When we landed in Rio it was clear that the streets would be constantly filled with young people who arrived early for World Youth Day with joy and excitement to see the Pope. What was not clear was how the people of Rio would be served directly. I knew that was our mission. We had to find a way to look beyond the crowds, the festivities and the many nations represented to minister to the people who would remain their once the celebration of the Pope's arrival died down.
We stayed in El Centro and even as the taxis struggled to locate our hostel, they mentioned this was not normally where people would go. They were used to tourists heading to Ipanema and Copacabana, the beaches far away from the areas where people slept in the streets. God placed on my heart that our mission was to find the people in the streets and offer His love. Several days were spent in El Centro offering prayer. The people were grateful and one kind woman wanted us to come to her home which she described was up some steep stairs, around the corner, down the street. The sun was hot, although this was their "winter" and one team member approached me to share that the Holy Spirit placed on her heart to buy water and offer it to those who lined the streets trying to get a bit of rest. She left the water at their side as they slept and prayed that when they did wake that the act of kindness would be credited to God's love.
On one day we walked at least five miles, all in one part of the city. Although we focused on the homeless we knew that we should connect with others that did not appear in need. Entering the grocery stores, a local hospital and an NGO, those we encountered we shared our mission. All were gracious and we never experienced a negative encounter, not one.
Our work in the favelas took us to a new community with great need. We were cautioned not to speak to those in the community until we reached our destination. We arrived at the top of the favela in Complexo do Alemao where a community center served children in the neighborhood. Although they were on break, soon after we arrived many showed up to participate in games and crafts. It is just amazing how the innocence of a child can remove all barriers and bring simple joy to their life and ours alike. We were able to leave a mural of remembrance in the favela as a sign not only of our presence but of the presence of God in their lives.
As we continued our week we soon realized that there were those among us who needed prayer as well. The hostel owners wife was six months pregnant and shared her testimony with one of the mission participants. One of the works at the hospital shared his struggle with alcohol and had an opportunity to receive counsel through scripture. By the end of our week others who were not part of our group joined us in our daily prayer circle.
The busyness of Rio is overwhelming but every opportunity God showed us how to be open to serve and share His love. It stretched our imagination and required that we all be open to His will.
