Well so it has been another week

Ok well I last updated you all on Thursday so I figured it was time to do another one. There has been no major events to really talk about other than celebrating the birthday of the Stucky's youngest daughter Anabel on Friday She turned ten, a major milestone for her as she reached double digits.

There continues to be construction going on at the school as the keep expanding to accommodate the growing school population and make plans for a library and expanding into high school. Currently the school only goes through 9th grade which here is part of junior high. Come to think of it I should take some pictures of the construction and post them so you can see the difference in the type and style of construction that goes on here. Because the temperature does not very to the same degree as it does in places like, well Omaha they do not use insulation of any kind in the walls, glass, if they have any at all, in the windows is pretty thin, and they use the slate tile roofs. Most of the walls are built with many holes in the to allow for ventilation because their biggest concern is the breeze to keep the heat at bay. So, at the school they are getting ready to put the ceiling beams in place so they can pour the new roof over the library and a new classroom.

In other news I have officially been here for three weeks. It is not the longest I have been anywhere or anything like that, but it seems strange still for some reason. In all the places I have been and traveled to, in some cases for months, for the first time I really feel out of place here. I am here to see, and experience what it is to be a missionary over a longer period than my 2 weeks experience back in 2005 allowed. And well I guess I have met that mark a little. Because the language and cultural barriers have just now started to hit me. No, I didn't speak Portuguese before or anything, but now it is starting to really feel like a handicap by not speaking the language. I can't explain why up until now it didn't feel like so much of a barrier, but I am really starting to feel how little I can do with out the help of someone else along, and the feeling of being a drain on the resources and time of the missionaries I am staying with might actually be hindering their ministry. While they would never say that even if I asked I have to wonder what else they could be doing or accomplish if they didn't have to translate for me or walk me through the process of simple things like buying groceries because I can not read the packaging, or answering all the questions I have about the culture and reasons for why things are done a certain way. While this is normal and expected of new comers to the field, where generally they take a year of language school before hitting the field, I still wonder if this experience for me is causing a soul that could have been saved to be lost because they are spending that time with me. I don't know just the ramblings of my mind as I sat yesterday morning and pondered on my experience here over a three week period.

I pray that each of you is doing well, and the warmer temperature in the States spelling the begining of Spring is bringing joy to you.

Bats in the Belfry

Ok I don’t know how you all feel about bats, but I am not sure I have made up my mind just yet about them. I am going to state up front that I am not afraid of bats, but I am not sure at this point how close of proximity I want to be with bats on a regular basis. Bats, like snakes, are good because they eat bugs and other vermin that we as humans seem to be unfriendly towards. In Nebraska we love anything that eats mosquitoes so I can appreciate anything that helps with that issue, but that doesn’t mean I want to share my bedroom with them. Down here I have seen more bats and frogs in the two weeks that I have been here than I think I do in an entire year back in Omaha. Mostly because at night around here frogs literally climb out of the ground all over the place so that you need to be careful where you are walking in the dark or you might step on one or as I have done a few time kick one without realizing it is there at first. Again they are good because they eat lots of bugs, but that whole idea of sharing my private living space with them is a whole different story. Or as was the case near the end of last week when Lori went into her store room and let out a yell because as she turned the light on there was a pretty good sized frog staring her right in the eyes. Somehow it had found its way into the store room and up on top of her salad spinner 5 ft off the ground. If you figure that one out you are a better investigator than me because I didn’t see any ladder of items that could have facilitated its climb to that height. Or a day or so before when Lori was entering the same store room and ducked as a bat flew out when the light came on. Not to mention that there are ants everywhere. No not the giant red flying ones (or at least not yet) but your normal everyday pest that crawls around in long lines of marching soldiers. Everyone just tells me it is just a part of life that there will be ants around. You keep them at bay as best you can by wiping off every counter and table top several times a day, you have a small bucket with a lid for food items to be tossed into instead of the regular garbage can, and you rinse your dishes off before you set them near the sink to be washed. This as I said only keeps them manageable. Those Tupperware items you think seal well will not always keep the horde of ants out of them. So what do you do when they get into something? You tap on the container a few times and they begin to turn and march back out the same way they entered and within a few moments they will be out and you carry on as if you didn’t know they had ever been in there. And if you happen to see a straggler you pick it out as need be. Yes you may not get them all out, so just consider it added protein in your diet if that happens. Ok so back to the reason for this post the bats. As most of you are aware there is a pool here that I have been extremely grateful for to kill the heat of the day when evening rolls around. Well, as I have mentioned to some of you it gets dark here between 5:30-6 pm every night. So normally when anyone is getting into the pool it is on the darker side of things which also helps to dissipate the heat. But back to the story; well they do not use lights around the pool because as many of you know lights attract bugs, and no one wants bugs so no lights (they also use electricity which here is really expensive) so there is nothing to frighten the bats away from one of the few plentiful water sources in the area. As I have mentioned also it is supposed to be the rainy season here and there has not even been an inch total of rain this entire month for them, so things are getting a bit parched all over. So every night as the bats are out doing their duty eating all the bugs in the area they make runs to get a drink from the pool (unless there is just so much noise that they are scared off but it has to be a lot). They look like little navy fighters shooting the runway on an aircraft carrier as they swoop down in a path that just skims the surface of the water and veer off just before hitting the garage at the end of the pool deck. Or sometimes they do it in reverse, but it is a constant show for several minutes every so often as they get thirsty in the evening heat, which is 86 right now at 9pm. So, as people are swimming or just trying to relax in the pool there is a constant presence of little fighter bats refueling from the pool. And every so often they do not give proper clearance to the people there so sometimes you might look up and see a bat flying right at your face to have them shift away moments before impact. So as I said I have not completely made up my mind about the proximity of the bats to my daily living space. How do I tell the bat the he is violating my personal space bubble ;) . Well enough rambling for the night. Hope you are all doing well, and I ask for your prayers as I have been asked to give another lesson to the youth group this Saturday. I guess my last one was good enough that they want me to do it again. Hopefully I will make use of the previous experience and do better this time. God Bless you all.

Youth Group 3-13-10

Ok so I got my first opportunity to actual work with some of the kids here. I was given the chance to write and give the first lesson for the Youth Group at the church that the Stucky’s started. The youth group sort of disbanded about a year and a half ago and they are just now getting it started back up again. IT was a bit of a challenge given that I only had a day and a half to prepare a lesson that crossed both cultural and language barriers and could be given in a manner facilitating translation. So I would say a sentence and then wait as it was translated and then go again. It was like speaking only on the down stroke of an engine so it was a little rough to begin with. Trying to figure out a way to reach the kids ages 12-22 in a relevant and meaningful way was the next hurdle. That is a pretty big age difference to be able to get something useful to the older individuals and still understandable and meaningful to the younger ages. I hope it worked out. I used the story of the conquering of Jericho as a base for how God does things differently than man does. I tried to retell the story with a little more modern theme and in a Brazilian setting. They got a laugh out of some of the cultural identifiers I threw in there. It really helps that I have been here before and have been in contact with Ken over the years. It was also a bit rocky trying to get the kids to speak up, but given it was the first night it wasn’t all that unexpected because they are just getting to know each other and aren’t too sure how far they want to stretch out and open up in a new surrounding and atmosphere. I am hoping I kept their attention enough to get the point across that I was shooting for, which was simply God has plans for us that do not always match up with what the world thinks we should be doing and we can either live for the pleasures of this day or the joy God has for us later. Ken seemed to think it translated well, and was a good point to start off the year with, but I guess only time will tell that. I also presented a challenge to the kids on some scripture memorization. They are supposed to memorize Psalm 23 in English (which will be tougher for some than others) and Psalm 32 in Portuguese. I gave them plenty of time until June 1 to do it, so I hope they surprise me and actually do it. Memorization in this culture I am told is an important factor so I hope that helps. Well Hope all is well with you all and that God has been blessing you as you go about your days with opportunities to share in the hope and joy that you have in Jesus. Tschau.

Be praying for these kids, several do not live in Christian homes and though it maybe hard to believe the display of sexual immorality is even more common place here than in the states.

more pictures Click Here the youth group pics are near the end of the album

Language

Ok so today I had the opportunity to try and explain to 5 graders why I do not speak Portuguese. I was sitting in on a class and the teacher was letting them ask me questions for practice, given it was English class for them. So besides asking if i had a house, a dog, a cat, children, and snow; one student decided he wanted to know why I didn't know Portuguese. I am guessing because they are having to learn English that I should have been taught Portuguese when I was in school also. They seemed confused when I explained that I did not know any other language but English. In Brazil from 4th grade on they are required to take English as part of regular curriculum. I didn't want to get into the fact that America is one of the only countries in the world where students, and people in general, know only one language, unless they are from a different country to begin with or are first generation Americans for the most part. Although there are opportunities to learn other languages while you are going through school, none of them are required and none as early as 4th grade. So it got me wondering why. Well the first thought that came to my head was; which language could we as a country require our children to learn that would give them a boost towards their future as English does for the kids here. Now don't get me wrong I am not trying to say that English is the greatest language out there and everyone should know it, just that for those living in this city it is considered the door that opens up major possibilities for their futures. In America what language is out there that would do the same for our children? Any suggestions? The ones that kind of came to my mind were Chinese, because of the major shift in business interests to China or Arabic just because of the exploding population of Arabic speakers all over the world. Spanish maybe would allow them to more integrate into the other major language group in our country, but really is there one other language that we could choose that would significantly increase their impact and potential? Just thinking out in words but I would love your thoughts on it.

I also had the chance to go grocery shopping for myself today for the first time. It was much harder than I imagined it would be to distinguish what things are simply by sight. Some things are pretty easy like fresh fruits and vegetables meats and other non processed or packaged items. But when you are trying to figure out which is peanut butter and which is a cooked down milk product with brownish fruit mixed in it become interesting. Trying to find jelly like we would have in the states is pretty difficult as well. They have this solid mass that they call jelly which you have to cut (like a cheese) and lay on bread but it doesn't spread well. Or they have an almost liquid fruit spread that does not work on crackers because it is too thin but works well with bread. So I spent like $60 on about 4 plastic bags full of groceries ( a bit more pricey here than the states). A box of cereal is like $5 and they are about 2/3 the size of what you find in the states. Real meat is is about 2 1/2 times as much as you would pay and not of the same quality, but it works ok and tastes the same for the most part. Although I was pointed to a tube of what I am told is ham spread that is relatively cheap and works good on crackers so we will see how it tastes a lil later today and see if the 100g (yes metric system) tube is worth the $1,49 reals that I paid for them. The exchange rate is $1 dollars US = $1,77 reals (brazillian currency and yes the comma belongs there). So they are about 85 cents each which isn't i guess given it is about 3.5 ounces almost a 1/4 pound so figure $4 lb for a meat spread. Well, I better get to studying so next time I can tell someone I don't speak Portuguese in Portuguese and really confuse them. Hope you are all doing well, and I look forward to reading your comments and thoughts. God Bless.

Giant Red Flying Ants 3-8-10

Yes you read that title right. That was my bedtime present from Brazil last night. As I was opening the door to my bathroom these red flying ants poured forth as if flood waters from the heavens. So I went to visit my friends and they came to make sure I wasn't in danger of being overrun and we sprayed them until they all stopped moving. Soon my floor looked like a small battle had taken place littered with the bodies of the enemy ;) . But with the battle won I had to let the apartment air out for quite a while before i ventured back in fearful that I might join the corpses on the ground. I have been told also by several people since then that the flying ants because they normally only begin to come out of their dwellings until rainy season. So the fact that I had awakened them from their slumber was supposed to be a sign of the rainy season finally coming. Well I was skeptical, but later in the day cloud actually started forming and it began to sprinkle a bit. It didn't last very long but it was inspiring that the real rain may not be far off, and everyone here is ready for them.

Ok so on with a more relevant update. I spent the morning sitting in on classes. I was in an 8th grade English class, which is obviously taught in Portuguese which i have not yet begun to understand, a 9th grade Religion class, and a prayer meeting. Because of the heat in Brazil normally they have school on the mornings and evenings for 4 hours only. And I have been informed by many people that this is an unusually hot season for them (lucky me). Thankfully the evenings generally cool off (lower 80's) with a strong breeze which is pleasant. The pool doesn't hurt either :) . So I have not actually gotten into a routine yet, but I am starting to get plugged in to some areas and I get to start helping to plan for the youth group that will be starting up again soon here. For some reason people think I do well working with kids, I don't know where they get that crazy notion.

My Portuguese is not all that great yet, but I have set aside an hour or so each afternoon to work on it and am working at getting one of the teachers from the school to work on a language exchange as many of them want to work on their English skills. Although English is taught in Brazil from 4 grade on most of the English teachers do not speak/know English at all. So surprisingly most of the students do not learn English very well. The majority of the teachers at Alfa (the school started and run by the missionaries) can speak a little English but are much more proficient and the written and reading English skills. So they are eager for a chance to work on their conversational abilities, lucky for me. Well, I think it is about time for a swim to knock off the dust and sweat from the day it is 4pm here and the heat of the day is starting to fade of and it will be dark in less than 2 hrs. Being so close to the Equator they get just about 12 horus of sun and darkness. the day starts pretty early around 5-5:30 am and the sun sets between 5-5:30 pm so the pool is almost ready just another hour. God Bless you all.


For more Pictures of the trip so far Click Here


and an address you can get me at is

Ken Stucky
Caixa Postal 95
Mossoró, RN
59600-0000
Brazil, South America

if you are sending anything do it air mail or it may never get here. Tschau

Yes I know

I know I have not posted any pictures just yet, but that would be because I have not taken any pictures yet either. I know I have been here for all of 3 1/2 days what is wrong with me. Well mostly trying not to melt away in the heat. It has been 93 or higher every day I have been here so far and no there is no air conditioning to hide in like I am used to back in the states. So, yes I have been spending time hiding in the pool instead, but unfortunately not the majority of the days :(. Spent some time yesterday and the majority of the morning down at their church building working on wiring and clearing out debris from the recent construction efforts. Thy now have lights and power for the fans in the sanctuary and a clean floor for services tonight. Also, I got to help celebrate the birthday of the oldest Stucky daughter (Jessica) as she turned 17, yeah I feel sorry for the parents as well. It has been a lot of fun so far reconnecting with the three families here and all the staff and teachers at the school that actually remember when I was here back in 2005. Some of them have even taking to reenacting some of the parts of the drama we did as a sign that they remembered us. That has been kind of funny, and humbling, knowing that a simply wordless drama like that has survived in the memories of so many for 5 years. Well for those of you who have been reminding me to post pictures I am planning on taking the camera out of the bag this week and snap a few shots here and there around the house, school and church. Hope everyone is well, and still waiting to hear from the rest of you on how you are all doing. Well that is all for now, ttyaas (talk to you all again soon).

Brazillian Heat 3-6-10

Ok so I have officially been in the country for two days now ans my first thought is why is it so stinkin hot here? It is supposed to be the rainy season and I have yet to see much of a cloud in the sky. So for those of you who know much about countries with rainy dry seasons you can imagine how bad this is for the people here. For those of you who don't the rainy season is very important because it is the only time of the year that moisture is available for raising crops, filling reservoirs, and other bodies of water that are drained for drinking water and other normal uses. So when their rainy seasons are dry and hot there begins to be water shortages and crops don't grow so food costs rise. So as you can imagine this heat during their supposed rainy season has made for tedious days for all in the area. And for me it is just unpleasant days of heat and sun two things i only like in moderation but since i can't sit inside in front of an air conditioner for the daylight hours down here I will just deal with the environment I am in and try not to complain about it too much ;). Well just wanted to get a short update out at least of my first couple days here. It has been great getting to visit with the Stucky's and seeing some of the staff at Alfa that were here in 2005 when I first came down. So although it has been hot the reception has been warm and I don't mind that at all. Tschau for now.

Thoughts from a plan 3-4-10

Hello all, I wonder how many people are out there actually reading this so if you are just let m know with a comment when you stop in and let me know how you are doing also. I find it interesting that my life is interesting enough for people to read about but I guess it is, at least sometimes. Ok so as many of you know, or at least you do if you are reading this that I have begun a journey of 5 months to endeavor to understand a little better what it is like to live as a missionary. Now I do not imagine that in 5 month I will even get a slight taste of the full flavor of long term mission work, but I am hoping to get some crumbs from the table. In the few short years that I have had the pleasure of working with missionaries, getting to know them, and calling some of them friend I think there is a great need to have the members of the body do more to encourage them and support them through greater means than financial support. While, financial support is needed, I think most missionaries would agree with me that it is the intangibles that are much more precious to them in their ministry and their lives. It is the prayers that are sent up daily paving the way into the hearts of the lost they are reaching out to. It is the notes, letters, calls, or other forms of simple communication that they receive from those on the home front letting them know that they are really not out there doing this all by themselves. All too often I hear missionaries talk about the creeping feeling that once they set foot out the door of churches and hit the field that they are forgotten. Yes, people have signed up and often honor pledges of financial support, but in this day of EFT there is not even the monthly reminder of writing a check to get these supporters to pray for or even think about them as they wade out into the sea of Spiritual Warfare.

I often think of that opening scene in Saving Private Ryan when those brave soldiers are rushing the breaches at D-Day and how so many of them gave that last full measure of devotion to their cause and lay dying on that beach so far from home. I bring this up because that is what our missionaries are heading for and are already involved with. Have you given a thought lately to the missionaries you know or may support? They are all behind enemy lines fighting the battle for the souls of the lost, but they are also battling for their own lives in the process. The enemy is not satisfied just holding the lines that have been drawn across our world. He is as much a world dominator that has ever been seen and is intent on ravaging the entire world taking as many souls to hell with him as he can and our missionaries are not safe from his attacks.

I understand that many of us, yes me included, have never really witnessed battle in the physical or spiritual sense so it is hard to believe sometimes sitting in our homes so safe from the pain of war that is raking so much of our world. For the most part the roughest thing most of us deal with on a daily basis is hectic rush hour traffic. Even now I find myself a bit agitated because I am on a 7 hour flight from Atlanta to Fortaleza Brazil and the video system is not working nor is the promised on-board wi-fi. I mean when I sit here and think of how silly it is to be upset because some comfort item is not immediately available I am distraught. OMG I don’t have internet on my plane cruising at 30,000 feet in the air for 7 hours. The world is gonna end. Now I jest a bit because it is not that distressing to me but there are others on the plane that you would have thought that was true of them. The roughest part for me is not being able to sleep because most of the ride so far has been through moderate to heavy turbulence and I feel like I should be on a roller coaster on a gravel track and not a streamlined airplane skirting through the air at nearly 600 mph. Again, it is a bit ridiculous to think I should be upset about some bumps on a 7 hour trip to get somewhere that really not all that long ago would have taken days by boat on rougher oceans to get to.

Now don’t get me wrong I am not trying to knock all of our advancements and say that we have a plush life these days, but in a way we do and that is what makes it so much harder to relate to those that do not have the things that the “rich westerners” do. And Yes I do mean that. Even some of the poorest people living in America would be considered well to do by world standards. It is hard to see it that way as we struggle to pay our bills from week to week, but the simple fact that you may have a car, a dwelling of some sort and food on a daily basis places you in the elite status of most of the world. Stable electricity and (relatively speaking of course) uncorrupt government and police force that in general is looking out for the public good puts us so far out in front of 90% of the world that yes America is the good life that everyone wants to come have a chance for, even those it seems that cannot stand our way of life and beliefs. The few places I have been privileged enough to travel to and see firsthand the life styles and daily living situations I count myself blessed beyond measure to have what I do have. And am so thankful for everything God has graciously provided me with.

Ok sorry I will quit with the, oh I am not even sure what to call that. But over these next 5 months I hope to give you a glimpse through my experiences what it is like to live on the battlefield and among the trenches of the spiritual battle that is being waged for the lives and souls of the people of the area I am going to. I thank you for your interest and your prayers. And if you feel so inclined or led donations to support m and the Stucky’s ministry here in Brazil can be given through Community Bible Church at 9001 Q street, Omaha NE, 68046. Make contributions payable to Community Bible Church with a note that the funds are for me. Thanks again for your interest and I hop to hear back from many of you. Also if you have specific question please feel free to leave them here and I will respond as best I can to them or get the answers from the real missionaries J. Well we are about to land in a bit so I will be praying for you all. God Bless.

Getting Ready

For anyone who really knows me they understand how much i dislike the dreaded American practice of roaming from shop to shop looking for much unneeded objects to clutter up houses, cars, bags, walk ways, and where ever else people have found to stash, place, and decorate. But I have found the time and patience to do this for some dear friends I am going to visit in yes under 48 hours from right now. And just for laughs I have even found my self for the first time in the ladies intimate sections looking at sizes and styles for these precious folks. Yes you read that right and when you stop laughing yourself to tears picturing me there you should continue on. I have found myself in so many stores over the last week making sure I have all the needed items for a 5 month journey to Brazil and working with young students of varying ages and seeing what God is up to. I am eager to get there and involved in all the is going on and lend a hand when ever i am able, but also I am ready for those amazing siestas in the Hammock Lori promised she has hung up out by the pool ;) Thanks Lori. And I also want to take time to send out a very special thank you to Tim Pratt and the people over at Dietze Music for helping to make the music program at Alpha such an amazing program. Tim has been such an instrumental part in providing the needed items for the kids to continue in their practice and playing. thanks Tim. well I am going to sign off for now as I have to pack up my computer and the rest of my life, yeah i know it really shouldn't take all that long, but surprisingly it does. See you all around in a few months and hope all is well with you.