Christmas and Christmas Eve 2010

Missionary Brunch on Christmas morning

Nova and Luciana's mom praying

Nova by Luciana's Christmas tree

Nova and Luciana's mom embracing

Nova and Luciana's aunt

Nova and Luciana's family

Christmas Eve 2010

Luciana made this delicious chocolate cake

Luciana's brother

Luciana and Nova

Brazilian version of green bean casserole

Our Christmas Eve food

Nova and Anna Christmas morning

Our calendar and pecan pie

Mks enjoying their gifts

KEEP SCROLLING DOWN FOR MORE POSTS! THERE IS A LOT OF PINK SPACE FOR SOME REASON! I HAVE PUT 3 OR 4 NEW POSTS RECENTLY!

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!! I had a very special Christmas! I went with a Brazilian friend of mine and celebrated Christmas there. Brazilians celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve into early Christmas morning. They typically eat there main meal at midnight. Although, we ate our meal at 10:30. They usually celebrate into the early morning hours. However, we went to bed at 12:30am. I enjoyed it and we watched a movie! I celebrated with Luciana and her family. On Christmas morning, all the missionaries went to over to another missionary's house for brunch. We had cinnamon rolls, waffles, biscuits and gravy, egg and bacon breakfast casseroles, acerola juice (fruit from here), etc. It was good!! Anna and I got a calendar and a delicious pecan pie, and chocolate cake. Then to top the day off, I went over to the Kennedy's and ate Christmas dinner! Cindy is an awesome cook! Can you say thirds on fried okra? I am soI blessed for great friends this year! I enjoyed talking to my family over the phone too.

Blessed,

Nova

"for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

Brazilian Wedding and Airplane

My Brazilian Pastor and his wife

Hi everyone,

I hope you are well. Merry Christmas!! I just recently went to a Brazilian wedding. It was so beautiful! It was held at the Naval Officer's Club. We had planes literally flying over the wedding roof. It was like being in an air show. They were lifting off from the airstrip only a few yards away. The wedding lasted about 4 hours. It went from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. I am so thankful that I got to have this cultural experience. The bride and groom are so blessed. The food, fellowship, and friends are priceless. For Braziian weddings, it is typical for the bride to show about an hour late. They also did not cut the cake. It was a beautiful cake though. The bride and groom go to my Brazilian church.

Also, one of my friends helped build this airplane. He is a pilot and I got a taste of being in the driver's seat. Air traffic controllers be out on the lookout for Nova, the Pilot! Just kidding! No, I am not changing my day job...somehow, I don't think the skies are ready for me just yet!!! I'll stick to teaching 2+2=4! Good thing!!

Blessed by all these experiences!

Nova

ZC video semana

Hey everyone,
Here is a longer video of the Zion Camp that I went to back in November! Enjoy!

Nova

Ballet

oops..I cut some of the video! I am still learning how to use Windows Movie Maker! Enjoy the dancing and music anyway!!
Nova

4 SALVATIONS !!! Christmas parties, the Christmas program, and the Ballet

Our School Christmas Tree


This was off a powerpoint... It is a little hard to see... It is the name of the ballet..Sleeping Beauty!



My kids watching a "Charlie Brown's Christmas"

My students are getting ready to sing at the Christmas Program.

Bible Study at the English Service..This study is where the 4 people got saved!!!

The people who got saved are on the back row!

Nova and Emanuelle

My student reading her Bible.

I am handing out their Bibles.

Speaking parts of the Christmas Program

Mary and Joseph

Angels

Waiting to hand out Bibles

Hi everyone,

I hope you are having a blessed Christmas season with your families! Well..let's celebrate not because of the Christmas parties but let's rejoice because 4 PEOPLE BECAME CHRISTIANS at the English Service in Anna's small group...She shared the gospel and I helped write out the sinner's prayer and Evelyn, one of our friends let them to the LORD in Portuguese!!! He is so good!!!! I pray that our Christmas program and parties spoke to the parents and students alike. I know they heard the Christmas story ..Pray that those seeds grow into decisions!!!! Let's see what else.. I went to the ballet to see one of our students perform in a professional ballet. It was so cool. We had Christmas parties for Anna's small group and for our classes. They were fun! At school, we watched "Charlie Brown's Christmas." At the Christmas program, my students sang Silent Night, Away in a Manger, and Go Tell it on the Mountain. They did a great job!! Also, it is tradition for my students to get Bibles at Christmas time because they are learning how to read! One of my students really loved her Bible!! I so glad she loves her Bible!!!!!

Something funny and strange...

After the ballet, a friend of my mine was driving and I saw people exercising on gym equipment in the median of a major road. The city has about 10 treadmills and bikes etc. for people to workout in the median? I don't know why.

Okay.. We had a business meeting today at church that lasted almost 4 hours. Well, while we were there... A 12 year boy tried to steal some tools from the church. He dashed when a police officer we had in the congregation threatened to arrest him.

Nothing surprises me anymore! I am ready for just about anything! Also, on the way back from church, we saw a man dressed in a superman costume walking down one of the busiest roads in the city.

In Complete Awe of Him!!!! Keep Drawing, Lord!!!

Have a Merry Christmas,

Nova

Thanksgiving 2010 and a Funny Story

My kids reciting their poem.



My kids doing the motions to the poem.


My kids holding up what they are thankful for-morning, rest, shelter, food, love, and God!

Lindsey and David's last day in Brazil. How sad! She was a student teacher in second grade at AVA.

One of my kids holding up shelter

3rd grade Thanksgiving Chapel Program

5th grade Thanksgiving Chapel Program

5th grade singing

3rd grade teacher Mrs. Littlefield saying what she is thankful for

Hi everyone,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Well, I have a lot to be thankful for--Salvation, God's grace, my family, my friends, my mission family, food, shelter, my class, my ministry, my health, etc. My kids presented a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson for Thanksgiving chapel--

For each new morning and its light

For rest, and shelter of the night

For health and food

For love and friends

For everything thy Goodness sends

I thank God for every blessing He gives and sends!

Please pray for my health..I have another intestinal infection, scabies, and a head cold. Some of my dear missionary friends brought over Thanksgiving dinner to me because I was too sick to go to dinner! They are a blessing!

Something funny:

This month, the Physical Education classes are having swimming lessons. We have a pool at AVA. Well, I took my students up to the pool and dropped them off. All of my students had clothes when I dropped them off. Well, when I returned one of my students lost his clothes. All he had was a bathrobe, his underwear, and his sandals. I asked, "Where did you put your clothes?" He said, "I don't know!" The P.E. teacher did not know either. We looked everywhere! I looked around the pool and in all the other kids belongings! I still don't know where his clothes are. Luckily, the office had extra clothes! This experience will be added to my list of crazy experiences of Brazil and of teaching!

"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms."

Psalm 95:2

Thankful for His many Blessings,

Nova