First World Problems

We know we are very blessed and have lived in countries that are all very well off both in terms of finances, but also technology and modernization. Brazil is also a country that is doing quite well for itself. We have been thankful to get to learn more about Curitiba and the country as a whole. It is amazing how massively large this country is!

One of the things we have gotten used to, living in Germany, is hanging out clothes to dry. However, we weren’t necessarily counting on not having a dryer, being in an apartment (so only a narrow and short balcony for outdoors space), much higher humidity levels, and temperatures sometimes only getting into the 50s and 60s Fahrenheit or 15 to 20 Celsius. That combined with seven people and a single drying rack means that clothes are not really every truly dry and they are decorating the entire apartment.

Given that we are so large, a single Uber (the most popular means of transport) simply doesn’t work for our family anymore. But because we only have one phone with a Brazilian SIM, calling two is not quite so easy. Thankfully, living in Europe, we are used to walking a lot – and this is now getting our kids used to that. We were grateful that yesterday the store closest to our house reopened after being closed for renovations. Carrying enough groceries for 7 people on a 15 minute walk with a bunch of kids is a chore indeed…but thankfully we no longer have to worry about gym memberships. Carting around jugs of water is more than sufficient workout. But the kids are pretty good sports about helping out and they are doing pretty well with having to be told no when all the sparkling things in the store catch their eyes.

Today was a national holiday in Brazil – Brazilian Independence day. Not much happened close to us, which is actually good since holidays can sometimes be occasions for political rallies. We were thankful to have a fairly smooth first church service today (with plenty of activity books on hand) and were even blessed to have a long conversation afterwards with a lovely couple who shared about their three grown, married children (one living stateside, another in Italy). They were especially interested in our adoption as one of their grandchildren is also adopted – it is a blessing to connect with people who have some more internal insights into the ups and downs. It was also wonderful to sing familiar hymns translated into Portuguese.

First world problems aside, we continue to be thankful for the way the Lord is working and the time He has blessed us with. We are thankful for all the finances raised that are helping to make this possible and the additional savings we have been able to set aside to make this as memorable as possible. Thank you for your prayers, your generosity, and your care!