"Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." Saint Francis of Assisi

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Last Days

Yesterday was the kids' last day of school before we travel to the states.

Giovanni came home with a picture of him and his classmates and all the work for his school year.

He was blessed to have Janete (on the left) and Talita as his teachers.

Anderson had Janete as his first teacher 4 years ago and we love her.

Anderson had a great day as well as he came home with a book of pictures that his classmates had drawn just for him.

His teacher, Vanessa, gave him her email and asked for him to get in touch with her frequently, while on our trip, so she could tell the class what he was doing.

Here he is with Vanessa, some of his buds and the book they made just for him.

He also took a picture with his teacher from last year, Fernanda.

We had to wait for 10 minutes before we could leave because everyone had to give him one last hug.
On our walk home he said, "Dad, I can't wait to get back home in January. Imagine the kinds of hugs I'm going to get when I get back."

Carys' class had a going away party for her last night. Her whole class was invited to go to one of her closest friends house to tell her bye. She spent the night with her friend. I'm sure they stayed up most of the night.

Garrett came home from school and, with a smile on his face, said, "I've never been hugged so much in my life."

One of the things we love about Brasil is the affectionate way the teachers teach. They hug and kiss each student as they enter school each day and as they leave.

Yesterday Janete and Vanessa thanked us for the opportunity to be the teachers of our kids. This came from their hearts and they say it to every parent at the end of the school year and they really mean it. It's not just words, they teach and love on kids in a way we've never seen in the states (and my girlfriend was a school teacher for 10 years). It's a very cool thing to see.

After thanking us for being able to teach our kids, Janete, Talita, Vanessa and Fernanda all hugged and kissed us as well. It's how we greet people and say goodbye. My girlfriend and I were talking later about how just our normal greeting is something we really love about raising our kids in Brasil.

We are so blessed to have such good schools and good teachers.

Yesterday Ansley got a Typhoid Fever shot to get ready to go to Ecuador. She's been getting lots of shots lately to prepare for her mission trip.

My girlfriend and I spent a few hours on the streets (business meeting, canceling certain bills, telling people bye, grocery store, etc). We have more to do on the streets today and then we begin the fun chore of packing. We always laugh when people ask us days in advance if we are packed. That's not us.

Yesterday was a tough day to say goodbye to everybody but the great way everyone loved on our kids made it easier for us and for them to be ready to get on the plane tomorrow.

My girlfriend and I have had phone calls from friends telling us they want to come by our house to give us a hug before we leave.

Saying goodbye to your home for 3 months is tough but I guess Anderson's words are for all of us. "Imagine the kinds of hugs we are going to get when we get back."

We are blessed to have our family on 2 continents.

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