All's Quiet on the Eastern Coast, except where it isn't.....

Luau para casals (couples) in the back parking area at the church building. We had to plug an extension cord in the office and hang it out the second floor window to help out.

Fresh coconut water

cutting the hole for the straw. There are stands along the street with piles of green coconuts for this purpose.

Required "selfie"

I got a kick out of watching the bishop try and try to get a good selfie that included their decor.

Finally got slightly better shots of a piece of the furniture row, not sure if they are mostly repairing, redoing, or making. One of them is always reweaving caned seats.

This is a shot of the stores in the "new furniture" area in another part of town. As usual here, there are many stores lining both sides of the street for at least a couple of blocks all selling the same basic thing. They go back fairly deep and most had someone standing out front to try and help get people in.

The continuing evolution of the parking area across the street: Official signs, another price hike, and now a wall. It was looking rather wobbly but the second or third day they started using string to make a straighter wall. Then they slather cement over it, quite roughly. These bricks are what everything here is made of. Most of the time it gets covered up, the nicer buildings now get tiled which stays better looking much longer.

When you can't really paint lines on the pavement, paint them on the wall.

We're not sure if you have to pay extra to have your motorcycle helmet hung under the awning instead of leaving it on the cycle but sometimes there are at least a dozen hanging there. safe from rain and thieves.

Ran across this interesting brazilian dessert: Cartola though I haven't actually eaten it.

So the coronavirus hasn't done much in Brasil so far, but today it was announced that schools would close for a month and it will count as their usual July month off. There is plenty of toilet paper in the stores and they think the Americans are a bit nuts. Though apparently several stores are out of potatoes. Not that it's really unusual to be out of them, or onions, or carrots, or other basics.

Some friends serving in France were sent home with other European senior missionaries and had to spend about five hours after they landed going through checking process and now have to self-quarantine in the back part of their house for two weeks. Some senior missionaries in Sao Paulo with health problems have gone home but we don't anticipate leaving suddenly, although it could happen. We did stock up a bit in case of having to stay in or crazy panic hitting stores, etc. Missionaries have been given funds to buy some extra non-perishable food and told not to shake hands, etc. We have been glad to have access to internet to see updates as well as check up on family and friends. We assume with the comparatively early response that things will be pretty good here.

Canceling of church meetings and activities did mean not having our last English Connect class, which was a shame. Only a few stuck it out but they were really enthused and appreciative.

Another zone conference done, and what a job as we grow and more materials need to be ready in a very short time. The work continues in finding and preparing new apartments and now we are to gather supplies for the new office.....