News and opinions on current events from “The Land of the Southern Cross”.
Yeah, I know, it’s a couple days late. My excuse is that we were on an island in the middle of the Sobradinho reservoir in Bahia. Internet access was “iffy”. The occasion was the New Years retreat (or Retiro da Virada, in Portuguese). Thanks to my friend Júnior (our camera is operating at a less…
This post is part of an ongoing series which seeks to introduce the readership of this blog to the many fascinating aspects of one of Brazil’s best-kept secrets–the city of São Luís. The city of São Luís has gone all out in their Christmas decorations. While I have been unable to photograph many of the…
Some of you may have heard the report of one of the largest cargo ships in the world in danger of sinking off the coast of Brazil. In reality, this is an unfolding story, and it is happening just a few short kilometers from where we live, in the Baía de São Marcos (St. Mark’s…
This post is part of an ongoing series which seeks to introduce the readership of this blog to the many fascinating aspects of one of Brazil’s best-kept secrets–the city of São Luís. A book fair within walking distance of the beach. Heaven must be something like this. Soon after we arrived I in São Luís…
Historic, because in the history of our association of churches here in Maranhão (roughly 30 years), there has never been an event like it. All of our churches got together and organized an event that was for…all the churches. And it encouraged us greatly that the event was a missionary conference. For the conference we…
Yesterday Pastor Francisco and I returned, safe and sound, from a whirlwind tour of the states of Piaui, Pernambuco, Bahia, and Ceará. The occasion was the annual conference of MAB, the Baptist Auxiliary Mission here in NE Brazil. Pastor Francisco is a MAB missionary, and I am on the advisory board. This year’s conference was…
I came home the other night to find Mikey and his neighborhood friends gathered around the table, busily putting together some Lego creations. I was impressed with the detail and creativeness they demonstrated. Here are some of the finished products: Not sure what’s it’s called, but it’s got Jar Jar Binks, and that’s all that…
Behind our Kerigma congregation stretches a sizable neighborhood called “Coroadinho”. It is known as a hotbed of crime and violence. Within this neighborhood–and within sight of our church–is a hill named after a colorful figure from Coroadinho’s past known as “Ze Bom Bom”. If Coroadinho is a hurricane of crime, Ze Bom Bom hill is…
First, this is a wine ad. Truth in advertisement would dictate that the slogan be “Keep Staggering, Brazil”. Second, I get the irony of the “If you drink, don’t drive” warning at the end which appears with the “Keep Walking” line. Yet, this is an interesting graphic representation of how many Brazilians perceive their country….
This post is part of an ongoing series which seeks to introduce the readership of this blog to the many fascinating aspects of one of Brazil’s best-kept secrets–the city of São Luís. Since 1994 it has been my privilege to watch the Independence Day parades (September 7th, here in Brazil) in many different locations. It’s…