Salvador da Bahia Mission: The Festival Of Pizza

The Celebration of the Mass before the Pizza Party

Hello from Brazil! I can honestly say I have never been this busy in my entire life. As I spend more time here the style of living becomes more and more natural. In my first few weeks here it was a struggle to rise early for silent prayer, and now, I cannot imagine doing anything else. We all rise, splash water on our faces, and walk to the Chapel to say hello to the most important person in our lives. On average we spend about three hours a day in the Chapel, and at first this also was quite an adjustment. We now work from 5:30 am until about 9 or 10 pm everyday. I realize that without turning to Christ time and again throughout the day asking for grace, we would be incapable of working as hard as we do for as long as we do. He is our strength, and through him and for him, we are able to give of ourselves more fully everyday…Or at least we try to :]

Last week was one of our most exciting events! The Festival De Pizza, Aka, The Festival of Pizza, Aka, The Pizza Party. From now on I have made the personal decision to call all Pizza parties, “The Festival De Pizza” I feel like it gives pizza the respect it is owed.

Our week was one of trepidation and excitement.

“We’re having a pizza party.” Brother informed us early in the week.

“Oh?” we responded, unaware of what was to come. “How many pizzas are we making?”

“100.” Brother responded.

A hush swallowed us up.

100 Pizzas? Had anyone ever made that many pizzas before? Was there even enough flour in Brazil for such a feat?

We quickly realized there wasn't a moment to spare. We spent the week making dough, delicious homemade sauce, and slicing vegetables. We went to sleep the night before the Festival, each one of us closed our eyes, knowing what was to come.

We arose early the next morning, dressed for battle, and descended the stairs. We placed the days in Christ’s hands, and got to work. Katie and I spent four hours grating cheese, and then got to work making sure the dough the ready to go. Before we knew it the time had come. Gabriela, Katie, Brother Francis Therese and I set up the bakery. We braced ourselves, said a prayer, and got to work. The night went off with off without a hitch. While we cooked the pizza everyone celebrated mass in the courtyard. We made a variety of delicious gourmet pizzas, and everyone was very happy. Afterwards the cooks had a mini party with the extra pizza and talked about the day. We sat in the court yard, laughing and eating.