in front of the housing units at the university
On the bus, hiding from the rain

 

 

Day 17:

Universities awaited us this morning as we gathered our service supplies and headed out the door. We were all excited to go and check out the territory, maybe even find a few native English speakers among the crowds of college students. Campo Grande- finally arriving at our stop, we hopped off of the bus and split into two groups. As we ventured the campus and observed the norms of college life, all of us were feeling a certain gratitude for the path in life we had chosen and were so thankful to be blessed with the opportunity we have in being here sharing the gift that we possess.

Portuguese, French, Spanish... so many audible conversations buzzed around us, yet we understood none. But we accomplished our goal; we went and familiarized ourselves with our new territory, and just in time for the rain.

Sometimes it is disheartening to see it coming and to leave territory because of it- but this time we decided not to risk letting the rain get us sick like we had last Tuesday. Some of us are still fighting the effects of storm Stephanie and her windy wrath. So we caught our bus home, feeling a little disheartened that we hadn't talked to anyone but we knew that just because we left the campus didn't mean that our search work was done. We found an English speaker on the bus and he took the watchtower and awake! So our day and our efforts were not in vein- bit that they ever are, but we were all so excited to get to find someone.

From then on, we spent the day indoors trying to hide from the cold and the rain. Bible reading, service preparation, looking for medicine in the local shops. The rest of the day we spent focused on our own health- mental, spiritual, and physical. We have some catching up to do. Day 18 is service again! This time we will be mapping out territories and looking on the "yellow pages" for names of foreigners in our assigned territories.

Today's Positives:

Somebody got a watchtower and awake in English today!

We know what to expect when we get to the campus on Wednesday

I got my theraflu, chamomile tea, and ten blankets with me fighting off whatever it is Stephanie gave me!

In some way, we all got in contact with dearly loved friends and family members today that we have been missing ( you know who you are, and hearing from you/being encouraged by you always makes our day better)