Thursday, October 25, 2007

Brazil came to Village Drive

Our neighbors, Matt and Jill, are hosting a foreign exchange student this school year from Brazil. We have come to know Guilherme a little because everyday Karla picks up the neighborhood boys after school. During these short trips from the school to our home, Karla has learned that Guilherme is a typical teenage boy. He likes basketball and girls. Not always in that order. She also learned that Guilherme is a little homesick. He misses his family and friends, he misses speaking in Portuguese and he misses Brazilian cooking.

We Americans just don’t eat like they do in Brazil.

Well, that got Karla thinking. We can’t bring his family and friends to Kansas, but maybe, just maybe we could bring a little Brazil to Village Drive in Olathe. You see, two of the friendliest people I know also happen to be from Brazil. Central members, Maria and Elson Pereira love Jesus, love people and love Brazil (in that order). So we thought, what would happen if Maria and Elson came to our house, cooked a Brazilian dinner, spoke in Portuguese to Guilherme and gave him a little “touch of home”?

Karla was now on a mission: make Guilherme feel at home. She talked to Matt and Jill. She talked to Maria and Elson. She worked on finding a day when we could all get together. She asked Guilherme what dish he missed the most. He said, “feijoada.” (Pronounced: faj-wa-da). Unless you are a connoisseur of Brazilian cuisine you may not know that feijoada’s main ingredient is pig snout, pig ear or pig feet. Gulp! I’ll be honest; this bit of information did not cause my sensitive American tummy to jump forth with anticipation and joy on our upcoming cross-cultural experience. Mercifully, Maria assured me that she could make the meal without the nose, foot or ear of Miss Piggy. (Kermit the Frog and I thanked Maria.)

Last night was the big “Bring Brazil to Village Drive” night. Everyone gathered at our house. Maria made enough feijoada to feed the entire nations of Brazil, Argentina and Chile. She also brought collard greens, rice and sliced oranges. Karla made a tasty desert. The feijoada was really good. (It won’t replace cabbage rolls on my favorite dish list, but I learned that if the Lord put out a call for missionaries to Brazil, like Isaiah I could say, “Here I am, send me.” And my mama could rest easy with the knowledge that her youngest cherub would not starve to death while south of the equator.) The night was full of laughter and eating. Sometimes the conversations were in English, sometimes in Portuguese and at times there was an English-Portuguese hodgepodge where I am not sure if anyone totally understood what was being said. It was a fun night.

As I reflect on our evening I am thankful on many fronts. I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know Matt and Jill and Elson and Maria a little better. Thankful that Guilherme was able to have a good Brazilian night in Kansas (And it will continue too. There may be enough feijoada leftovers to last him until he goes home in June). Thankful for a wife whose middle name is “Hospitality” and who was so creative in reaching out to our neighbors and Guilherme. And thankful to God who I believe smiles big and broad when we break through cultural, language, and any other barriers to share His love over a plate of feijoada and collared greens.

I am so glad that Brazil came to Village Drive last night.

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