$10 of Groceries Goes a Long Way

A quick update before our great Michigan buddies leave today (we'll miss you!) and the Fort Worth teams go for a day of fun in the sun. I apologize, but photos aren't downloading very easily right now. I'll keep trying later this evening, so please check back when you can.

Thursday night all three VBS groups stayed at their respective locations to host a special dinner for the mothers (and a precious few fathers, as the men of this country do not often take an active role in parenting) of the favelas we had served all week. While every dinner had its own special flair, each group worked hard to make theirs an intimate and festive celebration, complete with brightly-colored tablecloths and table settings. Things we take for granted in the US - like paper plates and plastic utensils - are a true luxury in Brazil. In fact, the inexpensive plastic ware we hauled down here will be washed and reused over and over again for special occasions at each church.

The parents were hand-selected to receive an invitation by the pastors of each of the three churches we had partnered with. Many mothers had children that had been attending VBS throughout the week, but some did not. One pastor intentionally chose many women who were not Christians to attend, with the prayer that their hearts would be softened by what they had seen and heard throughout the week amongst the children of their community.

Mothers were seated in small groups with an American at or near each table. Our gracious interpreters who volunteer their time throughout the week were there to help us fellowship with our guests. We were so excited to share stories from the week about their children whom we had grown to love. Most of the mothers came speaking only Portuguese, save for the names of Americans their children had been telling them about all week - Electra was apparently a hit among the Brazilian kids, as dozens of mothers specifically asked to meet her! It's obvious that a sparkling personality and a quick sense of humor translates any language barrier, and that the kids of that favela found her as entertaining as we all do.

Simple fellowship was not our only goal, as we each prayed to be able to build enough of a repoire with the parents to share our personal testimony and the hope that our faith offers in our lives each day. While we have no real way of knowing exactly how much of our sharing really sank in to each of these individuals, we trust that God planted seeds in each of their hearts and that each hosting church fellowship will be following up with our dinner guests for further spiritual growth opportunities.

Upon their departure, each mother was treated to a beautiful silver and crystal bracelet describing the path to salvation. Linda's friend Kristin - who has never been to Brazil, though she has become a key part of this ministry - was kind enough to make 300 of these pieces of jewelry, as well as the 30 gorgeous hand-tooled sterling silver crosses that were given the night before at Teen Night. We are so grateful for the gifts she has provided for these underprivileged women, who may have never owned anything this nice in their lives. The bracelet mirrors the ones we made with the VBS kids from bandanas and plastic beads, so there is synergy in the message we are sharing among multiple ages groups of the favelas.

Finally, a final parting gift to each and every parent . . . what the Brazilians call a "basic bag" of food rations. Costing only $10 U.S. dollars - what we might spend on a simple lunch and a latte - rice, beans, oil and other essential non-perishables fill this 15-pound bag that will sustain an average Brazilian family for an entire month. From what I understand, this bag is actually authorized by the government to be sold by for-profit institutions, thereby adding an unnecessary layer of inflation to subsidized food programs and making the bags even more expensive to obtain. Because of the tremendous generosity of the VFC donors back home, 400 mothers were given basic bags to feed their families! Isn't God grand?

After we watched these women walk home carrying their heavy bags of food on their shoulders - many of them barefoot, like their little ones had been all week - we said our final goodbyes to the dozens of kiddos who were still surrounding our VBS locations. It was well past 10 p.m., and these unattended children were still waiting in the dark for one last hug and "Ciao!" from the Americans. Fifteen hours later, our volunteers returned to the hotel with stinky clothes, tired feet, dirty faces and grateful hearts.