Thursday, May 15, 2014

Celebration!

Hello to all my Friends and Family!

I miss you all, and hope everything is going well for you.
It's been an exciting month here in Altamira, as we celebrated the marriage of Christopher and Denise. It was an incredible wedding. When Denise starting walking down the aisle, everybody started crying, including Christopher and Denise! I took some pictures for all of you to see with a link below. It was a truly beautiful day, and I was so happy to watch my two friends give their lives to each other.
Another amazing thing that also happened on the wedding day is my friend, Cleide, had a new baby girl named Liah! She is so beautiful, of course, and I got to spend some time with them in the hospital the day after. We are lucky to have so much to celebrate on the same day!

Things here have been pretty routine. I've been teaching at night, and working on developing my lesson plan for when I get to Portel. I still have a lot to learn about teaching English. It can be difficult to explain when you don't fully understand the other language, like Portuguese. It's always a work in progress, but I'm excited to be on the journey. I'm also trying to learn as much as I can about how the school functions, and what I will need to do to make it a success.
 I have been talking with Manoela, and it sounds like she is making the decision to come with me to Portel. She will probably come in March, when the school starts its first semester. I am very excited about this, and I know that it will be a great opportunity for both of us. 

Our church has also started doing the Alpha Course every Friday night. So far, it has been a great experience, and some of the people from our small group have been attending. I love the simplicity of the Alpha Program, as it offers a place for relationship as well as curiosity about following Jesus.

We have also been continuing our ministry to the homeless. Once a month, we take food and basic supplies to various places around the city and offer to pray for the people we find there. It was been a privilege to serve these men and women and bless their lives. Our team will be meeting this month to discuss other ways that we can begin helping serve the poor in our city.

I also want to mention to all of you that since I came back from my visit to the States, I have seen a great increase in my level of support every month. This is a huge encouragement to me. Having the funds I need to do the work I am doing here is a major relief. I also feel greatly loved and supported by all of you because you have chosen to invest in what I am doing in Brazil. I believe in the work here, and I know that you do, too. Thank you all so much for your sacrifice.



 I am very grateful to have you all on my team. Bless all of you! Enjoy the pictures.

Love, Allison

Christopher and Denise's Wedding