counselor friend." (So for us, the title would be "Even Jesus had Air Conditioning")
2. Inner Endings: “All endings require inner work.” – Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero
3. What did I ever do to deserve this blue passport? "All because God put my soul into the body of a person who happened to be born on US soil. That's it. There is nothing else differentiating me from the soul of the Honduran woman holding desperately onto her baby with one hand and the top of a moving train with the other. I am not better than her. I am not more valuable than her. I have not worked harder than her. There's nothing I have done that makes me deserve that blue passport more than her."
4. Beauty of Biracial Belonging: "true belonging can only be preceded by true acceptance. Acceptance can only be acquired when we become vulnerable enough to share our lives with others."
5.What the sustainable movement is missing about privilege: SO IMPORTANT.
6. Jesus Storybook Bible in 38 Languages: one of my favorites--I NEED this in Portuguese! Like 5 copies at least.

Namorados Sunday Funday

Our weekly vlog:

Super excited to finally get to see what God is doing in Feira Nova! We had a lovely week celebrating Valentine's Day! Let me explain for you: USA Valentine's Day is February 14th, but in Brazil, because Carnaval is such a big deal (and is sometimes right around February 14th), they decided to celebrate their version of Valentine's Day on June 12th instead. But it is called "Dia dos Namorados" which is "Boyfriend/girlfriend day." After our Valentine's Day in the USA, I bought a bunch of candy and cards to bring and show all the Living Stones kids a bit of what it is like to celebrate in the USA, and how it isn't just about boyfriends and girlfriends. Caid and I got to have a special date, as well as the annual couple's dinner at church, which is put on by all the single ladies:

(All the single ladies at Cajueiro Claro)

(It's grape juice, guys)

No reads from the Internet this week, guys...nothing really stood out. But I do hope you have a wonderful week! As far as my social media progress, I think I am really appreciating using each app only one day a week, and it makes my scrolling intentional and much more about commenting and responding to people, rather than just aimlessly "checking." God bless you!

June Sunday Funday

Our weekly vlog:

Last week we had our first Taco Tuesday hosted at the blue house, and I got to visit Feira Nova for the first time. We are really excited about some special plans at the International school, and Caid and I were really impressed with "Shazam!" It was a really great movie! I am working on a spiral garden and composting (look at all that adulting:)), and Caid is loving the keyboard we were able to bring from the USA, working on writing songs, and voice lessons, as he scouts out future choir members.

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Mad is not our only choice: "Something clicked for me. "Honey," I said, "I just realized something. I think that sometimes you choose feeling mad over feeling bad. You choose mad because that's a more comfortable emotion than feeling sad or guilty. It's really hard to admit when we do something wrong, and it's a lot easier to be mad at someone who is mad back at you."
2. When life cracks your heart: “I screamed at the heavens, demanding a different answer, a second chance, to go back, to do it over, do it better, but instead I began living a life I didn’t choose.”
3. Black hair school for adoptive parents: Love this! My hair journey is on Instagram with #2girlsncurls. "As an African American woman herself, Swint understands how important hair is to black culture, referring to our hair as “our crown” and additionally making mention to the role that hair plays in overall self-esteem, even at a young age. “When you feel good about how you look, that propels you into the world as a productive citizen.” Swint gets it and she’s making sure that parents of transracial families all over the country have the necessary resources and understand that, too."
4. Subversive Mother's Day: " Charity alleviates the effects of poverty – treating diarrhea in milk-powder-fed babies for example. While justice seeks to eliminate the root causes of that sickness – in this case misleading corporate advertising and a lack of access to clean water for all.  We need BOTH charity (or mercy) and justice.But at its worst, charity becomes a substitute for justice, when it should merely be a stop-gap measure:"

God bless you, and may you have a lovely week!