Brazil trip Day 4
Day 4 in Maceio, Brazil the people call it the “miserable place.” The heaviness of so many untouched lives by the power of Jesus Christ is most overwhelming.
We left early this morning intending to go on a boat ride, but that didn’t happen. We left and ate breakfast at a local shop. Egg Sandwiches, freshly squeezed orange juice and Brazilian coffee. We then headed to the other side of Macieo in “Rush hour” traffic. I still have no idea why they call it rush hour because there wasn’t a rush about it. I just thought we had crazy drivers in Texas, but even my friends Bro. James Christian and Bro. Reuben Najera have nothing on the drivers here. There are 2 lanes for traffic but they make 5 lanes out of them. No Joke! The motorcycles/scooters cut lanes and all the drivers are jockeying for the next open slot in the road. There is constant “beeping” of the horns (they don’t have honkers they are beepers). =)
Anyway we cut back down on side roads (see Tammy men try to find short cuts when driving in every country) and ended up where they built their very first church in Macieo. Behind this church was the slum area and houses built in and around the raw sewage. Elder Alvear said his wife never, not once complained at their living conditions.
After this we passed the slum area on the way to the boats. When we got to the boats the guy kept trying to take advantage of us once we decide we would not go.
Since we didn’t go on the boat we decided to go and walk around the market. Once we got to the market we decided it was best that we didn’t get out of our vehicle because we felt very vulnerable and unsafe. Instead drove around the market and surrounding areas. There are different fruits, vegetables, trinkets and we saw a satanic store that sold good for witchcraft. There were people walking in and out of traffic, horse pulling rough square buggy’s, people moving items with wheelbarrows, others were pulling carts of food, items, trash and you name it. The cars were so tightly packed in while driving I was amazed that we were not hit or bumped into. The vehicles here are quite small and I think I’ve seen only 1 Ford F150 and it was a 90’s model and 2 or 3 VERY old Chevy trucks. There are not any large SUV’s like we have Stateside. There are several different models I’ve never seen before, Fiats, VW’s, Fords, Chevrolets, etc. Vehicle models that are not in the States.
We then headed to the Lake Mundau where clams are harvested, boiled and sold to restaurants and stores as a delicacy. This is the disgusting part, all the raw sewage we saw flowing down to the lake is the same lake where the clams come from. The poorest of poor lived here and they call it “Manna from Heaven” because they can pick up nets full of the clams from off the bottom of the lake. The people would boil and shuck the clams then bag them to be sent out. The smell of clams mixed with raw sewage is not to be forgotten. The sight of naked children, young kids playing in and around the street, ladies washing clothes on the side of the street in filthy bowls, men working on the clams with ladies. As they would prepare the clams they would eat mouthfuls at a time. So hungry, so depressed, so filthy. The worse part to me is the children, filthy, full of lice, disease, running like animals all over the place. Child prostitution is big in Brazil. They sell the children as prostitutes for drug money. Please, Please, Please pray for Brazil. I’m weeping as I write this, I’ll have images, sounds and smells in my memory that I’ll never, ever forget.
Just a couple of blocks from here lives Brother Adelmo, a preacher in the church in Maceio. Yes, God has used the Alvears to touch lives in areas where no human being should be forced to live. I have a picture of this Brothers home.
By the way the average income for a working person is equivalent to $200 US Dollars a month.
After we left this impoverished area we then headed to the beach for lunch. The complete opposite from what we saw, but in comparison the beauty of Maceio is limited to the beach and one or two other areas. We had a great lunch of Shrimp, rice, and fries. I had coconut water again! Passion fruit drink and Graviola (a common fruit in Brazil). The beauty of the deep blue Ocean water, the beautiful tropical trees and flowers was breath taking. All the while the images of what we just saw was continuously at the forefront of my heart and mind. I’m eating like a king and there are beggars and children literally starving for food and for someone to Love them.
We left the hut where we ate lunch and went to a VERY expensive hotel to check out prices. Security had to let us in. One there we were in a Beautiful world of exotic flowers, fruit trees, cleanliness, a beautiful hotel, a swimming pool that is only built for resorts with a clean and sewage free water way flowing into the ocean.
As we left the hotel we went out the other end. Across the street at the Ritz hotel were big time politicians the governor of the state and a presidential candidate. The presidential candidate was the former mayor of Sao Paulo, a city in South Brazil of 22 million people. I was immediately turned off and couldn’t wait to drive away from them. Those men are so oppressive with their socialistic and communistic ideologies and the constant oppression of the people. Pray for the leaders of Brazil that God would change their hearts or that God would replace them with God fearing and honoring administrations.
It was around 12:45 pm so we headed back home. There was a bridge we crossed the day before that I wanted to cross again because I didn’t have my camera ready and you can’t stop on the bridge. The bridge spanned across to the other side and thousands and thousands of homes, shanties, etc were below. I have pictures and videos of this place on Face Book. As we crossed to the other side and around the corner, our hearts broke again and started weeping and praying for the lost and lonely souls of Maceio.
As were heading home Elder Alvear stopped by to see Sis. Agnes Taylor’s grave today, this is Sis. Alvear’s mother. Before she came to Brazil, Sis. Alvear asked her mother “mother you’re getting old what if you were to die in Brazil?” Her mother replied “Janice do you think Brazil is any further from heaven than the States?” Sis. Taylor’s heart was where her daughters heart was, on the mission field of Brazil. This was most touching. I have pics of the grave site and will post the pictures in a little while.
As we arrived at the other side of town we stopped by “Plastic City” which is about 4 blocks from the Church compound. Men, women, young people, children and families live in homes literally made from trash, plastic, particle boards, etc. Of course there is no running water, plumbing, electricity, etc. It’s pure poverty and the Church compound is on poverty’s front door step.
I’m about to head to church tonight to preach at another daughter work. I’ll finish this journal entry after service.
We had a wonderful service at another daughter work in town. I’m amazed at how many daughter works the Alvears have either started or are instrumental in their growth. There are over 300 works all over the country of Brazil, all the way from south Brazil where Bro. Raul Alvear, Jr. Pastors and the Vice President of the Mission work in Brazil, up to the North East where we are in Maceio over to the Jungle in the Amazon where another son pastors, Bro. Arlei Alvear. And churches scattered all across Brazil. Brazil is massive in size and is almost as large as the US.
Please continue to pray for Brazil!
We left early this morning intending to go on a boat ride, but that didn’t happen. We left and ate breakfast at a local shop. Egg Sandwiches, freshly squeezed orange juice and Brazilian coffee. We then headed to the other side of Macieo in “Rush hour” traffic. I still have no idea why they call it rush hour because there wasn’t a rush about it. I just thought we had crazy drivers in Texas, but even my friends Bro. James Christian and Bro. Reuben Najera have nothing on the drivers here. There are 2 lanes for traffic but they make 5 lanes out of them. No Joke! The motorcycles/scooters cut lanes and all the drivers are jockeying for the next open slot in the road. There is constant “beeping” of the horns (they don’t have honkers they are beepers). =)
Anyway we cut back down on side roads (see Tammy men try to find short cuts when driving in every country) and ended up where they built their very first church in Macieo. Behind this church was the slum area and houses built in and around the raw sewage. Elder Alvear said his wife never, not once complained at their living conditions.
After this we passed the slum area on the way to the boats. When we got to the boats the guy kept trying to take advantage of us once we decide we would not go.
Since we didn’t go on the boat we decided to go and walk around the market. Once we got to the market we decided it was best that we didn’t get out of our vehicle because we felt very vulnerable and unsafe. Instead drove around the market and surrounding areas. There are different fruits, vegetables, trinkets and we saw a satanic store that sold good for witchcraft. There were people walking in and out of traffic, horse pulling rough square buggy’s, people moving items with wheelbarrows, others were pulling carts of food, items, trash and you name it. The cars were so tightly packed in while driving I was amazed that we were not hit or bumped into. The vehicles here are quite small and I think I’ve seen only 1 Ford F150 and it was a 90’s model and 2 or 3 VERY old Chevy trucks. There are not any large SUV’s like we have Stateside. There are several different models I’ve never seen before, Fiats, VW’s, Fords, Chevrolets, etc. Vehicle models that are not in the States.
We then headed to the Lake Mundau where clams are harvested, boiled and sold to restaurants and stores as a delicacy. This is the disgusting part, all the raw sewage we saw flowing down to the lake is the same lake where the clams come from. The poorest of poor lived here and they call it “Manna from Heaven” because they can pick up nets full of the clams from off the bottom of the lake. The people would boil and shuck the clams then bag them to be sent out. The smell of clams mixed with raw sewage is not to be forgotten. The sight of naked children, young kids playing in and around the street, ladies washing clothes on the side of the street in filthy bowls, men working on the clams with ladies. As they would prepare the clams they would eat mouthfuls at a time. So hungry, so depressed, so filthy. The worse part to me is the children, filthy, full of lice, disease, running like animals all over the place. Child prostitution is big in Brazil. They sell the children as prostitutes for drug money. Please, Please, Please pray for Brazil. I’m weeping as I write this, I’ll have images, sounds and smells in my memory that I’ll never, ever forget.
Just a couple of blocks from here lives Brother Adelmo, a preacher in the church in Maceio. Yes, God has used the Alvears to touch lives in areas where no human being should be forced to live. I have a picture of this Brothers home.
By the way the average income for a working person is equivalent to $200 US Dollars a month.
After we left this impoverished area we then headed to the beach for lunch. The complete opposite from what we saw, but in comparison the beauty of Maceio is limited to the beach and one or two other areas. We had a great lunch of Shrimp, rice, and fries. I had coconut water again! Passion fruit drink and Graviola (a common fruit in Brazil). The beauty of the deep blue Ocean water, the beautiful tropical trees and flowers was breath taking. All the while the images of what we just saw was continuously at the forefront of my heart and mind. I’m eating like a king and there are beggars and children literally starving for food and for someone to Love them.
We left the hut where we ate lunch and went to a VERY expensive hotel to check out prices. Security had to let us in. One there we were in a Beautiful world of exotic flowers, fruit trees, cleanliness, a beautiful hotel, a swimming pool that is only built for resorts with a clean and sewage free water way flowing into the ocean.
As we left the hotel we went out the other end. Across the street at the Ritz hotel were big time politicians the governor of the state and a presidential candidate. The presidential candidate was the former mayor of Sao Paulo, a city in South Brazil of 22 million people. I was immediately turned off and couldn’t wait to drive away from them. Those men are so oppressive with their socialistic and communistic ideologies and the constant oppression of the people. Pray for the leaders of Brazil that God would change their hearts or that God would replace them with God fearing and honoring administrations.
It was around 12:45 pm so we headed back home. There was a bridge we crossed the day before that I wanted to cross again because I didn’t have my camera ready and you can’t stop on the bridge. The bridge spanned across to the other side and thousands and thousands of homes, shanties, etc were below. I have pictures and videos of this place on Face Book. As we crossed to the other side and around the corner, our hearts broke again and started weeping and praying for the lost and lonely souls of Maceio.
As were heading home Elder Alvear stopped by to see Sis. Agnes Taylor’s grave today, this is Sis. Alvear’s mother. Before she came to Brazil, Sis. Alvear asked her mother “mother you’re getting old what if you were to die in Brazil?” Her mother replied “Janice do you think Brazil is any further from heaven than the States?” Sis. Taylor’s heart was where her daughters heart was, on the mission field of Brazil. This was most touching. I have pics of the grave site and will post the pictures in a little while.
As we arrived at the other side of town we stopped by “Plastic City” which is about 4 blocks from the Church compound. Men, women, young people, children and families live in homes literally made from trash, plastic, particle boards, etc. Of course there is no running water, plumbing, electricity, etc. It’s pure poverty and the Church compound is on poverty’s front door step.
I’m about to head to church tonight to preach at another daughter work. I’ll finish this journal entry after service.
We had a wonderful service at another daughter work in town. I’m amazed at how many daughter works the Alvears have either started or are instrumental in their growth. There are over 300 works all over the country of Brazil, all the way from south Brazil where Bro. Raul Alvear, Jr. Pastors and the Vice President of the Mission work in Brazil, up to the North East where we are in Maceio over to the Jungle in the Amazon where another son pastors, Bro. Arlei Alvear. And churches scattered all across Brazil. Brazil is massive in size and is almost as large as the US.
Please continue to pray for Brazil!
posted by Roy Ballard @ 7:52 PM
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