Uma dia bem legal! (A very cool day!)

Today was a very good day! But first let me go back to yesterday...

Chellee and I went with Tamara, Chris, and Thais sight-seeing in Porto Alegre. On the way into the city we were stopped in a police blitz. The police have been cracking down on people who don't update their car documents. It's all on the honor system here and if you're caught with expired documents your car is immediately taken from you. The only way to catch people is to randomly stop cars and check the documents. Well, we were stopped...and I was driving. So, I handed the officer the documents along with my Iowa drivers license and he walked away. He came back several minutes laster and he asked, in Portuguese, if I spoke Porguguese. I said no...which wasn't a total lie. Then he started to speak to me in English - and very good English at that. He said he had a brother in Rhode Island and his brother had 2 daughters but they were coming back to Brasil soon. We had some small talk for a bit and then he handed me back the documents and said we could go. It was quite the experience. Once we arrive in Porto Alegre we went to several mountain tops and had several very beautiful panoramic views of the city. At the top of the third mountain we had a picnic lunch. Then we drove back down the mountain to catch the 1:30 double decker tour bus. For $7 Reias (about $3.50) you can take a bus around the city for 90 minutes to see the sights. It was very cool! And well worth the money. By the time it was over we were all pretty beat so we ventured back to Gravatai to rest. Last night Chellee and I went to Geferson and Marcia's for dinner.

Today - Sunday - was a GREAT day!! I spent the entire day with Jaque and her family. I arrived at her house around 10:00am and we had a blast!! We made lunch and Flavia and Andresa came for a visit and then at 4:00pm Gremio (the soccer team I like here) played for the Gaucho Championship...and we were watching on TV. The score ended up being 4-1...Gremio is the Gaucho Champion! The city went crazy! Then it was time for church and I was asked to play the guitar for worship. What a privilege that was. Now it is 11:30pm and I am pretty beat. Tomorrow Chellee, Heidi, and I are going to Gramado to do some shopping and then meet up with some other missionaries for fondue! Can't wait!!