I had planned on dedicating a good part of today's news on Lar Betania... more specifically the people here at the retreat center. And as the day has turned out, it is very appropriate to do so. We were looking forward to today as it was sunny (not as warm as Fri) and we could use the playground. Rebekah woke up not feeling any better so after breakfast we called Kevin Boot to see if we could somehow get an antibiotic prescription. He gave us a suggestion. Just as we were about to walk to the Pharmacy we stopped at the front desk to ask Flavia (she knows quite a bit of English) how to say the antibiotic in Portuguese. She suggested that she go with us to help translate... in fact she said it would be easier if she just drove Rebekah there and I could stay with the kids at the playground. They were back shortly and Rebekah had gotten Zithremax (spelling), the stuff you take for 5 days. So we hoped that would take care of it for Rebekah... even though she may not feel much better till tomorrow. During the kids rest time, Rebekah had a great English lesson with the children. We can really see things starting to click in their minds. The day went well and about mid-afternoon I asked Robert (Berto) for directions to Wal Mart as we were running low on diapers and a few other things. He said if we could wait till 5:00 he would drive us as it is 6 kilometers away (about 4 miles each way). So he took us and I believe that was the first time the children had been in a Wal Mart. Rebekah still hadn't felt much better. She is completely congested and can't breath thru her nose, ears plugged... you may know the feeling. When we got back from the store it was about time for dinner. Rebekah just wanted to lay down so I took the kids. Then it hit... the 1 or 2 steps back after taking 2 steps forward during their rest time. They had been wound up a bit since Wal Mart but now it really hit. There was a large group of people waiting for dinner and the kids were yelling and running down the hall to the dining room. I stopped them enough to ask them to wash their hands. However the girls thought it would be great to wash their hands in the boys bathroom. I stopped them before they got in. We were starting to create a commotion so I marched them back up stairs. Rebekah got up as I was trying to explain to them to be quiet and calm... no running or yelling. Just then someone knocked at the door. It was the lady who I believe is in charge of the kitchen and dining room. She doesn't speak English but I used the Portuguese/English dictionary to explain. I think she saw us outside the dining room. (They had asked us to eat before the others as there is such a large group here.) She must have seen us leave to go back upstairs thinking we couldn't eat then. Anyway she understood and explained to the kids to be quiet and calm. She also could see Rebekah wasn't feeling well. (For lunch she made some special tea for Rebekah). She helped me march the kids to the table and stayed close by while we ate. Rebekah joined us briefly but went back to the room to lay down. The lady went up to check on her and came back and motioned that Rebekah was laying down. She then went and got a girl, Sue Ellen (about 17 to 19 years old) to help at the table. When the kids were finished she took them and kept them occupied while I went to check on Rebekah. Then the lady came in with steaming water and Vicks vapor rub and towels. After I got Rebekah settled I went and got the 2 boys and got their showers. Then Sue Ellen came up and gave the girls their showers and got them dressed for bed. Now this is just one day... not that we have needed that much help in a day since we have been here but you get the idea. The cooks look out for us when there is no dinner planned... they take food up to a kitchenette on our floor, the ladies in housekeeping do different things to make the rooms nice, the office people give the kids treats.. in fact the kids make their rounds. They know where to go to get stuff they want. The ladies in laundry will put in our next load if the washer finishes and we aren't there to start the next load....etc....etc. We have been so blessed by the wonderful people here. I tell them I hope we are not a burden to them. They tell us that they want to bless us for what we are doing for the children. I do know that they do not make any profit from our staying here so it truly is a ministry outreach for them. I will be glad to be home but I will miss the dear Christian brothers and sisters here. When we all get to heaven it will be great to rejoice and praise God together with them. If they knew I was writing a blog about them, they would probably be embarrassed and say they are not doing that much. I know differently and so does God. God Bless them and you. Please pray for Rebekah. The pictures are of Lar Bentania. I will add more in the coming days.
Dave