September 2, 2004

Dear Friends,

Spring has finally sprung here in Salvador, Bahia. It means that the rainy season is finally over, and the sky is blue again. What a relief! For weeks we had one rain squall after another blow in off the Atlantic with strong winds that rattled the windows and blew water around the sides of your umbrella. For more on this, watch BBC World Weather on cable.

We arrived on July 9, stayed in a small hotel, and worked and played with a group of 18 cheerful American Presbyterians who had come for two weeks to help build a community center in a very poor neighborhood. The center is far from finished, but it has gotten a good start. Keiko and I were touched by how well (and how hard) these Americans worked with the local construction guys, who are still trying to recover from the culture shock of being treated like bosses. It was a remarkable demonstration of Christ-like humility, teamwork, and communicating on a very deep level: faith as an experience of the total person.

As soon as this group of Americans went home, classes started at the Institute for Theological Education in Bahia (ITEBA). Bob is teaching contemporary theology, Old Testament exegesis, and Old Testament theology. In addition, he has the pleasant task of advising seniors on the research projects they are doing as the final requirement for graduation.

Besides getting to know these students very well, he has a great chance to inspire them to study at the next level. If ITEBA graduates are going to be effective agents of change, they are going to have to continue studying. After some anxious searching, Bob has laid hands on a few appropriate books that his students, whose only language is Portuguese, can read for themselves.

Keiko has been busy studying Portuguese and socializing with several of the women at ITEBA. They seem intent on adopting her, and they visit us frequently. They have helped us do a variety of things difficult for any foreigner. Brazil is a legal labyrinth, and without the help of two or three people from ITEBA and another from the presbytery, we would not have been able to get settled within 30 days. We thank God and our friends here that that whole business is finally behind us so that Bob can concentrate on his work. We live on the tenth floor of a high-rise building not far from ITEBA. We get a wonderful ocean breeze and have a great view of both the Atlantic and the Bay of All Saints.

Starting about mid-August, a group of students led by Professor Emily Townes came to visit ITEBA from Union Seminary in New York City. They did a variety of cultural things and stayed with host families. Keiko and I socialized with these young people quite a bit and were really impressed with them. They were very poised and leader-like, among other things.

We would like to be able to report on ITEBA’s plans to move into its own building. Unfortunately, we don’t have any current information on that subject. We do know, however, that ITEBA is still awaiting accreditation as a university-level institution and meanwhile is making plans to expand the curriculum.

May the gospel fill your lives as it does ours, and may you keep us and ITEBA in your thoughts and prayers as we keep you in ours.

Yours in Christ,

Bob and Keiko