CURA 2017 is ready to roll!

EXPLORING BRAZIL:
Yesterday we had the pleasure of getting to take an all-day trip through the Brazilian countryside on our way to Monte Sião, a beautiful little city northwest of Itu, known for its beautiful handmade ceramic pottery.  Painted in a classic “azul e branco” floral pattern, it is famous throughout Brazil and is highly durable and functional. We explored the studio and witnessed the hand-made process. After making the clay, each piece is poured into molds and then hand painted – no two are ever alike. It then goes into a giant, wood-fired kiln where it is heated to over 2000 degrees to bake the clay and cure the glaze. We couldn’t leave without purchasing a few pieces – be on the lookout for them at our next fundraising auction in San Angelo, Texas this fall!

In town, there was a festival happening – so we enjoyed the celebration while wandering through the shops.  Monte Sião is also known for its multitudes of sweater shops and claims to be the sweater capital of Brazil. If you’re in the market for a sweater, you’ll find some beautiful options here!

FINAL, PRE-CAMPAIGN UPDATES:
Everyone has finally arrived! We got to enjoy a worship service with our Itu church family – complete with lots of hugs and hellos as team members from the states were reunited with the community here in Brazil. It always makes my heart leap when I see the friendships that have formed over the years. It is truly amazing to see the dedication and love for this ministry that crosses so many cultural and national boundaries. Lunch was at a local churrascaria (Brazilian BBQ), although that word does not do it justice. I prefer to call it “death by meat.” A quick google image search should give you an idea…

It is wonderful to have our entire team together, and we ask for your prayers for Tanya, as she deals with some unexpected stomach issues due to a recent surgery.  Her massage skills are highly anticipated this week, and we are hoping she feels better very soon! I’m confident she is going to be a tremendous compliment to Stephanie and Gabby in the chiropractic clinic.

Campaign set-up went so smoothly it was almost scary. The entire gang is efficient and professional, with perfect cooperation between Brasileiros and Americanos. Thanks to the incredibly generous donations this past week, we were able to provide all of the necessary instruments for Greicy and her dental team to expand their services beyond anything we have been able to do before, and we were able to purchase new Gynecology exam tables (a huge benefit to this effort!).

If you were to glance inside our eye care clinic, you would think it is a professional, full-time, eye clinic. JB has organized everything in such a way that it will flow beautifully. We owe huge thanks to the First Baptist Church of Ferguson, Missouri and the Restoring Vision organization for their assistance in our ophthalmology services.  None of our eye work would be possible without their provision of eyeglasses and sunglasses. Also, thanks to Dr. Larsen in San Angelo, Texas that has made our basic eye care possible with his donation of eye charts and tonometer. Finally, Dr. Roberto Castro, an ophthalmologist from São Paulo, arrived today, completing our eye care team!

Our overall operations also continue to improve.  Vini, our incredibly resourceful and talented IT tech has put together another marvel of computer engineering! The organization and efficiency of our day to day campaign operations during the week wouldn’t be possible without his help.

All in all – CURA is ready to kick off another campaign! A lot has happened to get us here. Thanks to the leadership and management of Bruno and JB, the dedication of over 100 volunteers, and the support and prayers of hundreds more…

…We are ready to see
what God has in store
for us this week.

More to come soon!