LIFE IN BRAZIL, NATAL: Week 22

Wow okay something that I will absolutely NEVER get tired of is all the new tropical fruits they have here that neither I nor my companion (who is BRASILEIRA) have ever heard of.

banana de cozinha (banana to cook)

The fruits I have eaten so far:

- at least 4 different types of bananas (ranging from the size of your pinky to the size of your forearm)

- Goiba ( which I think is guava)

- Maracuaja (passion fruit)

- 3 different types of MANGOS (I think this is my favorite)

- Acerola (I don't think this has a translation in English)

- Mamão (papaya -- hehe @meganstaheli ;) )

- Abacaxi (pineapple), melancia (watermelon)

- Coco Verde (green coconut)

- AÇAI

Jambo

and the newest from the week: Jambo (which if I'm being completely honest, doesn't taste all that good but hey we don't discriminate)

Wow - had a lot of miracles this week, sometimes so many and so frequent that I forget how miraculous they all are.

One with a recent convert who had literally NOTHING in the house to make for us that day, but it was her day to feed the missionaries. When we called, she desperately scrounged the house but came up with little more than rice and beans, but not wanting to turn us away and in a complete act of faith - confirmed lunch and tried to think of what to do. They have about 4 or 5 people who live in that house and as she is scrounging for money looking for money to buy at least a little bit of sausage, there's a clap at the door. Turns out her neighbor (who is not a member) found that she had too much chicken and carne (meat) in her fridge and was on her way to give it away to a friend but felt impressed to drop by Cynthia to ask if they needed it. Needless to say that she was shaken with the almost immediate result of her faith and selfless desire to serve the missionaries the best that she could no matter that she had nothing herself to give. She stood up and bore her testimony crying this Sunday just overwhelmed with the hand of the Lord in her life. So we arrived that day, not realizing that anything was that different or spectacularly different about another meal with an amazing member that we love, but for her it was the most powerful manifestation of God being aware of her. My companion was reminded of the widow in the bible (1 Kings 17) who had only a little bit of flour in her house to make a meal for her starving son, but was approached by the prophet Elijah and asked to make him food first and THEN for her son. Overwhelmed because she knew that she really didn't have anything to give but filled with faith, she obediently made the bread for the prophet and only after her selfless sacrifice realized that she had more than enough to fill the empty bellies of both her and her starving child.

God really blesses those who put their faith in Him, and sacrifice for Him even when they think they have nothing to give.

Hope that Halloween was popping and that every child out there reined in a king's feast of candy. I tried to get the people of Natal hyped about Halloween but apparently Dia dos Bruxas (day of the witches) really doesn't have as positive connotations here. But had the cute little 2 year old menina (girl) of Cynthia on my side who was riding around with a broom in between her legs and offered to say the prayer that went a little like this:

Thank you for our table.