One Year Ago Last Week

About a year ago, Christy and I had an opportunity to visit a unique community in Rio De Janeiro to drop off some donations from an outside local church (there was no local church in this community). A neighborhood deep in struggle with violent drug wars, it was not a safe place to be, not necessarily because of the drug lords themselves but because the police could raid the neighborhood at any second with ensuing cross fire. It awakened us to a deep reality of sin, death, evil and suffering as we walked the streets that looked like a bomb had gone off only days before. We were able to take a tour that you can see below:

Here was my description of the neighborhood in my journal:

It has sewage running through most walkways, trash in lots of areas up to seven feet high, with kids playing soccer right next to it. He shows us a family shack house and they proceed to lift up their flooring to show us the open sewage stream underneath. A lady with a mental handicap lives there. Antonio translates her for me as the mother states that she is only living to help her disabled daughter. They show us a place by the river where seven people were shot and lots of dead people are, as well as where a twelve year old was shot in the head by police.

Jesus promises us He is going to end all of this evil (Revelation 21). He has already started this restoration as his kingdom comes to earth as he works in transforming our hearts (Mark 3:2)- which are more wicked than this (Matthew 15:19). Let's continue to pray for the people of Brazil.

-G