Samson

blog hacking is fun

hi my name is liz, i have hacked into lois' blog. hmm this is naughty.....sorry Lo, i love you! make sure you write lots here while you are away! check out the cool pics of us xx

I have to celebrate you baby

I have to praise you like I shouuuuuuu u u u u u u u u u u u l d.

I finished work today. but you didn't even know that I started work since it's been way too long since we last spoke! Yep! I have been waitressing at the Nant Ddu Logde. I have loved nearly every minute of it. My favourite part is the people I worked with. they are incredible and different and lovely.

Tomorrow is Flames of Fire until Friday 10th
Then next week is Soul Survivor with City Temple's Youth group 'Reality'
And the week after that is the rest of my life. (which I will be staring off in the country of Canada)

In between these activities I need to go to London and see some very special people.

Latest news: Katy May is out of hospital and the three richards have moved to Swansea! yay!!!!! God is good.

ok, now that we are vaguely caught up, let's continue this relationship. Although as my love has said, what with Myspace, Facebook, Orkut and JunctionJ going on, I do not have much time to spend here. But i'd like to come and visit more often...especially as I'd like to fill you in on the exciting things that are happening in this crazy adventure of my life!!!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

It's my birthday today. Yay me!! Yay God for making me!! Here are my love languages. Looks like I'm bit high maintainence...or you could look at it and think, I could pick any of the top three and she would know I love her...therefore making it easy - you have many options to choose from!

I'm surprised that gifts are low, but, having said that, I have always LOVED the home-made jobs, or the gifts that say you know me which I guess would come under quality time.


I want to learn your language. I don't just want to take a test and live by the rules. I want to learn your language, and speak it with you. I want to be welcomed into your world and love you the way that you were made to be loved.

Teach me your language. Speak it with me. I love you

The Five Love Languages

My primary love languages are probably
Physical Touch and Quality Time.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		8
Quality Time:		8
Words of Affirmation:		8
Receiving Gifts:		5
Acts of Service:		1

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Andrex soft and long

I have been to see Katy May a few times now and every time I visit, she amazes me!! She doesn't seem weak at all. of course, she is fragile, but there is nothing weak about her. She is so strong. I imagine so often all of the things that the Father must being saying to her. She is going to live an amazing life! Mark and Leanne have also knocked me over sideways with all of their wisdom and love for Katy. the are just the perfect parents for her! I LOVE Seeing my big bro being a Daddy. He's such a natural. He's also a better blogger than I am...but oh well!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

On another COMPLETELY different note, I'm sure you're wondering what it is like for me to back in the UK away from Brazil and my Lover.

Well, amongst other things, I have not gotten used to the old toilet habbits!!! Even though at my first restaurant experience back in Wales, when going to the toilet, I actually did put the paper in the bin and not down the toilet, I have adjusted to that function. BUT, what I haven't adjusted to is how thick and luxurious toilet paper can be. In Brazil, 2ply is a rarety, so I developed a habbit of using more than I needed, just to 'pad' it out a bit, after all, no need to worry that it will block the toilet, coz it's gonna go in the bin anyway right?!

Well, good old Andrex, does not require quite as many sheets to be used, oh no. But I am still finding myself wrapping it around and around, and simply using tooooo much! I am infact in danger of blocking the toilet and causing quite an embaressing scene!

Pray for me, please!

She's all we can think about right now

REALLY REALLY REALLY! if you haven't done it allready, click here and check out my cutie niece and see how she is doing. leave a comment there if you like!She's amazing!!

Katy May Richards

My niece - Katy May was born on April 30th 2007, weighing a tiny 750g and about 21cm long. She was born at 25weeks and is currently in St.Georges Hospital in London. She is stable, everything is in the right place and well formed, underdeveloped, but healthy. Her parents Mark (my bro) and Leanne, are INCREDIBLE and have done amazingly in the last 48hrs as they've turned their lives around to receive this gift a little, well actually A LOT earlier than expected. Katy is doing well, she's a fighter! She will remain in hospital atleast until her due date - middle of august...and really it's just about taking every day, sometimes every hours as it comes. All she needs to concentrate on is growing.

For updates please check out their blog: What Katy Did Next

Thank you for praying, and for caring. I love your support and your friendship means so much to me.

When I saw her for the first time, I was just overwhelmed by how perfectly formed she is. even at 25 weeks she has the perfectest nose and even has finger nails and toe nails!!! God really knows what he's doing when he is creating human life. And God is all over Katy, he adores her!!

By the way, I'm home for a while...but i'll update on that one later...:)

Orphan Spirit Giver

Yesterday, I was walking home from getting waxed and the tiniest little black kitten ran across my path and started mew-owing at me. He was so cute. I have NEVER called myself an animal lover. i like animals, I don't hate them, but really, I am not one to go gushy over an animal.

The kitten looked about 2 weeks old. And continued to mew-ow at me. So I called Junior. He informed me that it had probably grown up in the pipes of the sewer (which I was walking next to) and don't touch him, he probably has desease all over him. He said 'just leave him' . So listening to my wise (or cruel) boyfriend (you decide!) I started to walk on. The kitten followed, running at my feet. He kept getting caught up in my feet and I kicked him by accident a few times. He would not leave me alone. So I called Junior again. He told me, again, just leave it. you can't touch it or do anything. so I started to run. I ran across the bridge and COMPLETLY ABANDONED the kitten. I left him behind, crying out for me. He was crying, yelping, whatever you call it when a cat is in distress!

Urgh, my heart ached to leave him there. Grown up in the sewer!!!!!! Poor kitten!!!!!I did the worst thing and gave him a name in my head (He would have been called George assuming he was a boy)

It was a traumatic experience. Animal lover I am not. 2nd language responder I am.
I asked Junior when I got home if we could go and get him and take him to the Vet or an animal rescue place...but alas, there exists not such thing around these parts.

So that Kitten (George) at the age of 2 weeks, already has an orphan spirit. given to him by me, the big fat abandoner! I prayed for him, yeh, probably the first time I've ever prayed for an animal!!!

That was my morning yesterday.

Patience

About 5 months ago, at the end of one of my blogs I quoted something that I had written to a friend about what I had been learning: "I have been learning that Love is Patient. when God is patient with me, it's not patience that is weary, or itching for something to happen, or doubtful that the desire will one day be filled. His patience for me, is strong, peaceful, resting and welcoming. He waits for me with patience. He loves me with patience. there is no pressure, there is grace, it is complete. I want this patience. I want to rest in my love for people. I want to rest in God's love for me. I want to love and for that love to be patient."

And now I am being blown away by so much more of this patient love. I really don't know what is going to happen next...and that 'next' doesn't mean next year, or next month or even next week, right now, 'next', to me, means tomorrow. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I have desires and dreams growing inside me and I want to know the outcome, I want to feel 'safe' in my own understanding. But God is asking me to be patient. To rest in his love which is patient: not weary, or itching for something to happen, or doubtful that the desire will one day be fulfilled. His patience is strong, peaceful, resting and welcoming, full of grace and complete.

Wow! God really is good ALL of the time, he really does know everything and really is faithful in preparing me for what's ahead. 5 months ago, I had no idea that I would still be unfolding the deptth of God's love that is patient.

Here is a confession: my biggest frustration in speaking portuguese is that it takes me so long to say what I want to say. (Because I am not fluent yet)I feel embarresed and sometimes I just don't speak at all for this very reason. God was talking to me about this. People need to be patient with me when I speak, and wow, what an incredible blessing it is when they are. I find it hard to even accept this kind of love. (and probably harder to love myself with this kind of love!)

So I am learning to be patient; not with my own patience or with the patience of the world, but by receiveing, being crushed, consumed and overwhelmed by God's love that is completely patient.
Honestly, it's not easy to wait. But it is always worth it. and God's grace is enough. it has to be - he promised and he never breaks his promises.

Uruguay

Yep! that´s where I am right now. In an internet cafe in Uruguay...I´m just on the boarder of Brasil and Uruguay so the people here speak spanish and understand portuguese very well.
I´m in a city that is like one big Duty Free Shopping place in an airport. Everywhere sells duty free stuff. Things from all over the world...well mostly the States. It´s a very poor place though. Well, just thought I´d say hi! and let you know where I am. Uruguay.

Oh, we are doing a ´History Maker´s conference here.´It´s going well. Last night I think I sweated half my weight away whilst playing keys for worship! not because I was playing so hard, but because it was so hot. Today it´s raining. that´s fantastic!

Ok, bye xx

Lolita

Said goodbye to Cathy, Gordon, Meghan and Matthew 2 days ago.
Yeh, it was sad.
I was doing fine, and then all of a sudden I felt the sorrow rise up from the bottom of my stomach, it reached my eyeballs and then leaked out of the corners of my eyes and rested just underneath my lower eyelids.

I had so much fun with them and I just love them so much!

I realised the night before they left, that the pain of saying goodbye was only a great sign of how deeply they have melted into my heart and how openly they have welcomed me into theirs. The pain, even though it hurts, is hugly outweighed by the goodtimes, laughter, love and hope of seeing them all again.

Thank you Papa for such an incredible blessing of relationship and leadership. Thank you for the Beautiful Harris Family. Thank you, more than a thousand times over for loving me so much and giving me the awesome gift of relationship.

We had so much fun!
More pictures to come when I get hold of them...but for now, feast your eyes on this great captured moment!!!

The end

I love endings, especially happy ones, but even bad or sad endings are worth being valued because with every ending, must come a new beginning, in some shape or form.

The end of what may have been the busiest few months of my life, has occured. Even my closets friends were questioning my continuing exsitance since I had not been in contact with anyone for so long - due to the busyness of these past months.

I AM ALIVE.

Let it be known throughout the land that my God is good and faithful and so REAL. I am a living testemony to this very fact. I am alive and that's enough for me. For now.

However, my new beginning hasn't arrived yet...unless it did and I missed it.

I find myself now, in that space between the end and the beginning. The credits have rolled and the Amblin entertainment logo has been shown and now there is just the black screen, or the blue screen with a little green 'Video 1' display on the top left hand corner(depending on which T.V. your're looking at).

There is not much to do, but wait...and rest. Even though the screen shows nothing, the silence is peaceful as the memories of the past moments replay in my mind. As waves of emotion drift over my heart, I am left to contemplate all that has gone before and the endless possibilities of what is yet to come.

I am peaceful, sometimes broken, mostly learning to lay my pride down and trust in the Lord my God, will all of my heart, my whole heart, relying not on my own understanding but in everything I do, acknowledging him for He is the one who makes my paths straight.

I am alive.
And I am waiting to continue this adventure...and yet, even the waiting is part of the glorious journey.

Beloved

Football

Inter, campeão do Mundo

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Inter have just won the Fifa Cup World Chapionships. For those of you who dont follow the football(I was never much of a football person, but living the Football country of the world, I dont have much choice...as you will see) Inter is a Brazilian Team - from Porto Alegre, the capital city of the state I live in - Rio Grande do Sul. The celebrations are CRAZY and since we live in the center of town we are surrounded by it. This video was taken from the window of Junior's room...and the noise is still continuing as I type. The fireworks sound like gun-fire shots. You would think we would be celebrating too..a Brazilian team has won the world championships...however we (Junior and I as the supporting and loyal girlfiriend) support Inter's rivals - Grêmio so for us, it is not a happy day...well actually I don't really care...I just want the flippin noise to stop!!! I've never seen anything like this before...only on T.V. and now i am living in the middle of it! My life is just one insane adventure! woohoo!

For those who are interested

The School of Missons in Sapiranga, Brazil has been cancelled for 2007.

Junior and I are focussing all our time and energy solely on each other...uh... no...I mean on the Leaders School and History Makers School that are both happening in January.

(check out this cool flyer we designed for it...)

As we accept people onto the school, I place their picutres on a piece of paper that says their name and their age and where they are from...yes, I feel just like Sarah Dalley in those moments...although the Spectacular Miss Sarah D. makes them look much more beautiful than I ever could...how does she do that ladies and gentlemen? We shall never know, it will forever be one the many mysteries of the Fantasticly, Fast and Fabulous Sarah Dalley
(Who was actually in my dream last night...and it was oh so lovely to see her there!!)

Anyway, really that was all I wanted to say...

OH! EXCEPT....
So Junior and I prayed for this lady who had cancer in her womb. We prayed for her like 2 months ago at a youth conference. Alyn had just preached on healing and asked all of the people with serious illnesses to come to the front to be prayed for by him, Junior and I (no pressure!) She came to the last conference we had (while I was in Africa) and told Junior that 2 days after we prayed for her, she went to Dr. and he checked her out and itold her she had NO CANCER ANYMORE!!! so when Jr told me, I didn't really believe that it had been US that had prayed for her and she was healed...then I rebuked myself for not believing that I could do something like that...and then God said...but Lois, that's exactly it...you didn't heal her, I did...of course you have a hard time believing it because it's not anything that you can physically do. I did it through you. GOD DID IT, I DIDNT DO IT. God is the healer...yeh, i've heard it so many times...and actually it's what gives me faith to pray - I have ALL of the faith in the world that God can heal-but now I am starting to experience it...and it REALLY is nothing to do with me. I am just the 'mouth, the hands and the feet'...he is the power

What is also cool about this story is she said to Jr, I couldn't believe that this guy with earings in his ears, long hair and his pants too low was the one that God used to heal me...! I think some religious spirits must have left her that day too!!

ok...really, that was all I wanted to say ....

Where exhaust pipes grow on trees

My first few moments in Mozambique, I thought that I was seeing some really cool street art. A sculpture made out of Exhaust Pipes...what a sweet idea! However, by the next few mmoments of my stay in Mozambique, I realised this was no masterpiece placed in the city to make it look pretty, but a source of income for the people. Everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE there are things for sale on the side of the road: car parts: wheels, rims, hub-caps, bumpers, doors...clothes: lines of pants hanging up, t-shirts, jeans, even underwear...furniture: wooden bed heads, leather sofas...food: mainly fruit and veg.

I also realised within a short time that what I would consider to be rubbish, was another man's treasure. Every few miles there would be an incredibly aweful smell and you would look out of the window and see piles and piles of rubbish by the side of the road. A lot of the wares being sold by the roadside began their second life as rubbish.

This is how people make a living. Not all people in Mozambique, but a lot of them.

I had an absolutely incredible time.
My heart was stolen by the children in the Center and outside of the Center.
God blew me away with his love.
I had an experience that is simply too deep for words. I think that there isn't a way to explain it, but I know that it will play out in my life this side of Mozambique.

It stunk, I was hot, there was sand and dirt everywhere, I slept on a nasty bed and I loved every minute of it!!!

It's good to be back in Brazil. I am dreaming and wondering where God will take me next. But for now, the time is right to be right here. I am peaceful, more than ever and I am full of love.

Here are some pictures for your eyes to enjoy:


Carmina: the one who stole my heart. She is 4 years old. She doesn't speak yet, and she can't walk yet. She had Meningitus (sp?) as a baby. She smiles all the time and her face lit up eveytime I walked into the room. She didn't need to say anything, she stole my heart with one glance of her eyes.


Rosa and Ruti. Ruti has the most personality I have ever seen in a 3 year old, and man can she dance!! this picture was completely spontaneous and one of my favourites!!


Sam at the beach. We took 25 babies and small children to the beach for the morning...it was a lot of fun!!
Oh yeh...and we went to South Africa for the day on Safari, that was cool!

Raquel and I in Portugual: the beginning of our semi-nightmare trip home...but that's another story!

I still miss you all and love you very much.

MWAH x

Leaving on a jet plane

I am leaving Brazil today. Tonight I fly to Lisbon, Portugal and then onto Mozambique for one month. Clearly I have gained the Portuguese anointing!
It is raining today in Brazil. (I don’t actually know if the whole of Brazil is experiencing rain right now, but all I know of Brazil, my little city of Sapiranga, there is rain and wind and thunder) I am enjoying the break from the heat, and savouring the moment as I will be hitting 45ºC in Mozambique….but not before I’ve had a day of European winter in Lisbon.

I didn’t sleep well last night and had the classic ‘not ready on time’ dreams…fun times!

I am realizing that I am made for this. I was made to travel. I love it and am taking it all in my stride. God is so amazing to have given me so many flippin awesome opportunities to see the world and know more of His heart.

I am peaceful, excited and ready for the adventure to continue.

I will be thinking of you my dear friends and fam.

Pray for me.

Let it be known that God is so good and so faithful.

Ladies, lend me your ears and send me your mulah

One of Brazil's biggest exports is shoes. I live in the town that has one of the 3rd LARGEST shoe factories in the WHOLE of Brazil!

Beautiful shoe-wearing ladies of the world: send me your money, your mulah, your dollars and your stirling and I will buy you some beautiful shoes for you to wear. They are well made and super in-expensive.

I bought a super cute pair of heals, leather, pointy, for just R$50 from the factory shop. just to clarify, R$50 works out at around US$25 and £12.50....!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I wore my red birthday shoes (heals, leather, pointy and from Zara, bought for me by Junior, independant of any advice from me...oh yeh, major brownie points for him!) and I have no idea how the women of Brazil do it. It is more common to see a woman in heals as her everyday shoe-attire than it is to see her in flats or flip-flops. However, the pavement (side-walk) is SO un-even with cracks that would certainly break your back if you stepped on the crack!! A normal 5 minuite walk from home to the church took me around 10 minutes today in my red birthdady shoes!

When I asked Junior how the women in Brazil do it, he said 'Women who wear heals dont walk to work, they drive. Only poor people walk'....oh....hmmm...maybe I'm trying to be something I'm not??!!

Nah, I don't think so! Bring on more great buys from the Factory shop of Brazil's 3rd largest Shoe Factory!! woohoo!!

All I want for Christmas

This year I will be mostly requesting Christmas Classics. Normally I am not a fan of such things, I don't like to make a Christmas list or tell people what I would like. I much prefere for the gifts I am given to be thought of, to be sentimental, creative, anything small or big, just because you thought of me when you bought it, means that I WILL LOVE IT!

However, this year, there is no room for such orniments of love in my life. I won't be asking for those wonderful trinkets, the perfect soundtrack that will make me think of you and that time we had together every time I listen to it. I won't be asking for a journal (which by the way, is one of my most favourite gifts EVER! Even though I already own a thousand of them) I won't even be asking for Adobe Creative Suite for my little PowerBook. I will be making a beeline for those Christmas Classics:

Toiletries
Underwear
Chocolate

The essentials.

Living in Brazil is not at all like 'roughing it' but there are a few things that for some strange reason are either a) unavailable b) imported so therefore ridiculously expensive c)I can't think of a third reason but I didn't want to leave a+b to stand alone in this point making session.


As I do not think I will be coming home for Christmas (Liz and Kate, you can cancel the BluePeter bring Lois Home for Christmas Appeal!) I thought I would post my wish list early so that you could all prepare!!


My Christmas List:

Facewash : Garnier Pure Deep Clean Foam Wash or Garnier Pure Deep Pore Wash
Face Moisturiser: Garnier Soft 24hr Nourishing Day Cream
Eye Make-up remover: Garnier Clean & Fresh Ultra Gentle Eye make-up remover
Moisturiser : Nivia Body Milk or Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime
Tampons: Tampax (naturally) super plus
Mac concealer (NC20): Ok, so not exactly a Christmas Classic, but I am running out and it is most certainly an essential, right ladies?!

Socks: they do have socks here, but I'd just like some new ones for christmas. plain and simple. no paterns. please.

Chocolate: cadburys, cadburys and more cadburys. There is not even the imitation stuff here like there is in Canada. Mr.Cadbury quite simply does not exist here in Brazil.


Finally, the thing that I want the most.

YOU

You, I miss you YOU. I want to be with you for Christmas. The people who I love who are all over the world right now.
So, if you feel the urge to get on a plane and fly to Brazil around the 20th Decemeber (or any other time in the year while I am here) do not even hesitate. Don't think about the hole it may leave in your wallet, don't even think about the long flight. JUST DO IT! Ok? good.


Av. 20 de Setembro 3365,
Centro Sapiranga RS
BRASIL
93800-000

That's where you need to go. (Actually, that's the church, but I don't know our home address since all of our mail gets sent to the Church. But I will probably be at the church when you arrive anyway!)

(P.S. Are you impressed that I have blogged 3 times in one week?!! I am!)

This is cool

My friend Cat originally posted this. I love it.

LEONARDO DA VINCI'S VITRUVIAN MAN

I have joined the gym. Yes it is true. I have been going for about 3 weeks now.
Every time I leave the appartment to go to the gym, I feel like I am conqering the world! I think to myself 'check me out...I'm in Brazil...going to a gym class where I don't understand the instructions from the front and I look pretty amusing always one step behind as I follow the people in front of me.' but you know what, I am doing it. I sure am.


There's something you should know about Saprianga...there's not much to do here, and so one source of entertainment is to go to the gym, not to work out, but to watch other people sweat and labour away. I am not even joking. So I am not only a source of amusement for myself, but I am also providing quality entertainment for the lost and bored people of Sapiranga. While I am doing my super cool aerobics moves there are people behind me, sat on bean bags, just watching. It has become quite obivous that I am not from these parts. (The hair-cut and one-step-behind-everybody-else-super-cool-moves give it away!) Within my first week of conquering the world (going to the gym) there was a rumour spread around town that Vânia (JR's Mum, also widely known Pastor) was bringing an American to the gym (just to clarify that I wasn't telling porky pies earlier when I said I went to the gym alone, Vânia has been with me once and from thereon in, I was on my own) AN AMERICAN?! I am not at all offended because I have some amazing friends who also happen to be american, but I found it quite amuzing that a girl from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales could be mistaken for an american (and no, my accent hasn't changed THAT much since being accross the big pond)


As I'm doing my super cool excersise moves, I am thinking to myself how this would be one of those aweful times where, when you've become famous and you're on a prestigous chat show like Parkinson, you find out that somebody secretly filmed you while you were at your little gym in Sapiranga, Brazil and has now sold the evidence of you dancing always one step behind everybody else to the press and now the 10 million viewers can be entertained along with the Sapirangonians that made their way out to watch you that night.

These are the things I think about whilest being at the gym...I also think about how the last 5 minutes simply must have been the longest 5 minutes of my life and when are we going to get to the cool down part so that I can lie down and then go home?!

Other news:

I am going to Mozambique, Africa for one month. I leave in 3 weeks.
I am co-ordinating the School of Ministry in Brazil. Next year we will have a School of Missions. You should come (if you're passionate about missions)
I have been translating the PIH part of the website from Portuguese to English.
I am learning Portuganese
I have been teaching English
Jr and I are having fun
I love living in Brazil
I miss my family
I miss my friends
I have painted a few more paintings:




I am learning:
I wrote this in an e-mail to my beautiful friend Andrea:
"I have been learning that Love is Patient. when God is patient with me, it's not patience that is weary, or itching for something to happen, or doubtful that the desire will one day be filled. His patience for me, is strong, peaceful, resting and welcoming. He waits for me with patience. He loves me with patience. there is no pressure, there is grace, it is complete. I want this patience. i want to rest in my love for people. i want to rest in God's love for me. I want to love and for that love to be patient."


This is me right now. Peace and love and all things wonderful