Emily's Thoughts

I absolutley loved Montevideo! This was my first trip with the Herald Brass and playing trumpet at different venues was a wonderufl experience. It was great talking to the people there and getting to know them a little. I was surprised that so many have never seen brass instruments in person before. Our hosts were fantastic and I enjoyed spending time with them. It was also nice that the weather was sunny and warm as they are beginning summer as opposed to winter here. Although, it was a bit odd playing Christmas music beside palm trees- it's definitely something I could get used to. I can't wait to go back! I greatly appreciate all the the support and prayers that helped make this trip possible! Muchas gracias!!

 

Emily

Home

After 27 hours of traveling, we made it home. Sorry that we didn't let you know until now, but we were all exhausted. We praise God for all the great things that He did through us. Later we will put up our individual thoughts, so stay tuned!

Thank you for your prayers and support,
The Herald Brass

Goodbyes

Today is the day that we all dread. We had such a great time this past week. So many good friends were made and we all are very sad to go. We will have fly out of Montevideo around 10 p.m. tonight and we will have a 4-5 hour layover in Miami. We will arrive at JFK around 2:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, and then we have a 3.5 hour car drive back to Lancaster. Some of us won't get back home home until around 9 o'clock, so pray for safe traveling. We will update the blog a few more times with our individual thoughts. Chao!

Last Three Concerts

Last night we had one of our best concerts at Christ's Church. It was a beautiful brick building that had great sound. Christ's Church is an English speaking church that shares its building with a Spanish Baptist church on Sunday evenings. We had a great turn out and really enjoyed being there. We also enjoyed the delicious meal provided for us afterwards! This concert was outreach oriented and Doug and Ed shared their testimony. 

This morning we played for an international book club with included several ambassador's wives. The women really enjoyed it and we really enjoyed it too. This gathering was great because Bruce and Steph were able to make some good contacts with different people. The women said that it was wonderful because Uruguay does not celebrate Christmas the way their native country does. They missed the Christmas music and loved having us play for them.

From the book club we went to the Cerro. El Cerro is a impressive fortress perched upon a hill on the other side of Montevideo. From the top of the hill/mountain we could see an incredible skyline of Montevideo. We toured the fortress and learned a lot of the history of Uruguay. We could have learned a lot more if we only spoke Spanish!

Finally then this evening we had a concert at Portones Shopping Mall. The people seemed to enjoy the music and the Christmas spirit that was there. Santa was stationed farther back in the hall so it was a very festive mood. Bruce said that Christmas has only been celebrated recently and only because the stores see the marketing value of the season. So even though the holiday is "celebrated", it is a very commercialized holiday. 

More Video

Here are the links to a few more videos. The two in the British school are pretty blurry but you can hear the kids singing in the second video.

Nuttin For Christmas: http://youtu.be/4CNTJHAVb9M
Feliz Navidad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkEOZ5AIeWg
Oh Come All Ye Faithful: http://youtu.be/rx1W-XayZhs

School Visit and Mate

Yesterday we went to the British school to play during the lunch hour for the equivalent of high school in the states. We had a great time playing for the kids there, however there was a somber atmosphere because a young women who graduated from the school tragically died the day before. After we finished playing at the secondary school, the director of the school (along with his super cool British accent!) asked us to play for the primary school (K-6). We agreed and we are so glad that we did. We added a little bit of teaching time of each of the instruments, which delighted the music teacher and the students. We played a few songs that required a few bells to be rang along with. Normally we have some trouble getting teens and adults to ring the bells, but not here! Poor Anita was mobbed my kids wanting to get the privilege of ringing the coveted bells. She ended up making many children sad because all of them wanted to have opportunity to play.  We finished with the song Feliz Navidad. The kids loved this piece, and we loved watching them respond to it! They started to sing along, sway back and forth with the music in rows, clap along, and their faces just lit up. It looked like a sea of synchronized swaying.  We have a video of the kids singing and Nathan will try to get that uploaded this evening. It was just incredible to see joy in the kids' faces. When we finished they started chanting, "Another one, another one...". We obliged and played We Three Kings. When we finished that one they started to chant all over again. We were actually saved by the bell. We finished the song, looked around at the chanting children, and suddenly a bell sounded calling for a period change. As the kids walked out, the teachers greeted us and thanked us for coming. The one teacher looked down at her student, saw his smile and said to us, "Look at his smile!".

That afternoon we did some shopping and got to experience the different culture even in shopping. Instead of picking up your item and carrying it to the check-out booth, you asked for it and then they gave you a ticket so that you could pick it up at the front desk, wrapped and waiting. It's a great system... if you speak Spanish! =D

Later in the evening we went to another international worker's house and had a pizza party with the group. The pizza here is different. Traditional pizza is on flat bread with sauce.  We ate "mozarella", which is closer to our traditional pizza, but the main topping is cheese. The pizza was delicious! We also experienced a cultural tradition called, mate (maw-tay). Mate is a very strong green tea that a lot of South Americans drinks. Below are some pictures of events listed above.

Playing at the Senior British School

Anita handing out the bells

There were lots of kids

Group picture!

Nathan and the traditional mate stance

Pastor Doug didn't like it....at all!

Its just strong tea!

Some people didn't like it so much...

The mozzarella

Pictures

Emily

Doug

Dean

Dale

 Anita

Ed

Our make-shift drum for rehearsal

The sunset

 Testimony time 

Video

Here is the link to a video of the group playing this evening. Enjoy!


http://youtu.be/1nrgfgEMENU

New Things

Last night was an incredible time of fellowship and music. We enjoyed spending time with the people there and we REALLY enjoyed the food! Hamburgers and chorizos (sausages) on the asado. Yum! This morning we enjoyed spending time at the beach and hanging out with our new friends while playing ultimate frisbee and swimming. Some of us went to explore the mall. The mall was very modern and they even had an Xbox Kinect, which some of our friends played. This evening we had a concert at a cafe with elaborate christmas decorations. The audience enjoyed our performance and several asked when and where we are playing next. We were able to mingle and enjoy a cup of tea with the people there. We are having lots of fun as a team.


Here are a few of our most recent observations/experience:
Exchanging money (19.8 pesos = $1)
Driving on the Rambla (highway), road lines mean nothing!
Playing Christmas music in the heat!
Seeing 30 degrees on the thermometer (Celsius, of course)
Badets in the bathroom
Eating fresh papayas and pineapples for breakfast
Greeting with a kiss (on the cheek of course)
Buying things in Pesos

Thank You!

We just want to take a moment to thank all of you for your prayers and support. We received an e-mail this evening from the kids at Lancaster Alliance's (Doug and Anita's Church) Caraway Street that was a great encouragement to the team. You are all very special to us and we just want to thank you for all the love and prayers that you pour into us. We praise God for you! Thanks again!!

Our First Concert

This morning we had the privilege of being with our C&MA family at the Tres Cruses Alliance Church.  Pulling up and seeing the C&MA logo made it "feel like home".  The church family greeted us warmly and several commented afterward about the ministry of music and how it encouraged them.  Nathan and Steph spent last evening translating our screen lyrics so that the people could connect with the songs.  Bruce preached the message and thankfully we knew that it was based in Luke 15, otherwise we would've been in the dark.  :O  A meaningful part for everyone was when Emily and Doug shared their testimony.  God ministered encouragement through their words of faith in God and the lesson of continued trust.  Keep praying!  We've only just begun.

-Anita

Un Asado

Tonight, after we practiced of course, we experienced a GREAT Uruguayan tradition. Un asado. An asado is a cookout with lots of meat. The cookout started out with an appetizer that consisted of a beef sausage and roasted mozzarella cheese in between a slice of french bread. If that wasn't good enough, the main meal was beef ribs and little beef steaks grilled to medium rare perfection. If you haven't already noticed, beef is a very important to the Uruguayans as it is their largest industry. What makes an asado extra special is the way it is grilled. There is a picture below that will make it a little clearer. It's a little difficult to see, but the rack on the far right is where the fire is built. The fire is built with special wood called leña. This wood is from the mountains and is very hard. The wood itself smells amazing. As the wood is burning, the hot coals drop down through the grate and the skilled grill master, a.k.a. Bruce, pushes the coals over underneath the meat, thus cooking the meat thoroughly. You can barely see it, but there is a small chain that attaches to the grate and a knob that is outside of the grill. When you turn the knob, the grate is raised up higher so that you can control the temperature of your heat. No need to the say that the meat was incredible. The meat was seasoned with salt and it was the perfect combination.  

Arrival

We have arrived! After almost 24 hours of travel, we have finally arrived. Whew! It was a little stressful when we were in the middle of Brooklyn, hoping and praying that we would make it to the airport before the flight took off. Thankfully we made it safely and had time to spare. The line at security was the shortest that any of us have ever seen and we got to our gate with 45 minutes to spare. We got to Miami and had about a two hour layover before the longest leg of our trip. We arrived in Montevideo at 11:00am local time (8:00am EST) and spent the next hour going through customs and more bag checking. The customs officer was a little surprised when Ed lifted to reveal his tuba. After some deliberation (and thus stressful minutes for us) they decided to let us through. The missionaries met us at the door and we drove to the Beer's. Its amazing how similar and different countries are! We are currently sitting around Bruce and Stephanie's table enjoying lunch and pounding out the schedule for tomorrow.

Travel Days

Today will be a long day of traveling! Here is a more detailed look at the day and into tomorrow:


12:30 p.m. Leave Lancaster Alliance Church
  5:45 p.m. Fly out of JFK
  9:10 p.m. Arrive in Miami
10:50 p.m. Leave Miami
10:55 a.m. Arrive in Montevideo, Uruguay (Note: 3 hour time difference, 7:55 EST)


Please continue to pray for safe traveling, that we make all of our flights, and arrive safely in Uruguay.


Thanks!
The Herald Brass

Expected Itinerary

Below is the schedule that we plan to have. However, things may change or be added, so check back for any updates that we may have. Only four more days!


Friday, November 25-November 26
12:30 p.m. Leave Lancaster C&MA for JFK
5:45 p.m. Flight Departs
10:55 a.m. Arrive in Montevideo (+3 hour time difference)
6:00 p.m. Asado (cookout) with Montevideo Team (Froehlichs, Johnsons, Taubes and Beers) Orientation/Overview of the country


Sunday Nov. 27
10:00 a.m. Tres Cruces Alliance Church
6:00 p.m. Reflection Group


Monday, Nov. 28
Morning at the beach
5:00 p.m. Effa’s Cafe


Tuesday, Nov 29
1:00 p.m. The British School


Wednesday, Nov. 30
10:00 a.m. Prayer Walk with Hosts
 1:00 p.m. Geánt Shopping Mall
7:30 p.m. Christ Church (Baptist)


Thursday, Dec. 1
10:00 a.m. International Book Club
 8.00 p.m. Portones Shopping Mall


Friday, Dec. 2 - Saturday, Dec. 3
Sightseeing/Debriefing Travel Home
10:55 a.m. Leave Montevideo (Friday morning)
  2:30 p.m. Arrive at JFK (Saturday afternoon) 

Preparations

We are working diligently to prepare for our trip. November 25th doesn't seem so far away any more. Thank you so much for your prayers and your donations. We are able to go to Uruguay because of your generosity and prayers. Please join us in prayer that the people that we will minister to will have open hearts and receptivity to what we have to share. Also pray for the health of the team members.


Thanks again,
The Herald Brass