Community Garden Underway!

Yayyy! The garden is coming along quite nicely! My big project I choose for this internship was creating a community garden. It is located behind the church on land that is not currently being used. The idea is to involve both church members and the community, giving half of the garden plots to people in our church and the rest to people in the surrounding community. I am hoping to use the garden as a way to connect to others outside the church. I am sooo pumped!

A friend of ours, Region, is helping me construct it, lots of work. Today we leveled out the area we had staked out. I have not worked that hard since last summer. Region can't speak English and I can't speak Portuguese. haha fun times. Anyway so he was worried and I told him not to worry since last summer at my internship with Brickman, landscaping company, I was doing the same work and with a bunch of guys who could only speak spanish. I'm a pro by now. It has been very cool working with him so far. Also he picks me up and we go everywhere on his motorcycle. Love it!!

We are starting off with ten plots and then will expand later if it goes well. I am funding the project which means you are funding it too!! People are excited about it and very willing to help out however. We had a guy level out big piles of dirt for us and then donate the frame for the plots. Oh so that is neat. The frames for the plots are made out of the adobe tiles! I am working with a great team. Region who is incredibly crafty, and Denise is a agronomy major and as owned a plant shop in the past. She has lots of experience with plants of the area and organic gardening. She said I will have lettuce by the time I leave, we shall see!

Regional Retreat

The retreat the youth are planning are for youth in the surrounding area. So proud of them! All of them have been working so hard at planning it all out. They have decided it will be a weekend deal in Itu. Host families will keep the kids at their houses and get them to the daily activities. The theme is relationships with others and God. Besides lessons and break out discussion groups there will be a afternoon of community service. Also they have a huge scavenger hunt planned as well. A few of the guys have volunteered to help teach the lessons and preach on Sunday morning, BIG STUFF!! Debora, my beloved Lar friend is in charge of the schedule and contacting people. Each one of them has really taken it upon themselves to make this event great, so many meetings they have had to discuss everything. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Staying in igloos by the beach, what?!

Our youth group has been blowing me away with all that they have been doing! Our hopes for the group were that they would get to the point of pouring into others instead of just being on the receiving end. They have definitely taken on the challenge and are loving it! Here are some events that have been happening...

Mission Trip to Praia Grande: Goal to reach out to new youth group there and encourage them. Mark, Ali, Carol and I planned the trip but got suggestions from our youth. Youth group did multiple fundraisers to help pay for the trip and the activities that would take place there. Some of these fundraisers were... Japanese dinner at church, selling pizzas in the community and making/selling necklaces at the local hippie fair. It was neat watching them design and make the necklaces, each had their own special touch.

We loaded up the cars and a kombi (vw van) and took off. It was near Sao Paulo and a beach town! Once we got there we found out the kids were a lot younger than ours. We all adjusted our lessons and gave our kids some pep talks reminding them that they were once at this stage. Our youth responded wonderfully and bonded with the other youth group. A few bumps throughout the trip but great first step. I really liked watching our kids speak up during discussion groups and sharing all that they had learned so far.

Beach was beautiful and our kids grew even closer to each other! We all had a lot of fun in the waves and just hanging out on the beach. Good bonding time! Two new kids in our youth group found their spot in the group, so happy to see the group coming together and forming deeper relationships. At the end our kids left with the confidence to plan a retreat all on their own!