Cultural Diversity

I went over to some good friends of mine for dinner the other night and everyone decided on hotdogs. Although American, I have to admit that I'm not a big hotdog fan, but who cares I was over there to spend time with friends. Now if you would like the recipe for Brazilian hotdogs, take out a pen a paper and jot down these ingredients. Purchase small weiners and boil them in a red sauce with chopped bellpeppers. Now gather the following delicacies to put on your dog...shoestring potatoes, corn, and capers.

Cultural obervations: It seems perfectly acceptable for women to spit in public while men enjoy the freedom of launching snot rockets.

Ministry: I believe we are on the cusp of making large strides in Morro Azul. Several people have approached me wanting to participate and asking what they can do. I have been given some freedom to be more creative in terms of reaching people that are not interested in attending church services. We will be working on replicating a minstry in the local church that has various outreach components that include art, music, tutoring, and physical education for the kids. Another woman approached me Sunday night desiring to work with people struggling with addiction. I know this is not going to happen overnight, but we are moving in the right direction. Right now I am putting together a flier for English classes that I will be distributing throughout the favela while giving me a reason to knock on some doors and get to know more people. There are also 15 families that the church provides food for on a monthly basis, so I will be visiting with them because I believe only a few actually participate in the church.

O.K. Corral

Just over thirty minutes before our Wednesday night service began, the police raided the favela. It was not a covert operation but more like a wild west shoot out where the police came in firing like gangbusters. Being chased was a former trafficant and guardian of the favela who has since changed his life, but this was not information known by the police. This guy runs and dives into the church and hides while the police come in, armed to hilt, ready to unload. Maria Emilia pleads with the police not to shoot and that this guy is not involved with drugs anymore and that he has changed his life. The police listened and decide to take him into custody and fortunately many honest people from the favela accompanied him and the police to ensure that everything was handled judiciously. I love that the church was his refuge and safe haven and hope that we will have a chance to follow up with him soon.

Point of Interest: The ringworm turned out to be something far worse that spread all over my back like the wildfires in California. I sent my Dad some pics, he diagnosed it and I got medication that has sinced relieved me from what looked to be a mass of bed sores.

Finally...check out this link. It is a promtion for a retreat that is coming up next month. The first shots are at the church I attend and most everyone in the video is a friend of mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X59H5_oVepU

Fleeing is not Casual

The first time I saw them running, it startled me. A pack of people seemingly running for their lives, pushing carts and diving into small alleys. I did not know what they were running from but I knew that I was not going to walk right into lion’s den, so I stayed put and observed. I saw many other observers doing the same but I could not tell what was happening. Was someone walking down the street with an assault rifle? Did these people just rob a store and were escaping with the merchandise? What could be so terrifying that would cause them to act in such a manner?
It turned out that these street vendors were being audited, for a lack of a better word, by the municipality. It happens frequently where the auditors come flying in their cars to a screeching stop and jump out only to destroy the kiosks of the vendors and take all of their merchandise. Apparently it is not legal to sell on the streets although it happens everywhere, all day, everyday. However, the one word that best describes the reaction of these people when the authorities come is “flee”. I cannot think of a better visual to make this word come to life. So when we are told to resist the devil and he will flee from us or to flee from sexual immorality, it is not just a mild suggestion but an emphatic command. So when these temptations come, I need to react just like Joseph and these street vendors and run for the hills and I have found that the temptations, as promised, subside.