Brazil: Day 2

After some much needed rest we joined together in our Pousada. We talked about the night before and the day ahead. Over breakfast Jay introduced us to a Brazilian mega church pastor who is doing wonderful ministry in north eastern Brazil. He spoke to us passionately about preaching the gospel and the difficulties of fighting the prosperity gospel. After breakfast we loaded up and headed out to Sugar Loaf Mountain. It was absolutely breathtaking! We loaded into cable cars that transported us to the top of two peaks that overlook Rio. The view was spectacular and the scenery was gorgeous!

After our brief visit to Sugar Loaf Mountain we headed back to the Pousada for lunch and VBS preparation. We ate quickly and began working through all of our materials for the day.

Once again we loaded into the vans and head to the City of God. We drove through the Favela we had visited the prior evening on the way and again remembered what we assumed was rough housing. That was until we actually arrived at the Favela. To say the conditions of this Favela are poor isn’t adequate enough to describe it. There were dogs and cats running free, wild horses standing around, shacks of particle board, and trash everywhere.

We gathered in front of Restore Brazil’s head quarters in the favela, “The Restoration House.” There we learn about the state of the Favela, the corruption and the drug problem. We then took a walk down the streets to see if we could meet children and have them join us. As we walked we saw so many run down homes, empty dime bags on the street, we began to understand the hopelessness of these people.

We ended up having around 50 kids join us for our first day. Many were in school and will be out on vacation soon, we are praying for more! We spent time teaching them about the love of God and how He created the world. We split the kids up into groups and led them through three stations. When it was finally time to go the kids were having a hard time letting us go (literally)! There were so many hugs and promises of our return and with that we were on our way forward.

We quickly ate dinner and headed to a state-run homeless shelter. It was there that we shared music and testimonies with the homeless men. Angi Haney and Ryan Davis shared how Christ had transformed their lives dramatically. A Brazilian pastor shared the gospel passionately and then encouraged us to come and pray for the homeless men.

At the end of the night we were able to give the shelter enough sheets for all of their beds along with several toiletries. It was wonderful to have so much stuff to bless people with! Afterward we hopped back in the van and headed back to our Pousada for the night.

Please, please, please, continue to pray for Brazil! Soli Deo Gloria, Billy Glosson

Read about Days 3-5 next. If you missed it, go back and read Day 1.