A reggae band in Lapa

A crowded street in Rio.

During the first year of Project Brasil, Steve sent newsletters to family and friends.
We're posting those here so you can follow the progress of this ministry.

JANUARY 28, 2005

Hello Everyone,

I returned to Rio de Janeiro last week and was a little distressed to learn that not much progress had been made in certain areas of the project. However, other areas are doing OK, and they're the ones that matter the most I suppose, but we still have a lot of work to do.

THE PROJECT
The English classes are going well. Yesterday I met one of the students I had been hearing about. She is Taina, a teenager living with her mother and sister and younger brother. Her father died in October. It had been her "lifelong dream" (she's 15, I think) to learn English, but she never had the resources to pay for classes. This project was made for people like her. I know these classes are just one small part of helping people build a better future, but it is an important one. It works like this: When two otherwise equal candidates are considered for a job, the one who speaks English gets hired. It's the same in a law office, store, hotel, or restaurant—being able to speak English improves your chances of finding work.

Work has finally begun on the building. It should be ready by February 25. We have rented a one room apartment in the favela Morro Azul. It was in terrible condition, so we are making some improvements. (I say "we" meaning Francisco and his band of helpers. I don't even supervise. I just watch. I assume they know what they're doing.)

THE NEW CHURCH
The original idea was that the building would be used to offer English and computer classes for people in the neighborhood. As it turns out, a Methodist Church has been doing a work here; for the last several months they have been meeting on Tuesday nights in a tiny apartment.  They will use the building too. As soon as the remodeling is complete, they will begin having Sunday services there. From a "business" perspective, their work is separate from mine, but we will be there to assist each other. My new friend Ricardo Lisboa will be the pastor and yours truly will lead the worship on the first Sunday. That ought to be interesting. However, I am really excited that in addition to starting this school, I also have the opportunity to be involved with a new church.

I enjoy working with Ricardo. He is about my age, and when I came here he barely could speak English. He has been studying on his own for the last few months and has gotten much better. My Portuguese is better, too, and it is getting easier for us to communicate. When I  arrived last week, he noticed my Hawaiian shirt and said, "Oh, this is a pretty dress." I explained that men don't wear dresses. However, his comment was better than the one I got from one of our volunteers. She greeted me with a big smile and said, "Oh, you are more fat today." Maybe she meant it as a compliment.

PORTUGOOFS
I am getting better at speaking Portuguese, but I have a long way to go. Last night in a team meeting at church I asked for someone to accompany me to Morro Azul this morning, because, I said (in Portuguese) "I don't want to go alone."  I should have said sozinho, but I said solteiro, which means that I really said, "I don't want to go to Morro Azul as a single man."

Then, this morning I stopped in the community center of Morro Azul (I ended up going alone, by the way. Oddly, no one volunteered to go with me.) I wanted to ask for a caneta--an ink pen. Instead, I asked Mayra (the receptionist) for a canela...so what I really said was "Do you have a shin?" I later learned that canela is also the word for "cinnamon" ... so maybe she thought I was asking for spice for my tea. Regardless, when I pantomimed the act of writing she realized what I was saying.

PHOTOGRAPHS
I've taken some pictures and posted them at my website. Take a look at them if you get a chance.

Sincerely,

Steve