Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (NKJV). Today was one of those days when I saw both themes in action. It began with much rejoicing, and most of the day was that way, but it ended in sadness.
Danae and I practiced our trumpet/violin duets sometime after 7:30, and they sounded good! We quick ate breakfast altogether, and I cannot remember what we ate. I know we had papaya, but I don’t remember what else we had. Oh well…
1:30am- The guys are sleeping outside in our hammocks and it starts sprinkling on us. The sky had harbored storm clouds all day long on Friday, but they did nothing more than float overhead. Well, now they were slowly falling on us.
It was a light enough rain that I wouldn’t have minded to just keep laying there huddled in my blanket, but pretty soon we were taking down our hammocks and carrying them to the porch after all. Within a few minutes we were laying down again.
So today’s the big day. We had scheduled the adolescent camp-out for two weeks earlier, but because of some circumstances we had to reschedule it for this weekend. But now all the plans were in place and it was go time!
After a breakfast of French toast, papaya, and hot milk, we spent the morning cleaning the house, clearing the porches, and getting everything else ready. For lunch we had rice, beans, fried fish, and bananas for dessert, and the next couple hours I was able to relax a little, do my devotions in Acts 16, and finish preparing the devotional I was going to give around the campfire in the evening.
There isn’t too much to say about this day. There wasn’t a lot that happened, but it was kind of a significant day anyway. Okay, well, it’s not really that significant, but it was a sad day for many of us.
Today was the day that Stephen, Sarah, and Olivia left. I just met Olivia last week, and it’s obvious why Stephen really likes her. She’s such a great person, and it was really enjoyable to get to know her and play in the orchestra together with her. She also has a good sense of humor and loved to laugh along with us when we were having fun.
This morning was one of my earliest ones so far. Apart from the fact that I was up really early in the morning to take some pictures of the stars and of the seminary at night…well, that’s another story. I got some fun pictures and it was worth getting a little less sleep.
We had to leave the house at 6:30 to walk to the Wilson home for breakfast, so Stephen and I slept in until about 6:24. We quick got ready and joined the girls outside for the 15-minute jaunt to the Wilson’s.
This day was more of a sightseeing day. We started by piling into a couple cars along with Mark and Beth Wilson and driving to a small restaurant on the edge of Crato for breakfast. This outdoor eatery only serves breakfast, and it only serves one type of food. So when you go there they already know what you want to eat!
We all need rest, especially when we’re doing ministry. You know you’ve done ministry well when you’re extremely worn out and joyful at the same time. If you have no joy, or if you’re not tired, you probably didn’t do a good job.
Well, we were all very tired after the Semana de Musica Sacra, so we slept in on Monday until after 9:00. We finally got up and had brunch, consisting of baked oatmeal, papaya, and milk.
Ahhhh! What a great day this was! It easily ranks up there as one of the most exciting days of the year for me. We had our first of three orchestra concerts last night, and the other two were today. Our first concert was this morning at Batista do Novo Juazeiro, the largest regular Baptist church in Juazeiro and perhaps the largest one here in the valley. It is the home of Pastor Renato, the aforementioned director of the Semana de Musica Sacra.
Stephen and I slept in until almost 7:00 before getting up and going to breakfast. Breakfast is at 6:30 and the first classes begin at 7:30, but we knew that we had plenty of time to go eat before Stephen taught his violin students.
When we got there most of the food was gone, but we still got to eat French rolls with butter and cheese, papaya, and hot milk. It was plenty of food for us. Stephen went to his class and I went to the library to do my devotions.
After waking up really tired again, I think I decided not to run anymore until Monday. I know I’ll lose some of the strength I’ve been building up, but I’d rather have that energy from exercising to finish out this music week. As the photographer, I also do a lot of walking around in the heat, and I don’t want to drain myself.
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