It's that time of year again, Carnaval (Mardi Gras) in Brazil - four days of street festival, music, dancing, parades, samba presentation, and holiday. Here in Porto Alegre, the street festival aspect of Carnaval is not as big as it is in other cities; many folks end up going to the beach for vacation with family or friends. It is a great opportunity for us as church to have some quality time together with those who decide to stay in the city. The previous two years, we had an all-church retreat in the coastal mountains. This year we decided to change things up a bit and planned a different activity for each day (Feb. 2-5).
On Saturday the 2nd, 30 of us went to Itapua, a state park that is about 1 hour from Porto Alegre. Itapua preserves the last vestiges of the original rainforest environment in our area. It is one of my favorite places to visit around here because it is relatively close and on a sunny day, the views and trails along the Guiaba River with the rainforest are spectacular. The weather did not cooperate like we had hoped (it rained like crazy on the way there) but the skies dried up long enough for us to have an American style barbecue, swim and enjoy the river beaches and mountain scenery.
On Sunday, we gathered for worship and lunch at Sogipa, the athletic club where Waleska and I are members. Sogipa has several different facilities that the members can rent for family gatherings and meetings. We rented a shelter (in case it rained, which fortunately it didn't this time!) so we could all be together under one roof. About 50 of us gathered together for a time of singing, prayer, and scripture. I gave a lesson from Ephesians 4 about spiritual gifts and seeking the empowerment that God has given the church through Jesus Christ to minister to one another. We are trying to stimulate the church to go deeper into Scripture and into prayer concerning spiritual leadership. We then enjoyed a Brazilian-style barbecue lunch of smoked chicken and pork sausage. Some of us even got drawn into playing hoops (and I still have my shooter's touch!)
We also had actvities on Monday and Tuesday of Carnaval holiday as church...and to find out about them, you'll have to check out Waleska's blog for the details!
Our end-of-the-month all-church celebrations keep getting better and better. Last Sunday we had over 75 present, which is outstanding for the summertime! The Lord's people were enthusiastic and as a result, our worship and lunch were a special time shared by all. I continued our lesson series on spiritual gifts and ministry based on Ephesians 4. We have begun doing a community barbecue lunch - each family brings $3 per person, a 2-liter soft drink, and a salad or dessert. When you add up the contributions, it is quite sufficient to sizzle some great barbecued beef and pork, as we did on Sunday. I have read in several places that "the church that eats together, stays together." I am beginning to see the truth of that! 
One of the best things about celebrations is they provide a great opportunity to invite our friends who are beginning to know the church (of the 75+ present on Sunday, about 1/3 were visitors!) Renato, from our house church, invited his friend Dariu (left) to help with the barbecue. Our house church began spending time with Dariu's family toward the end of last year, and it is paying off - they are wanting to become more involved this year. God is openings doors of relationship and we are ready to serve as ambassadors of Good News!
Today we honored out outgoing church secretary, Flavia (the one holding the new satchel bag in the middle!) She has worked as our secretary for nearly three years. It has been an up-and-down relationship, but we finished on a big up; she has matured a great deal as a Christian and has improved herself professionally. Flavia will now be working as a realtor for a well-known agency in POA. She will have a hard go at first, trying to break into the market, but she has a warm, engaging personality and lots of energy. We are excited for her and this great professional & ministry opportunity that God has granted!
One of our traditions is to honor our church newborns with a framed commemorative verse, signed by everybody on the back. We couldn't pass up this opportunity to honor little Mateus and Luzia - he was born to her as a two-year old blessing from the Lord! He is so funny - he calls me "Maaatchy!" (a Brazilian pronunciation of Matt) whenever he seems me and constantly wants me to watch what he is doing. Us namesakes have to stick together! 
