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One of the attributes of friendship is that it transcends time and space. Friends may be apart half way around the world, but the instant they get together it is like time and space never existed. This is not different with my friend Benoni and I. We became friends at seventeen and for a decade participate in the most memorable events of each other lives. This time in Rio we had the opportunity to catch up again. 

Founded in 1585 João Pessoa is the easternmost city in the Americas. Capital of the Brazilian state of Paraiba, João Pessoa has beautiful beaches. Since moving there five years ago, our friend Ana Santos has invited us to visit her. Carla and I had a wonderful time enjoying the city, the beach, the food and specially the people. Big thanks to Ana and her two daughters Astou and Kalla.

Ice cream is a universal food that never made in any food pyramid, as far as I know; nevertheless, it is a favorite everywhere. The ice cream store in Belem, a city in the mount of the Amazon River, offered 33 different flavors of ice cream, most from fruits that grow only in the Amazon forest. My favorite was a scoop of coconut and a scoop of anything else. In Saquarema we found an ice cream store with not as many options as Belem, but as good. I had a scoop of coconut and a scoop of passion fruit.

An important question often raised among young professionals and college students is the relation of vocation and the Kingdom. Not to escape from the norm, I struggled with the issue myself because I was raised in a tradition where Kingdom was limited to Sundays and vocation in its proper place in the rest of the week. The other day, my friend Pr. Neander, asked me to preach in his church. I prepared an inspirational message with stories from the work of the Africa Mercy in Sierra Leon. I was also going to tell about how my vocation, marine engineer, plays a vital role in what I do today. God does not see me as a Christian on Sunday and an engineer the rest of the week, but I never understood in practical terms that there is not separation between sacred and secular until I joined the Anastasis where I could be a missionary and an engineer at the same time. Till then, working with ships and on the shipyard was a way to bring finances for the Kingdom of God, almost like a necess...

With my sisters Maristela and Marli, Carla and I enjoyed a nice holiday in Bacaxa with my sister Marcia and brother in law Luiz. We visited Saquarema a beautiful place few minute from her house, pictures below. 

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro Sunday morning. The ten hour flight from Dallas was long and boring, but enough excitement was waiting for us. My sisters Marcia and Marli were waiting for Carla and me at the airport International Tom Jobim, the weather was just right, 24 centigrade. We drove to Barra da Tijuca were a delicious Sunday lunch was waiting for us. In the afternoon we were too tired to go anywhere or to do any thing special, so we did what Carioca knows to do best, we just enjoyed the rest of the day. My soccer team, Flamengo, was playing against his archrival Fluminense. Flamengo won the 3x2. Monday morning we joined our friend Marta at the beach, the air temperature was nice but the water was cold. We enjoyed catching up with Marta. We are enjoying our time here.