My Top Seven Brazil Memories

It wasn't a perfect trip. In fact, much about it was difficult. But here I want to record seven positive parts of our trip to Brazil that I'll always remember.

We ate lunch one day with David Bayless (center),
 his wife, Carolyn, and James Moreland--
all longtime missionaries in Brazil.

1. I've already written, twice, about the very best part: the people. So many of the Brazilians we met were outgoing, friendly, helpful, smiling--especially the Christians who hosted us at the church where the World Convention met. Likewise, the folks in our tour group couldn't have been better--not a whiner or complainer among them. And at the World Convention, we also met friends from the U.S. and around the world in happy times of fellowship reminiscent of those we always enjoy at the NACC.

The worship team encouraged singing at the
evening main sessions.

2. The worship. The services lasted three hours, too long for our taste, and it was sometimes difficult to listen to preaching via translation. But the singing was wonderful, and it was an inspiring experience to hear the hall full of Brazilians lifting their voices in Portugese with worship songs we sang at the same time in English.

3. The food. We didn't eat one bad meal! Occasionally we had some trouble choosing from a menu written exclusively in Portugese, but the food was universally tasty, and the servings were usually huge. Two meals stand out, our visit to the Brazilian steakhouse, Parcao, where uniformed waiters continuously circle the tables with every kind of roasted meat you can imagine: chicken, sausage, lamb, ostrich, ribs, filet mignon, top sirloin, roast beef, and more. The evening before we had eaten at a pizza buffet. The waiters are constantly on the move there, too, offering thin crust pizzas with every combination of toppings you can imagine, including dessert pizzas topped with ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

On the last day of our trip, we ate our farewell lunch at an Ipanema restaurant on the spot where "The Girl from Ipanema" was written. The restaurant displayed a copy of the song on a poster.
4. Brasilia. We saw the corridor where the nation's government is housed: majestic buildings illuminated beautifully, including the national cathedral.

The Brazilian National Cathedral 

5. Beautiful ocean and beaches. The ocean reminded me of the luminous greens and blues I remember from the Caribbean. The sky was beautiful, as was the weather throughout our stay: sunshine and warm, but not hot, afternoons followed by evenings refreshed by cool breezes.

6. The Christ statue. Actually, the train ride up to the statue was as enjoyable as being at the top, at the base of the statue, because when we got there, the statue was enveloped in foggy clouds that obscured our view of the city below. But the whole experience was still one to remember.

Tourists jostled to enter the train cars that would take them
up the mountain to see The Christ statue.

7. Sugarloaf Mountain. We rode two different cable cars to the top of Sugarloaf and enjoyed late afternoon, sunset, and evening all in the space of about 90 minutes. No clouds obscured our views here, and seeing the city below us was wonderful.