A Beautiful Place

Where to start...

Fresh air and cool breezes that make my skin feel so natural and comfortable.

Smells I've never before smelled, sights I've never before seen. God truly blessed these people when he created this country. The grass is actually greener, the trees taller and fuller, the clouds thicker and closer, the animals more content.

The picturesque views effect such positive up-lifting changes on whatever mood you may be in.

The people - beautiful!

Aside from their creamy caramel- to rich dark-chocolate-colored skin, their cascading dark hair, their striking features, and their obvious contentment with their body shapes/types/sizes, their character and their genuine personality traits make them rare treasures in this massive, ever-expanding world.

We are so quick to place value on clothes, shoes, houses, cars, jewelry, etc; but the truest value lies in the heart of genuine, honest people.

The area of Brazil to which we traveled wasn't the poorest of the country, but neither was it the wealthiest. The standard of living was very different from that of the US. Poverty here is pretty close to luxury there, and poverty there is beyond what we could fathom. I say this not to condescend upon their style of living or to degrade their way of life, but to enlighten the unbeknown individuals of the truth behind lifestyles in different.

They have pride, but its a different type of pride. They take pride in themselves, but its not a vain excessive pride. They take pride in their country in an incredibly laudable way. They could certainly teach people across the globe, what it means to have pride in one's country. These people, these beautiful-spirited people - they are my role models.

They have the hearts, the mindsets, the open arms I want to have.

From being in Brasil for one week, I've soaked up the core of what true beauty is.

I went over there to impact lives, and to live God's love, but I think that God meant for that encounter to impact me and to show me the awesome splendor of seeing Him glorified in a language I don't understand.

I didn't need to speak the language to see their love and devotion to God. They have encouraged me in my walk with my Father in a way that I never expected.

Thank you, Lord, for opening my heart and my spiritual understanding in such an amazing way.