Christ in us, making us one

Man, I love how as Christians we can get together w/ ppl we don't even know and yet love them, have fun, and feel like family. Even though I've experienced this over & over again in my transient life, it still amazes me! How cool to have that instant connection because of the underlying common denominator of Christ in us. We automatically know quite a bit about the other person just because he/she is a Christian. How amazing of God to give us that gift of His love which enables us to love each other and be ONE in Him.

Saturday night I was able to go into Calgary to watch the school's futsal teams play against a city team. The girls did quite poorly but the boys won... after all, their games were at 10 and 11 at night, which is quite ridiculous. I had hoped to stay overnight there to hang out with Brazilian friends in Calgary that I don't see too often, and for a while on Sat. it seemed that it wasn't going to work out. The guy from Three Hills that I'd be able to get a ride back here with was going to have to work on Sunday after all (it was dependent on the weather), so I resigned myself to only going to the game & coming back really late with the teams.

After all that was planned though, I got a hold of another lady who asked what I was doing Sunday afternoon b/c she was wanting to go in to Calgary for the Brazilian party that I had been hoping to be at, and wanted someone at least to come back with her at night. So, God ended up working it out perfectly for me & I was soooo happy! :) I made so many phone calls that day, my word! I love Brazilian connections - they're so happy to help & willing to offer things, wow! But in the end I went in for the game w/ the team vans, met up w/ 2 Brazilian friends there, got a ride w/ them to the house where I (and they) were staying overnight, and was able to go to church w/ them, have lunch, hang out, meet a bunch of sweet Brazilian couples I didn't know before in the afternoon party, and then still come home at night. WOW, what a great weekend.

It was so good to catch up with one friend especially, and meet a family that just moved to Calgary a month ago (cute but hyper kids!!). (Hence the earlier paragraph about the Body of Christ.) I'm grateful for the hospitality of the family with whom I stayed, too. They're so great. It makes me happy to be becoming part of this extended Brazilian "family". I just love the culture - all the joking around, "hello" hugs from strangers and later "goodbye" hugs from new friends (I love hugs and definitely got stocked up for a bit yesterday - waaaay more than "4 hugs a day..."), hearing stories, and a chance to have a small service that night (a meditation on Psalm 126 and prayer). What with all the phone calls on Saturday and then being with them Sat. night and all day Sunday, I had quite the Portuguese-speaking weekend. Fun times... oh except for when they like mocking my "Paraense" accent (my r's and s's especially). How handy is it that my name has both in it?? So now I'm "Eshterrr." I keep trying to tell them that it's really hardly Paraense at all - b/c of being around them it's gotten so mixed up. Half the time I say something like I would in Belem, and the other half it's more Paulista or something. Argh. Even so, they mock me... I guess I should just start imitating them! ;) [sorry to those who have no clue what i'm talking about....]

As a side note, I had my first experience at Centre Street Church yesterday morning, and am happy to report that even though it's so HUGE they have a great preaching pastor and very Biblically-based messages. That's so encouraging. Both that message (on the Fall & sin, Gen. 3) & the one in our evening "small group" were so good, and came with good timing for me personally. Even so, I like my own church, where I know most of the people I see in the morning, where I can find people before or after the service, where I am known by the pastor, and where I am soon to become a member!! Yay!

Alright, that's been a long post and I'm digressing from the original point of it. So I'll quit now.
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