Brazil Trip Day 5
09/22/2010
Woke up a bit later than usual at 9:30 and headed to the little store where we ate breakfast yesterday. Jonathan got an egg sandwich, we had the Brazilian coffee and I ordered a Mango juice. Very good! We then stopped by a grocery store to buy bread for lunch. While there I bought a few Brazilian cookies and 4 packages of vacuum packed Brazilian Coffee! Oh yeah! This store did not have the bread so we headed out to a bakery and picked up a loaf of bread.
Came back to the house and ate lunch around noon. We got ready for an afternoon Church service at one of the Daughter works. They wanted us to come while I was here so they scheduled a special service in the middle of the day. As we drove to the church, once again the signs of absolute poverty were everywhere, from a horse drawn box buggy with a little boy sitting on the front with his dad to a street market that was set up in the median of the road. The same faces we’ve seen day in and out, hopeless ,hungry (physically and spiritually), depression, filthy children everywhere, and etc.
One thing I started noticing yesterday were the way the homes were built, actually it was last night after church. The home next door had a car parked inside with a thick barred gate closed. Some man walked to the gate and hollered in, after a couple of minutes a lady came to see him. She disappeared to another room and came out carrying a couple of cigarettes. At first I thought it was a drug house, but then another person came to the door, hollered in and another lady came to see what he wanted. She too disappeared and came back with a Coca-Cola. I was talking to the Alvears about this and they told me is that people use their home for multi-purposes. It’s their home, their garage, their store per their profession, i.e. grocery, car repair, etc. And just about every home has it set up to where their cars can pull inside so they are not out in the streets. That’s why in so many of the pics it looks like empty streets when they really aren’t.
The people here live in constant fear of bandits. The doors are always locked, the cars are pulled in the tiny driveways in the homes, the doors have locks and special wooden openings that allow you open them up without having to open up an entire window that would allow bandits easier access. People usually go about in groups of 2 or more.
Once we arrived at the church the service had already started, as we pulled up the first thing I noticed were the mangy, sickly and diseased dogs at the front of the church. At first my heart went out to the poor dogs, but then very quickly I thought about the humans who were living in much worse conditions than the dogs.
When we entered the service one could feel the presence of God. There were about 30 people gathered for this service. Most of the members had to work. There were a few visitors as well. The Pastors wife was up speaking to the church. When she was through there were a couple of groups that got up and sang a song. As they were singing the Pastors wife gave Elder Alvear, Jonathan and I a cloth that said Welcome’B.Bentes. The word welcome was purposefully done in English. She made these and wanted to welcome us to their Village and to their Church. We had a beautiful service and felt the blessing of the Lord.
After service they asked if we would stay, they made a snack for us to thank us for coming. It was a Brazilian Hotdog, Coca-Cola and homemade white cake with chocolate and coconut topping. They really wanted to make us feel at home.
The Pastor and his wife are such a sweet couple with a burden for their village. As I walked out I wanted to try to get a few pics and maybe a video since this was rare that I could get good shots of a church in the middle of the day. Behind the church the ground shot straight down several feet and below was a meat packing company. In the streets of the church were dogs, chickens and trash strewn about. A lady and her baby were next door standing in their doorway; hopefully she was able to hear the service.
After we left Elder Alvear showed me where the Pastor and his wife lived, or I should say what street they live on. Once again my heart was broken. The street the live on T’s into the street where the market and vendor shops were set up in the median.
When we left the church we went to the Brand New Mall and this is the absolute Paradox of the entire area. I literally felt like I was walking into a mall in America. Just imagine that you take 1/3 to 1/5 of the Parks mall, or any nice mall, and literally drop it in the middle of all this poverty. That’s exactly what it was like. There was a iron fence encircling the entire mall to prevent bandits from climbing over.
When we left the Mall it was getting close to 6 pm so we headed for home to get ready to leave for service around 7 pm. We were going to preach at the church where Bro. Michael Alvear pastors. This church was no different from the rest of the Daughter Works we’ve been too that were located in the city limits of Maceio.
I did find out something else; if one isn’t sure what church the groups of singers go to, just look at the ladies. Those that are wearing all matching colors/clothes the group of ladies that color matches the color of the wall covering on the wall behind the pulpit is the home group. Each group matches the exact color of the wall covering color. It is Brazilian Culture and I thought it was pretty cool.
We had a good service and Bro. Gabriel Alvear played the drums. You could barely see his head over the tom’s but he played them with all his heart!
Once again the spirit of the Lord was so rich. His presence was so close. It was almost like we could feel him hugging us. Absolutely beautiful!
At the end of the service Sis. Alvear went to the pulpit to make an announcement. She had the church sing Happy Birthday to Elder Alvear. His Birthday is on the 26th, in fact he shares his birthday with Sis. Fatima. They presented him a cake that Sis. Marcela made for him.
Then from the room behind the pulpit they brought out Brazilian BBQ sandwiches that Sis. Fatima made for everyone to eat. Then they served Kuat (Koo-weight) to everyone to drink. Kuat is a carbonated drink that is similar to American ginger ale. It’s very good and something Jonathan and I really enjoy. Everyone sat in their pews while being served. They all enjoyed the food and the fellowship. I was taking pictures (which I posted) because to me it was so unique to see how a different culture would fellowship.
We headed home and had a bite to eat of Rice and Beans, mashed potatoes, and very tender and tasty meat. Oh, one thing different is that we eat outside on the porch, which is covered by the roof. The dinner table will easily sit 10 people. Then I heard it, the whistle. Someone during the night, every night, constantly blows on a police whistle in various tones and ways. I asked “what in the world is that whistle and who is constantly blowing it all night long.” Elder and Sis. Alvear told me it was a night guard that people hired to keep an eye on the bandits and to periodically blow into the whistle to scare them off just in case they were close by. Once again here is the fear factor playing in. That is all this guard does, he doesn’t carry a gun so his job is very dangerous according to the Alvears. The jobs and circumstances the people here put themselves into just to make a few dollars is unsettling. Anyway, back on the meal, Jonathan and I really enjoy the common everyday Brazilian food.
After our meal I started uploading several of the pics from our 5th day in Macieo, Brazil.
Please remember to pray for Brazil. As I was going about my day today, I noticed something happening to me. I hope I can explain it properly, but with everything we have seen this week, the images rolling over and over in my mind, the absolute shock of filth, children running like wild animals, raw sewage, the begging children and adults, the stench, the naked children, the markets, the devastation from the Rio Largo Flood, the hugs from impoverished children, the beaten buggy horses with hide stretched over bones, the mangy dogs, the poorly dressed saints of God, the plantation owners, the flush less toilets, the hardened labor working for peanuts, the fear of bandits and organize crime, the absolute despair I see in face after face, the hopelessness seen deep in their eyes, it seemed a mechanism inside me was trying to block out what I saw with the complete depravity of humankind. It seemed almost like a wall was trying to be built up that would protect my mind from the realities of life in this 3rd world country, that would allow me to go back to my world, go back to my day by day life, to go back to my concerns and not to worry about what was happening here or all around the world. But the wall couldn’t even get the first layer of bricks laid and set. I pray God NEVER allows that wall to be built. I don’t want to forget what we saw. There are so many hurting and so few to reach out to them with the Hope of Jesus Christ. It’s not just here in Brazil, but the same people are in my home city of Ft. Worth, Texas. The same eyes I’ve seen this week are in every nation in the world.
Please pray for Brazil and if you feel a nudge to go talk to someone about Hope and about the one who has the Ability to give us Hope. Please follow that leading. Jesus Christ is our Hope, the Hope of Glory!
Woke up a bit later than usual at 9:30 and headed to the little store where we ate breakfast yesterday. Jonathan got an egg sandwich, we had the Brazilian coffee and I ordered a Mango juice. Very good! We then stopped by a grocery store to buy bread for lunch. While there I bought a few Brazilian cookies and 4 packages of vacuum packed Brazilian Coffee! Oh yeah! This store did not have the bread so we headed out to a bakery and picked up a loaf of bread.
Came back to the house and ate lunch around noon. We got ready for an afternoon Church service at one of the Daughter works. They wanted us to come while I was here so they scheduled a special service in the middle of the day. As we drove to the church, once again the signs of absolute poverty were everywhere, from a horse drawn box buggy with a little boy sitting on the front with his dad to a street market that was set up in the median of the road. The same faces we’ve seen day in and out, hopeless ,hungry (physically and spiritually), depression, filthy children everywhere, and etc.
One thing I started noticing yesterday were the way the homes were built, actually it was last night after church. The home next door had a car parked inside with a thick barred gate closed. Some man walked to the gate and hollered in, after a couple of minutes a lady came to see him. She disappeared to another room and came out carrying a couple of cigarettes. At first I thought it was a drug house, but then another person came to the door, hollered in and another lady came to see what he wanted. She too disappeared and came back with a Coca-Cola. I was talking to the Alvears about this and they told me is that people use their home for multi-purposes. It’s their home, their garage, their store per their profession, i.e. grocery, car repair, etc. And just about every home has it set up to where their cars can pull inside so they are not out in the streets. That’s why in so many of the pics it looks like empty streets when they really aren’t.
The people here live in constant fear of bandits. The doors are always locked, the cars are pulled in the tiny driveways in the homes, the doors have locks and special wooden openings that allow you open them up without having to open up an entire window that would allow bandits easier access. People usually go about in groups of 2 or more.
Once we arrived at the church the service had already started, as we pulled up the first thing I noticed were the mangy, sickly and diseased dogs at the front of the church. At first my heart went out to the poor dogs, but then very quickly I thought about the humans who were living in much worse conditions than the dogs.
When we entered the service one could feel the presence of God. There were about 30 people gathered for this service. Most of the members had to work. There were a few visitors as well. The Pastors wife was up speaking to the church. When she was through there were a couple of groups that got up and sang a song. As they were singing the Pastors wife gave Elder Alvear, Jonathan and I a cloth that said Welcome’B.Bentes. The word welcome was purposefully done in English. She made these and wanted to welcome us to their Village and to their Church. We had a beautiful service and felt the blessing of the Lord.
After service they asked if we would stay, they made a snack for us to thank us for coming. It was a Brazilian Hotdog, Coca-Cola and homemade white cake with chocolate and coconut topping. They really wanted to make us feel at home.
The Pastor and his wife are such a sweet couple with a burden for their village. As I walked out I wanted to try to get a few pics and maybe a video since this was rare that I could get good shots of a church in the middle of the day. Behind the church the ground shot straight down several feet and below was a meat packing company. In the streets of the church were dogs, chickens and trash strewn about. A lady and her baby were next door standing in their doorway; hopefully she was able to hear the service.
After we left Elder Alvear showed me where the Pastor and his wife lived, or I should say what street they live on. Once again my heart was broken. The street the live on T’s into the street where the market and vendor shops were set up in the median.
When we left the church we went to the Brand New Mall and this is the absolute Paradox of the entire area. I literally felt like I was walking into a mall in America. Just imagine that you take 1/3 to 1/5 of the Parks mall, or any nice mall, and literally drop it in the middle of all this poverty. That’s exactly what it was like. There was a iron fence encircling the entire mall to prevent bandits from climbing over.
When we left the Mall it was getting close to 6 pm so we headed for home to get ready to leave for service around 7 pm. We were going to preach at the church where Bro. Michael Alvear pastors. This church was no different from the rest of the Daughter Works we’ve been too that were located in the city limits of Maceio.
I did find out something else; if one isn’t sure what church the groups of singers go to, just look at the ladies. Those that are wearing all matching colors/clothes the group of ladies that color matches the color of the wall covering on the wall behind the pulpit is the home group. Each group matches the exact color of the wall covering color. It is Brazilian Culture and I thought it was pretty cool.
We had a good service and Bro. Gabriel Alvear played the drums. You could barely see his head over the tom’s but he played them with all his heart!
Once again the spirit of the Lord was so rich. His presence was so close. It was almost like we could feel him hugging us. Absolutely beautiful!
At the end of the service Sis. Alvear went to the pulpit to make an announcement. She had the church sing Happy Birthday to Elder Alvear. His Birthday is on the 26th, in fact he shares his birthday with Sis. Fatima. They presented him a cake that Sis. Marcela made for him.
Then from the room behind the pulpit they brought out Brazilian BBQ sandwiches that Sis. Fatima made for everyone to eat. Then they served Kuat (Koo-weight) to everyone to drink. Kuat is a carbonated drink that is similar to American ginger ale. It’s very good and something Jonathan and I really enjoy. Everyone sat in their pews while being served. They all enjoyed the food and the fellowship. I was taking pictures (which I posted) because to me it was so unique to see how a different culture would fellowship.
We headed home and had a bite to eat of Rice and Beans, mashed potatoes, and very tender and tasty meat. Oh, one thing different is that we eat outside on the porch, which is covered by the roof. The dinner table will easily sit 10 people. Then I heard it, the whistle. Someone during the night, every night, constantly blows on a police whistle in various tones and ways. I asked “what in the world is that whistle and who is constantly blowing it all night long.” Elder and Sis. Alvear told me it was a night guard that people hired to keep an eye on the bandits and to periodically blow into the whistle to scare them off just in case they were close by. Once again here is the fear factor playing in. That is all this guard does, he doesn’t carry a gun so his job is very dangerous according to the Alvears. The jobs and circumstances the people here put themselves into just to make a few dollars is unsettling. Anyway, back on the meal, Jonathan and I really enjoy the common everyday Brazilian food.
After our meal I started uploading several of the pics from our 5th day in Macieo, Brazil.
Please remember to pray for Brazil. As I was going about my day today, I noticed something happening to me. I hope I can explain it properly, but with everything we have seen this week, the images rolling over and over in my mind, the absolute shock of filth, children running like wild animals, raw sewage, the begging children and adults, the stench, the naked children, the markets, the devastation from the Rio Largo Flood, the hugs from impoverished children, the beaten buggy horses with hide stretched over bones, the mangy dogs, the poorly dressed saints of God, the plantation owners, the flush less toilets, the hardened labor working for peanuts, the fear of bandits and organize crime, the absolute despair I see in face after face, the hopelessness seen deep in their eyes, it seemed a mechanism inside me was trying to block out what I saw with the complete depravity of humankind. It seemed almost like a wall was trying to be built up that would protect my mind from the realities of life in this 3rd world country, that would allow me to go back to my world, go back to my day by day life, to go back to my concerns and not to worry about what was happening here or all around the world. But the wall couldn’t even get the first layer of bricks laid and set. I pray God NEVER allows that wall to be built. I don’t want to forget what we saw. There are so many hurting and so few to reach out to them with the Hope of Jesus Christ. It’s not just here in Brazil, but the same people are in my home city of Ft. Worth, Texas. The same eyes I’ve seen this week are in every nation in the world.
Please pray for Brazil and if you feel a nudge to go talk to someone about Hope and about the one who has the Ability to give us Hope. Please follow that leading. Jesus Christ is our Hope, the Hope of Glory!
posted by Roy Ballard @ 11:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home