This morning the team was up early at Robson’s for a breakfast of a variety of breads and jams, cheeses, ham, juices and good Brazilian coffee. I find that the ratio of sleep-to-coffee is 1:1 (as in, 4 hours of sleep at night requires 4 cups of Brazilian java to get moving in the a.m.)
Several members of the church came over to say some final goodbyes and others to help drive us to the airport. On the way to the airport I rode with Robson and we brainstormed about what kinds of projects the Brazilians from IPMB and the Americans from Binnerri might partner with FPC to accomplish in Guymon. We are thinking of possibly having a week-long series of daily projects: A workday at the Oaks and Loaves and Fishes, working on the community garden or other things we haven’t thought of yet, followed by praise and worship each evening for a week led by their musicians. This is something that we will consider in more detail at home and then plan in detail during the coming year.
At the airport we were met with the typical looooooooong line of folks waiting to check in. Robson ran interference with the gate agent and our group was allowed to check in ahead of time, so we didn’t miss our plane. The flight to Rio was only an hour, and we arrived in the late morning in time for lunch.
We stopped in Rio on the way home partly because the plane fare to DFW is less expensive from Rio than from Belo, and partly because most mission ventures end with a respite of local fun if it can be arranged. Our hotel is the “Copacabana” in Rio – it’s in a safer neighborhood so we can come and go with less worry. Our guides are our friends from Belo, Robson’s niece, Ana Carolina and her friend, Vivian, an English teacher. They were already in Rio for a professional conference, so it was convenient for them to stay a few days longer to show us around.
One of the things we drove by on the way to the hotel was the Samba school – it had a campus as large and spread out as some American community colleges! Yes, I mean a dance school where people come from all over the world to learn just one dance: The Samba. Ana said that the school was so busy that she was able to substitute as a teacher almost every evening that she’s been in Rio for her conference. Yes, friends, there are people out there making money having fun!
This afternoon we visited “Sugar Loaf”: Two islands in the bay that are apparently submerged mountains. One island is a shorter mountain than the other, so there is an interim stop on the way up where you can take some great photos of the city, eat and shop a little and the taller mountain is the destination, with parks and trails.
A famous gondola-phobic, I made it successfully to the first stop, then opted to stay there while the rest of the group took the longer, higher route to the top. It was really rough sitting on a bench in the sun, enjoying the breeze with my feet up, overlooking the city of Rio, eating a scoop of chocolate ice cream with mangoes on it. Darn it all, why does it have to be Rio and not Cleveland?…J
Casey, Mike and Sooman are heading back to Dallas on the overnight flight this evening; after taking them to the airport, we’ll go out to eat and try to hit the sack before midnight ~ some of us for the first time during the whole trip. Tomorrow we plan to rest and visit the beach (it’s winter here, so it’s actually a bit chilly ~ with the ocean breeze, you have to find a sunny spot to keep warm). If we’re able to arrange transportation and find the money we’ll also try to go see the giant Christ the Redeemer statue on the mountainside overlooking Rio.
Even in Rio, the group has a pretty well-developed sense of homesickness: the thing is, we’re missing two homes: our Texas/Oklahoma homes and our Belo homes…
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