Party on, Garth!

This past one was another busy week, but it led up to a fun Saturday night. We traveled in to São Paulo for the fifteenth birthday party of one of our teens from church. First, one has to understand a little of Brazilian culture - the 15th birthday for a girl is one important event - often bigger than even her wedding would be, and of course, just for her - kind of like a debutant party.

We and another couple went in with twenty kids from Bauru for this shindig. I thought maybe I was getting too old to do something like that, but the kids were great and the party was outstanding, and we had a great time! Taking two vans (with drivers), we left Bauru a little after two o’clock and got to the restaurant a couple hours before the start of the party. It was just a couple blocks from the Iberupuera shopping center, but no one went there because I’d forgotten how long it can take for twenty kids to get dressed with only four small bathrooms – and this event was formal for most of them. During that time, I ended up tying the ties of thirteen of the fifteen guys.

The birthday girl Hanna is a sweetheart whose family was involved with our church for the past three years before they moved back to São Paulo in January. We were her youth leaders and a couple years ago, I baptized her, so, as her dad told me, she considers me “her pastor”.

As we entered the place, there were tables filled with candies and cakes, and it didn’t take long for people to start getting a sugar buzz dipping into all that candy. Probably not the best example, I was first to start, and they just kind of followed. When Hanna arrived, she had pictures taken with each of the guests, which they received as a lembrancinha (favor) at the end of the night (or really, early morning).

A full ceremony in her honor was held before a sit down dinner. She changed from the dress she came in into a gown and had her hair redone before she entered after fifteen of her close girlfriends and best men came into the room carrying candles. Her dad waltzed with her around the room and they stopped at each couple to blow out a candle. There was a slide show of her life, followed by her uncle (a minister) who spoke about keeping her heart for God when there are so many things in life that want to steal it away. Her mom and dad each spoke and then the whole family (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) sang for her. There were three cameramen, plus a guy filming video the whole evening.

Before the dinner, waiters went around the rooms offering at least ten different kinds of finger foods and pop, plus there was a fruit bar where you could order one of eight different fruit drink mixes each named after Hanna. Wow! Were they tasty! The dinner - after mid-night - was roast beef, rice, potatoes, vegetable and applesauce, and passion fruit mousse for dessert (as if candy and cake weren’t enough).

After the dinner, there were all kinds of costumes, hats and glasses to wear. And it was a riot with the noise and laughing. At three in the morning, I became the “wet blanket” when the dj put on a song came on called “Let’s Go!” and I went around to everyone in our group saying “Let’s go!” Most people moaned, but I think they were about ready, by that time, to head out. The Bauru group was the last to leave since the kids had to change clothes again for the trip home. We headed out of town about quarter to four in the morning. It was really foggy going through the hills on the way home, but our driver had slept while we were partying and didn’t seem to mind. We got to bed about nine in the morning and slept for a while before I had to get up finish preparing things ready for my part of preaching that evening.

Once again this week has started out busy with planning for the inaugural service for church this coming Sunday.

Is it really over?!