MIJD October Activities
Brazil 

Brazil was amazing!  The only bad part about the trip was that it was only two weeks long.  Everyone keeps asking, “What was your favorite part?” and my only answer is, “the girls.”  At each place we went to we were greeted with hugs and kisses from dozens of Daughters, adults and even an occasional Demolay chapter.  Their enthusiasm and energy is unlimited and extremely contagious.  I was excited to watch a meeting in Portuguese and was amazed at their speaking skills and perfect marching- the meetings were beautiful and I got teary-eyed at each closing cross as I watched a full line of officers and anywhere from 10 to 30 Daughters in the choir complete the ceremony.  Many of the girls we met spoke English, and all were anxious to learn more about Job’s Daughters.  Even though we were in each area for a short amount of time, I know that many of them will be lifelong friends and we will keep in touch for years to come. 

Another big hit was the foodJ.  The fruits were all fresh and I enjoyed pineapple, mangos, coconut, and papaya several times a day.  The cheeses were wonderful as well.  At almost each stop, we had a barbeque Brazil style.  Instead of typical hamburgers and hot dogs we would find in the US, we ate at elegant banquet tables and started off with a buffet of various salads, fruits, hot dishes and seafood.  As soon as I sat down with a plate, there are about 10 waiters that came around our table offering a wide selection of meats that have been prepared on skewers that are two feet long.  If the meat looked good, then the waiter would cut a slice off and serve it on the plate.  Some of the selections included beef, chicken and pork served every way possible.  I even tried chicken hearts!  Another big hit was pizza, which was served much like the barbeque; the dessert pizza was to die for!  I could probably write a couple of pages about the food, but it makes me too hungry to think about it.  In a nutshell: AMAZING!

No matter where we were, I was amazed at the elegance and grandeur of the Masonic Temples and Grand Lodges.  Most had granite flooring and beautifully painted walls and ceilings that created the illusion that we were in the sky of the rising sun, in the midst of a solar system, or in an Egyptian temple.  The “east” was capable of holding at least 30-40 people, and at each meeting those chairs were filled with Masons from the lodge, Honored Queens and Princesses and any other special guest in attendance.  To say that the buildings were beautiful is an understatement. 

 Each state we were in had its own unique memories, people, and tours that we enjoyed.  I tried to cover the highlights and give a general outline of what we did in each state with pictures and captions following the article.

 

  Espirito Santo
After an extremely long day of traveling, the six of us (Denise Noonan, SG, Tom Sapp, ASG, Carol Sapp, Guardian Secretary, Marilee Smiley, PSG and Supreme Deputy to Brazil, Erin Duskey, SBHQ and I) arrived in Vitoria, Espirito Santo.   At our visit there we were met by a young council who was very enthusiastic about our Order.  After a training session, they took us to the beach where we spent the rest of the eveningJ.  The next day a group of girls and our translator took us on a tour of Convento da Penha, a gorgeous church that many people make pilgrimages to see and to pray in the miracle room.  It is located at the top of a hill and over looked the beach, and the cities of Vitoria and Vila Velha.  Following that we also toured a famous chocolate shop, the Grand Lodge of Espirito Santo, and enjoyed a barbeque with the girls.  Dinner that night was with girls from several bethels and we all had a fantastic time with the girls and adults in a casual setting.  The night was late and the morning came quickly as we packed up and headed to the next stop.

Goias

When we finally settled into our hotel (after a long flight and four hour drive) it was almost time to head to dinner.  Located at the Grand Master’s house, about 40 people arrived for the dinner.  As usual, the food was delicious and Erin Nicole and I enjoyed coconut milk straight from the coconut and learned a little about Brazilian music and dancing.  Great fun!  At dinner, we watched a slide show about Bethel 7’s activities, and I was happy to see how much they were doing for the poor children in the city.  The activities with the daughters started the next day.  After a social breakfast, we walked to the temple for instructional and training sessions.  That afternoon we saw a carnival that was put on in honor of Children’s Day and the city of Itumbiara’s 142 anniversary.  One special memory happened while walking the river front.  We were on a dock over the water and I went to place my left foot behind me when… splash! My shoe fell in the river!  Luckily we were able to flag down a couple who was boating in the river and my shoe was retrieved.  Naturally we all had a good laugh and I was relieved that I didn’t have to leave a shoe in Brazil (it wasn’t my brightest moment)! Later that night I saw my first meeting in Portuguese.  The closing ceremony left me breathless as I began to realize the enormous size of our Job’s Daughter’s family.

 Bahia 

Our visit to Bahia included a congress session, which was similar to a grand session.  There were well over 150 girls there and we had a blast!  The speakers there did leadership training.  In between the meals, speakers and training sessions we jammed out to Kelly Clarkson and learned some more Brazil dances.  Bahia has a Jurisdictional Guardian Council and we saw their Installation and watched as two bethels were presented with their charters.  Also that weekend, we watched the open part of the Miss Bahia Job’s Daughter competition which included the messenger part and their interviews.  The crowning was that night followed by a Demolay dance.  Our stay in Bahia was very short as it concluded the next morning for remarks and presentations.  At this meeting we were presented with an instrument, pronounced bay-de-bow, which I am looking forward to learning how to play.  Since our flight left so early the next morning, we drove to Ilheus immediately after the meeting.  Some of the adults from that city took us out to enjoy pizza and soon we found ourselves on the way to Rondonia early the next morning.

Rondonia

The day that we traveled to Porto Velho was a long one.  We left our hotel in Ilheus about 6:00 am, and finally went to sleep at 2:00 am the next morning.  I noticed however, that no matter how tired we were, the girls always seemed to let our spirits and give us a second wind, the same was true in Rondonia.  The meeting started shortly after we arrived and their Ritual work was amazing.  The meeting flowed with all nineteen officers on the floor, girls in the choir, and the sidelines were packed with anywhere from 30 to 40 Masons in attendance, including the Grand Master.  The meeting was extra special because Bethel #5 was presented with their charter. At lunch we had some food that was specific to the Amazon area we were in, including amazing fish with steamed rice that had raisins and ham in it, wonderful.  We learned some more dances and taught them a few of our favorites.  Since we tried to squeeze in more visits than usual, our stay was extremely short, and we were only able to spend one day in Porto Velho.  Some of the girls invited us to go out that night, but we had to decline because our flight caused us to leave our hotel at 3:00 am the next morning.  It was a short stay, and a short night, but our time was well spent.

Malto Grosso Do Sul

We were met at the airport by about 30 girls, adults and some Demolay.  I was excited to go to the mall with the girls, and we even ate McDonalds for lunch!  Since we shopped most of the afternoon, we did some Ritual training that night and went out for pizza about 10:00.  The next day we spent meeting with the girls.  There were about 70 there for the visit.  Some of the Bethel Guardians did some leadership training before we went out to eat at an Arabian restaurant.  Back at the temple, we made time for question and answer sessions, but while the adults were meeting with the councils, we had some downtime with the girls to watch a slide show they put together about their bethel and its activities.  We had a little break to get ready for the open meeting that night.  Since we have not translated the Book of Ceremonies into Portuguese yet, the Daughters often write their own ceremonies.  One of our translators took the time to translate the ceremonies for us, and we enjoyed one ceremony about the significance of the North, South, West and East (it was emphasized by the beauty of the lodge room which had lighting from each wall, and a sunrise painted in the East).  During the next one, the Flower Ceremony, each Daughter walked around by her station as she spoke; they all had their parts memorized and spoke articulately as each presented the specific story of her flower.  We didn’t have much time to do sight-seeing, but enjoyed a buffet that night and were entertained by a Demolay who played the guitar and sang with his mother.  Once again, it was a short night and we counted only two hours of sleep before hitting the road to our final destination.
 

Parana

I was happy to see another large group to pick us up from the airport.  We landed in Maringa where we had a barbeque lunch and then a tour of the city.  My favorite place was a stunning Catholic church where we waited for our trolley to arrive.  Sitting in the front in order to hear the tour guide, we enjoyed the tour of a beautiful city.  Even though we don’t grow sugar cane and soybeans at home, the drive to the hotel reminded me of Wyoming because of the beautiful farm land.  The next morning we met the girls at the temple.  The building had a playground in the back yard for children and a nice barbeque pit where I guessed they spent much of their social time.  First we had a training session and after that the adults met with the councils while we attended an etiquette workshop.  All of the meals were catered to the temple and I devoured every bite, especially a particular mango chocolate dessertJ.  That afternoon we had a stop-and-go Ritual training meeting to help them prepare for their open meeting the following morning.  The open meeting was amazing, they marched in to Enya and had each of the three bethels did a special ceremony for us.  One was a ceremony about how geese are an example of teamwork and cooperation, and another one was about taking risks, loving your neighbor and other life skills.  My favorite was a friendship ceremony where the Daughters made a heart and asked us to join them in the middle as they sang a song of friendship…each one was so beautiful it brought me to tears.  Also at the meeting, we surprised Bethel #004 by presenting them with their charter.  I wish I could describe the atmosphere during the meeting, there were probably over 200 people in attendance and each one had a passion for Job’s Daughters.  It was a perfect meeting to end on.  That night, we had a casual dinner with a few families and Daughters back at the Temple.  The relaxed setting was just what we needed and all of us enjoyed socializing in jeans and t-shirts our last night in Brazil.

Final Thoughts
I am so thankful for my opportunity to travel to Brazil.  The learning experience alone was something I would never receive from any textbook.  Despite some of the difficulties we had breaking the language barrier in the airports, it really opened my eyes to the huge world that we live in.  I constantly found myself comparing and contrasting their culture to ours and was amazed at how our outlooks on life could be exactly the same in some aspects, but completely opposite in the next.  I appreciated their concept of time, which at times seemed non-existent.  It helped me realize how wrapped up people can get in schedules and deadlines, and how simple it was for them to make time to relax and to spend quality time with our friends and families.  It was comforting to know that no matter how far from home I am, I have family in places all over the world who call themselves Job’s Daughters. 

Jobie Love,
Erin Leigh Weisshaar
MIJD 2006-2007