by Lauren Rutherford

In spite of a few storms and bumpy flights in and out of Houston, our overall travel was the smoothest in years. God certainly was with us and we had absolutely no trouble entering the country.

Once we arrived, we were taken to our pousada, a bed and breakfast, where we will stay for the week. Eric Papp and his fiancé, Suzana, took us to Sugar Loaf, a large mountain in the sea. We rode the cable car to the top to see some views of the city. It was rainy and cloudy, but when the clouds parted we could see the Cristo de Redentor statue a few hills away.

We spent a lot of time in the bus, and the bus driver spoke limited English. Jessica, who has been learning Portuguese, sat up front with Josh, who speaks a little Spanish. Using her Portuguese, Jessica could communicate with our driver. She would translate for Josh, who would try out his Spanish skills. We're all very appreciative of our Portuguese-speaking friends on this trip.

After dinner, we attended a service at Redentor (redeemer) church, a Portuguese-speaking Restore Brasil church plant. It's about to celebrate two years. The sermon was about having identity in Christ. It's encouraging to remember that even though we don't speak Portuguese and aren't from Brasil, we are united as believers in Christ.

Read about Day 2 here.