Dunes II

Ok well it was a success for most of the night. The kids had a blast out running the dunes and experiencing things many of them had only dreamed of doing before last night.
There were a total of 14 students out of the 18 that attend youth group that were able to attend and all of them did. They had to meet certain requirements to be eligible for the trip. The first was that they had to have attended at least 7 of the 11 meetings of the youth group to this point. Next it cost them 12 reais (about $6). The last was they had to receive permission from their parents. While there were a few bumps along the way, and I don't just mean in the roads, the evening did what we hoped it would.
We got the fire up and going to roast the hot dogs (cachorro-quente), we had long sticks for them to roast their own on (which i must say I think was one of the highlights of the night). And through the process not one dog was lost into the coals, which given the jockeying for position that ensued during the cooking process was surprising. We then took advantage of the night and position close to the ocean, with a multitude of stars over head to talk about the creation. Reading through the Biblical account of creation and talking about what they have been taught in school and what many others believe about how we came to be. It went a little slow as I tried to represent creation with sand water and kiddy toys, borrowed from Ron's children, as the verses where read in Portuguese aloud.

Never realized just how complicated creation was until I tried to do it looking for the proper prompts in a language I do not understand all that well just yet. I also know that I am not God, not that I had any thought that I was, because I forgot to "create" the creatures of the sea in the proper order ooppss. The birds of the air went on by themselves without the creatures of the sea until after the beasts of the Earth when I remembered that I forgot the fishies. So now that I have cleared up in my head that I am not God we finished up with the culmination of God's creation with Adam and Eve. Created in His image and not the spawn of mutated primates.

After the lesson and a little discussion we proceeded on to a game which had the kids traipsing all over dunes and valleys in search of signs in the dark with instructions on them for the next target. While there was a bit of confusion and a few becoming lost in the darkness. In the end all where found and the kids found their way back with the guiding light of Ron's 2mil candle power spot light which cut through the night across the tops of several dunes to show the way home to those lost sheep (it worked really good for the sun during the creation narrative as well).

We ended the night tired and covered with sand and smiles as everything was loaded back up into the vehicles and we head for home. We ended the night in Ken's yard with some cookies, juice and some talk about the evening. There were some weary eyes and tired legs, but not a frown in the bunch. I am told the next outing (at the end of another 11 weeks) will be an overnight camping trip close by.

I am saddened that I will not be around for this as my time here ends in just a short 7 more weeks. While I must admit that the heat and the intense sun has been a burden to me after coming out of the frozen tundra that was Omaha the beginning of March when I arrived here. I am going to miss so many things when I have to board that plane heading back to a similar heat in Omaha. The people here, though I am not able to communicate effectively on my own, have welcomed me into their homes, churches, and lives with eagerness. They have been patient with me as I tried to absorb some of their language and have constantly encouraged me in the process of learning their culture and customs. It has also been a great blessing to reconnect with many of the people and places I was blessed to see on my first time down in 2005. I was amazed at how many people here still remember the time we spent here, though it was a short 12 days 5 years ago.

Well, I pray that all of you are well, and that the blessings of God have been abundant in your lives. I should get back and do a little prep before church this evening where I am again filling the pulpit for week number 4. To all of you who may do this week to week you have my most sincere admiration. It is a difficult thing to stand before the word of God weekly. To sit and read His word seeking out truth and application that He wants presented to His people. Knowing that in doing so you are placing yourself under the acute and discerning eye of God every time you come before man and teach His word. James 3:1 "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." It is a great burden that each carries when He brings the Word of God before man, and for all who do regularly you have my prayers and envy. Because it is a burden I do not feel I am capable of bearing for any extended period of time, and it is only through His great mercies that I will prevail in this task now. So if you have someone in your life who consistently and honestly teaches you from God's word give them a bit of encouragement for their labors on your behalf. 1 Timothy 5:17 "The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching."