"If you don't have a dog, hunt with a cat." - Brazilian proverb

Today is the only day here where I don't have teaching or preaching. Joe & Michelle took me sightseeing around Recife and up the hill to a town called Olinda with pretty stunning views overlooking Recife. Saw lots of cool stuff, went in the shops of some local venders, and had Bode Guisado at Bode do Nô for lunch. That's a restaurant down on the waterfront that specializes in goat meat. Bode Guisado is goat meat, bone in, served in a sauce that's put over rice.   Excellent!! Tasty and incredibly tender, which is a trick with goat meat because there's so little fat. Best goat dish I've had.

Tomorrow I teach all day, from 8 a.m. until about 5 p.m., though if I finish my material we may end early. And when I say 8 a.m. it really means close to 8:30 because this is Brazil. They start with one song to get things rolling and give late people an opportunity to arrive. Because some of them are coming from work and/or taking a series of busses through incredibly crowded traffic they may not arrive until about 45 minutes after the "appointed" hour. No problem! They've made a remarkable effort to be there.

These people sing well, all of them. Men don't sing like this in the States. I guess it isn't cool. But they sure sing here! I love listening to them. 

There are still a couple of people left to arrive when I took this pic but it gives you an idea. If you can't see the smiles, click and then zoom if necessary. What teacher wouldn't want this for a view?!
And they're pretty much like this all the time unless they're scribbling away in their notebook.
When I look at this pic I see the people behind the faces. It wouldn't mean anything to you, but if I could I'd tell you about each of them. I've tried to make a point of interacting with each before, after, or during breaks, using Joe or Michelle to translate. Good, sweet people who are fun to be with and rewarding to teach.

Sunday is the Boa Viagem church's 46th anniversary.
(That's the church that meets in this space, though only about 60% of these people are from "here." The rest are from the churches in Ibura and Dos Carneiros.)
I'll preach from Joshua 3-5 about Israel crossing the Jordan, setting up a memorial, and then preparing to conquer the Promised Land.

Back to food. If you come to Brazil you should have picanah, AKA "termite beef." You know that hump on the back of Brahman cows? That's where picanah comes from. It's not super tender but it's delicious.

Three more sleeps. My flight from Recife to Panama City, Panama leaves at 9:30 p.m. Monday. I arrive there at 7 a.m. and leave for LAX at 8 a.m. so I'll have to hustle to my next gate. I have a three hour layover at LAX (time to get through customs) and arrive in Portland at 6 p.m. Pam will meet me for the 2-hour drive home with a stop for supper along the way. Yeah, a long trip but I'll be happy to make it because it takes me back to mi espousa and Baker Rd.