Danger?

So, I've been mulling this over for 24 hours...do I post about my latest adventure, or not? My family might worry more, but God should be glorified...

Yesterday morning, I went for a walk along the beach to spend some time with the Lord. Along the way, I stopped to take pictures of the flowers that are everywhere here, and posted the pics to Facebook for my dear friends to see.

As I began to walk home, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to pray for protection, so I did. No big deal, what could happen on such a beautiful morning? 

I had noticed a teenage boy on a bicycle, throwing rocks at a mango tree to get the mangos to fall. I kept walking, said good morning to a few people I saw in their yards.

About two blocks from Richie's house, that same teenage boy rode by me on his bike a couple times, then turned around and confronted me. "Give me your cell phone!" he said (it was clearly outlined in my pocket...duh!). My very out-of-character response was a resounding, "NO!!" 

Coming closer with a threatening demeanor, he repeated, "Give me your cell phone NOW!"

Me: "NO! In the name of Jesus, leave me alone! Lord, help me!" (Nao! Em nome de Jesus, sai de mim! Senhor, me ajuda!)

And the boy turned away and left me alone!

In truth, my cry of, 'Senhor, me ajuda' was a cry for a neighbor I had seen to come out and chase the boy away. I had enough faith to use Jesus' name, but also hoped some person would come to my rescue. But the Lord heard my cry, and instead of sending someone to help, He turned the boy's heart away from his intended assault.

Glory to God, who loves me and protects me in my ignorance!

A New Missionary's Morning Adventures

Good morning, friends!

So today is Wednesday, and the Bouthillier family is busy with home school, building a new wall around the yard, etc. So I decide to have a tiny adventure...and go out on my own to buy something I need. Understand this is an adventure because I'm not yet familiar with my new town, and many local people won't understand my accented Portuguese :)

I walk to the road beside the river, where I find a moto-taxi. I tell the driver I need to go to a farmacia (pharmacy). I hop onto the back of his motorcycle, and away we go. When we arrive at the pharmacy, I pay the driver R$3 (about 60 cents US) and go inside. A few minutes later, I walk out with my anti-itch cream...Wahoo! Success! They understood what I needed.

After looking around at some other small stores, I decide to go home, so I flag down another moto-taxi. Whoa! This motorcycle is very high...I can barely get my short leg over it! Oops, I forgot Richie's address, so how can I direct the driver? Aha! I have the address in my phone. Another success!

Are you getting the idea? A new missionary looks and feels pretty dumb most of the time! 

Next adventure...a moto-taxi driver who is a friend of Richie's stops by to introduce himself to me. It's a good idea to develop a friendship with a driver, says Richie...he will learn where I live and usually be available when I need him. Guiu is very polite, and explains that his wife is a Christian :) Richie mentions to him some apartments that I'm interested in seeing.

A few minutes later, Guiu is back to take me to see the apartment! The guard has a key, he says. But when we arrive, the guard says he does not have keys, only the owner has them, and she will arrive in an hour. Back home again, disappointed. After lunch, I will call Guiu, he will check that the landlord is there, then pick me up again.

So that's a typical morning here in Portel for me. Hope you enjoyed this peek into my new life.