Greetings from Paraty, Brasil!
Here is a picture of my English class! Several key members of our team fell sick as soon as we got here (more on this spiritual warfare later) and I ended up having to take on one of the English classes, which consisted of mostly kids from the church (the other two classes were definitely non-church people). We didn't have any curriculum planned for people who were neither boat people nor hotel workers, so we did a lot of improvising in my class, and a TON of singing! Everyone's favorite song is "I Am Somebody."
Today was a life-changing experience as we went to visit an Indian reservation. One of the missionaries here works with the Indians and they just finished translating the Bible into their language. We went to visit, and wow, it was like I stepped into a National Geographic magazine. They really are resistant of newcomers, and they don't let you take pictures of them unless you buy something from them. We're talking about little bamboo huts and open fires for the pots and little half-naked dusty children with swollen tummies, little faces peering out of doorways, and old ladies sitting by the fire weaving baskets. The land is so beautiful and untouched--these people have their houses right next to gushing rivers and huge waterfalls and green mountains and steep cliffs. The missionaries just built a school--a one-room hut about 20 feet by 40 feet --so the people can learn to read and write in their own language. It was really sad because the people were so . . . hard. You could tell that the years had created such hurt and anger and pain. When we were walking past the school, there was this girl about 5 years old in raggety clothing wandering to and fro alone, just sobbing and sobbing and sobbing and if anyone went near her she just cried harder. I can only guess the cause for her sorrow, but it absolutely broke my heart.
I did buy a bracelet from one of the people so that I could take a photograph with this lady and her children. The pic is on someone else's camera, but I'll get it soon. She was weaving these really colorful baskets. She actually knows Portuguese and had helped the missionary learn the native language in order to translate the Bible. She lived in the valley right next to a really pretty waterfall, and she had a tube that pumped up water to the house. A little farther in the reservation was the little church they built. There was a half-built adjoining room they were hoping to use to offer classes--music, crafts, Portuguese--to the Indians, but they can't pay for anyone to continue building it, so the walls have been 2 feet tall for years and there's no floor or anything. At the end of the road was a beautiful beach with mountainous islands and fishing boats in the distance. It was so amazing!
Tomorrow we go on a boat ride! Maybe our Barqueiro will be someone who came to our classes! We're also having an English service in the evening. Tuesday we go back to Atibaia.
There is a lot of spiritual warfare going on here. It is so thick you can almost smell it. As soon as someone starts praying or preaching God's word, it's like Satan pulls all the stops--babies start crying, trucks start passing by, microphones start squeaking, kids start talking, the power goes out, flies start dive-bombing peoples' faces...as Pastor Joelison put it, we don't know what God is doing, but we are in the middle of it. People have been getting saved through the home visits and the church services. Last night we had a big outdoor service in the town square, and a lot of people showed up! There was a lot of music and Pastor Joelison preached. There are people from all over the world here--I even got to talk to two girls from Georgia Tech who are here for study abroad! When I was singing during the service, my eyes kept being drawn to these two people on the edge of the crowd. Later, I found out that they had traveled 250 miles on foot to Paraty because someone had told them there was a rehabilitation center here--they'd been kicked out of their families because of drug-related problems but had since become Believers and wanted to get a fresh start on life. In general, the people of Paraty are a lot different from in Atibaia. I'm used to Brazilian guys being semi-flirtatious, but here it's to the point of being a little scary. The tourist-y downtown area is pretty safe, but when we did some home visits, we saw a whole different side of this city. The church is located at pretty much the line between the touristy area and the "other side of the tracks."
Please be praying for Paraty, Brazil. Pray for the people, for the church, for the Indians, for the spiritual warfare here, and for our team. Pray for me also, that God would protect me and help me to glorify Him in obedience. I am so honored to be here where God has placed me. As Eulie says, "When God moves, so does Satan." We are really feeling that this week. Thank you for your prayers!!!
Hugs,
Joy
