It is time to start planning.
Thankfully, Sao Paulo is not as cold during their winter as it is here in Arkansas. However, it can still get cold. Last year we were very blessed. I was told it rained hard the entire week before we arrived and it remained warm and sunny while we were there. The day after we left, it started raining again.
We need to start thinking not only about the weather but also prepare now about some decisions we will be facing there, including how we dress. We are going from our summer to their winter. Make sure you pack accordingly. If you have any questions, please contact me.
In addition, while we are there we need to drink ONLY bottled water or water from a trusted filtering system. Avoid ordering food from street vendors, also. We don’t know how well they cook their stuff or their hygienic practices. The hot water in most homes in Sao Paulo comes only from the shower and not the sinks. This is only one cultural difference that can hurt you. They are accustomed to them but we are not.
And it is definitely recommended to be vaccinated against hepatitis, not only for Brazil but here, also.
Prayer request: that God prepares our hearts, minds, and bodies for this trip. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Don`t take yourself out of the game by not preparing correctly. Of course, it all starts with prayer.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
São Paulo is the second most-densely populated city in the world, only behind New Delhi. It is easy to get lost there, especially if you are poor. Brazil just does not have the resources to contend with the poverty.
The good news is the evangelical movement is growing rapidly. A generation ago, only three percent of the population considered themselves evangelical. Today it is around 25 percent. It shouldn’t be considered a coincidence that the economy is also growing at a very rapid pace, also.
However, poverty still needs to be addressed in Brazil, both physical and spiritual. People flock to São Paulo for the jobs but they just aren’t there. Favelas, or slums, are seemingly everywhere, sometimes built within garbage dumps. No community is immune, including Soberana, where we minister.
Before we think ourselves as more fortunate in the USA, please remember this: New York City recently announced that 41% of all pregnancies ended in abortions. We might be better off financially but maybe we suffer from a different poverty.
We need to minister to our neighbors, both in our backyards and our neighbors 5000 miles from home—wherever God leads us.
* * * * * * * *
The trip now is only four months away and we need to start preparing ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our prayer request now is that God prepares our hearts to meet our neighbors in Soberana in their need and not as Americans. We need God’s help to melt away the cultural differences so they can know and have true hope.
The good news is the evangelical movement is growing rapidly. A generation ago, only three percent of the population considered themselves evangelical. Today it is around 25 percent. It shouldn’t be considered a coincidence that the economy is also growing at a very rapid pace, also.
However, poverty still needs to be addressed in Brazil, both physical and spiritual. People flock to São Paulo for the jobs but they just aren’t there. Favelas, or slums, are seemingly everywhere, sometimes built within garbage dumps. No community is immune, including Soberana, where we minister.
Before we think ourselves as more fortunate in the USA, please remember this: New York City recently announced that 41% of all pregnancies ended in abortions. We might be better off financially but maybe we suffer from a different poverty.
We need to minister to our neighbors, both in our backyards and our neighbors 5000 miles from home—wherever God leads us.
* * * * * * * *
The trip now is only four months away and we need to start preparing ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our prayer request now is that God prepares our hearts to meet our neighbors in Soberana in their need and not as Americans. We need God’s help to melt away the cultural differences so they can know and have true hope.
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