Dunes

Hey everyone I hope that the summer adventures in America are beginning and the distress of end of the year is over for all my student friends out there. Here in Brazil it is just getting near the middle of the second quarter. The school year begins in Jan and goes through June then they have off the month of July, and then back to school through November, and off for December. I guess the up side of it is they only go to school for about 4 hours a day. But they also start at 18 months to 2 years old and have four grades of kindergarten. So i guess every system has ups and downs.

To my surprise down here the directors (what most schools call the Principle in the states) of the schools are elected by popular vote of teachers and students. Imagine if that were the case in the states. You don't have to have any special qualification or degrees. If the people you work with and teach like you more than the other people available you get elected. As you would rightly guess this does not lead to a well organized or efficient means of placing administration. And more often than not those placed in the position are unqualified or unequipped to handle the tasks and demands of the job. so it also seems to be an inefficient means of running a school as well with little consistency from year to year. But then again I have not really seen much in the public system here that does.

ok sorry about that I intended to write about the youth group trip we are taking out to the dunes down at the beach and got caught up in the schools. Well . . so . . the youth group is taking the first trip of the year down to the sand dunes at the beach. For many of these kids it will be the first time they are actually going to get out of their neighborhoods, much less the city. Many of these kids have rarly been farther from their house than they could walk or bike in a few minutes, so it is a big deal for them to be heading down to the beach. Even though it is only a 45 min drive most of the kids have never seen the ocean. So tonight out on the sand dunes with a bonfire and wiener roast will be an unusual treat for many of them. I felt it was also a great opportunity being so far away from the city and light pollution (from the lights not the level of pollution) to see all the stars and talk about biblical creation. Just like in America the schools here are filled with the teachings of evolution and Darwinism.

So while the kids are going to be soaking up all the new sights sounds and experiences that this trip is offering I am going to try and take advantage of their open mind and pour in some truth about where we all came from. So with the sound of the ocean crashing against the beach and a canopy of unbelievable stars over head we are going to look back at how it all began. So it is noon right now in Mossoro, Brazil and at about 8pm we will begin teaching so if you have a couple moments and would like to pray for these kids and that their hearts would be open to the Word of God and the leading of the Spirit tonight. And that this trip would be a way of opening them up to more of the truth that God is offering to them.

Thanks for your prayers and time in reading my ramblings. May His hand be upon you in everything you do in His name.