In Let’s All Be Brave, Annie F. Downs writes: “‘Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones’ (Proverbs 16:24). And to say gracious words is brave. To speak life into someone else takes courage. Whether you are correcting in love, standing up for the voiceless, Read more…
For the majority of this week, I have felt like a bubble waiting to burst. It all started Monday when we left A Casa do Jardim. The children we worked with, two in particular, pulled at my heartstrings and have stuck with me ever since. Their names were Maria and Read more…
My dog loved chasing squirrels. When I was younger, going on “walks” with my dog always meant being pulled by his leash as he darted toward squirrel after squirrel. I wish I could’ve told those panicked squirrels a secret: If he ever caught one of them, he wouldn’t know what Read more…
Jared, Haven, and I were discussing the presentation we will be giving regarding religion in Brazil. An observation that was raised was that the Brazilian’s are much more open with their bodies and physical affection then American’s. Now, this is the culture in Brazil. It is what people expect and Read more…
When we landed in Brazil, I had no idea of the opportunities God was going to provide for me. I didn’t think that I would be able to have any interaction with the forensic science system in Brazil, mostly because Dr. Kovach and I decided that a ride along in Read more…
After the past two days, my feet have been aching terribly. And yet, every moment filled with music and dance was completely worth the pain. At the beginning of our trip, I had set out on a small mission to find Brazil’s best, most iconic music. I have now realized Read more…
Calves already sore from our two-hour Brazilian dance class the previous day, I spent the last few minutes before our Capoeira workshop stretching with my classmates. I knew very little about Capoeira going into the workshop and had no idea what to expect from the next three hours, but I Read more…
Walking around Ibirapuera park on Saturday reminded me of how much I love watching people who are excellent at what they do. There was this skate boarder who was amazing. I don’t love skate boarding in general, but because he cared enough about skate boarding to excel at it, he Read more…
Today marks the halfway point of our trip. Back home I thought that at this point I would be tired, maybe a little cranky, and possibly ill. I hate to admit that I was a little skeptical about my first trip abroad. After being here for a little over a Read more…
Today marks exactly halfway through our journey, and the time has flown by! Almost everything here in Brazil is even better than I expected. However, I correctly anticipated a certain struggle, and man, is it tough. The label “Type A” practically defines who I am as a person. I have Read more…