Day 4: Barro Preto (The Farm)

Today was pretty cool. We went to the farm of the whole family. Like everyone was there, well I guess not everyone; but nearly everyone could speak English. And that was cool. But Elder Sarli was there, and it was good to see him once again – especially doing well, because a little while back he was in the hospital.

May I add, I actually felt short among a good number of them. It was fun being at the farm though, very relaxing. And they had great food. After we ate we just relaxed a little bit, and I saw one of the most interesting things. There was an American movie on the TV and they were able to switch it from Portuguese to English by just changing the dial on something; but it was so weird and really cool.














But after a while we were basically all outside. Some practiced shooting the bb gun, and some were on the horse, and some were just sitting around. It was just a fun time.







































When we got back to the house we went swimming and played Marco Polo. A game that I didn’t really play, since I was talking all the pictures. But it was fun to just watch. After which we had sundown worship. It was a good day.

Update: I just something. It was some kind of procession; but it was pretty cool.

Day 3: Sabbath (FADMinas)

Sabbath was great, excluding the fact that I was not able to get a good night sleep last night. This whole 4 hours time difference is a big thing, especially since I have been in like 4 different times zones over the last four weeks. But either way, we had a simple breakfast and were off to church.














I had many observations about the church here in Brazil (may I add it was only one church, so not all are classified under this umbrella). But Brazil has many advantages that are not in the US. Church was great, and though I was not really able to understand things, it was still great. Maybe I just get a simple thrill out of it; but I really liked it. The sermon though, was before the SS – and I have one great suggestion, it needs to be more dynamic. No one people are leaving our churches. I am not suggesting that it be Pentecostal in nature, but it should be Pentecostal in power.

FADMinas (Faculdade Adventista de Minas Gerais)

Afterwards we went for a little walk and I was able to see some of the college. It’s a beautiful campus. And then we had one of the best college meals that I have ever had in my life. Then we went for a little walk again, and went back to the house.














Basically the afternoon consisted of some “lay” activities, a walk through the jungle (more like a forest in my opinion), and Malcolm reading and writings.














This past evening we went to shopping (what they call the mall here). It was a bit fun to hang out with others my age. And I guess I was told that I would not have a problem adapting to the environment here in Brazil.














The rest of the night I had this on my mind:

Have you ever known one of the most beautiful people in the world, only to realize that their greatest fault is what makes it so hard not to like them? There is someone that I wish was Adventist, for personal and also all together eternal reasons. But oh, how my heart breaks, how it aches that she would. It really hurts to know that her mother and father hurt. In many ways she is making decisions in life that though we are friends now, could eternally separate us… :sigh: Oh, how the Lord loves you… and the truth is my heart does ache for you, what is it? For feelings, I do not believe, continually exist to cause you pain for your salvation. This must be something deeper, something greater, something that I cannot explain.

Day 2: Ouro Preto & Tiradentes

It was great, I got to sleep in for a while, and I also learned that Brazil is actually 4 hours ahead of what I’ve been used to. So good thing, cause technically I woke up at 5 AM what I’m used to. But we had a simple breakfast and were off to see the various sites.

One thing about this city/town is that it has many churches, and when I mean many churches, I mean many old churches. So we got to tour through I think three of them and drive around a little bit.


































































After we left Ouro Preto, we went to Tiradents; but not without a little stop by the country side and then some great authentic Brazilian food. Its great here.

Day 1: The Arrival

Its official, Brazil is on my top 10 most favorite places in the world. The people are not only nice, but they are really great people here.

When I got off the plane I had to go through customs, which is probably the quickest I ever went through customs. And then I finally got to see my bag for the first time in like two days. It was great to be reunited. But than I had to figured out where to go for my next flight; but that wasn’t too hard, I had so much time, so I decided that I should try to walk outside for a little bit – Sao Paulo is beautiful. But I didn’t really get to see much, because I didn’t really speak Portuguese, so I figured I should just stick around the airport.

My flight was actually delayed, but I didn’t really know what to do; so I just followed the crowd to the where everyone was going. They actually bussed us to another plane, and then we quickly loaded and were off to Belo Horizonte. It is beautiful there too. It seems like everywhere I am going to be going in Brazil is just going to be beautiful. But I finally saw my friend for the first time in a while. It was good to meet the family too. But since I hadn’t really eaten (because all the food was not vegetarian even though I requested for it), we ate.














After we ate we drove to Ouro Preto where I was able to get settled into a room, take a shower, and then walk around a bit. It’s a really nice (and I guess historical) city – even though I would call it a town. Basically we were out for a while, so now its time to try to sleep.

The Consulate & Chicago

Click here for my day in the Windy City.

I woke up late – 6:40 and needed to leave at 6:45, so I brushed my teeth and was like, umm, the shower is going to have to wait, I need to get to the bus station quick. We got there, and I had just enough time to ask for a round trip ticket, directions, and which bus it was. Then I boarded the bus and was able to have devotions. It was a short ride.

When I got off the train I went to the nearest Walgreens to get a Passport Photo for the visa and start walking to Michigan Ave. When I got to Michigan Ave. I turned right, because that is what I was instructed to do, but I started to go South and when I got to 400 something it was not the correct place. So I asked the police and he said that I was way off and needed to start going the other direction. I don’t think that I’ve ran so fast for a while with a backpack on. It was good though, because man was I awake when I got the consulate. I still arrived at 8:30, the time that I was told to arrive because lines would start to get big early and they didn’t open until 9. I was the fourth person in line and the people in front of me were one family.

When I got in I asked for the person that I was told to ask for and I was immediately helped. He was very kind, and things were figured out quickly. I was told to wait and see what would happen, so I waited for a little while. It was odd because I had all this food in my backpack from my Auntie and I just couldn’t eat, I was like I just need to pray. But after a while I was told to return at 12:45 (15 minutes before they closed) to pick up the visa. I haven’t wanted to show so much appreciation in a while. I actually went to a story and got a thank you card.

Chicago is very different, but in many ways it almost like a bridge between San Francisco and Boston. There are parts of it that I liked; but it was a nice city. Since I had a few hours to kill I was able to go to the John Hancock Tower and take pictures of the whole city. I also figured that I might as well get the whole experience and listen to the audio version, so I was able to get a good number of the city down. And since three hours is a long time I was able to walk a great portion of downtown. I think there are only a few things that I was not able to see.

When I returned I got the visa and quickly started to walk to the train station. On my way though I saw the older gentlemen all tucked up and not in such a good condition. Often we pass by these people, but my heart tugged within me and I asked him if he would like any food, so I offered to get him subway since it was right there and he gladly accepted. I wish that I could have stayed and talked with him a bit more, but I was in a little rush so I hope that he enjoyed his food.

When I got to the station I saw that the #6 train was boarding for Hinsdale/Aurora, so I quickly ran over and got on the train. I finally got back to Hinsdale and called up Emilie to pick me up. The Lason family is a very kind family. They had food for me and all when I got back. I almost wanted to stay one more day, but I had already delayed my trip to Brazil for two days. I think it is time to finally get on the way.

I was able to spend a little more time with the family at the mall and get Vanessa a camera, I hope that she likes it. But it was good, I got to the airport with a good amount of time. I was able to see some more Filipino’s and talk with them a little more. I called my friends again to tell them that I was leaving again. And then I finally made it on the flight to Brazil. It’s going to be a long night. But in a few more hours I will be in a whole new country once again.

Christmas in Hinsdale

My mom called me at about 1 AM and said that we have really close family friends who live here in Chicago. She said that they were willing to pick me up then, but I was like how about tomorrow? I still have some things that I need to figure out at the Airport, like what is happening with my luggage that they wouldn’t let me have back.

Either way, I was driven back to the airport and was able to get a ticket for tomorrow, in hopes that I get a visa, and then I just sat and waited for a while. Actually I started to read a book entitled the Cost of Discipleship. It’s a very good book so far, and I’m only in the first few pages of the first chapter.

Sometime later in the afternoon I was finally picked up by Uncle Emmanuel. It was nice to be around people who though I don’t really know, at least I know that I can trust. When we got to their house they had some really good vegetarian food all ready for me. Thank the Lord too, because I was hungry and hadn’t eaten since yesterday. Auntie is a very good cook.
But later I was able to meet the rest of the family, who invited me to a party and where I was able to meet Rey – a friend from PUC. It was so ironic; but it was great. It was fun just to see everyone opening presents. Good times. All prayers needed tomorrow though, because I need to wake up early and go to the consulate.

Christmas Eve

Last night I spent my first official night in my own apartment. It was a bit nice, probably an unnecessary amount of space for just myself. But that’s okay.
I woke up several times this morning, but the thing that finally woke me up was a call from my father. We talked for awhile, and then I decided that it was time that I really begin my day. So I woke up, took a shower, had good devotions and went to get things situated for my room – I still had paperwork to fill out.

I was able to talk to Dr. Finley about some things. Man, that was an interesting conversation. But I should be getting my grades any day now – it’s a bit nerve racking. He almost made it sound like I didn’t really get a high “A;” so he has me a bit concerned.

Really most of the day was spent just getting things situated, doing laundry, packing and getting to the airport. When I got to the airport I got my tickets from South Bend, IN to Chicago, IL to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Eventually I get to Chicago, and I got some food from a place that was filled with Filipino’s. It was fun though, because I spoke a little bit of Tagalog and they were shocked. Haha, I love doing that. But now I know where to go every time that I want to get food – at least if I’m flying United Airlines.

I decided that it would be a good thing to make sure that my ticket and information was correct. So I talked to the person at the counter about an hour before the flight, and here’s what the conversation basically went like:

“Where’s your visa?” I need a visa? What? “You don’t have a
visa? You can’t fly today then. You will have to speak with the
Brazilian Consulate on Wednesday because they are closed tomorrow because of the
holiday. We will put you in a hotel tonight, because they should not have
flown you here to Chicago if you did not have a visa, and then also given you a
boarding pass for Brazil if you did not have a visa. I am sorry, but you
are not flying to Brazil tonight.”

Talk about feeling like a big idiot. I really felt unsmart. But I called all the people that I knew – especially the person who’s related to the person that I’m going to be visiting, and they told me that she might know someone who might be able to help me when I go to the Brazilian Consulate. But for tonight, Malcolm is going to be in the Hilton, and I’m going to take full advantage of as much as I can while I’m here.

Road Trip: Minnesota

I left at about 9:30 AM, Arizona time for New Mexico, where I would meet my cousin and he would help me to drive all the way to Minnesota.














The last picture that I actually took with family was my little nephew.

And about two hours later, I was in the mountains of Arizona. And there was snow. It was pretty nice to be back in cold weather again. I guess I'm a bit more used to it now.

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Eventually I picked my cousin up at his house, and we were off to TX, then OK, then Kansas where we ate breakfast. Since we drove all night the goal was to get to MN by Monday afternoon; but we decided to take a little detour to Nebraska and visit Union College.







































































Before we left, we tried to get in touch with a friend; but it was finals week so we weren't able to get in touch with her. I guess till next time.
Oddly enough, though, we saw one of the most interesting gas prices. Can you see what's wrong with this picture?

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Eventually we made it to South Dekota, and then just before sunset we made it to Minnesota. I think in total we made it in the expected driving time of 28 hours.




































We finally made it to Auntie Feve's house. And I saw Mandi, Rochelle, and AJ. Aww, the good times begin.

I flew home today...

and for the first time since I've been flying into Arizona, we flew over Thunderbird Adventist Academy. For those who know, can you spot it below.



























[Its the green spot with those brow buildings around it]

But I was also able to get a good snow picture of an Arizona mountain.














But the first thing that I did as soon as I got back was eat at In n Out. Oh, good times. I was so hungry. I didn't eat anything this morning, but I was able to have some good company. I guess Chelsy's flight left a few minutes after mine. Well, actually both our flights got delay; but mine was delayed in NY. Its okay, I'm home now.

Adventist Adventures in New England

Today we left Portland, ME at 6:00 AM and were off to Washington, New Hampshire to see the first Seventh-day Adventist Church. Really the first Sabbath keeping advent believing church. Below are the promised pictures.





























































































Later we drove to the William Miller home. For those who do not know, William Miller is considered the "founders" of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He wasn't really the founder, Captain Joseph Bates was; but because of him, the Seventh-day Adventist Church adopted many of the beliefs from the prophecies within Daniel and Revelation. Much of there theology develops from Millerites of the 1840's.