tender mercies.

 photo via

the last few days have been especially hard for me.

(great opening line, eh?!)

as much as i want to speak portuguese, i can't. and because of that, i can't make friends very easily. #anditgetslonely. really lonely.

 the boys and i love being closer to dad here in campinas, but he still has pretty bad hours which means we have to entertain ourselves all day. i feel scared to go out alone with the babies and although i love love love our new apartment, little henry and i are getting a bit claustrophobic. so i have been on my knees a lot lately. this morning i found myself on my knees, my cheeks wet from tears, asking for a friend. just one. just someone to talk to.

and this is what happend...

daniel calls me around 2pm and tells me that a lady from the ward is coming over and to let her in at the portaria. (house is a mess, still have pajamas on!).

she rings and i open the door. in front of me is henry's nursery leader and her daughter and her daughters son that is henry's age. holding a water melon. the daughter says "hello! my mother wanted me to come meet you."

say what?! she spoke perfect english. in fact she teaches english. her son felipo and henry were instantly best friends. i talked to her daughter as the boys played and the mom went to put the melon in the kitchen. oh. it felt so good to talk to her, we laughed and watched our little dudes play. about 30 minutes later the mom comes out of the kicthen and signals for me to come over. i walk into my kitchen and all the dishes are done and she had made lunch for me and the boys. she tells me that there was a chicken and brocoli dish and then just plain steamed brocoli.

i was so surprised that she did that first of all, and second of all, how did she do that is so little time?!

the mom tells her daughter and grandson "vamos"! the daughter says to me, "it was nice to meet you" as she stands up to leave.

i start to cry.

these ladies didn't know me, they didn't know that i had been pleading with my father in heaven to send me a friend. they didn't know that i hate cooking and that i was dreading cleaning the house. they were just being kind.
they were three angels. they really were. 

with tears streaming down my face i couldn't even get a goodbye out. they started to cry and we embraced. i felt loved. i felt remembered.

my prayer was answered.


xo