Hey Everyone!
This is my travel blog that I am going to try really really hard to keep updated through out the summer. As you can see, I have not been doing such a great job so far.
We arrived in Sao Paulo on May 4th after about 16 hours of flying. Sao Paulo is truly the most immense place I have ever seen. It’s hard to imagine just how huge a city of 18 million people really is. From the plane, it looked like someone dumped out a big bucket of lego and forgot to pick it up. The high rises stretched as far as I could see, and it seemed like there was almost no green spaces.
For the first 4 days we stayed at a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base near the centre of Sao Paulo. We met Brazilian students our age who were living at this base as part of their Bible school training. They were so so friendly and really helped us with our Portuguese. We played lots of soccer, and they showed us Kapoweara – a kind of kick boxing dance that is really popular in Brazil.
We went for a walk with the other students to the centre of Sao Paulo to learn a bit about the history of the country, and to see the more “developed” part of the city. We learned about the impact that the Portuguese settlers had on the indigenous people, and how the Catholic Church has impacted the country. Down town Sao Paulo really wasn’t all that different from any other city centre. It was clean, busy, and full of business people. There were many beautiful churches, and old buildings.
Near the end of the day we walked through the rougher part of the down town. There were many bare footed homeless people lying on the sidewalk. People would just step around them and pretend that they weren’t even there. We found out that 10% of the people living in the city of Sao Paulo are homeless. The reason that we hadn’t seen many of them during our tour of the down town is because the government actually moved the down town because there were too many homeless people. It made me angry that the government moved the business area so that the rich would not have to see the poor. I wondered how it must feel to be treated like this, to be ignored and to like my own country was so ashamed of me.
We walked down one particularly dirty and desolate street. We were told that this was the Crackolange, the street where people congregate at night to buy, sell and use crack. During the day the street was fairly empty. There were a few prostitutes sitting outside chatting, or holding a child. I suspected that this community was nocturnal. Sleep during the day, and use drugs at night.
The next day a man named Paul came to visit the base. He was originally from France, but has spent the last 15 years living in Sao Paulo. He explained that his life is not dedicated to working with the people at the Crackolange and invited us to come with him that night and help him with his ministry. We were all very nervous about this idea, but saw it as an amazing learning opportunity. I knew that we would be safe with Paul.
That night we left the house at 8 o’clock and took the bus downtown. When we arrived at the Crackolange, there were hundreds of people on the street. It was a really scary feeling walking down that street for the first time. Most people were sitting on the curb smoking crack, lighting it with a cigarette that they held in their other hand. There was lots of chatter and people walking around in the middle of the street. They were looking to buy crack, sell clothes for crack, or trade cigarettes for crack. There were people of all ages using drugs – everywhere from 9 years old to 70. Most looked really rough, most looked homeless. The language barrier was the scariest part for me. It was hard not to be able to communicate by myself, or really understand what was going on. We walked all the way down the street, and were lead in to a small alley that was locked up by a makeshift plywood gate. You would never have been able to guess what was behind that gate. Squished in between two run-down apartment building that were crack houses was a whole community made out of scraps of cardboard and plywood. It was a low-income housing unit for single moms and their kids. We were greeted by about 10 adorable smiling children. My heart immediately broke for them. How could this happen? It was the middle of the night, and these little sweethearts were playing and riding their bikes around in rubble just meters away from hundreds of crack addicts. The children wanted to hold our hands, and smiled at us. We learned that last year’s Global Youth Network team had helped build this complex for these families. It was a special feeling to know that our organization was connected to these amazing people.
We followed our Brazilian friends through the “hallways”. They were there to offer prayers and support for the families living here. We visited one lady and her new born baby. Her leg was injured and she was in allot of pain. She had been bed ridden for many days and was not able to get up. The YWAM students prayed for her. It was amazing; after they prayed for her she began to cry. She was smiling and crying because her leg no longer hurt. She was able to get up and hold her child. It was so beautiful to see the joy on her face. I was no longer afraid. I was so glad to be there visiting these amazing people. I admired them for their strength, for their ability to smile and welcome us in such a place.
We met Jefferson, the founder of the low income community. He shook our hands and told us that he loved Global Youth Network. He was so young! He looked no older than 22 or 23, but yet this young man had taken initiative and has made such a huge difference to so many women and children. He told us that there was a no drug, no alcohol policy in the complex. That was all that was required to live there. He told us that he wanted to build a school and a church there. I really hope that dream comes true.
We said goodbye to the kids and walked back down the Crackolange. A few little boys rode their bikes behind us, avoiding a few fighting dogs. It was so hard to leave these beautiful children in such a place. I am so glad that they have someone like Jefferson to watch over them as they grow up. I pray that they will not end up like the hundreds of people on that street, addicted to drugs.
The second time we walked down the street I felt completely different. I wasn’t scared anymore. I looked around and realized that these were just people in deep pain. They were not monsters, they were not bad people, they are just like anyone else except that their lives had become enslaved by drugs.
Some of the people got up from the side of the road where they were smoking crack and approached us. They knew that we were with the church and wanted to have someone to talk to. We split up into little groups with the other Brazilian students and listened to many heartbreaking stories.
One man came up to Marcelo (our Brazilian friend) and told us that he felt so alone. He told us that he lost his home, and his entire family. He had no one and didn’t know how to deal with the pain. Since then, he started using crack. It helped him forget. He said that he wanted to stop, that this was not the life that he wanted but his addiction was too strong. Marcelo told him that he was not alone, that God loved him no matter what he did in his life and always would. The man began to cry, and thanked us for being here and caring. I rubbed his back and gave him a hug, he said he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had shown him kindness.
The next man we talked to had a huge impact on me. He walked up to me and asked me where we are from. When I told him we were from Canada he asked why we would ever want to come see this place. He asked me why we were here. His question really caught me off guard. I told him that we were here to learn, that we care, and wanted to bring them hope. He smiled at my answer and I felt very relieved. He pulled a Bible out of his pocket. In one hand he held the Bible, and in the other he held a piece of crack. He told us that one was life, and one was death. He said he struggles everyday between the two. I asked him how he came to be at the Crackolange. He said that he used to have a family who loved him and a beautiful home. He contracted HIV, and when his family found out they rejected him and told him he was no longer their son. This broke his heart. He said he felt alone and unloved. He turned to drugs because of his loneliness, and now the drugs control his life. I asked him what his favourite bible verse was. I found it interesting that a Bible was his only possession. His clothes were filthy and torn, he had no shoes and looked very sick. He told me that he loved Psalm 91 because it reminded him of the many times that God has protected him. He told me that he had been shot at many times, and had felt bullets pass right by his ear. He said that he shouldn’t be alive, and that he didn’t know why God had protected him so many times.
Psalm 91
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
I asked him if there was anything he wanted me to pray for. He looked at me for a long time just thinking. He finally said no, that he had done too much and could no longer speak to God. He walked away.
Pedro and I talked to a man who had been using crack since he was 9 years old. He is now 26. We sat with his on the curb as he lit up his pipe. He told us that hid mom was a prostitute, he didn’t know his father. He grew up on the Crackolange and had been there ever since.
I realized that this could happen to anyone. I tried to imagine what it would be like to grow up there. I thought of my beautiful childhood and all the love that I have in my life. I felt guilty for being afraid of these people at first. This man was born here. I was born into a beautiful family with every opportunity in the world. Drugs were a part of his life since he was born. It was unlike any poverty I’ve ever seen before. It is not a poverty of hunger, thirst, or lack of money. These people had broken hearts. Their eyes were empty, filled with tears. I thought of the quote by mother Teresa that I’ve never really understood until now.
Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.
Mother Teresa
When we got home our friend Edgy told us his life story. Edgy grew up in an orphanage. It was a harsh place, and he learned how to be tough and street smart. His aunt adopted him when he was 8. He told us that he was a bad kid, that his experience in the orphanage made him rebellious and angry. He started using drugs and became addicted. He stopped using drugs when he became a Christian. He said that his dream was to start a program for at risk youth to help keep them out of drugs and crime. Drugs are a huge problem in Brazil, and he wants to give kids other options besides becoming involved in gangs. He said that he believed that is was important to visit the Crackolange. That is was so important to show those people love and make them happy even for five minutes. It was love that changed his life.
The next day we left for Francisco Morato. It was sad to say goodbye to all our new friends. Francisco Morato is the poorest city in Sao Paulo state. It feels much safer here. There are a lot of drugs, but surprisingly very little crime. We have spent the past week here helping out with a soccer program for young boys. Before the program came to the city, many of these sweet kids had already started using drugs. The cycle of poverty has a very strong grip on this community. All the kids go to school, but the education is not very good. Tiago (our friend and translator) explained that the kids here have almost no chance of ever going to university or getting a good job. Although there are public universities in Brazil, only the wealthy kids get in. They go to the best schools, and are prepared for the entrance exams. Im poor communities, the kids do not receive the same level of education and are not prepared for the extremely difficult tests. Because there is little chance of ever getting a good job, these kids stop caring about school and often become involved in drugs. The drug dealers are the role models. They are the only ones with money, so that life becomes very appealing. At the base where we are staying, they are trying to stop this cycle. Kids here LOVE soccer. The base is a place where they can play with real soccer balls, and where they can join a team. The kids can only participate if they attended school during the day. There are great role models here for the kids. Marcelo and Tiago care about these kids so much, and the kids really look up to them. We’ve been helping out with practical work at the base: cleaning, picking up garbage, and cementing a wall. We’ve also visited quite a few families in the community and heard some amazing stories. The kids are so cute and fun! The other day we ran a soccer skills camp for the kids. It was the first time in my life I’ve actually enjoyed participating in a team sport. I am so glad that this base is here for these kids.
I will try to write more often! Hope everything is great back home =) Love to you all,
Katie
