I loved going out last night after the concert, but Sue and I only got 6 hours of sleep before we had to be up and in church for a 7:00 service! Racquel and Dorinha wanted to say a special service to wish Sue, Ann, and me a safe voyage home and to thank God for our visit. How very nice of them. There was no way I could sleep in and miss it!
Service was lovely- no guitars, just a cappella voices. It reminded me of chant, but you know, in Portuguese.
I was emboldened after a week of immersion to offer a petition in Portuguese. I must have spoken well enough, because Racquel told me I was now Brazilan. Have to admit, that felt good!
Our goodbye parties in Brazil are always joyous occasions. I know we have to say goodbye, but they do it with so much food, hugs, and music, one is almost too happy to be sad. Gustavo and Edna were there, of course, along with my good friends from the adult choir and the Creche´s board of directors. Our friends gave us parting gifts which was lovely of them. It´s never necessary, but always appreciated. I had brought bracelets with me thinking they would be prizes for correct answers in class. Not having enough for all 150 of our participants, I ended up giving one bracelet to each person at our farewell celebration. I like to think that worked out just as it should have.
I cried hugging Gustavo, Edna, and Ana Paula goodbye. I am pleased to say I was not a bawling mess like the end of our last visit. We parted ways around 9:00 and hit the road for a 2 hour drive to Juaziero. We only stopped for lunch and a quick visit to Fr. Potter´s house and then huddled into the car again to drive 11 KM to Carnaiba. We have been here since 2:00, staying at a lovely group residence built by the Diocsese of Juaziero. I gather its for visiting clergy and religious and is attached to a retreat center for young people discerning religious life. It is really beautiful here. I think my CSC friends should take a trip to Carnaiba for retreat!
As you may know, Fr. Potter and Fr. Edmundo (McCall) are doing a lot of wonderful work to encourage the people of Brazil to embrace their faith and The Church. Tonight, we all attended a Mass at St. Francis of Assisi church in the Interior. This is a very poor area and until recently, there was no church in which to worship. From my understanding, there wasn´t a Catholic or religious presence at all. With the help of donors in The States, Fr. Potter coordinated the construction of this new church and it has brought a lot of joy to the community. We all hope to see it grow in years to come.
That´s all for today! I am on vocal rest, so we came home and I continued talking with my iPad. I am looking forward to a good night´s rest and a busy day tomorrow as we enjoy Mass, lunch, and the trek HOME!
With Every Thanks and Blessing,
Jamie
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