hoje nas ruas (today on the streets)…

Once a week we make sandwiches to share with the kids on the streets along with some chocolate milk and fruit. Lately the two circles of kids have been together at the same place, which makes it a little more predictable where we will find them. Today there were probably about 20 kids who we hung out with for a couple of hours. It can be a bit chaotic passing out the food, but today went pretty smooth. Rich said a prayer for the food and most of the kids held hands with us in a circle. A group of kids then proceeded to recite the Lord’s Prayer, which they probably learned in the Catholic Church here. Today the kids were super talkative and we ended up hanging out with them a little longer then usual. A couple of the kids now know I only speak a little Portuguese, so they talk really slow to me and try to help me understand what they are saying. One of those kids was “Paulo” who I wrote about last week. It was fun today trying to communicate a little more with him. We recently learned that his mother is one of the younger women on the streets….he has probably spent his entire life growing up in this reality, as many of the other younger children will do the same.

Tomorrow I will already have been here one full month! I am very mindful and grateful for all the prayers on my behalf. I have settled into life here much smoother then I anticipated. I know that is a testimony to so many people praying for me. I am feeling more and more connected to the kids each visit.

My good friends Walter, Adriana, and Cora Forcatto arrive on Friday for a Word Made Flesh field visit for a week. They are the Regional Coordinators for South America. It will be fun to spend some time with them and share life here in Rio for a week.

Well, it has been a long day, so I will boa noite (good night) for now. More later this week!