Ch-ch-ch-changes

Hey all,
So, much has changed since I last talked to you. First off, it is a new year. Second, the rainy season is starting to pick up. Christmas has passed. Work is back in session. And I hope you are all well.

I have some news that was initially sad, and still is, but I am seeing some big positives in the near future as a result of all this. I won't go into too much detail out of respect for the privacy of my family, but it involves highly dysfunctional family members outside of my house making death threats against my host mother, Tiana. These threats came from a very traditional, macho father who does not like his daughter's independence, or her freedom to live where she wants and date who she wants. I have been learning lots of sad details about the macho culture in Northeast Brasil, and how many women have dealt with physical, verbal, and emotional abuse because of it. I want to make it clear that this is not necessarily the norm, and there are lots of happy marriages and families, but that these cases are unfortunately common.

So, after calling my various coordinators and bosses over Christmas break because of a particularly strong threat, I was told to move out of my house as quickly as I could and stay at the house of my American colleagues, who were at the time on vacation, until a more permanent situation could be found.

After lots of support from my co-workers and bosses, they found me a new family to live with (as long as my host mom's father is alive, that situation is deemed dangerous) and I will be moving there tomorrow. This situation will be completely different. They live out in the rural farmlands (called the "situ" here) and they have a good sized farm that I think they make most of their income off of. They sell produce at the farmers market two days a week, and my host mom has a hair salon. They sound like great folks, and I will get to share my room with my new 12 year old host sister, who I have already had the privilege of meeting. Living out there will mean I have to get home before 6ish to avoid the dangerous dark roads, so that will change my ability to communicate and visit others in town. But hopefully I will develop my own new community out in the situ. I am quite hopeful :-).

Through all of this craziness, God has been good. Tiana and her girls are doing better. It seems the crazy father has settled down a bit, leaving them in peace. And they were just able to move back into their house after it was remodeled. It was flooded before I got there, and so I lived with them in a rented house on the same street as their old place. But now, they have a fresh start with a new house, and they are really being positive about the whole situation. They are trusting God and leaning on the good people he has placed in their lives. They are an inspiration to me. Especially Tiana. After a really really difficult life from being left by husbands twice, having to sell home made cakes and pastries on the streets and the beach to make ends meet, raising two daughters single-handedly, dealing with an abusive father. She is leaning on the Lord and as a result is full of strength to face every day.

Through all this transition, I have been doing pretty alright. I was able to go to Recife for New Years, which was good to get away and process everything that was going on. I had a good time dancing the night (and early morning) away on the beach in Boa Viagem. And on the way back, at 5:30 in the morning when we were walking home as the sun was rising on the first day of a beautiful new year, we encountered a school of dolphins swimming close to shore. That was an incredibly beautiful moment I will never forget. God appears in so many diverse ways. During one of my really sad days, I went out to work with Anya on a motorcycle, and all of the sudden, we came across this brilliantly colored, lime green chameleon in the road. All of the sudden i was in awe of its beauty and the beauty of its Creator, and the sun in my mind began to once again shine. He shows up in the details when you need proof of his presence.

So, good friends. Thank you for your support and prayers as always, and please pray for Tiana and her two daughters (my family). For their physical safety and mental well-being. I think they are not in any immediate danger, but it is so emotionally difficult to be in such an unloving family. And pray for the transition to my new family. I move there tomorrow, which will change so much about my daily living. I am excited, but need to make sure I keep my old host family in my life as well.

Love, hugs, peace, and smiles to you all
Annie