a year of blogging!

12 months, 8 countries, 123 blog posts later….the road continues ever on and on!

A year ago this week I made my first attempt at this blogging thing. The title of my blog comes from the Fellowship of the Ring when Bilbo Baggins leaves the Shire for an unknown destination…he did not know where the road was headed, but was off with eager feet!

The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow it if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins the larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say?
~ Bilbo Baggins in the Fellowship of the Ring

A year into this season of sabbatical and discernment, I still feel like Bilbo. 2006 has been an amazing year…God has exceeded my hope and prayers in it all! Thank you for sharing the journey with me in so many ways, including sharing our paths on this road via my blog world! It has been a great outlet to process, reflect, and share all God has had for me this year.

Candelaria Cathedral...

Today was my last visit with some of my friends on the streets of Praca XV. The Candelaria Cathedral is just about a five minute walk away from where the kids hang out. So, I decided to stop by the church for a time of prayer on my way to visit the kids today.

At 1:00 AM on July 25, 1993, as 50 homeless youths were sleeping on the grounds of the Candelaria Cathedral in this downtown section of the city, a group of gunmen drove up and began shooting. Four of the youths died instantly, a fifth was shot and killed as he ran, two more were abducted, beaten, shot and dumped in the gardens of the nearby Museum of Modern Art, and an eighth died several days later, never waking from a coma. Eight others were also shot, but survived their wounds. Three members of the Military Police were arrested for the crimes, and the shootings were reportedly provoked by an occurrence earlier in the day in which some of the children had allegedly thrown stones at a military police vehicle after one youth had been detained for drug use. It is thought that local shopkeepers hired the gunmen to rid the nuisance of these street children. The incident captured headlines and outcry worldwide.

Today outside the church there are eight silhouettes of children’s bodies painted on the sidewalk as a reminder of what happened thirteen years ago. As I sat there and prayed, I remembered my new friends just a five minute walk away. I know that injustice, brutality, and murder still exists towards the children and youth on the streets and in the favelas today. It just happens out of public view in the cracks, crevices, and forgotten places of the city. I often wonder what life is like for my friends when we leave, especially in the middle of the night. I pray that my friends would experience security, hope, and life in Jesus Christ. I pray for freedom from the chains of poverty and addiction that keep a tight grip on their lives on the streets.

May the image of those eight silhouettes painted outside the church serve as a vivid reminder to pray and stand up for those children and youth that live on the streets of Rio, Cape Town, and around the world.

another thanksgiving week highlight...

I almost forgot to mention another meaningful highlight of last week. Thanksgiving evening we visited a church that sits atop a hill in the town. The views from the top of the hill are beautiful. You can see the coastline in both directions. We shared communion together and reflected on our ultimate thanksgiving for Christ’s broken body and shed blood for us the cross. After taking communion, the peeps here prayed for me and my time in South Africa. Rio is almost parallel to Cape Town across the ocean, so it was extra cool looking out and realizing we are “just an ocean apart.” Whatever God has in store in Cape Town, South Africa, or wherever, the fleshies (WMF staff) here will have played a valuable part in God’s shaping and leading. I am very grateful. The prayer of commissioning was special and meaningful. The time together on the hill was toped off with a beautiful sunset over the ocean! What a gift!

thanksgiving week in rio...highlights!

I am so grateful for my final full week here in Brasil. As I wrap-up here and head home on Wednesday, here are just a few highlights of this past Thanksgiving week…

- Time with both groups of friends on the streets on Monday and Tuesday. It was a special time to share some words of thanksgiving to them and give them the bracelets I bought for them. A few of the kids shared their own words of thanksgiving to Deus (God), which was a testimony to me.

- I visited the Candelaria Cathedral in downtown Rio. In 1994 eight street children were murdered in front of this church. The death squad most likely included police and had the support of local shopkeepers to remove the “thieves and nuisances.” In front of the church there are eight body profiles painted on the sidewalk, as a reminder of what happened over ten years ago. It was an impactful time inside and outside the church. I will have more on this soon…

- Rich, Rebecca, Jenna, Ben, and I went on a retreat to the beach town, Saquarema, about two hours outside of Rio (Wednesday-Saturday). This beach area is well-known to surfers here in Brasil. It was nice to get away for some rest and quiet! The town was peaceful and the beach was empty! Our hostel/hotel was right on the beach. Just what we all needed.

- Wednesday night (Thanksgiving Eve) our worship time was in a room overlooking the ocean…it just doesn’t get any better! Something about the sound of the waves, the ocean breeze, and the saltwater smell refreshes and gives me life! We sang songs of thanksgiving and gratitude to God, reflected on Psalm 116 using Lectio Divina, and shared what we were thankful for. I landed on this verse…”Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you” (Psalm 116:7).

- I facilitated another day retreat with God on Thanksgiving Day. We all took several hours alone with God. What a great day to have time and space for this!

- Thanksgiving night our feast was a fish dinner at local restaurant on the beach! So great to share a meal around the table with my friends here.

- Our traditional Thanksgiving meal was on Saturday at Jenna’s place. Yes, we found a turkey! Everything was covered….stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie, and more. I provided the green bean casserole and cranberry sauce, which I brought with me from home. I was impressed! Some Brasilian friends joined us for the afternoon and evening….Ludmila, Rilo, Clayton, Andre, and Tiago. It was extra meaningful for me to spend Thanksgiving with these new Brasilian friends, since I am leaving soon. The hard part was the goodbyes when the evening was over, since it was my last time to see many of these new friends.

- No Thanksgiving weekend is complete without shopping (ha!). So, I even got that in on Sunday, as I finished up my Christmas shopping here.

A full, special, and memorable Thanksgiving week here in Rio!

happy thanksgiving

I am off on a retreat for a few days. We will return to Rio late-Friday and then share our Thanksgiving meal on Saturday. More blogging when I return.....

the farewells begin....

Today was one of my last days on the streets with the kids. If the timing seemed right, I was prepared to share a few words with my friends and give them some bracelets I had bought for them. Since today was a holiday here in Brasil, it was a super quiet and mellow day. It was also a warm day, so the kids were down by the harbor hanging out and jumping in the water. It turned out to be an ideal day to say what I wanted to say. Thanks to anyone who was praying! The core group of kids were there…many who I remember meeting my first days here in Rio.

With the help of Jenna, Rich, and Ben’s translation, I told the kids that this week was a holiday in the United States called Thanksgiving, when we give thanks to God for His many blessings. I shared that as I prepare to return home, I give thanks for their friendship and my special times with them in Brasil. I also shared Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 that says, “Two are better than one…A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” I said I know they look after one another and that with God as the third strand their relationships they will be even stronger. I then gave them the braided string bracelets and told them they would be in my prayers.

While I fumbled around with my words, I am grateful for the opportunity God gave me today to try and express to the kids my thanksgiving for their friendship and that I will miss them. They really have welcomed me into their lives. Standing in the circle a few of the kids expressed their thanks for my presence and said they would miss me. They all ask me when I will return, which is always a bummer question to answer, since I don’t know when I will be back.

I am always trying to be aware of the gestures of hospitality and care that the kids will show to one another and me. Yes, there are often arguments and fighting among the kids, especially when they are having bad days. But, there are also lots of times when I observe the way they look out for one another. For example, today there was a new teenage boy who was deaf and mute with us. He was having fun jumping in the water. As he was walking away to leave, one of the regular guys chased him down to tell him to wait because we would be passing out food soon. Since the boy was deaf, this communication was all done with hand signals and pantomime. Really cool to see that today!

Fortunately, I did not have to say final goodbyes today…I will see this group of kids next Monday. Tomorrow we will visit the mother’s and children in another area of the city. Prayerfully, that will be another opportunity to express my thanks and share the bracelets.

thanks, i needed that!

Yesterday was our routine Monday to visit the youth and children on the streets near an area called Praca 15 (a plaza area named after November 15, a national independence holiday in Brasil which happens to be tomorrow). Typically, we find our friends under a spacious highway underpass that sits between two busy streets. On Mondays we take sandwiches, fruit, and hot or cold chocolate milk (depending on the weather).

On our way to visit our friends, we were stopped briefly by a young man in his early 20’s named Guilherme. He was sitting on the side of the road, surrounded by three or four of his friends, with a cast covering his right leg. I have seen them and walked past them often. He called us over to him as we were walking by. He asked us what we were doing down there, and when Ben answered, Guilherme responded….

"That's good. You know, I live on the streets too, and it means a lot when you stop and talk with people like us - not even to give us food or money, but just to talk and be our friend. And hopefully people (other Brazilians) will see this and realize that we aren't animals. We are people too. And maybe they will start to think about it, and will change the way they treat us. So thank you for coming and spending time with us. That's all I have to say."

WOW! When I later found out this morning what Guilherme told us in Portuguese, I was immediately convicted by my first reaction when he was making eye contact with me and motioning us over to talk to them. I thought to myself…”We don’t have enough lunch to share with these kids, too. We don’t have time to stop. Maybe we can just keep walking?” Thankfully, the others who were with me thought and acted better!!!! God seems to hit me with lessons like this right when I need them most! Prayerfully, the faces and smiles of these 4-5 youth on the streets and the words of Guilherme will stay planted in my heart and slap me around when I most need it! As I wind down my final couple of weeks here in Rio, I pray that I don’t neglect to smile, acknowledge, and respond to others living on the streets here in Rio. Actually, I need to remember these words back at home and in the South Africa too!!

Please pray for Guilherme, his friends, and the many others like them who do not have friends who visit them regularly on the streets!

corcovado

Today I went up to Corcovado, the famous Christ Statue that overlooks Rio. It was a cloudy and overcast day, but I needed to take advantage of the free day and do it while I could. Even with the clouds and haze it was beautiful from up top! Fun to see and identify all the many places I have been these past three months! Here are just a few highlight pictures. Notice downtown, Sugar Loaf, the coastline, and Maracana (the world's largest futbol stadium, where I went to a game in September)!

more pics

Just a few more highlights of the past couple weeks!

Final Portuguese Lesson Lunch Celebration!

Sugar Loaf

USA in Water Polo Semi-Finals
(Tim Hutten is in there somewhere)

Copacobana Beach

Beach World Cup - Argentina-Uruguay Brawl

At Beach World Cup w/ Andre

this week...

Yet another week has flown by here in Rio. Here are a few highlights…

- Got my tourist visa renewed at the Federal Police. No trip to Rio is complete without a trip to the Federal Police with visa issues. Fortunately, tourist visa extensions are much easier then all permanent, missionary, or student visa red tape that the WMF staff have hassled with for months here. The officer that processed my extension said, “You are a brave man.” It took me a minute to realize that he was talking about my favela address on the application. We joked that it was “extreme tourism”! Ha!

- Had my final Portuguese language lesson on Friday. I am grateful for my tutor Ludmila…she had a lot of patience for my slow language learning! Now if I could only find some Brasilians in So Cal or Cape Town to speak Portuguese with. We all marked the occasion with some great Chinese food and sushi!

- Went to the quarter finals of Beach World Cup on Copacobana beach. It was one of the few sunny days this week! Saw Brazil beat Canada, Portugal beat the Bahrain, BUT…. the highlight was an all-out brawl between Argentina and Uruguay. Uruguay scored in the final minutes, putting them ahead. Something set Argentina off and the fight escalated fast…fists, chairs, and police clubs were flying. The Brasil fans loved it, since there is not a lot of love between Brasil and Argentina. Thankfully, it all stayed on the field and in the player area just off the field…and didn’t spread into the stands!

- Our WMF community shared a time of worship, lament, and prayer on behalf of our friends on the streets here in Rio (similar to what we did at Grace last May). Using Psalm 10, we light candles representing specific names of friends and children who were on our hearts. We then took time to pour out our petitions to God on their behalf. The final verses of the psalm take on deeper meaning among my friends here….

“You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.” (Psalm 10:17-18)

sacred space for advent...

I have been researching the history and themes of Advent on the internet. I will be facilitating a time of Lectio Divina each of the four Sundays of Advent at Grace Community Church. Specifically, we will look at the key themes of each Advent candle and take some time in scripture meditation and prayer to focus and quiet our hearts for the season.

Grace Family, see the below announcement if you are interested.

In my research I found one article online that was especially helpful in understanding Advent. The article answered some of my questions like…why the candles are purple and why there is one pink candle on the third Sunday? I also appreciated the emphasis on hope and expectation for the Second Advent of Jesus return! Watch for my Christmas prayer letter on that one!

Here is the link if you want to learn more...
http://www.cresourcei.org/cyadvent.html

I would also love to hear any Advent traditions and ideas you might have. Just share your comments here!

Sacred Space for Advent – December Sundays at 9:30 AM
Grace Community Church of Seal Beach
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. All are welcome to join the Breakfast Club at Grace in December for a time of meditative scripture reading and prayer using the ancient spiritual practice of Lectio Divina. We will focus on key scriptures of prophecy and fulfillment of Jesus birth. Join us upstairs in the North Church on Sundays, December 3, 10, 17, and 24 at 9:30 AM. (It is not necessary to attend all four Sundays, you can drop in any Sunday you are available or in town!)

good weekend

Had a fun and relaxing weekend! After a lazy Saturday morning, I went to a water polo game to see Tim Hutten (from Grace at home) play in the ASUA semi-finals for the U.S. team. They easily beat Columbia and went on to beat Canada for the gold medal. On Sunday I went to church in the morning and then to the "Hippy Fair" (artists' fair here in Rio every Sunday) to start my Christmas shopping. Christmas shopping progress before Thanksgiving always feels good. I spent Friday and Saturday nights watching some TV on DVD on my laptop...I'm hooked on Grey's Anatomy and Arrested Development these days.

This weekend we "sprang forward" our clocks an hour, so I am now six hours ahead of California time.

With just three weeks left here in Rio, I am beginning to feel the clock ticking faster and louder. I really want to make the most of my remaining weeks here! This week includes...extending my tourist visa at the Federal Police tomorrow, time with friends on the streets, my final two Portuguese lessons, some FIFA Beach World Cup games at Copacabana, and more....