Eu amo minha vida! (I love my life)

So, starting to process earlier has left me wanting more. And so, since I have a little bit more quiet time this evening, I've decided to make a list of things that I'm loving about my life in Brazil. Here goes:

1 - I love that I get to live new adventures every day! Sometimes these are things that I would've normally taken for granted, like going to the grocery store, but now they are new and fun and not always easy either.

2 - I love that we take long walks every day (or at least close to every day) and have a lot of time to talk to each other and process life during these times. We also have many opportunities to learn about the area that surrounds us and the people we live among now... which leads me to my next love.

3 - I love that I get to be a learner every single day... I know I had the opportunity to do this in the US as well, but here this role is almost thrust upon me, but I actually enjoy it. It has actually spurred me to learn in other areas that are not necessity, and other than learning Portuguese and the culture of the Brazilian people, and learning how to cook from some sweet (and patient) Brazilian friends, we have been learning about different types of plants and animals. Steve and I have also been doing an inductive Bible study together for the first time since we've been married and I love it!

4 - I love that we have been making meal times a priority. This isn't something we ever put much effort into doing when we lived in the states, but has been invaluable. We have learned so much about our children and each other during these times and we are totally loving our dining room table :) I'm praying for many more good times to happen there.

5 - I love that tonight, at the dinner table, Naomi said to me "porque... why" like she was translating her Portuguese for me. I love that my kids enjoy speaking the language and that they are understanding even more than I know.

6 - I love that our Jesus Storybook Bible is starting to get worn out because the kids love reading it so much! I love that we have great friends who bought it for us before we left to come here and that our kids are really learning about the "Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love" of the God who created them and sent His Son to earth to rescue them! And I love that the kids ask to read stories by name and that they can finish sentences in the stories... so fun!

7 - I love that we live in such a hospitable place! The other day, when I got stuck in the bus door (if you don't know about this story, you can ask and I'd love to give you details... a very humbling experience), we were walking home and Steve was carrying a sleeping Caleb and Naomi was doing an amazing job walking next to us and I was carrying all of our purchases from the day (a rug for our frontroom and a wooden box full of our dishes set). I had just set one bag down to switch arms that I was carrying it on when I realized that I had blocked the sidewalk and there was a guy riding a bike from the other direction. When I picked up my stuff and said sorry, he asked if he could carry the stuff for me to my house! And this is only one example of the hospitality that is so prevalent in this culture.

8, and lastly - I love that my kids are being exposed to life how a majority of the world live. I love that when my kids see people in poverty they ask hard questions and they want better for them. I love that they are compassionate and caring and they are thinking outside of themselves. I don't want to hyper-spiritualize my kids... they are still 4 and 2 and beat eachother up and can be really selfish at times and they pick their noses. But I love that they are being challenged to think of others when we live life among those who have less than we do.

Thanks for reading about my life and for letting me share a little bit more about life here.

Boa Noite (Good night)