Uruguay 2013

Sunday morning we attended Christ Church in Montevideo.  We were well-received by the congregation, who varied in age and were from many different countries.  The service was in English; God worked through us to encourage many that attended.  We performed our first of three concerts of the day.

                                                                                   

This little boy came up to Doug asking if he could play the trumpet.  Doug, instead, taught him how to buzz his lips and told him to practice that all the time at his house.

Our team connected with many people following the service.

Once again we were well fed.  A private place was provided for us to have lunch in which a delicious meal was prepared by a Uruguyan church member who was originally from Australia.

Sunday afternoon we had the opportunity to play at a nursing home that was originally a private summer home for a wealthy family with 14 children. The family reportedly used this mansion once a year as a vacation home.  There are currently 92 residents that live here.  Pictures do not do justice for the grandeur of this building which was inspired by Italian architecture. The wood, marble, tile floor, and other materials were imported from Italy.

The first concert was held outdoors for the convenience of some of the residents who lived on the lower floor of the building.

The second concert was played in the Grand Hall (as shown in the next few pictures) for the benefit of the residents on the upper floor. Residents were actively involved in some of the songs.  For example, on The Twelve Days of Christmas they held up cards and rang bells for other songs.

The director shown in the picture to the left was very grateful for the joy through music that we brought to the residents.

Uruguay 2013

The Herald Brass played two concerts on Friday morning at the Uruguayan American School, after which they were presented with gift bags and a delicious complementary luncheon.

The Herald Brass introduced students to each instrument, how each one makes different sounds, and how they all fit together in a brass quintet.

The principal of the school took time to thank the Herald Brass for coming, expressed how much their music was appreciated, and how well it was performed.

The group was invited to a first grade classroom where they took more time to demonstrate how to play the brass instruments, ranging from how to make a noise with the mouthpiece, to show how to work the valves/slide, and even worked on learning how to have breath control.

Here are a few pictures of the city of Montevideo from the Antel building on the twenty sixth floor.

Friday evening The Herald Brass performed at an outdoor concert held at the YMCA in Montevideo. The concert was well attended, with an enthusiastic, and encouraging audience.  After the concert, the YMCA presented The Herald Brass with gifts of t-shirts, copies of posters that had been used to advertise the concert, and also treated them to a private dinner of beef and chicken empanadas, pizza, and drinks.

Anita had the audience participate in the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, by having volunteers hold up cards that had one of the twelve gifts on each card.

Good News!…camera card has been replaced.  See prior days/posts for pictures.

Uruguay 2013

Two nights ago, we did a concert an hour and a half away from Montevideo in a concert hall. This concert was to encourage the CMA church in Maldonado. It was a great evening of music and there was a couple that came to the concert which provided an opportunity for a good connection for the pastor and his wife.   This was also an encouraging night for the church members there, one who has a daughter that has recently gone through cancer treatment for cancer in her leg.  This event allowed us to come alongside the pastor and his wife to give them encouragement to keep reaching out to those that need to hear the gospel.

Tuesday morning we went to the British School to perform a concert for the primary grades.  Our music was well-received and the music teacher was so pleased to have a brass group at her school.  They have no instrumental groups at this point, but this is something they would like to have in the future at their school.





After the concert, we were treated to a complementary lunch, and then invited outside for dessert that the classes had prepared.  We had a great time connecting with the children at their dessert tables.

Tuesday afternoon, Stephanie had a craft class in the afternoon with children at the YMCA. There were 12 children there and team members assisted with doing three different crafts (Christmas ornaments) to be handed out in two weeks to families who attend the YMCA as a thank you from the YMCA.

Tuesday night, we played in the local shopping mall for one hour and one-half hour.  You could look into the people's faces and see the stress and the busyness of life, but as they heard the music, we could see hearts softened and smiles come upon the faces of those who passed by and heard the music.  Many would stand around for a while and listen, and also participate, as well as taking pictures and videos/recordings.  After the concert, we had a complementary dinner in a very nice restaurant. Some of us tried Chivito, and many of us had steak, along with our new favorite grapefruit soda.  It was a great evening at Portones Mall.







































Thursday morning we got up early and prepared for a concert at the Ladies Book Club that Stephanie leads. Helen was our host, and she had a gorgeous back yard with a fig tree, lemon tree, olive tree, a grape arbor, and fragrant roses in a lawn setting.  The ladies in the book club were encouraged to invite their husbands to come for this special event/concert by the Herald Brass.





There were 14 in attendance as well as the Herald Brass and the Beers.  There was a lot of good food and relationships that were being built around the tables.  We were able to share testimonies as well as playing a lot of Christmas music.









We had a great time, and were publicly encouraged to come back by the president of the book club as well as others in attendance.










Thursday night the ladies of the team reached out at the Ladies Bible Study to share personal stories.