Cousin Megan & 15 Banana Splits

My (Jill's) cousin, Megan Anderson, has come down to live with us for the next five months! She is a senior in high school and is attending AVA this fall. She has adjusted super well considering all she has experienced in her first three weeks:

Intense Amazon heat, a cockroach in her Q-tip bag, intermittent internet, two rambunctious little boys around, no power and water for hours, walking to and from school many times a day, experiencing traffic, riding the bus (no wimpy task), getting caught in a Amazon downpour, playing soccer with Brazilians, and rooming with a huge spider and ant invasion in her backpack
on the first day of classes.

She stays super busy with classes, teaching English to Brazilians, basket ball, soccer, golf, learning Portuguese, doing all my chores...er...uhm...............

We all have to learn how to hang laundry. Not too long ago I was hanging it all wrong:

Now, it's my turn to teach!Okay...she passed!



We'll get the ice cream and bananas; you bring the toppings!!!! Thirteen 9/10th graders showed up last Friday night for banana splits at our house. It was the first time we ever heard, "Can you give me less ice cream, so I have more room for toppings?" HA! Great round of Pictionary, and getting to know the students.
George came in before school looking all over for his sunglasses, yes, the 80s Ray Ban style that WE wore as kids! He rode to school looking like: Mr. Too-Cool-For-1st-Grade!

The Visiting Moms

We had a countdown since January, "How many days left till YiaYia and Gramma are here?" When June 11th came around, it was finally at the zero mark, and we picked them up at the airport.
We all got to enjoy the 12 day visit with them, and it was so wonderful to be able to hug them again and show them our world! They were troopers too; the intense heat, exotic food, odd bugs, weird bites, crazy van trips, wild traffic, crowded shopping...but it seems like they had fun! We did!

So THANKS, Mom and Mom, for coming all the way down to the Amazon basin to visit your grandkids and kids.

Over 1000 Days Old!

Happy Birthday to Finn! This year he got to celebrate with both sets of grandparents, all his cousins, aunts, and uncles, as we took a whirlwind trip back to the USA in July. We wanted to get him checked with out doctor just to be sure he is okay, and he came out with a clean bill of health! It's been over 9 months since his last seizure! Thanks for the prayers, they are helping.

During the brief stint in the States, we did lots of business, some quick family stops, and Tim bought all his books for the next school year. With worms, mold, and humidity as paper's nemeses, it was vital to purchase some fresh books that won't give the student's some funky lung fungus. Yes, it has happened before.

The graduating six of 2009 at Amazon Valley Academy went out with a grand ceremony in the transformed gym. Mr. Stewart opened the ceremony in prayer, then we enjoyed a sermonette, songs, slide shows, and salgados (salty snacks). The graduates are heading to various countries for Bible school, college, or work. We are proud of their accomplishments and pray for a grace-filled future for each of them.

Rainy season (December through May) ended with a splash! George is standing in our front yard. Our neighbor Lizzie will try to get home from school on her bike...ha! The roads were something else too! Unfortunalty, you can't take a dip when it rains like this, because the internal worms you might get will stay with you long after the puddles have evaporated.

A game night at our house with the 9/10th graders. Pictionary. No matter what country you are in, the girls will ALWAYS win!!! HA! Getting to know the students here is one of our major focuses, and time together at our house (complete with food of some sort) is the best way to do it!

An average sized latanja fruit from a tree in our yard. It's the cousin of the grapefruit, and has a thinker skin and a much more acidic taste. Always fun to see what will pop out on our trees!

Come get your program from George for Curse you Jack Dalton!, the melodrama perfomed by the AVA drama club. I (Jill) was able to co-direct, act in, and do the make-up and hair for the performance. It was a hit! But why was I cast as "Mother Dalton" when I still feel 16? Doing hair and make up in a climate where even your moisturizer drips off your face in sweat was a challenge, but I want to thank Redken hair products for their amazing hair spray and Evangeline who gave me a bottle of it!

How We Met a President

It all happened by mistake really. The AVA high school worked and saved and sweated up enough money to take a high school trip to Brasil's capitol, Brasilia. You know, the city that suddenly appeared out of nowhere around 50 years ago. It was Monday, and we were touring the government buildings. Our next stop was the Itamaraty Palace, the home of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This striking building contains incredible art work, amazing architecture, and tranquil gardens. And the tour was free, so we had to see it!

Unfortunately, we were stopped as we tried to cross the entry bridge. An official ceremony was in progress. A guard informed us that ceremonies usually ended at 3.30 p.m. The time was 2.45.

Standing dejected, our eyes traveled to a black Cadillac parked in the lot--an uncommon car in Brasil-- very interesting, as were the beefy, very American-looking Secret Service agents milling around. Hmmm. And was that the American flag flying in front of the Palace?!!

We had heard the day before that President Jimmy Carter would be in Brasilia on Monday. Joking around, we imagined running into him at a resturant, or on the bus.

"Mr. President! How do you like the rice and beans?" "

"Mr. President, please take my seat, I don't mind standing..."

Perhaps our wildest dreams were about to come true. Sitting in the parking lot for an unknown length of time, all for the chance of seeing a president was not on our schedule, but seemed worth the try. So we sat. We talked quietly and made small gestures--no point getting the Secret Service all excited.

After a half hour, there was a flutter of activity. A small entourage began sweeping down the bridge.

There he was! Wildly, we whipped out our cameras, playing paparazzi.

We didn't catch his eye at first.

As he drew near, one of us said, "Hey, President Carter!" He appeared surprised. I suppose it's strange to hear an American voice in a parking lot in Brasilia. He looked at us, tour-worn high schoolers and teachers, then became presidential before our very eyes.

Shaking our hands, he asked us where we were from, what we were doing in Brasilia, and if we were Baptists. Many of us converted on the spot, in the heat of the moment.

He stopped. He inspired. He went.

I didn't move to the States until President H.W. Bush was in office. Reagan was ancient history. Carter even more so. I've never thought much about him until now, and now he's my favorite. For that 0.5 seconds when he shook my hand and looked into my eyes, I could tell that he cared. He was so real. This has ever been the mark of great men.

Yes, we all stood a little taller that day.

Look at me--full of president-induced glee. Or perhaps I was thinking about a giant bowl of ice cream (that's the Palace of the National Congress).