day by day...

I had the opportunity last weekend to "meet" my cousin in downtown São Paulo.  My cousin is studying as a foreign exchange student and has been in Brazil since July.  We are second cousins and have seen each other probably a total of two times, including last Sunday (the previous meeting was oh, around 1995, just a couple years back).  She wasn't even entirely sure which side of her family I was related to, since I referred to a story about her dad and then stared blankly at her when she referred to other members of his family (I am related on her mom's side).  We had a nice visit though, walking on Paulista Avenue, finding some lunch and dessert (maracuja sorbet for dessert, maracuja = passionfruit...one of my new favorite flavors), chatting about this and that.   She has an extended vacation now since Brazilian schools are finished until the new school year starts in February, so perhaps we'll be able to find time for more family bonding.  In order to meet my cousin on Sunday, I had to make a plan to get downtown, which could have involved a series of buses, trains, and the metro.  I have ridden the metro only once, so I did not feel like an expert just yet, and have not ridden the bus at all.  Fortunately, in God's infinite mercy toward ignorant American girls, He provided a ride downtown with another teacher from school who was willing to let me tag along to a church service that he would be attending close to where I could meet my cousin.  Then my kind colleague helped me find my way on the metro to my long lost relation.  This also afforded me the opportunity to visit two new churches, this time a Brazilian church in the morning and an American church in the evening.  I hadn't visited any churches but those with my housemates, so I was looking forward to seeing what my other options might be.  The morning service was at a Portuguese speaking church, where we sat in nearly the front row and I understood nearly nothing.  It made me appreciate my PowerPoint crutch at the other Brazilian church I had attended before.  But the first woman that greeted me after the service said I was "muito bonita"..."very pretty"...I could get used to being greeted like that every Sunday (every day, all the time...).  During the communion service that took place that morning, I read in 1 Corinthians 11 on the Lord's Supper because I didn't understand what else was being said.  I was particularly struck by 1 Corinthians 11:34…"And when I come I will give further directions."  Though this verse is taken from the context of the Lord’s Supper and remembering the sacrifice of Christ in a worthy manner, with a right attitude and heart…it jumped out at me, particularly, as we live in some very uncertain times.  God never promised that He would give us all the answers or grant us complete understanding as to all His ways, only that we are to trust Him to provide what we need and trust that He will give us more direction when more direction is needed.  I don’t give any of my students all the directions I have for them for the entire year all at one time or even all for one day (or sometimes not even all the directions for one activity all at the same time), they would be overwhelmed and they’d miss something important.  Would I want to miss something important that God has to teach me because I demand all the answers rightthisveryminute?  I miss enough these days because I don't understand what's going on around me in a foreign language in a foreign country.  I am so glad for those who are patient with me...one of the guys who works on the grounds at the school told me the other day (very slowly, for my benefit) that it was "muito calor"..."very hot" that day, and I understood him (not quick enough to respond in Portuguese because I said "yes, it is").  I was pretty pleased with this small victory.  A little more each day, I'm learning, and God is granting more blessings little by little, day by day.