India Here WE Come

This was a busy weekend for me. I went to Regina on Friday night to take part in Ray and Ellen's India night. I got to eat some great Indian food and even wear some Indian clothes for a fashion show. I did a lot of visiting and it was an all around great night. One of the most exciting things about Friday night was that I found out that I'm not the only person going to India with Ray and Ellen in January. Raysha Perry is also coming. I think that it will be great to have someone else around to share the adventure and the workload. This is a picture of Raysha and I in our Indian finery.



I left Regina right after the India event came to an end. I drove to Weyburn with a mission, surprising one of most speacial ladies in the world, my Grandma Parry. I had spies working for me last week trying to inconspicuously discover whether or not she would be in town and what kind of plans she had for the weekend. Thanks Aunty Lorna and Aunty Jewel! My mission ended very successfully! When I arrived I called her on my cell phone and started chatting just like I would normally. Then I told her I had a little surprise for her and that she should buzz the appartment building door open because I was standing outside. Her response, "You're joking." "No Grandma, I'm not joking, it's snowing and it's cold out here, let me in!" I wish I could have seen the expression on her face but if it was half as good as the tone of her voice it was priceless! I don't think I've ever had so much fun surprising someone before. Part of my mission was not only to surprise Grandma but also to tell her that I am going to India. It wasn't something I wanted to do over the phone. I think she was surprised but I think she is excited for me as well. As per our usual visits we spent our time together looking at photos, playing double solitaire and Rubbykub. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my weekend!



I left Weyburn after lunch on Sunday (and one more game of solitaire for good measure) and headed back to Regina to meet with Ray, Ellen and Raysha. We covered a lot of details and I was pretty excited by the time I was climbing back into my car to head to Saskatoon. By the time I arrived in Saskatoon I already had itineraries in my inbox. Talk about fast! We leave January 9th and will be returning to Canada on June 19th. On the way there we will be spending the weekend in Hong Kong with Harmony, Ray and Ellen's daughter who is working there as a teacher. I've never been to Hong Kong, should be fun. :)

So now the countdown is on. I know that time is going to fly between now and January 9th. I have a lot to get done. Visas to apply for, immunizations to get, fund raising to do and normal everyday life and work to attend to. Please pray for me and also pray for my new partner in crime, I mean co-worker, Raysha, as we take care of details and prepare to go.

India Here I Come

It has been over a month since I have posted anything here. I've thought about it, I just haven't done it. Some things I've thought about writing about I'm just not ready to write yet. Those things will show up here eventually I am sure. The other obvious things I could post about like things I've been up to or my beautiful niece have just been put to the wayside. Lots has been going on. I've been busy with work and life in general.

Many of you who read this (Are there many people who actually read my blog??? I don't know.) know who Ray and Ellen McMillan are, others don't. For those of you who don't know them you are missing out. They are a wonderful couple who love the Lord and have followed His calling on their lives to minister to the people of Northeast India. They came to Saskatoon last month and gave a presentation on the work that they have been doing and the work that they will be doing in India. One of their goals while they are back in Canada was to find someone to return to India with them to tutor their two grandchildren, Autumn and Andrew. As I sat in my chair that Sunday morning it was as if God was sitting directly behind me with a big grin on His face, tapping me on the shoulder and whispering in my ear, "Pamela, guess what I want you to do?" I will admit that I listened closely to everything that Ray and Ellen had to share but the rest of the service was pretty much lost on me. I could barely sit still, my mind was going a mile a minute. I went and spoke to Ray immediately after the service was over. On my way to find Ellen I was stopped by another wonderful person, whom many of you know and many of you do not, Alicia Krogsgaard. Her first words to me were, "So when are you leaving for India?" It was as if she had actually seen God tapping me on the shoulder and overheard His whispering in my ear.

After visiting with Ray & Ellen and Autumn & Andrew and much prayer I have accepted their invitation to join them in Guwahati, India in January. My primary work will be to teach Autumn, grade 7 and Andrew grade 5. There will also be lots of opportunity for me to get involved in other areas such as English Bible studies like I have done with Let's Start Talking in the past.

Lot's of people have been asking me if my going to India means that I am no longer interested in Brazil. It makes me sad when people say that! Just because I go somewhere else doesn't mean that I will never go back to Brazil. My heart lives in Brazil. No matter where I go in the world that won't change. I believe that God has given me this opportunity and I plan to take advantage of what He has in store for me.

I would appreciate prayers as I make preparations for this work. There is a lot that needs to happen, immunizations, visa application, and fund raising to name a few. I'll definitely be posting more as the prep work continues and of course as my new adventure unfolds so come back often!

Katie and Lucas's Last Sunday in Brazil

July 15th was Lucas and Katie's last Sunday in Brazil. João, on behalf of the Itu congregation, presented each of us with Portuguese/English Bibles and a package of yummy Brazilian coffee. I have to admit that as I stood at the front listening to what was said I had a great feeling of thankfulness that it wasn't yet my turn to be leaving. The thought of only having one week left was sad but it was better than the thought of leaving that very evening.

Katie and Lucas both brought so much to our team. I admire both of them for their dedication to preparing and going somewhere new to share their faith with others. I am very thankful for the time I was able to spend with them over the months leading up to this project and for the six weeks that we spent together in Itu. We had a lot of good times and I will look back fondly on the memories that were made. The following pictures were taken on their last morning in Itu.

Receiving a hug from my Brazilian father, João.

Lucas being presented with his gift.

Katie, last but not least.

Katie said a few words of thanks to the congregation and Vitinho translated for her.

Final Party, Talent Show

Our final LST party was held on July 14th, I know I am still waaaaay behind in my blogging. So in order to remedy that this will be short and to the point and you can all just enjoy the pictures. We began the evening with a talent show. We didn't have many acts but the ones we did have were steller! Then Lucas, Katie and I presented each of our readers who were present with certificates of participation. After the presentations we enjoyed some good food and visiting. It was a pretty sad evening for me, saying good-bye to all of my readers. Many tears were shed as we wrapped up the evening. I've always said that the one thing that I don't like about LST projects is saying good-bye. After six weeks of reading scripture one on one with someone it is really hard to just leave them. I need to remind myself frequently that God has used me to help plant seeds and that He will provide others to water those seeds and that He himself is the one who will bring the growth. What a mighty God we serve!

Lucas's reader, Stefano singing and playing guitar.

Lucas's reader, Matheus playing his trumpet.

Ivan and Davi.

Davi is a very talented musician.

The captivated audience.

This was taken after the talent show as people were eating and visiting.

Here we are with some of our readers.

Me with Magda and her kids, Matheus and Anna.

Saying Good-Bye

Sunday morning we said good-bye to a number of different people. The group of Americans from San Angelo left on Sunday evening and so did the LST team from Oklahoma Christian University. They have been working in the nearby city of Salto. Sunday morning was a bilingual worship service and many public thank-yous and good-byes were said. It made me glad that my team still had one more week here to continue reading and also glad that for me it would be another two weeks before I would have to say good-bye to my church family here in Itu. After worship was over my little friend, Ligia, came running up to give me a hug and was saying, "Please don't go! I don't want you to go away! Please stay!" It practically made me cry! When I told her that I wasn't leaving yet and that I was going to be staying for two more weeks her eyes lit up and she squeezed my neck even harder. I can remember when I first came to Itu 4 years ago and she would try to talk to me and I didn't understand anything she said. Over the years we have become good buddies and we talk with each other a lot!

Here I am with my little buddy Ligia. She makes my heart smile!

After church Katiie, Lucas, Vitinho and I went to Regina's house for lunch. Regina is a sweet, sweet woman from the church. She has to children, Iara who is studying architecture in University and Alexandre who is still in high school. After lunch a lot more people came over for desert and fun.

Iara, Brooke and Katie in the kitchen getting Iara's special desert ready.

The boys playing cards in the backyard.

I love this picture of Brooke and I. She is probably the sweetest person I have ever met in my life. I think God broke the mold when he made her. We are eating Iara's special desert which I dubbed "Milagre Na Minha Boca" or in English, "Miracle in My Mouth." It was fantastic. If you invite me to your house when I get back maybe I'll make it for you. :)


This is Regina and I and the dog, Biba. I love Regina so much. She has taught me so much over the years about being a woman of faith. She holds a very special place in my heart. Biba may look sweet but don't let looks deceive you!

Week Five, Mini-Olympics

It is so hard to believe that we have finished our fifth week here in Itu and that we are half way through our sixth already. I am way behind in blogging but please bare with me and I will get caught up. There are so many things to share that I may end up revisiting my time here over the weeks after I leave. What an awful word that is...leave. blah!

This week was our second last week and so the task of saying good-bye to some of our readers has already started. It is not a pleasant thing to say good-bye to these people who have become our friends. I am able to say good-bye in faith that the God who brought me here is going to continue to care for these dear people after I leave. I trust that He will bring others who will water the seeds that have been planted in their hearts and that He Himself will bring the growth that is needed in their lives.

This is Amanda. Unfortunately she and I had our last reading session during our fifth week as she will be traveling during our last week of reading sessions. I will miss you Amanda!


Here I am in a reading session with Eduardo. I also have been reading with his brother Ricardo who is a new child in Christ!

This week our LST party was a wacky olympics. We invited all of the kids who had been at camp to come out. We were prepared for a huge turn out of church members, readers, and campers. Five o'clock came and went and this is what you could see:

No one showed up. We were getting quite discouraged. I took my place in the middle of the auditorium on the cold floor and waited. I think it was around 5:30 when some of the group from San Angelo showed up. So at least we had a few people. more people trickled in and eventually we had a sufficient number to at least break into two teams of six and have a little bit of a competition. We started out by naming our teams and creating flags.

We then had an opening ceremony where the torch was carried through the auditorium and the Brazilian national anthem was played.


The first event was a toilet paper relay. Over, under, over, under. My team finished first but we broke the toilet paper.


The opposing team didn't tear the toilet paper but they finished second. It ended up being a tie for points.


The second event was a three legged race. Stephano and I kicked butt, but in the end our team lost.

We had a number of other events as well, a water relay, which my team lost, a game called snatch the bacon, which my team also lost! But at the end of the day winning is not what counts. It's the fun you had during the experience that creates memories to last a lifetime!

Here is the losing team, the Pencil Necks.

After the party was over and we got everything cleaned up we headed back to the hotel with the people from the San Angelo group. Some of us then went to a Festa Junina put on the the Brazilian military here in Itu. They host this party every year and it is said to be one of the best in Itu. This is the fourth year I have been here during Festa Junina season and this was the first time I ever went to this Festa Junina. It was a long night and a bit adventurous to say the least. This picture was taken while we were there. I absolutely love it!

Jessica, me and Katie eating BIG pastel! Yummy!

It has been a busy week. Please keep us in your prayers as we enter into our sixth and final week here working in Itu.

Acampamento da Vitória, Camp Victory

Two years ago I went to my very first bilingual camp here in Brazil. It was put on cooperatively by a group of Americans from the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas and a group of Brazilians from the Church of Christ here in Itu. Last summer while I was here in Itu I got to go to another bilingual camp again put on by people from Abilene and from Brazil. Both of those years I acted as a leader and translator for my small group. This summer a group from San Angelo, Texas came to Itu to help put on the bilingual camp. Lucas and Katie and I were not able to participate in the entire camp but we chose to spend our days off from reading sessions out at camp. We went out with the group Sunday afternoon after morning worship and stayed until bright and early Wednesday morning. Anyone who has ever participated in any kind of summer camp knows that every year is different. This year was no exception. This years camp was especially different from previous years because it was put on by a completely different group of people. Lucas and Katie and I all really enjoyed camp a lot. Katie emphasized to me that it was so nice to get away from Itu and our regular daily schedules to a place with such beautiful surroundings where we were doing something completely different for a change. Lucas shared with me that he loved the fact that while we were at camp he felt as if we weren't separated by nationalities or language barriers and that everyone seemed to be on an even playing field.

Two of my LST readers, Camila and Ana Carolina, came to camp. They brought their friend Ana Carolina with them... And no that is not a mistake, they both have the exact same name. One of my favorite things about the bilingual camp here in Brazil is that it is so evangelistic. It is great to see Christians and non-christians coming together and learning about and experiencing God's love for them. This year was no exception and I was especially thankful that Camila and both Ana Carolina's were able to be a part of it. Camp has opened up entirely new areas of conversation between Camila, Ana Carolina and myself.

I'm a firm believer that pictures speak louder than words so I'm going to share with you some of my favorites from our short time at camp.

Ivan and Marusia getting ready to serve supper.

Jessica, Jandira, me (Go Riders), Soraya, Mel,
Iara, Marusia and Bruna.

Watching the soccer game.

Paul translating for Kevin.

Me, Jessica, Katie and Miriam.

Me and Soraya

Jessica, Soraya,
Rebecca, Katie, Miriam, me and Marusia.

Everyone trying to pop everyone else's balloons without getting their own popped...good times!

An interesting new game that I don't know the name of.

Lucas and Josh finger jousting.

The aftermath of the finger jousting.

Brooke, Katie and Vitinho enjoying some delicious watermelon.

Me and Iara dressed for the Festa Junina

The ladies all dressed up for the Festa Junina.

Me and Antenor

My readers, Ana Carolina and Camila dancing at the Festa Junina night.

Photos don't do justice to the beauty of God's creation. The campground we rent from the Presbyterian church is simply breathtaking!

Week Four And Our Canada Day Celebration

Once again it has been too long since I have posted a blog. This is again a catch up blog. This last week was a busy one as always, filled with lots of reading sessions and preparation for Saturday's party.

Here I am with my reader Karla. She is a very sweet girl and I love spending time with her! She studies here in Itu but her family lives about 1 and a half hours away.


Lucas in a reading session with Vera.


Katie reading with Adelino.


Here I am with André. André is married and has a son. He works a lot but I am so happy that he makes coming to our reading sessions a priority. André has many good insights into the biblical texts that we are reading together. I enjoy our sessions together very much!

Saturday was June 30th and so we decided to have an early Canada Day celebration. During this Saturday's party we had lots of Canadian trivia with prizes for those who got the most correct. We did face painting and gave out rub on tattoos. We shared a yummy cake and ended the evening with the Canadian anthem and some fireworks in the street. We'll just say that we only set off one of the fireworks because it was traffic stopping to say the least. :)

Katie, Lucas and Myself before the festivities began.

I ordered this cake to be a white cake with strawberry filling and to be iced in white. Then I picked it up and transformed it into a Canadian flag using fresh, chopped up strawberries. It wasn't my original plan but I had to improvise and I guess it turned out all right in the end.

Katie and her stylish rub on tats.

Getting some hints for the Canadian trivia games.

Katie and Jessica looking oh so cute!

Bruno and myself.

Canada Day fun.

After the fireworks were given up on we played with red and silver sparklers.