HAVE TABLE WILL TRAVEL!

HAVE TABLE, WILL TRAVEL!

We are on the move again. Our time at the Anderson’s home is over. All our stuff is now stored at Kevin and Vanessa’s. It was quite the sight to see Kevin and Ken walking our table (aka desk) down the street to Kevin’s house. We will be in and out of Denver for three weeks and then back to Sao Paulo to move into the Kregness’ apartment until spring of 2010. We are looking forward to the move. We will be 20 minutes closer to the ministry but 20 minutes away from our children. Oh, well! Twenty minutes is nothing compared to 24 years we spent living far from Kevin.

PANIC! I’M LOST.

On a recent Sunday evening, I (Arlene) decided to drive across Sao Paulo by myself. I didn’t want to miss church even though Ken was sick. Remember Sao Paulo is a city of 20 million. I was so proud of myself. I arrived at the ministry center for church on time without one mistake. The traffic was relatively light so it only took an hour.

We had a wonderful service which included saying “goodbye” to a mission team from Arcade, Sacramento, California.

Returning home was another story. I was so confident about returning home even though it was 10:30 PM. Somewhere on the return trip I turn right instead of left and end up ???? somewhere in Sao Paulo. I prayed, “O God, I need your divine help!” Everything looked the same but nothing looked familiar!

I called Ken in a panic, waking him from a deep sleep. “Ken, HELP, I am lost! I don’t know where I am!!” He proceeded to calm me and suggested I stop and ask someone. As I looked out the window for someone to asked, I realized by the persons standing on the street corner selling their wares that I was not in the most appropriate part of town. Nope, I didn’t stop to ask but kept right on driving.

About the same time this thought ran thought my mind, “What if I spend the whole night driving around Sao Paulo until I run out of gas?”

As I continued driving, I began to follow a sign that said, “Marginal Tiete.” “HA,” I said, “I think I can find my way home.”

Somehow in the following of the signs I made a wrong turn that turned out to be a right turn. Suddenly I realized I was heading back to the Ministry Center where I had just been an hour before. But at least I was in familiar territory. Before I arrived at the church, I made a u-turn and headed home. With Ken calling for updates, I arrived home at 12:15 AM. A trip that normally takes one hour took one hour and forty-five minutes. I was thankful to arrive safe at home.

I was reminded, “Pride goes before a fall.”

Reporting from Sao Paulo,

Arlene for the Flurrys