One of the shocks that we had when beginning our mission here in Recife was the traffic. We decided to take some pictures to show some of the 'now laughable' sights on the main thoroughfares we drive through. We didn't stay long behind this tiny pickup load of mattresses. We were wondering if he had a large family with many beds, or a business he was supplying (probably the latter).
Another frequent sight are hand-pulled carts which travel the side roads, main highways and all. We still haven't figured out their purpose. They look like they are loaded with garbage, recyclable stuff, or personal belongings? We Americans from the U.S. just shake our heads and wonder at the patience of all the cars who just slow down, pull into the other lane and go around them. The picture above was taken just a couple of blocks from our apartment. You can see the ocean in the distance between the buildings. Also, the tall white building on the right is the Internacional Hotel, right on the beach, that we told Nathan and Heather about where they might stay at Christmastime. Can't wait till Christmas!
We took this picture today on our way home from our temple shift. Yes, believe it or not, those are horse drawn carts, on a busy main road a couple of blocks from the temple. And yes, everyone just slows down, goes around and thinks nothing of it.
We spent an afternoon at the President's home training the novinhos that arrived in the mission last Tuesday. These pictures were taken there by the mission Exec. Secretary who recently acquired a wonderful new camera. President Emerick's lovely apartment is on the 7th floor just a few blocks from the temple. The 2 pictures above were taken from their windows and balcony. If you look closely in the picture above, you can see the white Recife temple on the right edge in the middle.
These are the novinhos (new arrivals). Can you tell which ones are new? The Emericks, us, and on the ends of the front row are the two assistants who helped with the training, Elder Smith and Elder Jarom. There were only 3 elders who came this time from the states. The rest are all Brasilian. We explained the importance of keeping their apartments clean. They look like a sharp group. Ready to start working!
Inspiring sight! In a world full of darkness, doubt, and confusion, the temple is a symbol of light and truth. Saturdays are a highlight to our week when we get to serve there. And yes, we're learning it in Portuguese!
With God, anything is possible.
