NZCMS Blogs
Steve - Awesome experience in Brazil!
Date posted: Monday 19 April 2010
I arrived in Recife Brazil on the morning of Tuesday 13th April to attend a Mission Consultation organized by the Faith2share network. www.Faith2share.net. It’s my first visit to Brazil and South America so let me start with the facts.
Brazil is located in the North-Eastern part of the South American continent, has an area of more than 8.5 million square km and is the largest country in Latin America. Brazil has a population of 189.6 million, and its official language is Portuguese.
Brazil boasts of the largest river in the world by volume -- the Amazon River, and a majority of the 7.5-million-square-km Amazon rainforest.
As the biggest economic power in Latin America, Brazil has a developed a robust agricultural and mining industry, a sound industrial foundation and a full-fledged service industry with a GDP of 3.143 trillion reais (1.77 trillion U.S. dollars) as of 2009 and an estimated per capita of $10,200.
In terms of mission, Brazil is a major sending Country with over 4000 missionaries serving cross-culturally. Two days ago, our group of 30 Consultation participants went out to visit ministries run by our partners in Recife. I was part of the group that went to a place called Olinda.
During this visit, I saw another reality. Poverty and wealth exist side-by-side especially in the big cities where the gap between the rich and the poor is quite high. This has given rise to high crime especially drug and sex traffic related. It is the victims from these contexts and those living in the Favelas (Slums) of Olinda that Pastors Ian and Simea Meldrum have been seeking to serve over the last 16 years.
We visited a garbage dump where many poor people live. The Meldrums also founded My Fathers House, a rescue centre for boys formerly living near the garbage dump or those formerly involved in gangs and a Church ( Living Waters) to serve the community desperate for hope. The result has been phenomenal! We heard story after story of how many people’s lives have been changed through encountering the gospel shared in word and deed. One boy was a part of a drug gang but accepted to follow Jesus a couple of years ago and now wants to be a missionary! I have just returned from preaching in the Living Waters Church in their evening service and have been blown away by the joy and sense of celebration I saw there, especially with the youth and children! The average age group in the Church is 15 to 25 years. What a privilege! These people have found out that joy not does not come from the material things one has but it comes from God. Robert and I return to New Zealand this week but Brazil will remain in our hearts for a while!
COMMENTS:
Steve - Wed 21 Apr 03.49pm
Obrigado Joanna! Looking forward to getting back home but I have been greatly inspired by the South Americans! They have a lot in common with Africans but can teach Africans and Kiwis alot.
Joanna Sampson - Wed 21 Apr 10.18am
Hola Steve! Great to hear from you via your blog!!! Sounds awesome! I knew you would appreciate so many things about South America! Some of the situations in Brazil sound so similar to Chile. Wonderful what the Meldrums are doing! See you back in N.Z. soon! Cariņo de Joanna
