Brazil

I was recently in Brazil. Before I went I wondered what I was there for… and honestly, I am still not sure.

One thing I AM sure of, I got to know our partners in ministry much better. We had lots of time for good discussion, and fun as well. We talked over meals, we laughed when things were ridiculous. Our hearts sank together as we looked in on the horrors of human poverty and drug use.

Brazil is a mix for me … at a distance it is a gorgeous place. Sweeping mountains of jungle right on a gorgeous coastline. A city full of promise with friendly people. Standing above it all is the Christ statue with His arms stretched wide to the people below.

…but up close it is full of filth. Spray painted drug tags are everywhere on everything. Trash is everywhere… and I mean everywhere. It is literally like people just throw their trash down wherever they are, even in the nice parts of town. Huge slums sweep up the sides of mountains. In them, drug dealers are everywhere. There are makeshift huts made from remains of billboards and tarps or whatever they could cob together. Maybe some running water. No toilets. All surrounded by mountains of trash. Flies buzzing. Pigs roaming. Horses standing in the trash rifling for a meal.  

In Brazil, in Rio… the rich are super rich, and the poor are super poor.

We visited 2 slums … the first one, 'The City of God', was called dangerous … though while I was there I did not feel as though I was in danger. Apparently, the drug dealers there are really violent. And there are many shootings. We were there to see it, and to gather some kids together for a Bible story, snack and games. While we were playing games, a sound of firecrackers came from around the corner … the kids got up and ran, parents yelling 'en casa, en casa!!!' It was gun fire. I was oblivious. Since I have never heard real gunfire (except a shotgun during hunting season), it didn't scare me even a little, the only reason I moved from where I was - was because everyone was scrambling. This is how these kids live everyday.

The other slum was even worse.

'Crackland' … I didn't know a place could be dirtier than what I had already seen. We went with an evangelistic team who goes into the slum to call people out from drugs to Jesus and rehab. I guess it's pretty safe to venture in with a big crowd. We passed by many drug dealers … some of whom looked like 12 year old boys… though I am sure were armed and extremely dangerous. We crawled through a hole in a wall and crossed the railroad tracks. Walked a makeshift bridge over a river of scum, urine, trash, maybe some water… and entered what some people deemed 'home'. But, really what it is, is a narrow strip of land between the tracks and a highway, where people have found a little bit of shade under some palm trees. They threw up some tarps, and gathered a scrap here or there for a roof. The whole place stank of urine and sweat. It was muddy and hard to move around. And nearly everyone there had a blank, glazed look in their eye.

They spend what little money they find on crack. They do hits over and over again until they are unable to sleep for days. And when they come off it, they fall onto the ground, or a filthy mattress on the side of the road, and sleep for days on end. This is their endless cycle. Throw in prostitution, pregnancies, and crack babies, and now they are not only ruining their own lives, but the next generation as well.

What strikes me most … the kids. They amidst it all, still had bright shining faces. They smiled and laughed. They had toys. They had Disney princesses on their shirts. They played amidst the filth. They ran around barefoot and carefree. They felt safe … most of the time … because this was their home. They know nothing different.


So I am still processing what I experienced…. I still am not 100% sure what God wants me to take away from it all. BUT one word keeps coming up again and again in my mind… intercession.

Intercession is change. God moves and change happens. BUT first we have to get on our faces and pray.

Where do you want me, God?