Bittersweet
Hello to all my Followers and Faithful Supporters!
I hope all is going well for you! I know that the Spring has finally arrived in Ohio, and I’m sure all of you are especially thankful for it this year! In Brazil, the rainy season is ending, which means it will be hotter and there will be a lot of dust. Here in Altamira, they are working on a project to add a new sewage/water system and have systematically torn up almost every street in the city. The streets weren’t that great to begin with, and now, they have more holes than they have paved parts. As you can imagine, it makes driving a bit of a nightmare and the dust is 10 times worse! Needless to say, I already miss the rain.
Also at this time, CDR classes are ending. This will be my last semester teaching at the CDR in Altamira. It causes me to reflect on what has taken place over the past 2 years. When I arrived here, I had no teaching experience, nor did I speak any Portuguese, and I got thrown into the mix. I had to learn fast how things worked. Luckily, I had some great people around me who taught me a lot, as well as some really great students who were patient with me. I learned that I actually really enjoyed teaching, and that I was pretty good at it. I have learned a lot of new methods on how to really engage the students, and hopefully, get them excited about learning, too. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to God for positioning me here in Brazil, doing something that I love. You too, have been a big part in making that happen, and I am very thankful.
The next few months marks the conclusion to my time here in Altamira, and it is bittersweet. I will miss my friends here so much, but I am also looking forward to my new adventure in Portel. I will spend this time working on my final preparations to move, as well as enjoying my last moments with all those I have grown to love so much. Just to name a few that I am leaving behind, there is Cleide, whom I have already told you so much about. She has been like family to me. There is Gustavo and Marcelino, who both have spent so much time making me laugh. There is Steve and Elba, who have guided me through all the rough patches and helped me to continue. There is Cyndi and Art, who have delighted in me and also listened to my struggles. And many, many more. Leaving people behind is definitely one of the hardest parts about being a missionary.
I am also going to use this time to continue working on my classes for VI. I am currently taking a class called Assimilation. It is about the importance and use of church systems, and how to use them to make your church grow. I am excited about learning these things, and hopefully, putting them into practice in the future. After this class, I only have one more, and then, I will graduate. It will be nice to have that under my belt.
As usual, I will add a link to my pictures below. This past month, we had our CDR project, which involved us going to a local elementary school. This time, we taught about “Safe Touch”. It’s a program that helps kids recognize abuse and how to deal with it if it’s happening. I also included some pictures of my students from our last days together. And finally, there are a few pictures of our Alpha group, which will be concluding in a few weeks. Going through the Alpha program has been a great experience for our church. They are hoping to do another one in the future.
I, of course, want to thank all of you for your continued and faithful support. I have been so blessed and honored by all of you. I appreciate all your comments of support through facebook and on the blog. Knowing that you guys believe in me greatly encourages me. And I want you to be encouraged, too. I pray that God continues to give back to you what you have given. That he blesses you, spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally with refreshment and rest. I pray that he takes away your fear and worry with his constant love. Bless you all.
On a side note, my back has been hurting me a lot lately. Please pray that God will heal it. Thank you!
Love, Allison
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
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| Praying for a woman in our Alpha Group |