Hi everyone! I know it’s been awhile, but yes, I did go to Brazil and I made it back in one piece! Of course, I actually left and came back in July, but I’ve been- no never mind, I’m not going to make excuses. I got lazy.  But that’s all behind me. It’s time to sit down and tell you about my trip!

Before I start, I just want to give a quick thank you to everyone who helped fund my trip. It was amazing, I loved it, I got stuck in an elevator, fun was had by all. I also learned some things and was able to help out, so that was really great.

As much as I would love to tell you guys every story in one post, that would get pretty long, so I’m going to release a series of posts instead. My plan for now is to release one telling about what I learned, one about camp life, and one about fun stories and experiences I had.

1. Things I learned.

While I was down in Recife, Brazil, I learned quite a few things.  I learned that in Brazil, if a word has an R at the beginning or end of it, that R is pronounced as an H.  If the R is in the middle, you rrrrroll it.

I also learned other things, but two things really stood out to me.  One of them is just how wonderful it is for people to genuinely reach and try to get to know you.  I know that for me at least, I would almost always prefer comfort to meeting new people, and so I don’t try make people feel welcome a lot.

Something you should know if you go to Brazil, though, is that the people there are very open, and very, very friendly. While at camp, many people came up and tried to talk to me, even if they didn’t know English.  They tried to get to know me, to help me, and to make me feel welcome. Compared to how I usually act, this was a really welcome change.  It made me happy in ways I hadn’t ever expected.  And so, I’ve decided that I want to make more of my life about making others feel welcome, even if that means putting myself out there.

The other thing I learned, is that God always prepares us for things in our future, even if we can’t see it.  When I was young my family and friends taught me very valuable lessons, like the value of doing good work, eating what you’re given, and most importantly, not complaining.  These and so many more lessons in my life came in so handy, that I was surprised.  It had never occurred to me that such seemingly abstract lessons could amount to me being so prepared for any one event.

However, God used everything in my life to make my travel easier, and I plan to not only be more grateful to God for how He’s prepared me now, but trust that He will prepare me for everything I need to do in the future and stop worrying about it as well.

Well, there you have it!  Granted, this isn’t all that I learned, but it’s what stood out to me the most, and I really wanted to share it with you.  Again, thank you so much for helping me go on this trip, I’ll see you all soon! 😉