Several photos with commentary from my 1997 experience in Brazil.

1. BRAZIL
1997

2. The team shortly before leaving for Brazil.

3. We studied Portuguese every morning for two weeks at a language school in Campinas.
For most of our stay in Brazil we practiced our language skills on the street in the afternoon.

4. Regrouping after an afternoon walking around to stores and striking up
awkward conversations with bored store clerks.

5. We'd only just ordered, so the food doesn't show up in the photo. Trust me.
It was good.

6. This was a mission internship, something I did to expand my horizons
as I prepared for ministerial service. I ended up “catching the bug” and deciding I
needed to devote my life to missions in Brazil. Things have worked out a little
differently, but I have no regrets about Brazil's role in my life.

7. Towards the end of our two month stay we took a short vacation to Rio de
Janeiro. What a city! For all its grit,there's a lot of glory too.

8. We took this picture at Rio's Jardim Botânico, still one of my favorite places to visit in that
city.

9. Kickin' back.

10. Going to Brazil in 1997 was one of the
most significant events of my life. Though I
was well-read and informed about world
history, other cultures and current events, it
makes a big difference to actually go
places and see what it's like in person.
I have done a little with my life since then. I finished university, got married (to a
Brazilian!), started a family, did some mission work and other ministry, worked in New
York as a project manager for some big brands, volunteered in Jamaica and on the
Jersey Shore. Yet, nothing ever seems quite right when I'm not in Brazil.
There's some talk these days of encouraging young people in the United States and
elsewhere to take a “gap year” between high school and university. I'm not sure a full
year is necessary, but there's a lot to be said in favor of giving teens the chance to take
a good look at the wider world before diving into studies for a career. It may chance the
course of their life for the better. Even if they opt to continue on the same path after
seeing what's out there, they will have gained some important depth in outlook.
Even if you're not so young any more, why not go explore? It can be risky. It can also
be rewarding beyond your expectations.