Relationships

Do you think much about the relationships that you have? If you were to list all of the relationships/friendships that you have who would you include? Would you think of the guy who bags your groceries or the gas station attendant? Would you think of the mailman or your butcher (we have local butchers in Brazil)? Who would you include in your list?

I have been learning more and more about the importance of relationships in our daily lives. Ever since I went away to college I have been able to make friends fairly easily. In Brazil, however, it has been much more difficult. I have good intentions to befriend everyone I am blessed to have a conversation with. I pray often that the Lord would bless me with opportunities to become friends with more people, in particular Brazilians. Even though I have good intentions that doesn't mean that I am successful at making friends or even see those opportunities when they come my way.

One of my hindrances in Brazil has been the language barrier. Although I speak Portuguese at a much higher level now, it is still difficult to be myself in this foreign language. I like to joke with people and it is difficult to feel comfortable being that way in Portuguese. I feel that some of my Brazilian friends, mainly those in our church family, are starting to get to know me on a deeper level. I am happy about this, I really am. It is difficult, though, not to get frustrated when my friendships with Brazilians outside of our church family are not developing as quickly as I would like or when I am being myself but am not being understood.

Sometimes my difficulties with growing and maintaining friendships here are just plain comical! Over the last 2 and a half years, Jennifer and I have been growing friendships with 3 different couples in our apartment building. We have had dinner together and have had some good times getting to know one another. Okay, here comes the comical part: all three of these families have moved or are making plans to move out of our building just when we started getting close to them (or closer to them). One of the families moved to Italy (Tanja and Stefan). They are a really cool German couple that lived below us. We miss them dearly and pray that they are doing well. We have shot a couple of emails back and forth since their move, but that is about it. The other 2 couples will remain in Porto Alegre. We will be able to continue to maintain a friendship with each of them, but it is hard to know that we will not see them as often as we used to.

I really want to be Jesus to everyone I come in contact with. I want to know people and I want them to know me. I want to be comfortable with myself in Portuguese or any other language that the Lord calls me to learn. I want to know how to maintain the relationships that I do have and not allow anyone who comes into my life to "slip through the cracks". I want to be encouraged that the Lord is giving me opportunities to meet new people each day and I want to see them for what they are!

Please pray for these things along with me. Relationship are essential. I believe that they are absolutely vital to our ministry here on Earth. I pray that we honor and glorify our Father through our relationship and that many will come to know Him all because we had the courage to say, "Hello, my name is..."