You can run but you can't hide (from Google)!

Here we are in Sousa, a small city in Brazil that is 6 hours by car from the state capital and what did we see? A Google Street View car, roaming the cobblestone streets, snapping pictures of everyone and everything. These pictures will soon appear on Google Maps and Google Earth.

We saw the car a couple of days previously in Cajazeiras - an even smaller city in the state of Paraiba. If they are here, they are everywhere in the world. Amazing!

We spoke with the driver and the technician and learned some interesting facts. The tower on top of the car has 15 cameras that take pictures automatically as they go down the road. The cameras fire automatically and the number of pictures they take depends on the speed of the car. The car is loaded with technology: multiple computers, ultra-precise GPS and massive data storage. They told us the pictures will appear on Google Maps in about 2 months. There are 2 cars like this in this remote northeastern part of the country.

If you see one of these passing your place - SMILE!

Ouch! Sousa Bites Carol!

We enjoy taking an early morning walk every day through the streets and neighborhoods of Sousa. We often end up at a great bakery where we pick up some freshly baked bread, cheese and ham that we use for quick lunches - and to feed the missionaries.


On the 5th of January we took a different route for a change as we didn't need a bakery stop that day. As we passed a derelict old house behind decaying walls and gates we heard barking and growling dogs. As we walked past the broken gate, 4 or 5 dogs burst through the gate onto the sidewalk. One particularly mean dog bit Carol on both legs. Fortunately she was wearing fairly heavy pants and socks so only one tooth made it through to the skin, leaving a small puncture wound.

Carol didn't think she had been bitten at all, but when we got home we could see the wound. After conferring with the church physician in São Paulo he said that it would be necessary for Carol to go through a course of rabies vaccinations. So we were off to the hospital to get the treatment. 

After waiting in the emergency room for an hour and a half Carol was seen by a young doctor who said he didn't think she needed the vaccinations and sent us to a nurse to have the wound cleaned and disinfected. I spoke with the senior nurse there and told her our doctor insisted Carol receive the vaccinations. The nurse concurred, countermanded the doctor's orders and Carol got the first of 5 injections she will receive over a period of 4 weeks. The modern injections are very simple and not painful at all, unlike the stories we have heard about the early treatments to prevent rabies.


We returned to the house later that day and found the person that lives there. She is very old - pushing 80 - and has lived there all of her life. She has no family at all and the house is in a state of extreme disrepair. It actually looks abandoned. She assured us that the dogs are not sick, and we don't believe they are. We have learned that this isn't the first person that the dogs have attacked, so we're going to talk to the appropriate authorities next week to see what can be done to prevent further bites to passers by.

We went back later - and let the sleeping dogs lie!

We feel blessed that the incident was not more serious and that modern, effective treatment is available here to assure there won't be complications.

And we'll stay away from that house on future walks, for sure!

Carol at the hospital - all is well!

Christmas in Sousa - Part 2

Christmas in Sousa for us started on January 23 and January 24 with parties at the church for the Sousa Branch and then the Estação Branch.

We began the evening on the 24th by going to the outskirts of town to pick up several members for the party. We had to figure out how to get a dozen people (plus a lot of food for the party) into our minivan that is designed to hold 7. We designated several of the youth as 'baggage' and stuffed them into the back for the 15 minute ride to the chapel. On the way, we taught them to sing Jingle Bells in English. By the time we got to the chapel they were doing a pretty good job. There certainly was no lack of enthusiasm!

We had been recruited to be Papai and Mamãe Noel at the party. We had a several people, old and young, who wanted to take a picture behind us or on our laps. Everyone had a great time at the party that included a dinner and music for dancing.

 

Sisters Bee and Haygood

When I asked one young girl who is about 7 years old what she wanted for Christmas she responded, "I won't be getting anything for Christmas." I asked, "What is the most wonderful gift of all at Christmastime?" She answered, "Love!" I then asked, "What is the source of love?" She wisely answered, "Jesus." 

I then said, "The greatest Christmas gift of all is from our Heavenly Father who loved us so much He sent His Son, Jesus Christ so we could feel His love." Her response: "Yes, that is the greatest gift of all and it is for all of us. We all get the same love from Jesus." It was a wonderful insight from a girl whose family can't buy gifts, but reflects the love of the Savior which is more precious than any material gift they could give.

  

On Christmas day we were invited to lunch with the missionaries at member's home where we enjoyed their love and a delicious meal. In the afternoon and evening we hosted the missionaries from Sousa at our apartment. They used our computers to Skype their families at home and then we enjoyed a great dinner prepared by Sister Petrie. It was atypical Sunday meal we would have at home and the missionaries loved a dinner that didn't include rice and beans.

We were able to Skype all of our family as well. It was a thrill to see and visit with all our children and grandchildren on this most special day!

Elders Walton and Jay, Sisters Bee and Haygood

Dinosaurs in Sousa!

Sousa's claim to fame is an attraction just north of town called "Vale dos Dinossauros" where footprints of dinosaurs were preserved in stone. The valley was declared a state monument and has a small visitors' center and pathways to observation points where you can clearly see the dinosaur tracks. There are dinosaur replicas throughout the park and in the visitors' center.

Sousa is proud of this unique monument. There are references to dinosaurs all over the city. There are dinosaur bakeries, auto shops, stationary stores, candy stores and every other kind of business you can imagine. There are also dinosaur statues in parks and dinosaur paintings on the sides of buildings.

All of the missionaries in town - 2 Elders, 2 Sisters and the Petrie's decided to visit the park on a
P-day. It was fun and educational. It was great fun for us to watch the missionaries react to the things we saw there.

At the Visitors' Center

Sisters Heygood & Bee, and Elders Walton & David

Sharing a refreshing drink of coconut water

Elder Walton sleeping with the dinosaur

Missionaries with our grizzled guide

Tracks! Who was here?

Sisters exploring the tracks.

Our Guide feeding the small monkeys.

Careful - they bite!

Lunch after the adventure.

Since this is Sousa's main attraction, it will probably be our most adventurous P-Day. The normal P-Day is a morning of cleaning, washing, shopping and e-mail.

Christmas in Sousa

The celebration of Christmas will certainly be different for us this year. Here the trees (all artificial) are small, the decorations are few and the focus is on a dinner Christmas Eve, not on opening presents on Christmas day. There will be an activity at the church Christmas Eve where Steve will be Papai Noel, we've been invited to lunch by a family Christmas day and we'll have the 4 missionaries in Sousa over for dinner Christmas evening. Of course we miss our children and grandchildren especially at this time of year. And we miss our dear friends a neighbors as well.

Our Sousa Christmas Tree - decorated with photos of all the family.

The meaning of Christmas hasn't changed, however, in spite of the difference in cultures and being thousands of miles from home.

Christ is the focus of Christmas.

The Christmas Tree reminds us that Christ is the Tree of Life; the gifts remind us of the greatest gift of all - the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. The lights on the tree help us remember that He is the Light and Life of the world.

His Atonement is infinite - it blesses every person who ever lived or will live. He overcame death - we will all live again as resurrected beings, never to die again. He opened the door for us to return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father by suffering for our sins and offering all mankind the opportunity to repent and obey His commandments and receive the ordinances of exhalation.

His Love is infinite - it touches every person unconditionally. His love is the source of all love which blesses our relationships with our families, our friends and all mankind.

At this Christmastime we express our profound gratitude for all our blessings - for each other, for our family, for our friends, for the people we serve in Brazil and the privilege of serving them, and for our loving Heavenly Father and His divine Son, our Savior and Redeemer.

Here is a video we want to share:

Away in a Manger

Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas!

Steve and Carol Petrie

Seting up housekeeping in Sousa

Since having a car is essential for us to complete our assignment and the paperwork to get a car isn’t complete yet, Sister Hall graciously loaned us her car to return to Sousa to find a place to live and go to work.

We left for Sousa the morning of November 17th. It took us a little more than six hours to make the trip that President Hall drove in a little less than five. I haven’t developed the aggressive driving style yet that is required to make good time on the road in Brazil.

We booked a room in the hotel, but only had 2 days to find a place to live and move in as every hotel room in town was booked beginning Sunday. The Zone Leaders in Sousa, Elder Walton and Elder David had been looking for a house or apartment for us. No houses were available, but they had 3 apartments for us to see. The first 2 didn’t work out, but the third was acceptable: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths (shower, sink and toilet ) a nice sized living-dining area and the largest kitchen of the 3 places. The kitchen is very small, but larger than most. The apartment was just bare walls – no furnishings at all: no closets, no shelves – just bare walls and tile floors. It’s on the third floor of the building – no elevator. We’ll get good exercise walking the stairs.

Since we were going to have to leave the hotel, we went on a mad shopping spree to make the apartment habitable. The Elders were angels, taking us to stores they had scoped out. In 2 days we bought a bed, a stand-alone closet, chairs, refrigerator, stove (with bottled gas to make it work), kitchen armoire, cupboards, table, bottled water dispenser, 2 air-conditioning units, a clothes washer and a host of miscellaneous items. We contracted for Internet service, for power and for people to install the air conditioning, electricity and plumbing for the clothes washer. We’re in. A different lifestyle for sure, but we’re in.  

Kitchen - fridge, water cooler, cabinets & clothes washer

The only hot water in the apartment - a 220 volt electric shower head!

We’re comfortable here and grateful for the apartment. One surprise – we rented the apartment in the evening when it was dark. In the daylight we discovered it is next to a drainage canal with 18 inches of water and lots of garbage whose unpleasant odors only make it to the third floor occasionally. We also have unexpected visitors – small frogs about the size of a half-dollar (remember half-dollars?) that climb walls and show up at night in the kitchen or bathroom. We seem to get one or two a week. We named the first one Freddy, but now just remove them from the apartment.

View from our 3rd Floor Balcony - Drainage Canal - not exactly riverfront property!

Unexpected visitor!

  The best thing about being in Brazil are the people. They are wonderful. They are open, generous and very friendly. People we have met in the stores are anxious to help and anxious to please. The members of the church are fabulous. They are devoted and work hard in their church callings. They walk long distances to church – no one has a car, a very few have motorcycles – and serve one another. We’re privileged to be serving with them.

Back to João Pessoa - training & paperwork

We spent three days in João Pessoa and one day in Natal with President and Sister Hall in a training meeting with the missionaries in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. It was exciting to be with a large group of dedicated missionaries and see their enthusiasm and devotion to the work. In João Pessoa we received excellent training from the Assistants to the President and other office staff. We also received orientation from Sister Hall, which was very helpful.

With Elder Dellrie from Gilbert - an Assistant to President Hall

Elders Kawai and Dellrie - Assistants

Elders O'Very and Ribeiro - Exec Secretary and Financial Secretary

With President & Sister Hall

 We had to go to the Federal Police offices to validate our visas, get fingerprinted and receive official identification papers. Then there was another trip to a federal office to get a CPF card which is roughly the equivalent of a social security card. You can’t buy anything of significance in Brazil without this card. Those two tasks took a full day. Government operations here make our government offices look like a well-oiled machine. We also made a stop at the largest store in João Pessoa which is like a Wal-Mart, except the price for everything in Brazil is 2 to 3 times the price in the US. A rude awakening, for sure.