Rio and the journey north......

Our time in Rio continued with living and working in another favela, clearly controlled by drug lords whose associates occupied every street corner complete with guns and walkie talkies!   As a team we got to work in the local schools, community recording studio and pray for our neighbours.  During this time I tried but with no success to get an extension on my visa with the Federal Police who were on strike.

After this intense week we were given a flat owned by a bikini model whose father is a well known Brazilian footballer for a few days…we may have been crammed in as our team went  to over 30 people but the swimming pool and sauna on site was such a blessing!  The team also got to do some sightseeing in Rio visiting Christ the Redeemer statue and some of the famous beaches.  We also met as a team a number of times to resolve some issues and pray and discuss what to do with our vehicles…sell, sail or scrap were the three main options talked about!

On our way to the North of Brasil we stopped for a couple of nights in Porto Seguro, the ‘birth place’ of modern Brasil as founded by the Portuguese.  A few of my team mates then volunteered kindly to leave early so that we could make the drive to Salvador for my last attempt at getting my visa extended..otherwise I was about to be in Brasil illegally!  Thankfully when I went to the Federal Police at Salvador airport on Day 89 (out of 90) of my original visa they dealt with the matter promptly and I walked out of the office able to stay in this diverse country till just before Christmas!  

When the rest of the team arrived we spent time praying in the historic part of the city, especially in the part that was famous for being used as a ‘whipping post’ for slaves.  As we were praying, local people approached us for prayer, including one lady who had been on drugs for a number of years and was desperate for a fresh start.  Truly humbling times.

After Salvador we then made our last road trip to Fortaleza, on the north east coast.  Here our organisation, Iris, has a base and the day after we arrived were given keys to a new property.  We have spent much of our time renovating this new property ready to be used as a community house both for those wanting to come out of sex working and off the streets as well as the missionaries working alongside them.

We have also worked in the favela close by, helped with the childrens work and gone out late at night onto the streets to feed homeless people and speak and pray with sex workers who are wanting a different life.  Hunting for God’s treasures in the darkness is definitely one of my favourite things to do!

A number of the team have not been too well including myself which I think is probably related to just feeling tired generally..our next and probably final stop in Brasil will be Manaus, the ‘Amazon city’ before heading to Guyana!

Thank you for reading.  God bless and love and miss you lots! x