a predicament.

I am stuck in the airport here in Sao Paulo. I got here around 7:10 and stood around looking for my bags, but they had already been checked in. I did not know that. So I finally realized they had been checked in already and went to the Delta check in counter. They were closed. There was no way for me to get a boarding pass for Atlanta. The only way to get out of here is to wait until tomorrow at 8:35 PM. Therefore, I am here for the
night in a foreign land. I have held my own. I have been  waiting for Gol airlines to get me a hotel without charging me for anything. They, apparently, have been trying for about 3 or so hours. They say all the hotels
are full already. I find it really hard to believe that, knowing that Sao Paulo is in the top five biggest cities in the world. Its all about money for them. It does not cost them a thing for me to stay here in the airport. The only thing they have given me is a meal worth 20 reias and false hope. At least that is what it feels like right now. They did, however, try to get me into the VIP Lounge, where I would stay until 1 AM while they try to call a hotel. But its closed, of course.

Now this... is South America.

BUT. I had two really wonderful conversations with two different people. They were both wonderful for totally different reasons. The first happened when I was waiting for my bags. A homosexual (I could tell for some reason) walked up to me and started staring. Then he started the whole airport talk. Where are you from? Where are you going? Where did you come from, etc. etc. I told him I had been living in Altamira for 6 months with a missionary family. When I said this it raised some interest in his eyebrows. He asked me what church. He didn't know it but was still interested. He then asked me why Altamira? Why do that? I told him, without hesitation, which is something I personally struggle with when speaking of Jesus things, "to spread Gods love." His eyebrows raised again. I found out he is a jew who lived in Isreal for a year and a half where he probably drank and partied with a bunch of American tourists. He even in a round about way told me to come over to his house tonight because he thought I needed a place to stay. (Kinda funny now that I do need one.) Anyway, I planted a seed in this guys mind. I do not know if it was a good planted one, but one none the less. I definitely need more practice with spreading the good news. Specially in another language.

The other conversation happened with a dude from Mozambique named Abel who speaks Portugues, English, and French. He is coming to Brazil to receive his Masters in Economics. Awesome conversation that I desperately needed at the time. I was really stressed out and it felt really good to just sit down and drink some expresso with a friendly stranger. We did not talk about Spiritual things but I think I demonstrated to him that not all people from America are mouth-shut to black Africans or any other foreigners for that matter. Maybe even he could see my Spiritual light shine through during our fruitful conversation in Portugues with a touch of English. It was a blessing.

I have learned I can survive on my own in a foreign land. But I also prayed a lot. Gods wisdom and peace filled me while I made decisions on what to do next to improve my predicament. Oh, and God provided for me. I have a hotel room waiting for me in the morning at 9:30 so I can get into a fresh change of clothes, shower, privacy, silence and a little time for relaxation in peace. Thanks God.

*So I wrote this as sorta a journal entry in NotePad because it was really fresh. Currently I am able to have internet connection in the VIP Lounge. It is 6 AM and I have bug eyes. I managed to sleep a couple hours in an office filled with Gol Airlines employees. I had a three seat couch that allowed me to spread out my legs, which was nice. I kept my ear phones with music going the whole time to drown out the sound of walkie-talkies and people speaking Portuguese.
I don't know if the hotel room is certain yet or not. The guy who was really helping me out last night a lot might have just told me that to get it off his chest. Either way, everything is good. I will be fine without a shower...
I have felt your prayers! Its awesome to be able to say that :)

Family--See you Friday morning if I can manage to catch the rest of my flights! ;) Love you guys.

whats a laxative?... it laxes your tive.

Story time.

It all starts last night before I went to bed. Each night I need to take a laxative because of my unresponsive bowels lately. Currently I have three different kinds of laxatives but I usually only take one each night. Last night however, I took all three. One kind is just the regular fiber laxative, another is a morning and night regulator, and one is a Brazilian specialty called "lacto purga." So yeah.

Fast forward to approximately one thirty in the morning. I woke up with the worst stomach ache ever. I am a deep sleeper so for me to wake up from a hard sleep from a stomach ache is a little unusual. I went to the bathroom to relieve this pain but nothing happened. So I went back to bed and found a comfortable position to fall back asleep in.


Now its a little before six in the morning. Bud comes in to my room to wake me up for a jog. My stomach was alright but gurgling a lot. I didn't think much of it. As soon as we started running though, let me tell you. It felt like a Guatemalan landslide inside me. And it was just sliding on down... (my colon) while I was running. So I thought about different options in my head. Either I would have to turn around and go back home, or I would drop a bomb in my shorts, or I would have to squat in the street somewhere. All of these options seemed uncomfortable. But I just kept running so I knew the first option was just out of reach. It finally started inching out and I couldn't run normal anymore so I told Bud I had to go really really bad. I think he could tell something was wrong because my hand was desperately trying to block the inevitable. So he told me to go behind a broken wall over on the other side of the street and I scurried over there with my knees practically crossed.

I will not give details of what came out but lets just keep the analogy of the landslide. Then Bud threw some leaves as long as my index finger and wide as a box of raisins and I used them. (Thanks Bud, they actually worked better than having nothing!) After that the explosive pain in my stomach ceased and we finished our run. I was laughing because if I would have seen myself running the way I was before... I would have grabbed a camera...

I spent some time in the shower when I got back.

The upside is that my bowels are indeed working! Woo! And what a great story for the kids!

bowels.

For about four months now I have suffered from ill bowels. In other more plain words... I am clogged up pretty bad. It has not been a fun experience because it is a touchy subject. Personal, embarrassing, and annoying. But I have given up trying to cover it up as much as I have. Please, if you are reading this and are a part of the Christian faith, pray for my bowel health. (Maybe even if you are not a part of the Christian faith.) This has taught me to be more careful when I joke around about people's bowel movements and lack thereof. It sucks. Nuff said.

I thank you all in advance because I know the power of prayer. God is bigger than this little problem I have.

dengue.

So my first time getting sick overseas, far far away from home. And it had to be that, God? This is what went through my mind for a while during the sickness I contracted. Dengue. High fevers, shivering uncontrollably in the night, unable to sleep at night, achy bones and joints, disinterested in things that usually interests me, headaches and sore eyes, and a rash that itches. It was not a fun experience, but like all of my experiences, happened for a reason.

I think it happened because it is all part of living in God's kingdom down here in Brasil. When I was still contemplating on coming here for either 3 months or 6, my friend basically made my decision for me. We hung out at school together a lot and talked about almost everything. She asked me why I am thinking 3 months instead of 6. I told her because that would get me back home in time for Christmas. I wanted to spend Christmas home with my family, just like every other year. She then rebutted by suggesting, why not stay there for Christmas? You would be able to experience something different, so why not? That statement right there is why I am still here, pushing for 5 months now. Why would I cheat myself out of an awesome, new experience by going back to something I have done for years? Christmas in Brasil was awesome by the way. If I know you personally, I will tell you why sometime.

My point? (not sure...) But maybe what I am shooting for is this: 3 months here would not have given me dengue. That could be a good thing, but I beg to differ. Getting dengue was an experience. Plain and simple. Experience is knowledge. There would have been many other experiences I would have missed out on, but dengue would have definitely been out of the picture. The sickness gave me a new perspective on life here. I would have never learned how to spot a dengue mosquito, and people would think I am an invincible white person who never gets sick. But I'm not. I'm living the Brazilian life. And I like it.

This makes sense to me in my own way. I tried my best to explain it for everyone to understand too. Sorry if I failed...

the little things.

Well. I think I love it here.

Everything is going swell here in Altamira, Para, Brazil. Everyday something different happens and it feels like a new adventure awaiting my encounter. I love that. It doesn't really ever get boring. A couple days ago I was feeling pretty homesick. Firstly, I was actually physically sick so that brought my spirits way down. And secondly, its Christmas time. This is the first time in my life I am separated from family during this family gathering season. And third, its hot. No snow, no cold, no wearing sweaters and heavy socks and driving in the snow and ice covered roads. So homesickness hit me pretty hard.

But all is good now. I am concentrating on everything that is good about being here instead of being home. I am enjoying the little things. Let me explain...

Today I wanted to do something kinda adventurous, risky, and a little ambiguous. I took my hammock and rope outside, and climbed a tree. The tree already has some boards that Bud put up for the kids for an easy climb. So I tied the ropes to some branches about 10 feet off the ground and hung my hammock. Then I went and got my book and read it above the ground. It was kinda scary. I had to trust those knots in the ropes... But the knots obviously ended holding because I am writing this right now. But this isn't the thing I really wanted to focus on. As I was reading I heard something on the ground below me. I looked and saw a huge black and yellow lizard. One I have never seen in the yard before. It was cool. I saw it twice while laying vulnerably in my suspended hammock. I started thinking. If I had not done this laborious and somewhat stupid task of putting my hammock in a tree, I would have never seen this cool lizard. I have had my hammock out there before but I was closer to the ground so that made me think I would have missed this incredible sight if I had not hung my hammock in a freaking tree!

Another little moment. I played soccer today with some guys from the church. (It was awesome, by the way. I really like playing soccer with Brazilians because its so intense and serious. They all pretty much know what they're doing. So that makes it fun. Because I don't. But I love learning and adapting and trying to do what they do.) Before we played, Neyilton, the guy I took along was talking to me. What he said gave me a nice feeling. He said, (in Portuguese, but I will translate) "Your'e going back in May right?" I told him no, that I am already leaving in March. He looked at me in a surprised way and sincerely said, "No, don't go." His eyes told me he was being sincere. I told him I would definitely be back someday. So yeah, I gotta come back. These are friends I will be leaving. Just like home. I left friend behind, but I knew I would soon return. Now I will be leaving more friends and I know someday I will be back to see them someday. Hopefully.

So I have written about these things because they are simple happenings. But they have helped me in a big way. Homesickness sucks, but thats when you just gotta enjoy the little things. That is what I am doing. And these little things happen every single day.

anger on the street.

The other day a friend and me were riding on his little Honda moped, with me on the back carrying a shovel. We have been working on painting the front of the church but needed to buy a shovel in order to move some sand. The friend's name is Pedro by the way. He has a layed-back personality and is very calm, but very funny with a great sense of humor. He is also going to be my new Portuguese teacher. He does not speak English- maybe like 10 words tops. But I am excited to start learning with him.

Anyway-- on our way back to the church, Pedro hit a guy riding a bike. It was an awkward little accident. Pedro was crossing an intersection very slowly because there was this guy on his bike. Pedro (and I) did not know where this dude was going to turn because he was in the middle of the road. So he had to make a decision on which way he would take to pass the guy. Right when he chose left, the dude turned left and Pedro's moped hit the back of this guy's wheel. The wheel was totally bent and unable to be used anymore. This dude must not have had any other way of transportation because he was so angry. He began swearing, (I think) yelling loudly, waving his hands obnoxiously, and pointing hopelessly at his broken bike. Basically he was making a scene and trying to trigger Pedro's aggressive nerve in order to get into a fight. He would have loved that. He looked like he was an experienced street fighter. He had lean, cut muscles that looked like they have survived many wounds. At one point he picked up his bike and threw it across the street. Then he went and picked it up and threw it at Pedro's poor moped that had a for sale sign on it. All through this mayhem, Pedro tried calming this dude down and telling him he would help him out in any way. I was impressed with his calm demeanor. I was trying not to laugh out loud. Seriously, I thought it was hilarious. I wasn't laughing to be rude though, I just thought it was a funny reaction from the dude. It was one of those times where you know you shouldn't be laughing, but you cant help it. Like when someone inconspicuously farts during a group prayer. Sometimes a little burst of laughter cannot be contained.

We ended up driving down the road to a bike shop. The fuming dude followed us, carrying his handicapped bike. Pedro asked a man how much it would cost to replace the back tire and rim. $37.50. Pedro offered to pay for it and that was that. The dude was still pretty angry, but Pedro's offer calmed him down tremendously.

Bikers on the road are the ones I watch the closest now. I can't imagine that happening to me and having someone blow into a tantrum with me laughing in their face. That would probably end bad.

mud.

So this morning I learned how to put the truck in four wheel drive... the fun way. :)

--Background info--Almost every morning I drive the truck out to the ranch to retrieve our drinking milk. 100% organic-straight-from-the-utter milk. It is really good. I wish I could have easy access to it in Mansfield. I will definitely look into that when I get back. (I did drink soy milk before coming here, but obviously that is not accessible here.)

Anyway-- I got stuck in the mud today. It has been raining all morning and earlier, it was really pouring down. For a while. So that made the dirt roads into mud roads. I was driving on this road with the truck in rear wheel drive, every thing going well. I was driving slow and trying to keep straight so I wouldn't start to fish-tail. But then this truck coming the opposite way was driving really fast and fish-tailing all over the road. I didn't know if he was doing it on purpose but he didn't get stuck. I was trying to avoid a collision with this guy so I veered to the side of the road a little. When he passed I was in the divot that everyone wants to avoid. I started yelling NO!!!!! But it was too late. I was stuck. And I didn't know how to put it in 4-wheel. So I got out to check the damage. It was not going anywhere without some pushing help. I have been stuck in snow before but being stuck in the mud is... a little different. No matter how hard you press on the gas, those wheels will just keep turning. And there is not grass or pavement underneath the mud like there is when snow is on the ground. Just more mud. So the guy who sped past me before, saw that I was stuck. He started walking down to see the damage. I asked him if he could help me push in broken Portuguese. He was telling me things that I did not have the vocabulary for to understand, so I just nodded. But he ended up getting in the truck while I, and two other guys pushed. Finally we got out. After, he showed me how to put the truck in 4-wheel drive. It helped.

So all in all I got the milk. And on the way back I drove in 4-wheel drive the whole way and did not get stuck. Plus, I saw a little monkey with a funky tail run across the road on the drive way back. So it was a great morning. And a good story to tell in the future. :)

By the way- I love driving in the mud now. Its a challenge and I love it.

home.

If you keep track of my Facebook profile, you will notice my status has a quote from the book "Kon-Tiki." It is a narrative of 6 men who decide to travel across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to the Polynesian Islands. They decide to do this for adventure and to prove it was done hundreds of years ago by the Inca Indians who lived in Peru. These people, according to Thor Heyerdahl's theory, used a balsa wood raft, to travel across the ocean and start a new civilization in the Polynesian Islands. At the time the theory was not even considered because people thought it was impossible to do such a task with the unforgiving, treacherous sea elements. Heyerdahl wrote a manuscript explaining his theory backed with facts with which he presented to many scholars, but it was not even considered for reading. His life was devoted to this manuscript, and no one even wanted to read it because of the impossible task of crossing the sea in a raft for 4300 miles. So he, in a desperate attempt to save his theory and redeem his faulty scientific research, came up with a daring, life threatening plan. He would cross the Pacific Ocean on an exact, ancient replica of the raft used hundreds of years ago which were built by learned and experienced Incans. He round 6 quirky men to join him, and their journey began.

I love this book. The story makes me want to do the exact same thing. It exemplifies curiosity and adventure; something we all have deep down. The quote posted on my Facebook profile is when the men were half way across the sea. Already had they made it farther then what people speculated. Fish, whales, sharks, squid, turtles, and the raft had become a part of them. The raft was their home on the sea and they were attached to the new lifestyle. Occasionally, a little rubber buoy was taken out, away from the raft in order to take pictures, meditate, swim, and take in the plain blue beauty around them. However, despite the beauty and relaxation the buoy offered, the men began to grow lonely and homesick if they stayed out for too long. One time the buoy was nearly swallowed by the huge waves and a man almost did not make it back to the raft. They ended up attaching a rope to the buoy because they were always attracted back to the raft; their home. There was a magnetic force pulling them into the the only home they knew and grew attached to over the months. This reminded me of something...

It reminds me of my walk with Christ. Often I stray away from Him. I wander off because of curiosity and the longing for finding adventure; by myself. The more I grow independent from my earthly parents, the more dependent I am, therefore, becoming on God. My situation is similar to the men on the Kon-Tiki raft. Their home whispered their names whenever they strayed away for too long. Every time I wander off on my own and try to be independent from God, I pathetically come crawling back eventually. I think this might apply to most Christians as well. If it can happen to people on a raft out in the middle of the ocean, I am sure it can happen to all of us. And the cool thing about it is this. God always welcomes us back. Just like home always welcomes us in again. Were never locked out.

lots of things have been happening...

Yeah, I have not been on here for a while. Facebook seems to be my first choice of social connection. I tried posting one of my videos on here last Friday but, needless to say, it did not work out as planned. So I have posted (one of) the video(s) on there. You can go there and check it our if you have not already. I am also posting all the pictures on there. It just seems to work better on Facebook and not a whole lot of people know I even have this blog...

But anyway. Things have started really rolling here. I am getting the hang (sorta) of this language. Its not too bad I guess. Just takes practice. Just like everything else. And being absorbed in it. This past weekend was Fiel with the Central Church. We stayed the nights over at the ranch and on Saturday morning we had a lesson. I wasn't really sure what the lesson was about. And every other word I would sorta understand so I would dwell on those couple words and try to draw my own conclusions on what he/she were talking about. Then I would realize like 50 more words just went by. Ha. So this is how it feels to be a foreigner... I suddenly have a little more respect for the people trying to learn English in the states who are also foreigners. It sorta sucks, but its a very humbling experience. And the only thing you can do is keep listening, talking, and cracking the books.

So the reasons for no posts from me are... I don't know what to say, and... I prefer Facebook. To be honest. And I have not been around a computer for about 4 or 5 days. I hope you all (6 or 7 people) can forgive me.

tchau!

assurini.

This past weekend I went on a trip to a region on the other side of the Xingu River called the Assurini. It was awesome. Such a beautiful place out in the middle of the jungle pretty much. In the mornings you could here the constant din of the howler monkeys and birds in the jungle. Which was in walking distance and you could see the dense forestry from where we were.
So these people in the region have only recently heard about Jesus' gospel. But in the community where we were staying, the people who were saved were concerned because they had no idea what to do next. How do they meet together and talk about Jesus when not everyone is a believer? What do they say in these meetings? How do they deepen their relationship? Keith Wilson and his wife Marsha are trying to guide the new believers into being independent believers so they don't have to come out once every two months to have a service. It is going well. This weekend more people decided to join us in the kingdom of God. It was a great time of fellowship, discipling, and worship.
Please pray for the ministry their in that little community. They are thirsty for Christ, but do not know where to go from there. But it is a happy thing and worth praising God for. I feel privileged to have been able to experience this trip.
Unfortunately I am not able to upload some pictures of the scenery and experience due to maintenance on the web page... figures. I will try later though.

doxology.

A poem of praise. Let everything that has breath, praise His Holy Name.

You are good to us.
Showers from above are your blessings everyday.
We are small.
You are. Big.
Yet you fit in us so well.
From the day we crawl
to the day we draw-
our last breath.
A mother's caress.
A father's correction.
We love you.
But not like you love us.
We are shallow
And you are deep.
And you keep, keep, keep.
For us its a "leap of faith,"
But for you its the ability to create.
Perfection. Its natural in every sense.
But it goes to waste
When we communicate
Our lust and hate from our wicked, twisted soul.
Your power will make us whole,
Yes one day we will be full.
Filled with your celestial mercy and eternal
conceptual existence we do not, cannot,
understand.
Yes, Lord. Your brand will set us apart.
We have a part in your kingdom.
This life in only the start.
Why you love us, Lord,
And how you ever could love us, Lord,
Remains to be a mystery.
But our shallow minds will ever be faithful
And thankful.
Wake us from our lull, oh Holy One,
All great, powerful, ever loving God we proudly serve!
All Glory, Honor, Power is Yours and forever will be-
Yours. And let every body proclaim:
Hallelujah!
Amen.

oh my.

This morning Bud woke me up at 5:30 in the A.M. He didn't surprise me, I knew it was coming. He is training for a half marathon so he wakes up and jogs pretty much everyday. So today was the toughest, because after running 3 1/2 miles we went to the gym and lifted. The rest of the week he either jogs, or just weight lifts. I have not worked out since... swimming season. And even then, we were working different muscles and did not lift weights as much and with much intensity. So I am feeling pretty good right now.

I have decided to train with him for the half marathon. It will serve as motivation for me because I have never loved running. Or getting up really early in the morning. But change is good.

And weight lifting is always a good time.  :)

family night.

Every Thursday night is family night for the Simon's.  I am so thankful they so warmingly include me as part of their family.  Tonight, we went for a short swim.  Our time was shortened because a storm was rolling in and we wanted to go to this place called "Mr. Berg."  It is the Brazilian version of a pizza and burger joint.  We all had burgers the size of our faces and I... spilled my water. Haha. (oops. My bad, Bud and Sam...) And after we were sufficiently stuffed, we had ice cream.  Just enough to satisfy our sweet tooth.

So then we came home and had a game of Fifa World Cup 2010. Well, I didn't play.  It was Daniel, Bud, and Caleb.  After a gruesome battle, Caleb's Brazil won 3-0.  Daniel was devastated.  Caleb was thrilled.  Bud... confused.  He is still learning the ropes. :)

Very good night.  I think the title should be "fun night".  But I think those terms go hand in hand.

an opened door.

Things are starting to roll here.  I told Bud that I am interested in studying English in college to perhaps be a teacher.  So this opened the door to me being able to teach English here at the school.  I had a little "interview" yesterday with a woman in the school in charge of organizing schedules and whatnot.  I will officially be helping out other teachers on Mondays and Tuesdays in the evenings to the under privileged Portuguese speakers.  Last night was the first official night and I loved it.  The people are so interested in learning English and how to speak in English.  We have many laughs because of the way they pronounce words, and because they are not the only ones learning... I am also learning to speak their language.  So I listen to every word they say very carefully and often repeat what they say so I can get the pronunciation down.  Its a fun time.  As time goes on, maybe I will have my own class... but I would like to know Portuguese a little better before that happens so I can translate for them when needed.

I'm so excited about this!  Who at 19 can say they have experience in teaching English to foreign people who speak Portuguese??  I can.  Thanks God.  Your pretty cool :)

Portuguese is so... not like English.

Hello all again!

So yeah, the title to this is implying that learning a language is tough.  I have forgotten how tedious and demanding it is.  But I am thankful for having the experience of living in Colombia when I was younger because I know some Spanish and the two languages are very similar in some areas.  And being immersed in the culture is helping out, too.  Its just really frustrating to not be able to speak to them.  I can understand a handful of words but then cant talk back.  And that is frustrating.  I am praying that God will just make it easy for me.  He is faithful.

Last night at church we sang some songs, in Portuguese of course, and I was actually able to sing along!  But not only did I sing along, I understood what I was singing.  Music is such a comfort.  I felt the presence of God and was satisfied with worshiping Him through music.

So although the language barrier exists within the people, I can still hear and understand what God is saying to me through them.  Its very cool.

Pray for me to learn Portuguese quickly and smoothly, please.

Other than my frustrations with the language, everything is going 'a-ok.' I really enjoy being here. :)

God's Promise. (One of them)

As I was surfing through Facebook just now, I came across Bud's status. Genesis 10 says: "God says, 'This is my covenant forever: I have placed a rainbow in the clouds and it is a sign of my covenant between me and all the earth.' "

Before I came to Brasil, I met with Angie Duplaga, who stayed here in August just before me.  She was very excited for me and could not wait to hear about all my experiences.  She also told me a little testimony of her flight down.  She was very nervous, but then she told me she looked out her window and saw a rainbow.  She took great comfort in that and she trusted God in protecting her fully.

I was very nervous for the trip down here as well.  I tend to think too much about things and it gets me worried.  I need to stop that and put full trust in God.  He reminded me of this while in Atlanta on my way to Manaus.  You can probably guess where I'm going with this... I looked out of my window once we were airborne, because we had been on the airstrip for a while due to a storm.   And what did I see?

A rainbow.

Yeah. God is good and His love for us endures FOREVER.  After that I was comforted and knew God was holding the plane with His loving embrace and blessing the trip.  I did not have any mishaps along the way, either.  Which was an answer to prayers.

Angie if you are reading this right now, I am so glad you told me about the rainbow you saw.  You thought it was flaky telling me but really, thank you.  It helped me tremendously.

Hello everyone!

This is the first blog I am posting, on my first blog spot ever! Pretty cool...

As most of you all know already, I am in Altamira, Brasil.  I will be here for six months living with the Simon family in their house.  I am learning Portuguese fairly quickly, since that is the language spoken by everyone with the exception of a few people.  I will also be helping with a building project starting sometime soon hopefully.  The building is a spot for youth retreats/camp outings.  The foundation is built, but there is still much work to be done.  Traveling on the river (Xingu) is also a reality here.  Every month the Igreja (Church) goes out on a mission on the river.  I have pictures of our adventure that took place last weekend.  It was my first outing on the river so I was amazed by everything.

I will try to post something every week with some pictures to go along with it.  This will give me a chance to develop a habit of writing down my experience here and I am so excited to show you all more.

                                                         My first catch in the Xingu River

Till next time...  These pictures don't give this place justice at all.  And words cannot explain the beauty.