A little while ago I was walking home from school with my 6 year old, A, when we both shared a rather lovely moment. A. was walking very slowly and not being very co-operative. Not something that happens every day but not unusual for a tired and hungry little boy. I was getting very frustrated and beginning to get a bit cross, so he said, 'I don't love you any more'. So, I said, 'Well, I love you, now come on!'.
I don't know why, but at that moment I decided to elaborate. 'In fact, 'I said, 'I never stop loving you'.
A. stopped where he was on the pavement, looked at me and said, 'Really?!' I was surprised by his reaction; surely he knew that I loved him. 'Yes, ' I replied, 'I never stop loving you. When you are very good I love you, when you are naughty I love you, whatever you do, wherever you are, I always love you. It never stops'. 'Oh, 'he said, 'I never knew that,' and he gave me a big smile and held my hand.
'So, did you think that every time I get cross with you that I stop loving you?' I ventured. 'Yes!' was his answer and it really did shock me. If we had not had this conversation A would have gone through his life thinking that I turned my love for him on and off according to how he behaved and that just isn't the way it is. All mothers and fathers will probably agree with me when I say that this feeling of love is so strong, so profound, so deep that it can never find an end. It never stops. It's just there - all the time.
I did, of course, ask the obvious question, 'So, when I get cross with you, do you stop loving me?'
And the answer was, 'Yes'.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Lost in a world of the Booming Bass and Booze
On 8th February, after a very long and arduous day, we travelled by car from Sao Miguel Paulista to our new appointment in Liberdade, in the centre of Sao Paulo. At about 10pm, P. stopped the car and said, 'This is our road', but we couldn't turn into it because it was heaving with students; they were on the pavements, in the bars, maybe some of them were even in lectures in the university building which we discovered that night was situated at the end of our road, but more relevant to us on that night, they were also all over the road. They were having a street party and this was no Diamond Jubilee Celebration.
A student had parked his car outside a bar, opened his boot wide to display two loud speakers that the Wembley Arena would have been proud of and people all around him were dancing to the funky beat. With a pint of beer in one hand and a spliff in the other, these students were celebrating the beginning of term - in our road.
We wondered how we were going to reach our new place of residence but slowly we drove through the partying crowds who seemed surprised that anyone would want to drive down this particular road at this time of night. Eventually we were able to park outside the Salvation Army Hall and were greeted by the outgoing Officer. We carried a sleepy A. up to the first floor apartment and discovered that the noise was almost as loud inside the building as it was outside due to the heavy bass beat and crowds of students walking past our windows.
Rua Tagua is well known in Sao Paulo, perhaps even Brazil. It has been featured on the television because of the problems that are caused by the students during term time. The students not only celebrate the beginning and end of term with a party, but every Friday night they celebrate the end of the week and on other nights, although not as loud or as crowded, the road is still noisy. I have been told that it is not as bad as it used to be. About 10 years ago there was a bar situated directly opposite the Salvation Army Hall and Officer's apartment. The noise was unbearable and officers with young children had to move. Further back than that, so I have been told, people would dance naked in the street. I thank God that things have improved since then, however, it is still a problem for the residents of this area.
Jesus told His disciples to, 'Go into all the world and make disciples of every nation..' Well, we do not have to travel too far because the world comes to us every night. Soon after we arrived I began prayer walking the street, putting Rumos (the Brazilian War Cry) through each door and talking to as many people as possible. In this road there is a University, a Seventh Day Adventist Church and School and The Salvation Army building which houses our church, a Social Project, Divisional Headquarters and three apartments with residents (which includes my family). My vision is that these establishments work together to restore order in this place and my first step is to try to arrange a meeting with the Principals of the school and university.
There have been evenings when I have left the comfort and security of my apartment to talk to the young men (it's always a young man) who are playing their music so loud that the walls of our apartment are vibrating and my head is thumping with the incessant bass beat. So far, I have been received with politeness and all but one have turned down or turned off their music. They are students and they are studying subjects like Radiography, Law and Physical Education. They are doing what most students do in countries all over the world - but whereas most students have a Student Union Bar they can go to - here they party in the street.
In every group there is a leader and so I prayed to God that He would touch the lives of the key people in this group. After the winter break and a quieter period of four weeks, the students returned and celebrated the beginning of term in their usual style. The music was so loud and the base beat so depressing that I had to go out and find where it was coming from. I walked to the other end of the road and was amazed by the sight of about 200 students doing a kind of funky line dance in the middle of the road. The music was pumping out of the back of a red car parked outside the bar and I asked who the car belonged to. A tall, young man with no shirt and a gold chain around his neck introduced himself as G, the owner of the car. I explained to him that I lived at the other end of the road but we could hear his music inside our apartment and it was very difficult for my 6 year old to sleep. We agreed that he would stop at midnight and in fact, the music stopped half an hour earlier. An ex-student, F, friend of G, was keen to practice his English and at that moment I realized that an opportunity had just been presented to me. Surrounded by students partying I shared the gospel with him and told him that God had called me to work in Brazil and God had told me to walk down the road and talk to him and to tell him that God loves him and he needs to change his life and follow Jesus. F's eyes opened wide and he was eager to listen. He told me that he had attended a Catholic School and was now working as a Lawyer. I offered to pray for him on the street and he accepted but do you know what, at that moment, another car parked up beside us and started pumping out music in competition with my new 'friend' G. I bellowed my prayer as loud as I could and I doubt very much if F heard anything but I know God did. I will never know if he opened his Bible when he went home or if he even remembered our conversation the next day but I keep praying for F and G - I am sure I am going to see them again. In fact, last Friday the party was in full flow when I spoke to G at 11pm once again. These students are very determined and the music didn't stop until 12:30am that night.
It is obvious that I cannot continue this ministry on my own so I am praying that we can find some way in which our church can develop a ministry with these students. In the meantime, please pray for my friends G and F. I believe God gave me an opportunity to speak to them and I pray that they will respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. God is on these streets; He owns them and He wants them back!
A student had parked his car outside a bar, opened his boot wide to display two loud speakers that the Wembley Arena would have been proud of and people all around him were dancing to the funky beat. With a pint of beer in one hand and a spliff in the other, these students were celebrating the beginning of term - in our road.
We wondered how we were going to reach our new place of residence but slowly we drove through the partying crowds who seemed surprised that anyone would want to drive down this particular road at this time of night. Eventually we were able to park outside the Salvation Army Hall and were greeted by the outgoing Officer. We carried a sleepy A. up to the first floor apartment and discovered that the noise was almost as loud inside the building as it was outside due to the heavy bass beat and crowds of students walking past our windows.
Rua Tagua is well known in Sao Paulo, perhaps even Brazil. It has been featured on the television because of the problems that are caused by the students during term time. The students not only celebrate the beginning and end of term with a party, but every Friday night they celebrate the end of the week and on other nights, although not as loud or as crowded, the road is still noisy. I have been told that it is not as bad as it used to be. About 10 years ago there was a bar situated directly opposite the Salvation Army Hall and Officer's apartment. The noise was unbearable and officers with young children had to move. Further back than that, so I have been told, people would dance naked in the street. I thank God that things have improved since then, however, it is still a problem for the residents of this area.
Jesus told His disciples to, 'Go into all the world and make disciples of every nation..' Well, we do not have to travel too far because the world comes to us every night. Soon after we arrived I began prayer walking the street, putting Rumos (the Brazilian War Cry) through each door and talking to as many people as possible. In this road there is a University, a Seventh Day Adventist Church and School and The Salvation Army building which houses our church, a Social Project, Divisional Headquarters and three apartments with residents (which includes my family). My vision is that these establishments work together to restore order in this place and my first step is to try to arrange a meeting with the Principals of the school and university.
There have been evenings when I have left the comfort and security of my apartment to talk to the young men (it's always a young man) who are playing their music so loud that the walls of our apartment are vibrating and my head is thumping with the incessant bass beat. So far, I have been received with politeness and all but one have turned down or turned off their music. They are students and they are studying subjects like Radiography, Law and Physical Education. They are doing what most students do in countries all over the world - but whereas most students have a Student Union Bar they can go to - here they party in the street.
In every group there is a leader and so I prayed to God that He would touch the lives of the key people in this group. After the winter break and a quieter period of four weeks, the students returned and celebrated the beginning of term in their usual style. The music was so loud and the base beat so depressing that I had to go out and find where it was coming from. I walked to the other end of the road and was amazed by the sight of about 200 students doing a kind of funky line dance in the middle of the road. The music was pumping out of the back of a red car parked outside the bar and I asked who the car belonged to. A tall, young man with no shirt and a gold chain around his neck introduced himself as G, the owner of the car. I explained to him that I lived at the other end of the road but we could hear his music inside our apartment and it was very difficult for my 6 year old to sleep. We agreed that he would stop at midnight and in fact, the music stopped half an hour earlier. An ex-student, F, friend of G, was keen to practice his English and at that moment I realized that an opportunity had just been presented to me. Surrounded by students partying I shared the gospel with him and told him that God had called me to work in Brazil and God had told me to walk down the road and talk to him and to tell him that God loves him and he needs to change his life and follow Jesus. F's eyes opened wide and he was eager to listen. He told me that he had attended a Catholic School and was now working as a Lawyer. I offered to pray for him on the street and he accepted but do you know what, at that moment, another car parked up beside us and started pumping out music in competition with my new 'friend' G. I bellowed my prayer as loud as I could and I doubt very much if F heard anything but I know God did. I will never know if he opened his Bible when he went home or if he even remembered our conversation the next day but I keep praying for F and G - I am sure I am going to see them again. In fact, last Friday the party was in full flow when I spoke to G at 11pm once again. These students are very determined and the music didn't stop until 12:30am that night.
It is obvious that I cannot continue this ministry on my own so I am praying that we can find some way in which our church can develop a ministry with these students. In the meantime, please pray for my friends G and F. I believe God gave me an opportunity to speak to them and I pray that they will respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. God is on these streets; He owns them and He wants them back!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
All change!
Yesterday I had a good experience travelling to pick Andrew up from school. I now have to reconsider my opinion of the Sao Paulo metro and the people who use it. Given my previous comments regarding the metro, it is only fair that I share this with you.
As I arrived at the metro station in Sao Joaquim I could see that there was a train waiting on the platform, so I pelted down the stairs as fast as I could and ran towards the open doors. As I got near I heard the beeps which warned that the doors were about to close and so I stopped in front of them and made a kind of, 'Oh well, I will just have to wait for the next train', kind of face to the three men standing in the doorway. However, the three men beckoned me on and so I jumped onto the train and found that not only had the men cleared a space for me to get on but they had actually been holding the doors back for me. I said, 'Obrigada', and we all settled into our journey without another glance or word. However, I noticed that one of the men was wearing a silver cross around his neck and I wondered if I had been helped by one of God's angels....
It has been a while since I have written on this blog. Things have been a little hectic since October. I had an unexpected stay in hospital and then two weeks later P and I received Farewell Orders from Sao Miguel Paulista. Working for The Salvation Army often brings surprises but this was the biggest surprise of all!
The Salvation Army operates an appointment system whereby the leaders at Headquarters will decide where each officer willl work and when they will move. As The Salvation Army graciously provides a house or an apartment for each officer to live in it means that officers can move from one appointment to another with a certain amount of ease. In the UK there is a process of consultation and each year everyone knows which day the new appointments will be announced and whether or not they will be moving but here in Brazil, in November 2011, no-one knew who would be moving or when they would find out.
The email said that we were to be the Corps Officers of Corpo Central which is in Liberdade, a tourist area in the centre of the city and not far from Avenida Paulista, the main commercial hub. So, on February 8th 2012 we said a fond farewell to the people of Sao Miguel Paulista and handed over the work to two experienced Brazilian officers. We were sad to leave but we realise that this is not our ministry, it is not our work and the Corps at Sao Miguel Paulista was not ours to keep. The work is the Lord's. He was working in that place before we arrived and He will continue to work long after we have gone. When we arrived in Sao Miguel Paulista in August 2009 we had little knowledge of the culture or language and wondered how we would be able to lead a church without these basic skills. We were amazed at how the Lord went before us and enabled the work to be done and we are grateful for the patience and encouragement of the people there.
And so now we are at our second appointment in Brazil; Corpo Central. Our apartment is in the same building as the church hall, Divisional Headquarters and a Social Project called Tres Coracoes (Three Hearts). There are exciting things happening here and many opportunities for urban mission. However, before I write about this I am going to have a holiday - after almost three years in Brazil we are coming home for a long holiday and we are looking forward to spending time with family and friends. I am praying we will be renewed in body, mind and spirit so that when we return to Sao Paulo in June we will be ready to work in the centre of the biggest city in the southern hemisphere because we have signed up for another three years.
As I arrived at the metro station in Sao Joaquim I could see that there was a train waiting on the platform, so I pelted down the stairs as fast as I could and ran towards the open doors. As I got near I heard the beeps which warned that the doors were about to close and so I stopped in front of them and made a kind of, 'Oh well, I will just have to wait for the next train', kind of face to the three men standing in the doorway. However, the three men beckoned me on and so I jumped onto the train and found that not only had the men cleared a space for me to get on but they had actually been holding the doors back for me. I said, 'Obrigada', and we all settled into our journey without another glance or word. However, I noticed that one of the men was wearing a silver cross around his neck and I wondered if I had been helped by one of God's angels....
It has been a while since I have written on this blog. Things have been a little hectic since October. I had an unexpected stay in hospital and then two weeks later P and I received Farewell Orders from Sao Miguel Paulista. Working for The Salvation Army often brings surprises but this was the biggest surprise of all!
The Salvation Army operates an appointment system whereby the leaders at Headquarters will decide where each officer willl work and when they will move. As The Salvation Army graciously provides a house or an apartment for each officer to live in it means that officers can move from one appointment to another with a certain amount of ease. In the UK there is a process of consultation and each year everyone knows which day the new appointments will be announced and whether or not they will be moving but here in Brazil, in November 2011, no-one knew who would be moving or when they would find out.
The email said that we were to be the Corps Officers of Corpo Central which is in Liberdade, a tourist area in the centre of the city and not far from Avenida Paulista, the main commercial hub. So, on February 8th 2012 we said a fond farewell to the people of Sao Miguel Paulista and handed over the work to two experienced Brazilian officers. We were sad to leave but we realise that this is not our ministry, it is not our work and the Corps at Sao Miguel Paulista was not ours to keep. The work is the Lord's. He was working in that place before we arrived and He will continue to work long after we have gone. When we arrived in Sao Miguel Paulista in August 2009 we had little knowledge of the culture or language and wondered how we would be able to lead a church without these basic skills. We were amazed at how the Lord went before us and enabled the work to be done and we are grateful for the patience and encouragement of the people there.
And so now we are at our second appointment in Brazil; Corpo Central. Our apartment is in the same building as the church hall, Divisional Headquarters and a Social Project called Tres Coracoes (Three Hearts). There are exciting things happening here and many opportunities for urban mission. However, before I write about this I am going to have a holiday - after almost three years in Brazil we are coming home for a long holiday and we are looking forward to spending time with family and friends. I am praying we will be renewed in body, mind and spirit so that when we return to Sao Paulo in June we will be ready to work in the centre of the biggest city in the southern hemisphere because we have signed up for another three years.
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