Pacification (Kristin)

As many know, Rio’s favelas (slums) were pockets in the city where the police had no presence or control.  In an effort to control violence and lawlessness with the upcoming World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016), special police units have been created to subdue and control the favelas in Rio.  First, the BOPE enters (think military police specially trained in favela warfare) to kick out the drug dealers and take control (Jeremy wrote about it here).  After a specific time, control is handed over to the UPP, Unidade de Policia Pacificadora (Pacification Police Unit), whose role is to maintain peace and order and be the law in the community.  On November 30th, 2010, the UPP was officially inaugurated in Morro dos Macacos.  What does the arrival of the UPP mean?  Peace? Normalcy?

I've asked several residents what effect this has had on their lives.  Do they see a difference?  Most respond similarly, shrugging their shoulders and saying “things are mostly the same except that we don’t see guns.”  Apparently the UPP only provides a more superficial "peace." But there is actually more crime now in the favela whereas before most of the crime (other than drug dealing) took place outside of it.  When the drug traffickers were in control, residents would not dare steal from one another.  Such crime was severely punished.  A friend went to the hospital recently and saw a young boy with a bullet wound in the middle of his palm, a common consequence enforced by drug dealers on thieves.  But now, when I ask if they can report these incidences of theft to the UPP, residents respond in horror, “no way”.  You see, some of the drug gang has returned (though mixed in with the population) and they are watching to see who is talking to the police.  Fear still rules in the hearts and minds of those living there.    

This false display of peace is evident all over society, even down to the individual.  Externally we have an impression of safety, order and tranquility, but internally there exists distress, corruption and violence.   The only hope we have, as a society and individuals, is found in Christ and in letting “the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” (Col 3:15).  Please join us in praying for this internal peace to come and reign in the hearts of all men. 

Having a Charlie Brown Christmas? (Jason)

“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you the meaning of Christmas.  Lights, please!”  A friend of mine said that when a life falls apart Linus’ words are a message of hope.  Charlie Brown had been seeking the true meaning of Christmas.  He knew that he didn’t get it.  He knew that he was missing something.  Why else should he be feeling so disappointed and depressed?  He seeks help from Lucy.  We learn that, for her, only real estate translates into happiness.  Likewise, his sister thinks that satisfaction comes from 10’s and 20’s.  Charlie Brown himself seeks fulfillment in being the director of the Christmas play.  This only ends in greater disappointment and depression.  We all have a similar tendency to take Christ out of the manger and replace him with our frankincense, gold, and iPhone 4’s.  All this sets the scene for Linus’ famous monologue.  Linus the Wise understands the meaning of Christmas.  He knows that the only way to satiate the pining of the human heart is to put Christ in the manger.  It is only after Linus reorients Brown’s values system that the story is resolved.  Charlie Brown smiles.  He finally gets it. 

It is our prayer that we all put Christ in the manger this holiday season.  Merry Christmas.

A Nontraditional Thanksgiving (Jeremy)

Nothing on the table last Wednesday night would have indicated that we were celebrating Thanksgiving. No turkey, no dressing, no sweet potatoes - just 3 pounds of noodles and a bucket of spaghetti sauce. Yet, for all its simplicity, the evening transmitted a sense of gratitude that would have made our forefathers proud. After the meal, each of us had an opportunity to express our appreciation to God for the things He has given. Here's a run down of what each had to say (besides Claudinho who was working).

Jason - my wife, Jacob, the baby on the way and Sombra Road
Kristin - my mom's successful surgery, the baby and Jacob (besides those mentioned in the previous blog)
Paulo - Sombra Road and how it is a family for him, the guys in the house and his mother
Ronnie (a guy from the favela) - His mom, his girlfriend, his friendship with Marcos Paulo and Jefferson and his relationship with the people of Sombra Road
Adilio - his family, his girlfriend and his growing relationship with Jason

Jeremy - Marriage with Carol, privilege to be around the guys, Kristin, Jason and family and friends here and in the States

Anderson - the hope he feels for the future that God is preparing for him and the way Sombra Road has become a family for him

Carol - our Sombra Road family, her parents and brothers, and a loving, servant-minded husband that does not merely listen to her but actually intuits her very essence (she didn't exactly say this last part, but I could tell that this is what she desired to express)

In looking over the list, I know there is nothing remarkable about it. The entire activity could be little more than a mindless exercise in civic responsibility - like a kid expressing his gratitude for the socks his grandmother gave him for Christmas, parroting the words that mom and dad had scripted for him on the ride to her house. However, I think that these moments allowed us to step out of the routine and appreciate the privilege of our present reality. I hope that even if your own Thanksgiving was too busy for thankfulness (as mine often is) that you would prioritize stepping back this season to find it in your own life.  

Thankfulness (Kristin)

'Tis the season...to be thankful.  It's sad how this coming holiday is almost completely overshadowed by the commercialism of the one to come.  I wish more emphasis was put on Thanksgiving...on being thankful to God for what this year has brought us, the good and the bad, knowing that our perfect heavenly Father has our lives in His hands and transforms even ashes to beauty. 

We are thankful this year...

for Jeremy and Carol's marriage
for the blessing of new life growing in Kristin's belly (and growing, and growing)
for Anderson successfully completing a rehabilitation program and returning to live and grow with us
for Claudinho's good job
for Paulo returning to the Sombra Road House
for Adilio growing more and more in maturity in Christ
for Jacob's health and joy
for God's guidance and direction in the future of our ministry
for God's provision even in difficult times

What are you thankful for?

Additionally, we would like to invite you all to a beneficiary concert in support of Sombra Road.  Our dear friend, Kristin Turney Jones, has kindly offered her (and her band's) amazing talent and time in order to help us raise needed funds.  The entrance to the concert is free, with donations requested.  Please see the invitation below and invite your friends:

Good Try (Jason)

 

Several months ago Jeremy sent me this email:

Claudinho recently bought a cell phone direct from China. He asked me to translate something from the manual into Portuguese. This is exactly what is written:

You can information and others of the usage writing carry on confabulation. Chat has diagrammed a mark to show at which chat room. Chat function of operation with get to the Internet chat homology.

I thought maybe you could help me out. I know so little about confabulation these days.

I can just imagine the guy who wrote this manual bragging to his co-workers saying, “English - English is practically my first language.  I got this.”  When it comes to cell phone manuals it is not the end of the world if you get it wrong.  The same does not apply to life.   

We have been talking a good deal about Paulo lately, both in our blog entries as well as in our staff meetings.  Paulo thought that, in his own strength, he could be good enough, smart enough, motivated enough, etc. to succeed and achieve all his dreams.  He has come to a point in life where reality has weighed down hard leaving him disillusioned and depressed.  We have been trying to help him see that he has at least three choices: he can give up, he can try harder, or, he can lean on Jesus.  This may seem simplified, but I think that this is the reality.  Paulo is not the type to give up.  However, he, as well as all of us, runs the risk of just trying harder.  It is our prayer that Paulo would not settle for what he can do for himself.  We pray that he, coming to the end of self, would rest on Christ.  We hope that Paulo, unlike the manual writer, would not say, “I got this”, but that he would turn to Jesus in desperation and say with Peter “Lord, to whom shall we go?”  Please pray for Paulo this month.  We believe that he is in a very impressionable period.  Pray that his life would be marked by dependence on Christ.

A Different View of the Favela (Jeremy)

There are a couple of recent events that I wanted to relay, so this post will run less like a story and more like an update. First, the special forces police assumed control of Morro dos Macacos on Thursday of last week, supplanting the local drug lords. Rumors have been circulating since March that this would happen sometime late this year or early next, as Rio prepares for the World Cup of 2014 and the Olympics of 2016. Still, we were all quite surprised when it actually happened. The interesting aspect of this somewhat non-traditional coup was that it all went down without a shot being fired. The drug lords had been forewarned of the attack and chose to flee to neighboring favelas instead of putting up a fight. Police occupation of the favela has engendered a type of temporal and superficial peace. Now, we walk the tight streets with less concern about where to hide if we got caught in crossfire between gang members and police. Today, we were even able to take pictures of Kristin, Jason and her family (see above) in the favella, an act that would have been inconceivable a week and a half prior. This means that the scene that Kristin captured in her last post on our blog will play out on other hills for the time being. But, we are not convinced of the long-term effectiveness of this measure. While it makes life easier for now, it could be creating more problems for tomorrow. I compare it to placing a band-aid on skin cancer. Nonetheless, we wait to see what God will do with the more favorable conditions.

As for the guys in the house, this week was marked by some encouraging conversations. Adilio is starting to connect the dots between today's habits and tomorrow's reality. Claudinho made a great comment about his tendency (and ours) to make morality rather than God's grace the central theme of his story. Anderson trusts himself a little less and God a little more these days. Finally, Paulo is starting to believe that the bad things he learned about himself while he was away are not a threat to God's grace but rather an invitation to it. We love living with these guys because of all they have to offer us (which doesn't negate the fact that they still need to learn to lift the seat).



Not Just Fireworks (Kristin)

We have a wonderful view of "our" favela from our apartment. We not only get the view, but the sounds that come with it as well.  Sometimes that means all night rave parties that make me wonder how anyone living closer manages to sleep at all.  Sometimes it's the fireworks that are set off at seemingly random times (normally in the middle of the night).  Many times it's police helicopters and such, and occasionally it's machine gun fire and other atrocious racket.  Here is a video clip of one such night.  It only lasted 15 minutes or so, but it leaves one shaking knowing that those bullets are landing somewhere and thousands of people and children are huddled on the floor of their rickety homes in total fear.

These favelas are mini war zones, but people are still engaged in life: going to work, to school, having birthday parties, planning a wedding, etc.   Most importantly, churches still meet, prayer is lifted up, our Lord is worshiped and His gospel is spread.  No matter where we live or what we do, this is our calling: to worship our God and spread the Good News.  Please pray for the churches in this favela, that they would be bold, faithful and glorify our Lord.  Pray also for the teenagers we work with in this favela, that their hearts would be open to our God of hope.

The Blessedness of Dependence (Jason)

Claudinho washes cars at a Volkswagen dealership by day and at night he takes a class to prepare himself to enlist in the military as an officer.  Adilio is in seminary, studies English and French, and is involved with his church.  Paulo works and is heavily involved in Sombra Road House activities.  Anderson currently lives at the rehabilitation center and visits every other weekend.  I look at the lives of these guys and see how they rely on others.  If Sombra Road left Rio tomorrow, the bottom would fall out for these four guys.  Anderson, no doubt, would feel the affects most poignantly.  He would return immediately to the streets as his only living relatives are homeless.  All four of these guys’ lives are built on dependence, especially Anderson.  

The natural human tendency is to move away from dependence toward self-sufficiency. Financially speaking, this is the American dream.  Our golden parachute can become a twisted fiber noose suffocating our ability to trust that it is God who provides.  Kristin and I are just as prone as any to trust in our own means.  In fact, I feel my attempts at self-sufficiency pressing in on me daily like a runner in the Peachtree Road Race caught in a massive wave of athletes.  However, Kristin and I consider it a blessing to live in dependence upon your support.  It is one more area in our lives where we can see God’s sovereignty in action.      

Anderson, whether he feels it or not, depends on Sombra Road.  He depends on Jeremy, Carol, Kristin and I being there for him on the weekends when he comes home.  He depends on Tom Carson back in Atlanta to help steer the ministry and to give counsel to Jeremy and I.  Like us, Anderson also depends upon you, our supporters, who give faithfully supporting this whole system.

Thank you.

Matthew 18:10-14 (Jeremy)



Paulo



Jesus once told the story of a man that owned a hundred sheep. When one of his sheep came up missing, he left the other ninety-nine in order to search for it. Eventually, he found the one that was lost, and Jesus explains that the joy he felt over the one recovered far exceeded his joy over the other ninety-nine safe at home. Now, this story offers a remarkable hope. But if you are anything like me, you really run the risk of missing it, and the reason for such is because you misunderstand your role in the story.


Paulo Ricardo joined us in December of last year. In his first five months with us, we saw some cool things happen in his life (as we’ve mentioned in other blogs). But in May/June of this year, he hit a rough patch. Without going into too much detail, his commitment to his job and girlfriend started to take precedence over his commitment to us. Both staff and student made a point to challenge this trend in his life (through words and discipline), but he continued wading further out into deeper waters. It was during this phase that I started doing some investigating and discovered that things were worse than I had thought. Now, my tendency in such moments is to come in and save the wandering sheep by interposing my will. After all, I am the shepherd who is responsible for the sheep, aren’t I? But it was at this point that a wise man encouraged me to see my own limitations in Paulo’s story. He pointed out that while I can love Paulo, walk beside him and even serve him by offering a structured environment in which he grows in accordance with his decisions to follow after Jesus, I cannot make his decisions for him. Through this conversation, the characters of our little drama fell into place. Paulo continued in his role as the lost sheep, but I suddenly found myself recast as one of the ninety-nine (one previously found albeit), which vacated the shepherd’s role for the only One fit to assume it, Jesus. Accordingly, my approach toward Paulo changed. I gave clear responsibilities and consequences as opposed to manipulative sermons or victimized pleas. Shortly thereafter, the day arrived when he had to choose between his job and the house. Staff and student alike shared their assessment of the situation and encouraged him to press on with us, but he decided to leave. That was in July. The next two months were excruciating for him and painful for us. We remained accessible, but we waited for the Lord to bring him back. Two weeks ago, He did just that. Paulo came home, broken and repentant. He’s now back with us and, in some tangible ways, more committed than ever. And I find myself left with both a lesson and a deep sense gratitude to the One who brought Paulo home and never tires of doing the same with me.

Hope for the Hopeless (Kristin)

(Aline is on the far right)

The first time I met Aline, we were both pregnant. I was 29 and pregnant with my first; she was 18 and pregnant with her third. After our kids were born, we lost touch. She drifted out of the project we partner with in the favela and I had no way to get in touch with her. That was 3 years ago. About 6 months ago I ran into her randomly in the favela. It was great to see her and I was grateful to hear that she hadn't yet added a fourth child to the mix. I set up a time to visit her in her home.

Aline lives alone in a very poor house with her 3 little girls. Her own parents died when she was 7 years old and she was raised by her older brother who was involved in drug trafficking. She's been living by herself for a long time. Her girls have different fathers who are not involved in their lives and she has no job and no prospect of one. I felt so overwhelmed and depressed as I left from my visit. The question ringing in my mind, "What can I possibly DO?" Her situation left me feeling helpless and hopeless, because I look at her girls and I see them, young as they are, already running wild with no structure or stability and I think will this cycle ever be broken?

Then I have hope, because I remember Him...the Great Cycle-Breaker. The One who changes families, changes histories, gives hope, and redeems. I thank God that He lives to intercede in our miserable lives. I thank God that he gives me hope and that I can pass along that hope to others. Please pray for Aline and her girls. Pray for her situation. Pray that God will interfere and redeem. Pray that I will be a light for Him in her life as I continue to visit her.

Selfless (Jason)

Kristin and I are home for a visit. It has been a great opportunity to reconnect with friends and family. Not long ago I was with two friends. One had the ability to help the other but chose not to. The situation made me frustrated with my one friend and sorry for the other. The long and short of it is that the one was not willing to put himself out there for the other. The whole situation left me with a feeling of injustice.

When I reflect on this incident with these two friends, I am reminded of Jeremy, our friend and partner in Brazil. Jeremy delights in putting himself out for others. I have seen a transformation in his life over the last four years because he decides to say “yes” rather than “no”. He gives of himself like no one else I know; he is an open hand, always giving. The best part is that if you were to tell Jeremy that he is a selfless person he would say something like, “I am glad that God chooses to encourage you in that way” reflecting the glory back to God.

I wanted to write this about Jeremy because more than being an organization that is about helping kids, we are an organization that is about shaping people to be what God wants them to be… starting with us.

May 22, 2010

When I look at people's wedding pictures, I prefer to be the one holding the album. In this way, I control the pace. I find that when a newly wedded couple is entrusted with the responsibility of flipping the pages, each picture becomes a story, and the album, in turn, a Russian novel. On this side of marriage, I understand the sentimentality of the images that capture this event and a couple's desire to share this. Still, I will allow you to peruse these few pictures at your own pace.

As for married life, at a month and a half in, I think we've got it down. However, it will take me another month to finish the book that I'm writing on the subject I'm right, I win, Just Listen. Seriously though, we are really enjoying our life together. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that we enjoyed our lives even before we met. This doesn't mean that we delighted in those solitary Saturday nights of scanning the Blockbuster aisles. I remember quite vividly returning to REAME's gates at night, knowing that no one was waiting for up for me. So, I won't belittle the struggles of my single friends by saying this glibly. I just feel it necessary to affirm the hope of a Saviour who doesn't always employ marriage or loving parents or wealth to communicate His severe love for us.

Baby, Baby, Baby, Ohh.

Paulo Ricardo was the first guy in the house to like Justin Bieber. He made us all sit down and watch the video “Baby” on Youtube. That was a Tuesday. Before the week was out, Claudinho’s ringtone had changed, Adilio was repeating the chorus ad nauseam and Anderson was singing his own interpretation of the song (one that desperately needed subtitles). The fact that these guys are Bieber fans cannot be attributed solely to his musical ability. I think they like him in part because they would like to be him. After all, he housesits for Usher, hangs with Ludacris and his videos clog the Favorites page for half of the girls in the States (their ages notwithstanding). But for all of his success, I cannot help but feel sorry for Justin Bieber. When I look at him, I cannot shake images of Macaulay Culkin, Lindsay Lohan or the Olsen twins – kids that are stars one day and social pariahs the next. It’s only a matter of time before the media starts tanking the affable character that they have created, and he starts sporting a moustache.

Claudinho’s story is on a completely different trajectory than that of Justin Bieber’s. Girls don’t line up to talk to him, his videos on Youtube don’t have more than 20 views (15 of them his) and, up until a month ago, he was making about 70 cents an hour. But, the cool thing about Claudinho’s story is how it seems to embody the truth “he who is faithful with little will be entrusted with much.” In life, Claudinho just plods along, doing what he’s supposed to. That could mean arriving early at church to clean up or opting to go to bed over watching a late night soccer match because he has to work in the morning. But, I trust that that steady plodding will pay off, just as it did when he recently landed a job with a great company where there is room for growth. There was nothing miraculous about the way he got the job. A guy from church recognized Claudinho’s faithfulness and recommended him for an open position. But, I am amazed with the way that God cares for this 19 year old man, using life’s seemingly normal circumstances to shape within him a character and perseverance that is anything but normal.

Surprises (Jason)

I never thought that I would be so happy to see excrement as when Jacob went “poopy on the potty” a few days ago. There are lots of unexpected surprises with parenthood. In a way we are not only parents to Jacob, but also to our boys in the Sombra Road House. For this reason I was surprised to discover that on Thursday night, after I left our Bible study, Claudinho, Paulo, Anderson and Adilio had made dinner for Dalton. On Thursday nights, we do a Bible study for the youth group at church, half of which consists of the four aforementioned boys that live in the House. So, why should I be so pleased by the fact that they made dinner for someone? The fact that four teenage boys were considerate enough to feed any mouth but their own is sufficient. However, once I describe Dalton you should be all the more impressed.

The Sombra Road House, as much as it is a shelter for these boys is an experiment in community. Our aim is that our core group, comprised of both staff and students, would so express the love of Christ to one another that outsiders would themselves be drawn to Christ. However, once you open yourself up to outsiders you never know whom you will attract. Dalton is one of these people - he is a unique fellow who is difficult to love. He is the guy whom you would try to go unnoticed by if you saw him in the grocery store so as to avoid a conversational assault. We all know the type. He is a Christian who has bounced around from church to church looking for acceptance. There is much to be said about Dalton, but the point here is that Claudinho, Paulo, Anderson and Adilio made themselves servants to him. Their act of making dinner for Dalton is an example of the type of service to which Jesus calls us also.

Please pray that these four guys would continue to grow in their love for Christ and that that love would manifest itself in acts like making dinner for Dalton.

She's Back! (Kristin)

In January, I wrote about Taiza (pictured on the right), one of the girls I do Bible study with in the favela. Basically, Taiza "disappeared" after the start of my Bible study with these two girls. You can read the post here. Well, I'm very excited to share that she is back and has been faithfully attending Bible study for several weeks now.

Her first week back, I took Maria and Taiza to the mall for Bible study and pizza to celebrate her return. I asked her why she hadn't come back sooner and she replied that she was embarrassed. I told her that she should never be embarrassed to come back to people that love her. She had tears in her eyes as we talked about God's grace and His work of salvation on the cross.

I can see her growing in her understanding of the Gospel. She has professed her faith in Christ, but has much to learn. Every week, she prays that God would give her the strength to stay on the right path, to continue Bible study and to surround herself with people who want her best. She lives in a very dark world.

Please continue to pray with us: 1) that God would continue to open her eyes to his Truth, 2) that the power of the Gospel would continue to break the bonds of sin in her life, and 3) that God would keep her safe in the shadow of His wings as she grows.

Dona Ana (Jeremy)

In my last post, I made reference to Dona Ana (the director of the community center) and to the pain that she has been experiencing in her legs. Her doctor placed her on some medication which was intended to treat this problem. However, these drugs really messed with her stomach - creating a lot of pain in her stomach and destroying her appetite. About two weeks ago, she went to get this checked out and discovered that she has stomach cancer. We still know so little, as she is waiting to receive back the results of her exam. But, I wanted to ask those of you who follow the blog to be praying for her. I can see her fighting to maintain her characteristic optimism through all of this - attempting to assuage others' fears by masking her own. However, this is an extremely difficult fight, as she doesn't even know the extent of the problem. I know that this lady, who has prayed for so many people over the years, just needs some people to do the same for her right now. I hope that we can be that for her. As we find out more, we'll keep you posted.

Holy Land Honeymoon! (Jason)

I heard a commercial on the radio the other day advertising trips to the Holy Land, "Terra Santa". The ad had an inverse effect. I don’t want to vilify religious experience trips. It is just that this ad, with its cheesy music, was oriented to religious individuals hoping to capitalize on their religious feelings. I would rather stay put than give my money to someone who is so obviously capitalizing on religious experience. So, I decided that it would be the perfect place for Jeremy and Carol to spend their honeymoon (insert sarcasm). I decided I would call this particular travel agency, posing as Jeremy, and ask to be sent more information, all the information that they could send; the more the better. Beyond this, I would ask if they could call my fiancé and convince her that such a trip would be a great way to spend our honeymoon. So, the following day I Googled the name of the travel agency, found the phone number and, in my deviance, called. When the woman one the other side of the phone answered, I was so busy scrolling through my cell phone to find Carol’s number that I did not hear how she introduced herself. Immediately I told her that I was interested in a trip to Israel. “Excuse me?”, she responded. I repeated, verbatim, “I would like more information about a trip to Israel.” To Israel?, she responded. “Yes, the Holy Land”, I said. This type of exchange is very common to me being a foreigner and all. “Sir”, she said, “Do you realize that you have called a taxi company?"

More than tell the story of a particular kid or a moral lesson, the point of this blog entry is to ask you to pray for us. Start with me. I do things like this all too frequently bringing embarrassment on myself and all other foreigners. Then pray for Sombra Road as we adapt (or fail to adapt) to the difficulties of living in a foreign country. Finally, pray for the foreigner down the street from you or at church or work; and invite him over for dinner.

Grace. Sometimes people just don't get it. (Kristin)

There are constant mini-wars between the police and the drug traffickers (banditos) in the favelas. The police typically come in the favelas to search for drugs, weapons and/or specific people. These events are heralded with shooting from both parties, which eventually stops as the banditos hide among the houses and the police do their business. The police use a large, bullet-proof vehicle dubbed the Caveirao ("Big Skull") to enter the favelas. It's massive and has small holes for the police on the inside to shoot out of. Terrible things can happen in the belly of the Caveirao to the apprehended banditos...most are sent to jail, but we've heard that some don't come out alive.

Last week a similar scenario took place in the favela where we work, we could hear the shooting from our apartment as we had our weekly meeting. The next morning, at Friday morning prayer, we listened in amazement at the story that Dona Ana told us.

The Caveirao entered Morro dos Macacos with guns blazing, but on its exodus from the favela, it stopped right in front of the community center...something that has never happened before. A policeman exited the vehicle, dragging an 18 year old boy that had been apprehended into the community center. Bleeding and smelling terribly of the bodily excrements that were filling his pants, he was released to Dona Ana. The policeman explained, "I feel like an angel told me to drop this kid off here." Then he left.

This young man had been handed two immeasurable gifts...his freedom and his life. Like Jonah, he had been graciously spit out of the belly of the whale. The difference between Jonah and this young man lies in their response: Jonah responded in repentance and obedience to God's call, the young man responded, "will you ask them to give me my hat back." You heard correctly. He had the nerve to ask Dona Ana to go after the police in the enormous death tank to give him his hat back. Didn't he realize his life had just been sparred?

We listened to this story with mouths agape; knowing the grace that was given this man to be freed from the Caveirao and aghast that his only apparent concern was for a hat. He had obviously been afraid for his life at some point...I mean, he did numbers 1 and 2 in his pants for crying out loud. How can he not realize what had been done for him? Where was his repentance?

God has offered all of us a similar grace...life and freedom through his Son, Jesus Christ, and yet it breaks my heart to think of all the people that respond the same way this young man responded, completely blind to it, ignorantly saying "I want my hat."

Lord, please make the blind see and the deaf hear! And let me not be blind to your grace in my own life.

Confessions of a Recovering Hypochondriac (Jeremy)

On Friday mornings, we pray with the staff from the community center in Morro dos Macacos. While waiting for a few of the staff to arrive this morning, Jason and I were sitting around talking with some of the ladies that work in the kitchen. The conversation started with Fatima’s other job. Besides her day job as a full time cook for the community center, Fatima also works nights at a homeless shelter for families. This means that every other day of the week she hops a bus directly from the community center to this homeless shelter, where she spends the entire night awake, looking after these families. After this sleepless night, she returns to her rather thank-less job in the community center. She only sees her bed three to four days a week. As we sat and listened, she talked about the coffee pot that she drains every night, the fights that she has to separate, the drug addicts that she is constantly observing – and the way she talked about it all was so matter of fact, not one plea for pity. Suddenly, the conversation switched directions, and now the topic was teeth. Maria, the janitor, explained to the group that dentists do not scare her in the least. “Why would I worry about a little temporary pain in the mouth, when I’ve seen much worse in my days?” she asked rather rhetorically. Then, she made a pitch for a local dentist that will extract a tooth (yank is probably a better word for his technique) for R$ 5 (about $2.75 US). All the while, Dona Ana, the eighty year old project coordinator who can barely get out of her seat unassisted due to problems in her legs but somehow finds a way up that hill every day to serve the kids, just sat there listening and smiling.

It’s hard to feel like a man in a room full of women such as these. I get irritable when the heat messes with my sleep – even though I still get to sleep every night. When I go to the dentist, I get a local anesthetic – even though no one is talking about pulling teeth. I got bit by a dog here (below - not really), and, after consulting Web MD, I convinced myself that I had contracted rabies. I cannot even drink the water that these women drink because it upsets my constitution. I’m a pansy. I figure that I have a lot to learn from these ladies, who leave me both humbled and thankful that the Lord is gracious to both the strong and the hypochondriacs.

Hope for the Hopeless (Jason)

Jacob, my son, started preschool on Monday (picture below). On my way home from his school I saw, Edimilson, a kid that we have been working with for the past year who lives in Morro dos Macacos (favela). Seated on the side of the road, he was sifting through trash looking for recyclables to sell, a common source of income for those who lack other options. I didn’t stop. I didn’t roll down the window to say hello. I know that it would only have served to embarrass him. Edimilson’s story gets worse. Due to the influence of his aunt, he got involved with Macumba, a mixture of Roman Catholicism and African Animism where the worshiper makes sacrifices to saints/gods. His parents don’t like it and kicked him out of the house. Now, when not on the street, he stays with his aunt. His situation seems hopeless.

What is interesting is that Edimilson’s situation is not that different from the youth that live in the Sombra Road House: Claudinho, Paulo, Adilio, and (potentially in June) Anderson. All four of these guys have stared a hopeless future in the face. Anderson lived on the streets for a year and was hooked on drugs. He knew, just like Edimilson knows, that Sombra Road can offer shelter. Why did Anderson seek help and Edimilson does not? Among the many possibilities, I believe that it ultimately rests on God’s grace. This is where I find hope for Edimilson. I do not rely on Edimilson’s ability to make wise decisions. I trust and pray that God will work in Edimilson to do His will. Please join with us in praying for Edimilson that God would help him to see the error of the path that he is walking and that he would see God’s gracious hand extended in Sombra Road.

The Thief (Kristin)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

The thief reacts quickly. You see, two weeks ago I had the first Bible study with Taiza and Maria. They were so hungry to learn about God, especially Taiza. She stared at me with large, inquisitive eyes throughout our time together - time spent learning how to look up books in the Bible finding the chapter and verse, time spent talking about God as Creator and about His desire for us to know Him because he loves us so. Taiza's excitement was contagious - she being the person that suggested we do the Bible study in the first place. But in today's Bible study, it was only myself and Maria. Where was Taiza?

She's disappeared - and not just from Bible study. She has vanished from the community center as well. For the last several days, she has been on a drug binge, and the vicious addiction-guilt cycle has forced her into running - running from her responsibilities, from the people that care about her, and most importantly, from God.

But I am confident that HE who began a good work in her WILL carry it on to completion. I am praying for her and I ask that you would also pray for her. Pray that Satan's hold on her life right now would be broken and that God would draw her back to Him and to people that will lead her in a relationship with Him so that she may have life and have it to the full. Pray also that I may have the sensitivity to the Spirit to encourage and confront her with Truth.

What's He Saying? (Jeremy)

Four months into my first year here, a lady that worked at REAME invited me to the church in which her son served as the pastor. On that particular Sunday morning, I arrived late and tried to hide inauspiciously in the back row. It was to no avail, as my friend, with her hawk-like eyes, picked me off and dragged me up to the front. She introduced me to her son, who, minutes later, assumed the pulpit. From my seat on the front row, he introduced me to the congregation. Then, he announced that he would like for me to pray for the church after his sermon. However, with only six months of language experience, the difference between future and present tense was lost on me. So, I hopped out of my seat and made my way to the pulpit at that very moment. Everyone stared up at me with confused looks, while the pastor kindly clarified that he would call me up to pray after his sermon. I slithered back to my seat, wondering if my face was as red as it was hot. Forty minutes later, the fateful moment arrived. I climbed the stairs again, grabbed the microphone, and began. “Father, thank you for your brother Jesus…” I would love to say that it got better from there, but based on the eerie silence of the congregation, it didn’t. I didn’t know what I was saying, and instead of just keeping it short, I just kept going. Out of my mouth came a whirlwind of words that were completely incoherent to both me and the congregation. It was like watching a wounded animal suffer, where you are just waiting for someone to put it out of its misery.
I think last Friday night probably had a similar feel. Carol (my girlfriend), her family and I were gathered around the family dinner table. I got down on one knee and started spewing the same non-sense that I had almost six years ago. I remember saying the word love, God and marry but not much else. The idea of asking her in front of her parents was an attempt to respect something I value in her culture, but I was starting to question the intelligence of that decision. Her brother sat across the table, shifting in his seat, empathizing with my pain. I wanted to stop and start over, but, in situations like these, you don’t have the luxury of a reset button. Sometimes life is poetry, and sometimes it is more like a tragic comedy. Her gracious yes seemed to reign it all in and tag a fitting ending to what was otherwise a wonderful day. So, yes, we are now engaged. Our plan is to get married in late May and to continue living with the guys (with some space of our own of course). I find myself extremely grateful to God for the remarkable woman that he has entrusted to me.