Walking Where Jesus Would Walk....

Today my colleague Craig and I had another chance to visit a very difficult area of Rio de Janeiro and to witness God at work in the lives of little children. 

The area of the city we visited is called “Mare” (ma ray) and it’s one of the areas of the city that is still controlled by the trafficantes (drug lords).  This is amazing to me in light of the fact that this area of the city is only a couple blocks from the 3 main roads that serve the city of Rio.  How can this be happening when the whole world drives by every day?

We heard about this work through our fellow servant of the Lord, Juliana, who is working there.  Upon our arrival to Mare we parked our car at the bottom of a hill.    We were taken up the hill in another car for safety, due to the fact that they did not know our car. 

Near the top of the hill was a small building where a local church has started a program to reach out to the children of this dangerous area.  The program is designed to reach and minister to children between the ages 8 to 12 who are not part of the local church.  One of the young boys I met is the son of a trafficante, which I found out after dealing with his very poor behavior.  We prayed for him intensely.

Today they were sharing about parents.  Since most didn’t have a dad, at least not at home, they focused on their moms.  They asked me about my mom and they were amazed to find out that my mom is 80 years old, and also that I am a grandpa!

This program is not doing anything new, just loving the kids, teaching them about Jesus and His ways.  We hope to return in the future to encourage these courageous and loving workers  and, of course, to also show the love of Jesus Christ to these beautiful children!

As we departed the front door of this little building, we saw in a doorway 15 feet away, 2 young men of a gang guarding the street.  One was holding what appeared to be shiny new AK47, it almost didn’t look real. 

As you may have read recently, things have become tense in the city.  This is due to the fact that the military is invading many areas  to regain control from the trafficantes.  We felt this tension during this visit---but there can be no doubt that the light shines brightest in the darkness!!!

Leaving Footprints of Christ in Rio,

Jeff