August 1, 2015

August 18 will be 1 year on the mission!  It's going way too fast!

Sister Romrell with Lucinete Rodrigues

Youth activity in the Praca da Juventude

A group of youth in the Sorriso branch

Brilliant flowers at the side of the road on the way to Feliz Natal

Milho (corn) ready for harvest

Mato and road beside corn field

Close-up of the dry ears of corn, ready for harvest

Group of English students, part of Exploring Idiomas English School in Feliz Natal

Delicious food served at Brother Crispin's home

Fun parakeets in Feliz Natal

More English Students in Feliz Natal

Beautiful sunset, returning from Feliz Natal

Poinsettia tree in Sao Paulo

Good friends Eduardo and Ana Maria at favorite pizzeria in Sao Paulo

Good friend, Rondena, in Sao Paulo, just before a wonderful dinner served by Regina and Ana Maria, including a great heart of palm soup, salad, and bread.

Flowers at the side of the Sao Paulo temple

With the Harris's and Wheelers at a Chinese restaurant in Liberdade, a suburb of Sao Paulo

Young Brazilian at Sinop airport, returning from Mexico where he was an exchange student

Church buddies at Sorriso branch.

Futesol girls game.  Four members of the Sorriso team are attending our branch.  

Volkswagen Gol I am using while our Corolla is in the body shop for repairs

Sisters Clarisse, Teresa, Lucinette, Romrell, Shirlei, Dircelia, and Grasielle in the Sorriso Branch

Saying good-bye to Elder Havila of Curitiba.

Elders and Sisters at impromptu almoco in our home on Pioneer Day, July 24

Festa Juninha in Ponta Pora, next door to Paraguay

My make-shift stand-up work-station.  (I hate sitting for long periods)

Young women participating in a Gaucho culture competition in Sorriso.  

Man at above referenced event wearing a University of Utah shirt he purchased in Sao Paulo.  He had no idea about its significance for us.

Same event

These green oranges make excellent orange juice.

Sister Caline arriving with her two young sons for Church.

Wonderful gift to Lou Ellen from our good friend, Jessica.

We are having this same painting painted for us by the artist, Vera Aguyer

Ralf Heder, a great German friend at the Acadamia (fitness center).

Parrot at Crispin's home

Festa Juninha in Ponta Pora ward.

WE LOVE THE SORRISO DISTRICT

The land of year round flowers

Francivaldo and Grasiele

All decorated for the 4th of July, courtesy of a package from Evan and Emily

Pretty house in Cuiaba

Two elders from Maranhão

With Elder Andereson from St. George

Opening our Mother's and Father's Day package from Evan and Emily.

Cotton crop growing reside Sinop airport

Jantando na casa de Crispin

Flowering tree in Cuiaba

Youth acitivity in Praca da Juventude

Crispin's house

Another flowering bush in Sorriso

Sisters and young women

In the home of an artist.

In front of Sinop chape

Eating Acai on Brazilian Valentine's Day, June 12 (dia dos namorados)

We drive into this driveway to turn around and were greeted by non-barking dogs just staring at us.  This is an unusual occurance.  Usually dogs would be barking at us.

Below:  Festa Junina at the branch.  Festa Junina (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfɛstɐ ʒuˈnĩnɐ], June Festival), also known as festa de São João for their part in celebrating the nativity of St. John the Baptist, are the annual Brazilian celebrations historically related to European Midsummer that take place in the beginning of the Brazilian winter. These festivities, which were introduced by the Portuguese during the colonial period (1500-1822), are celebrated during the month of June nationwide both in Brazil and Portugal. The feast is mainly celebrated on the eves of the Catholic solemnities of Saint Anthony, Saint John the Baptist, and Saint Peter.

As Northeastern Brazil is largely arid or semi-arid these popular festivals not only coincide with the end of the rainy seasons of most states in He northeast but they also provide the people with an opportunity to give thanks to Saint John for the rain. They also celebrate rural life and feature typical clothing, food, dance (particularly quadrilha, which is similar to square dancing). Like Midsummer and Saint John's Day in Portugal and Scandinavian countries, São João celebrates marital union. The "quadrilha" features couple formations around a mock wedding whose bride and groom are the central attraction of the dancing.

An arraial in Rio Branco, Acre

The celebrations usually take place in an arraial, a huge tent made of raw material (with a thatched roof) that was reserved for special parties in old rural areas. Men dress up as farm boys with large straw hats and women wear pigtails, freckles, painted gap teeth and red-checkered dresses, all in a loving tribute to the origins of Brazilian country music, and of themselves, some of whom are recent immigrants from the countryside to cities such as Olinda, Recife, Maceió and Salvador, and some of whom return to the rural areas during that season to visit family. However, nowadays, São João festivities are extremely popular in all urban areas and among all social classes. In the Northeast, they are as popular as Carnival. Like during Carnival, these festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like the original European Midsummer celebrations, during the two-week June festivities in Brazil, bonfires are lit. They can be seen everywhere in northeastern cities. Two northeastern towns in particular have competed with each other for the title of "Biggest São João Festival in the World", namely Caruaru (in the state of Pernambuco), and Campina Grande,in Paraíba state. In fact, Caruaru features in the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the biggest outdoor country festival.