Hello friends and family.

I've finally decided to write a blog post. My teammates have done a great job of keeping you posted on what is happening here in Salvador, and you've done a great job of reading and encouraging us. Thank you.

Tonight we had our first party. We were unsure of how many people would show up, as it has been raining for about three days now. Many of our readers have missed classes during the past two days due to the weather, and at the start time for the party it appeared the trend was going to continue. However, a few minutes later people began to arrive. The party went really well; people had a blast, we had a great time, and the missionaries were very involved. It was a huge success. I'm pumped as I write this because it went so swimmingly. The theme of the party was Canada. We had several games:

1. Matching Canadian words with their pictures
2. Canadian trivia
3. We showed a video/slide show of Canada
   
4. We had them write a poem of what they thought Canada was like
5. They acted out a Canadian subject
6. Relay races

The final aspect of the party involved singing. Our team sang O Canada for the Brazilians, and they sang their anthem for us. It was fantastic! They loved it. They were extremely excited about sharing their anthem with us. They even had a lady pretend to conduct the rest of the readers who were singing on stage.

The purpose of the parties is to provide a time to show our readers that Christians like to have (and can have) fun. It also serves as a time to connect our readers with the missionaries so that once we leave, they will stay connected with the local church. It also allows the readers to share aspects of their culture with us. With these goals in mind, I think the party was a success and I believe the next one will be larger as more people are attracted to people living as lights here at Igreja de Cristo O Salvador.

Here is a poem that one of the groups wrote:

Snow is white; it doesn't make you smile
snow is cold; it lasts for a while
snow makes cars go very slow
snow can blow and snow can throw
snow can make you lose your toe
Raspadinha (snow cone, I think) is the only snow I know

I had a reader show up after the party was all over because he thought we were going to party all night. haha. I assured him the parties were not that intense, and let him know he could come again next week. This same reader has been asking me many interesting questions about following Jesus. His family follows various religions, and he's tired of being pulled in different directions by all his family members, but he is very interested in finding truth. However, he also admitted that it is difficult to change one's behavior to follow the teachings of Jesus. We chatted for two hours one night. It was fulfilling to talk with him about such important topics.

This is just a few experiences we have had, and we look forward to more. Please continue to pray for us; for patience, for boldness, for faith, and for greater convinction. I feel the need to grow my faith. I read the story of the living water from John today with a reader, and it was very good. Everyone is searching for this living water, but it is only found in Jesus. I feel the need to have this spring inside of me to flow much stronger. God is at work; may we work with Him.