The Happenings

Things I have realized....

1. That I haven't really talked about my experiences here (what I do and what I've done)
2. That I probably should (referring to #1)
3. That I don't know where to start (referring to all of the above)

So here I go......

Everyday I discover more and more how AMAZING middle school and upper elementary teachers are. YOU ALL ARE THE BOMB! I had a good idea of what I would be getting into, but I'll say there have been a few days where the struggle was real (that's for you Chandler ;)). 

A diet really needs to consist of more than meat, rice, beans, bread, sugar, and coffee. All of which are found in abundance in Brasil. It is also kind of a shame, because there are some wonderful fruits and vegetables natively grown here which a lot of Brazilians do not eat. I would give you the names of said fruits and veggies if I knew how to spell and or say them.... but I don't so.... come visit and you can try some. See what I did there?!

I will say the one most Americans would be somewhat familiar with is açai (ah-sigh-ee). It is native to the Amazon. No, I am not close to the Amazon, but I am closer here in the northeast than Rio or São Paulo. Regardless, açai is awesome!!!! I have probably eaten my weight in it.

Mosquitos will probably be the death of me...... The only creature I'm confused to what their purpose on earth is. Good news though, I've started to build up an immunity. Which means, I don't swell up like a balloon with every bite.... Yes, it did happen NUMEROUS times, and no, I did not take pictures.

Working with Shores of Grace, it is evident that LOVE is the master tool. During my time here, I have willingly shared my time with numerous people who get overlooked everyday: the poor, homeless, and prostitutes. I have shared many smiles and hugs, drawn and colored pictures with them, painted finger and toe nails, attempted conversations with them (still working on Portuguese), and prayed with them.

Missions does not have to be extravagant. Love does not have to be extravagant. All you have to do is be willing to share what you have with those around you. You may only have a smile or a head nod to share or a 5 minute conversation while waiting in a line. I have heard from so many people, "I wish I could do what you are doing," and "I've always wanted to do that but don't have the time or opportunity." The truth is you can do what I am doing everyday. No one is stopping you from sharing a little bit of you with everyone you meet other than you. Limiting yourself by believing you have nothing to offer or share is the only obstacle to overcome. We all have something to share, and again it doesn't have to be extravagant. There is no way to know how sharing will affect those you share with. We tend to think towards the negative, but why would an act of kindness have a negative effect?

I'll leave you to ponder that....

On top of all of that, I have come to know and love the people here: the volunteers who come and go, the other missionaries (from Brazil, USA, and other countries), the staff of Shores of Grace, and the people of Brazil. I am incredibly blessed to have been given the opportunity to come and serve a family who gives it all and give it their all. I am blessed to be living out the calling God has placed on my life over 14 years ago. With that being said, I have decided to pursue a volunteer visa which will allow me to serve in Brazil for a longer period of time. I am excited for what God has in store during this next season, and I ask for lots of prayers. The volunteer visa can be and typically is a tricky and lengthy task, so any prayers and encouragement will be accepted with open arms. :D

What Dreams are Made of

....I would never want to miss this

'cause in my heart I know what this is

.....This is what dreams are made of

I've got somewhere I belong

I've got somebody to love

This is what dreams are made of.....

I am imagining right now that my sister is freaking out, because I am quoting part of a Lizzie McGuire (Hillary Duff) song. The reason I am quoting the song is not the same as her reason for singing it. No, I have not found "my husband" (lol); however, I do find this portion relevant to my situation. For I am living out my dream. 

Many people never get the chance to live out their dreams. This could be from many reasons; I feel it is mostly due to a fear of the unknown. It is unknown to us whether the "dream" is what we hope it to be. We would rather hold on to the hope of the dream rather than have it to become a reality with the possibility of being disappointed.

Admittedly, I felt this way coming to Brasil and, honestly, still wake up feeling this way. The most important part of my day is reminding myself God would not have put the dream inside my heart to see me fail, and I will not let an attitude of failure keep me from walking it out.

Since I have been here in Brasil, I have been asked twice what my dream is. Both times I had to pause before I answered. Not because I didn't know what my dream was, but because I was reminded I am currently living it. 

During the process of coming here, God had reminded me of discussions I have had with him as well as others about my dream of coming to Brasil. It blows my mind how even things I said when I was a young girl are now coming true. 

I cannot put into words the feeling in my heart to be so blessed to have this opportunity. How is it that I am the lucky one to see the dream come to pass? Many others more qualified than I have not had this chance. The greatest part of it all is "no I am not qualified, not on my own." Through God, I am qualified. Through the obedience of my parents and their prayers, I am able to walk in the inheritance given to me. This is what dreams are made of. 

Yes, it has been difficult at times to figure out how things will work, feeling out of place, and even lonely. I think we all have been a little deceived when it comes to understanding our callings and dreams. It isn't like a fairy tale.... well even in the fairy tales the characters had to overcome before their dreams came true. Cinderella had to have the feeling of disappointment and hurt before the fairy godmother granted her wish. She had to have the fear of the Prince being disappointed with her being common for him to chase after her. I think we tend to overlook those parts of the stories. We want the happy ending; however, we are not willing to overcome the struggles to get there. 

I wonder if the happy endings would be so happy if we didn't overcome the struggles. I was reading a story today with one of the kids called It Could Always be Worse. In the story, a man is complaining about how awful his life is, how poor he is to a rabbi. The rabbi tells him to bring in all his animals into his one-room hut with him, his wife, in-laws, and six children. The man does as he was told and comes back complaining more than before. The rabbi tells him to return the animals outside one day at a time. Once they are all out of the house, the man comes back to the rabbi rejoicing and grateful for his life. After reading the story, I discussed the story with the student. She realized that the man's situation did not change. He was still poor and there were still too many people living in one room. It was only his perspective of his life that changed. Many times the struggles we face are to remind us how blessed we are. Our dream may be to be wealthy, to have a family, or to be successful. But, how we define those things may not be correct.

No, I may not be wealthy financially. No, I may not be married with children. No, I may not have a professional career to which I am moving up the ladder. BUT.... I am wealthy in the blessings of others being willing to provide the things I need. I am surrounded by people with the same heart and vision. People who get me.... even in the most irrelevant parts of me. I am succeeding in the things I was created for; to teach, to love people, and to love God. 

THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF!

*** In case you were thinking that I misspelled Brasil, I did not. I spelt it the Portuguese way. :)

Preparation is Everything

Directions for preparing to move:  Step 1. Pack  Step 2. Organize  Step 3. Clean  Step 4. Repeat

Well, it's crunch time. I have been busy getting my check list checked off, and it's coming together nicely. You never realize how much stuff you have until you are moving. Goodness......

As I am getting the material aspects of my new journey together, I am also working on the financial side. Please do not take this blog as a plea for you to give me money. I would never want anyone to feel obligated to donate to my work in Brazil; however, if you are interested, please continue reading.

Any gift is greatly appreciated. It could be a one-time contribution or a monthly commitment. The choice is yours. Your contributions are tax-deductible. Please make checks payable to DCF Missions and be sure to include my name (Adrienne Arner) on the memo line. Send your contribution to:

                                             Dayspring Christian Fellowship

                                             2157 N. Prospect Ave

                                             Springfield, MO 65803

Again, please do not feel as if you have to donate to me and my cause. I thank you in advance for all your prayers and support. 

Stay tuned for the next blog.

Blessings!

Adrienne

.... it's the journey you took to get there.

As a teenager, your focus revolves around what you plan to do when you grow-up. For a task-driven planner like myself, I was consumed with thoughts of my future and the goals I had to accomplish in order to be the person I always dreamed to be. One day I was given words of wisdom from a important person in my life. She told me, "it's not reaching the goals (accomplishments) that make you who you are, but it's the journey you took to get there." Ever since that day, those words have been my guide, and I have found them to be true. Every experience, every person I have encountered, every obstacle, and every victory in my life has made me the person I am today.

This blog is to allow people whom I love to continue with me as I take my next step of my journey. 

I have made it known to the online world that I will not be returning to my normal routine as a math teacher at White Knoll High School the next school year, but I will be taking a position in Brazil. I plan to eventually fill in those who don't know about my passion for Brazil; but for now, I will be giving the details of the resent fork in the road which lead me to my decision to move to Brazil.

I have felt a change coming in my life as well as others (church, family, friends, etc) since the end of last year. I knew 2013 was a year of transition; however, I knew this year (2014) would be the year the change would occur. I was and have been filled with excitement to see the change take place. I am not one to shy away from change. In fact, I love it! I embrace it with open arms. Knowing the change was coming this year, my roommates and I decided to sign our lease for only six months instead of another year. Not knowing what God had in store for us, but allowing us to be open to Him to take us wherever He wanted. That being said, we have been discussing where each of us was going to be in the next few months. My roommates had their plans already in motion, and I was still at a standstill. I had no idea where I was going to be living and, to be honest, was a little frustrated with the whole thing. I finally felt like I had things together for once in my adult life; however, I still did not have a peace about the direction I was to continue on. 

The feeling of being stuck in a revolving door without being able to stop it was not unfamiliar to me. I had this same feeling before I moved to Lexington, SC almost three years ago. Actually, it was exactly three years from the time I made the decision to follow God's calling to SC. This time I was not expecting for it to be a move so monumental for me.

The same wise women whom gave me the words I needed so many years ago obeyed the urging of the Spirit and sent me an email that has completely changed my focus over the last few weeks. The email described the need of a teacher for a missionary family in Recife, Brazil. The email was too good to be true. It blew me away. I kept the details of the email to myself for several days still in shock over the accuracy of the position and the dream I had for my future. Through the encouragement and "threats" of friends and family, I sent in my resume. I have to admit. I checked my email multiple times a day. Making sure I sent the email to the correct person, everything was included, and that the email wasn't still sitting in my outbox. I reasoned with myself and decided I had done all I could. It was now in the hands of God. Nothing I could do would be able to change the outcome.

A few days after I signed the peace treaty with my mind my roommate prayed for me at our church Wednesday night prayer (a week from the date I sent my email). When the prayer was complete, I had an overwhelming sensation to look at my phone. I wrestled with the feeling; since, I was in church. I gave in, and I was glad I did. I looked down at my phone, and I had a response, the one I was waiting for. It took my breath away. I couldn't even read the entire email. I took it over to my roommate and had her read it, so I could see her reaction. I began to cry as she read it. THEY WANTED AN INTERVIEW! I couldn't believe it! All I could think or say was, "God, you are awesome!"

I interviewed with Nic and Rachael directors of Shores of Grace ministry (http://shoresofgrace.org/ ) in Brazil on the following Friday (May 23). I was blessed to just have the opportunity to speak with this couple. Their hearts are amazing. I listened to the needs they have for their family, and knowing I have the skills to meet those needs brought my awe of how great God is to extreme levels. Just like any interview, the uncertainty of the outcome still hung over my head, but it was short lived. I was offered the position on Monday, May 26 and expected it that night. I immediately messaged those who knew of the position quickly to let them know and have spent the last week trying to tell people before I announced it on Facebook. I know I missed a few. Word was spreading fast, so I made the decision on Saturday after the White Knoll graduation to scream it from the mountain of the social media world that I made my choice.

Now that you all are caught up on the details of the last couple weeks, here are the details of the position. I will be teaching Nic and Rachael's three eldest children. They will be enrolled with an online school and my tasks will be to aid in their instruction as well as supplement activities and subjects they may not get with an online education. I start in September. Dates are not finalized other than that. I will be there through November and return to the states for a few months, then I will return in February through April. With a tourist visa, I am only allowed to be in the country of Brazil six months out of the year. This schedule will allow me to be with the kids through most of the school year. If things work out on all ends, there is opportunity to pursue a more permeant position.

There you have it. As the sun sets on my current journey, the sun is rising for my next. 

I will do my best to keep everyone updated on things to come. Thank you for your prayers and support not only in this time but down every path of my journey.

Blessings!