Day 4 - Today has been a day of contrasts: We began the morning at a Belo Horizonte orphanage, spent mid-afternoon at baseball camp and ate dinner with 100 people at Baby Beef.
We visited one of ten orphanages operated by Acao Social Obreiros Mirins. The orphanage is located in one of the many favelas (slums) throughout the larger city of Belo Horizonte. It is hard to describe the level of poverty in the favelas - one Brazillian said, "It's like another universe."
The orphanage is as clean as you could make a building with chipping plaster, cracked tile floors, leaks, bathroom doors falling off, no dishwasher, a small washing machine for clothes, and a dusty lot with no vegetation except for a few wild weeds. But it is tidy, and there has been an obvious effort to make the sleeping areas welcoming. The common rooms, though, used for TV, play, cooking and eating are very shabby and poorly furnished.
This orphanage houses 16 children between the ages of 5 and 16 - a fraction of the orphans in this city. Most have been abandoned by their parents. The government's plan is that they can stay at the orphanage for 2 years while other family members are encouraged to take them in. If there are no suitable family members to be found, the children can stay until they are 16. They are eligible for adoption, but like in most countries, adoptive parents want babies, and the older children rarely find homes. Teenagers who "age out" are put together in favela houses or apartments and trained in carpentry or other manual skills, but jobs are hard to come by for such young people with no experience.
As we toured the building, the children were eager to show us their bedrooms, and hungry for attention and play. We had some candy to give them and some footballs and we were able to stay and play for awhile. In spite of their hard lives, these children still have compassionate hearts: Some of the young fathers who were with us were moved to tears by what we saw. A young woman who is a kindergarten teacher was also overcome. Once I was asked to pray for the orphans and their caregivers, I didn't last long myself. It is almost impossible not to be moved by these children. When I finished praying - and we were all sniffling - a little girl of about 6 had gone and gotten me a washcloth to use to dry my tears. Amazing.
There is real kingdom value in helping this orphanage. Rev. Robson, Rev. Kye and I talked about the possibility that our three churches could enter into a partnership to support the orphanage and renovate the building. They would be able to use several crews of construction missionaries over the next few years to put things right, repair and paint. They also need furniture. I think they need a new kitchen - they are cooking 64 meals a day on a small 4 burner stove and washing with only a shallow double sink. They also need a more cheerful and safe play area (an outdoor porch) and good toys and sports equipment.
The worst thing we could do is allow this experience to become only a memory of a trip to Brazil. Please pray for the orphanage staff: Fernanda (an aide with management responsibilities); Jarlene and Paulo (teachers); Marlene (the cook); Maira Luisa (general coordinator) and Ana Lucia (the director).
On a very different note, we ate this evening at Baby Beef, a Brazillian BBQ restaurant. About 100 of the church members and mission team ate together - the Brazillians seem very good at feeding large crowds (see Death by Pizza below!) At BB the waiters bring the meat to your table on a skewer and cut off the pieces that suit you; they continue to bring a succession of meats as long as you want to eat. And yes, gluttony is still a sin!
Tomorrow is the BIG BALL GAME between the "Tigers" and the "Lions", our under-13 teams. There will also be a game for the older teenagers. It is unbelievable that 4 days ago these kids had never held a bat, and now they understand the basic rules and can throw, hit and field well enough to have a recognizable game! One of the IPMB pastors has created a certificate of completion for the children, stating that they have completed the "First Clinica de Baseball" that bears the logos of our three churches. I'm guessing it might even be the first "Clinica de Baseball" in the whole nation of Brazil...very cool!
So - no bed before midnight, but before 1:30 is doing pretty well for me these days. Be sure to thank God for all you and your children have, and before you buy something else you "can't live without" give a thought - and a few dollars - to help the poor wherever you can find them - you won't have to look far. 'nite.
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