We had no idea when to get off that bus (we thought the ticket taker told us to wait an hour and we couldn't believe the ride would be that long) and then a man sat down next to us who not only spoke English but used to go to the Union Church. He showed us how to get there, we walked up to the front door and happened to run into Christen, an evangelical missionary from the US. She gave us a tour of the school and then persuaded us to be the guest speakers in her class. By the end of the afternoon, she had arranged to have us stay at her apartment. Just our luck (or, as Christen and her roommates cheerfully remind us: there is no luck involved, it is all God). While here we have been able to shower, do our laundry, eat meals, and use the internet for free. As well as spend time with three amazing new friends.
Our first night, Christen and Megan took us to their church (one of the most lively, charismatic churches we have ever been to where a great majority of the people looked like they were 25 or younger and on their way to becoming supermodels).
We arrived home from church to discover that a friend of a friend, Vera, offered to give us a tour around Rio. (A Brazilian friend that we briefly encountered must have contacted her friends to see if anyone could show us around). While on the tour, we were able to see the giant Cristo and hike up part of Sugar Loaf (one of the tallest points in Rio with an absoluely stunning view). We returned that evening to be kidnapped by Megan, Melissa, and Christen. They treated us to a delicious (and incredibly expensive) dinner.
GOD is good.
5 comments:
Thank you for the phone call! It was wonderful to talk with you. We miss you very much. You two are doing such an amazing job of taking care of yourselves and each other and of finding adventures and new friends. I am exceedingly proud of both of you. But please no more near drownings. My world only works when I picture you guys safe and happy. I love you, Mom/Terri
Are you sure you didn't fake you near drowning just to be rescued by Hugo??? I'm glad you didn't listen to your moms telling you to "never talk to strangers" or you would still be wandering looking for someplace to sleep! I will be praying for you as you continue your adventures. I can't wait to hear what your next adventure will be! Jeanne
Hey Beautiful goddesses of Light,
Yes you are right! God is good, and with that knowledge of the ever present love, guidance and sense of humor (hence the water balloons ;) of the Divine you are sure to have an amazing, heart opening experience! What a gift to have this adventure to help you test your limits and open to the fullness of your brilliant selves. It is quite amazing what we find out about ourselves when we break down those barriers and false judgments that we hold about ourselves and the world. There is a quote by Rumi that says that we are all already full of unconditional love for all life, we just have to break down the barriers we have built around this love.
Life here is beautiful! We just had a womens mooon lodge on the New Moon. It is so wonderful to share sacred space and ritual with women, and I beleive men are also yearning for this opportunity. I hope you two get the opportunity to sit in a circle of women on this adventure. Many people for thousands of years all over the world have been holding sacred circles for women and sacred circles for men. I just thought that I would share that with you because I have been thinking about it's importance a lot lately.
Things are also going well with the downtown project. We are working on putting a proposal together of all the different people, groups and buisnesses that want to have a shared building downtown and help make our downtown vibrant. We have projects ranging from permaculture and sustainability, to a teen center, to local craftspeople, to peace and social justice groups, to a spiritual school, to an after school program, to an interfaith center, to a veteran support center, to a holistic health center, to a yoga studio, to a green resturant and coffee shop, to a all ages music venue, and the list goes on! So I have a proposed mission for your adventure.. We can call it "Project a good idea" :) You two can seek out people, organizations, cities ect. that are working to bring people together to help make the world a better more peaceful place by working together and supporting each other and those in need. Then you can bring us back filers and info so we can build a global network!
Thank you both for your courage to step boldly into the world with love and faith in the mother father god. Peace is with you! Blessings.
Much love,
Haley
A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind a barrier reef or barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called a lagoon. Lagoon refers to both coastal lagoons formed by the build-up of sandbanks or reefs along shallow coastal waters, and the lagoons in atolls, formed by the growth of coral reefs on slowly sinking central islands. Lagoons that are fed by freshwater streams are also called estuaries.
In Latin America often the use of "laguna", which lagoon translates to, is used to describe a lake, such as Laguna Catemaco.
A lake (from Latin lacus) is a body of water (larger and deeper than a pond) or other liquid of considerable size contained on a body of land. The vast majority of lakes on Earth are fresh water, and most lie in the Northern Hemisphere at higher latitudes. Most lakes have a natural outflow in the form of a river or stream, but some do not and lose water solely by evaporation or underground seepage or both.
We love your blog! Have a great year. Laurie & Lois (Judy & John's friends in Santa Monica).
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