On Monday Virginia Smith, Emma Bruce Routh and I left for the airport at around 11 am.When we arrived at the airport we prayed for travelling mercies and that we would all be on the same plane.For some odd reason two of us were on one flight and one was on a different flight.When we checked our luggage we were told the flight was overbooked and that would not be possible.We went smoothly through security and hurried to the gate where we inquired again and again we were told the flight was full and no changes were possible.After the plane began to board we heard Virginia's name on the intercom and they called her to the desk where they gave her the tickets for us all to fly together.God answers all prayers. I was very glad of this because it would be easier for the all of us to travel together and navigate the Atlanta airport.The flight to Atlanta was smooth and we were the first team members to arrive in Atlanta.We had a nice dinner at Fridays and then we boarded the plane and took off at 8:30.We were scheduled to land at 7:00 the next morning so we settled in for the long flight and we all managed to sleep and Emma Bruce had a very good flight even though she had to sit for such a long time.

When we arrived it was another blessing that we all made it smoothly through customs.I was worried because I had a lot of medical supplies and two laptops and I did not want customs to start asking question.This is because Brazil is predominately Catholic and Methodist Missionaries are sometimes not welcomed with open arms.The trip from the airport was uneventful.Last year we saw cows grazing along the highway but this year the cows were tethered somewhere else.

We arrived at the mission and unloaded then we had Taco salad for lunch and then some of us napped and I went to Sam's Club on a grocery run.I got to sit in the front seat of the bus so it seemed like I saw much more being able to look out of the front of the bus.The area around Santa Barbara/ Niteroi is a very poor city.Sam's was interesting because I tried to check out the cultural products and keep up with Betty as she flew around the store and I pushed the crippled shopping cart just trying to keep up.The products in the store were very interesting - they had 3 foot long salted fish lying uncovered in a big bin and there were many interesting fruits and meats in the store.Last year when I went we mostly looked at the candy and coffee.

After we returned to the mission we had supper and then we went to the beach at San Francisco Bay for ice cream.The ice cream was as good as Cold Stones at home.We went for a walk on the walkway at the beach afterwards.It was a beautiful night to be out.The stars lit up the sky, the lights of the city shimmered across the bay and there was a cool gentle breeze blowing in from the bay.We could also see the statue of Christ The Redeemer far off in the distance.I saw a guinea pig sized rodent running down the beach and when I went to investigate. I noticed there were several candle and flower "altars/shrines" in the rocks next to the beach.I asked Betty what the candles were for and she said that they were practicing Macumba which is a blend of Catholicism and African witchcraft. (We could also hear the drum beats of the Macumba worshippers in the hills around us last night) I quickly departed wanting to have no part of the evil doings of witches. We came back to the mission and most everyone went to bed about 9:00 but I stayed up till 11:00. It is very noisy at night with all of the dogs barking, the fireworks and motorcycles. We all slept well last night- I think we were exhausted by the travel.

We had breakfast at 8:00 and then we had a worship session in which I kept getting reminded of my youngest son Christian.Whenever we are singing the young man next door comes outside and plays the drums on their guttering downspout and this make for a raucous noise (Christian can play the drums on anything). We then had a class on the Authority we are given by Jesus.We also learned about the Seven Elements of Ministries/The Methodology of Jesus.We then had a wonderful time of prayer.After lunch we toured the Mission and saw the small kitchen where they feed five thousand people a month. I did the math and this is equivalent to fixing a fellowship meal for 250 people per day for 5 days a week.I know how much work it was for Lynn and I to do one meal a week for 75 to 100 people.While we were in the kitchen the mission meals cook, Christina was peeling potatoes for vegetable soup (250 servings of vegetable soup is a lot of potatoes for 1 person to peel). They were having vegetable soup because they had no money for meat to cook for the families that come for food.Everyone that comes to the mission for food has a voucher that the pastor gives them when he visits.They do this so they can be sure that they are meeting the spiritual and physical needs of the local community.It was amazing how much they can accomplish in such a small kitchen. After our tour Harry reviewed our teachings for the LISS at the Central UMC in Juiz de Fora.

We had a delicious supper of Brazilian pasta salad (They put these creamy chunks of cheese in their pasta salad) garden salad and corn.Afterwards we had birthday cake for my roommate Steve Pierce as today is his 49th birthday.We then had a teaching on The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the scriptural basis for The Baptism and how to minister to people to receive the Baptism of the Spirit.I have spent my spare time today setting up a web log (Blog) so everyone at home can see our pictures.The web address is http://www.offexploring.com/chaneybobbyj I hope to frequently update this page with our pictures.Well I am off to bed soon so I can pray and prepare for tomorrow.May God bless you and keep you all and thank you for your fasting and prayers, we feel them and covet them.In Christ's Abundant Love, Bobby…