Here we are…

Well, God has certainly been generous to us in our travel to Rio thus far. Everyone had a relatively good experience flying to our rendezvous in Miami where we were able to greet our fellow travelers from St. Petersburg before we boarded our LONG flight to Rio. I don’t suppose that 8.5 hours in a metal tube is really covered under the definition of “comfort” in most peoples’ books, but any time that you make it to your destination is a gift from the Lord. We arrived about 9 a.m. local time, and with the exception of one team member having a luggage issue, we were able to clear customs with only a few bag searches and questions before we met Sharon, our missionary in charge of the medical clinics, and several of her team members.

Our team is understandably tired and excited all at once and the sense of enthusiasm is palpable. Our combined love for serving the Lord has brought a widely assorted group of personalities together with the common purpose of serving the people of Rio and growing together as friends and fellow servants. I think the common opinion is that we can rest sometime later as we have moved through today’s schedule. We met with Sharon and received some instructions and orientation information. No matter where you go, especially Rio, there are certain safety guidelines to look after, although I’m not sure how many other places have rules such as:

Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way in traffic; therefore, there are 2 types, the Quick and the Dead.

You cannot approach the Copacabana Beach side of the street due to the high probability that you will be mugged and left in your underwear on the beach (or worse).

I think for some of the new team members, this serves as a stark reminder that we aren’t back home in our normal, comfortable surroundings and that God has placed us in a dangerous place, partly to demonstrate His ability to shelter us from danger. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if we play by the (proven) safety rules and not tempt His good favor during our stay, so I pray we don’t have to find out the hard way during our time here.

Rio de Janeiro is a study in contrasts. For instance, within three blocks of our hotel are world class restaurants, busy shopping areas and a favela (slum area). I suppose it would be like having a housing project within three blocks of South Beach in Miami or inside Buckhead in Atlanta. The development of Rio is a study in government trying to ignore the presence of poor people within its urban areas and this has resulted in the poverty and suffering that we are trying to ameliorate while we are here. We know we can’t solve every problem that the cariocasdeal with on a daily basis, but God has a plan that we often can’t understand and we are a small part of that plan while we are here.

Again, our team is tired and excited to get started. Your comments, prayers, and support are appreciated while we are here and as the week progresses we will share images and stories of what we are doing.

More to come and hopefully a little more coherent…