Friday, October 22, 2010

My Host Brother, Manuel


Here's the last of my host family, Manuel. He's on the left. He doesn't go to church, so it's been harder to get a picture of him. Because Manuel doesn't go to church, his sister Teresa calls him a pagan. I think that's hilarious. There is some history on why he doesn't go to church which mama Lidia told me, and which I will not repeat on this stupid blog.

I once had a conversation with him about not going to church. He asked me why I read so much, and I said because maybe it'd help if I want to write a book someday. But I also said I didn't know what the book would be about - maybe God. That's when his mom butt in and yelled that this one never goes to church. I told them I never went to a Christian church until I was 20 and that Jesus basically did nothing special in the Bible until he was 30. And that at 17, Manuel's still technically ahead of the curve.

Your brother,
Stephen

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

My Host Dad


Here's a picture of my host dad Bernardo Movando. He is the pastor of the church that sits in front of the house. Someday, I would like to talk to him about the Bible, but for now I can't speak Portuguese nearly well enough. Although strangely enough, we did have conversations about constellations in the southern hemisphere and American history.

This is him drinking Ricoffy. It's sold as coffee, but don't let the label fool you - it isn't. The family serves Ricoffy to me twice daily, and since I am a guest I feel obliged to finish whatever is given me. Luckily for me, before Moz I never drank more than a drop of coffee. Apparently Ricoffy tastes horrible; I have no basis of comparison. Oh, blessed ignorance!

Your brother,
Stephen

Sunday, October 17, 2010