The title of this post caught you eye now didn't it? I thought so. Now, before you go accusing me of being a heathen, just take a moment to read the whole story.
Let’s start out with the knowledge that the Lord works in mysterious ways. He has this habit of using the under-aged (Mary the pregnant unwed teen), the unqualified (Moses the stutterer with anger management issues) and the unlikely (Paul, murderer of Christians). God's presence isn’t confined exclusively within our church walls or within the hearts of people who have it all together. Thus, we should not be surprised to find Him popping up doing the most unusual things...like bar hopping.
God going bar hopping!? Yup, that’s what I said. I discovered this surprising truth in the favelas (slum towns) of Brazil in 2008 while on a short term mission trip. I learned of this from a couple of missionaries who work in those communities. However it is important to note that these communities are ruled not by the neighborhood association, but by networks of drug lords.
Tourists do not enter.
The police do not enter.
Yet, these missionaries can. How, do you ask? By bar hopping...for Jesus. Below is the account of my first-hand experience with this unlikely technique for spreading the gospel.
- Favela (slum town) of Sao Paulo, Brazil. 2008.
First, a few things about favelas...
These favelas are full of the most intense poverty I have yet to experience. They lay on the outskirts of major cities like Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo. Homes are stacked upon homes & made out of trash and scrap metal. In many favelas, human waste flows through the disorienting maze of streets and alleys. Though they are part of Brazil, they are governed by their own laws and enforced by the guns of the local leaders. Cash flows from the trade of illicit drugs and prostitution. It makes sense that people don't include a stop to the local favela to their vacation itineraries. Yet, there we were, about to walk onto the turf even law enforcement won't go near. We were advised beforehand to remove any jewelry or sunglasses, put away our cameras and to carry $50 in our pockets. When I asked what the money was for, I was told in a very matter-of-fact way, that we had the money in case we got assaulted or kidnapped. (Seriously?!? What have I gotten myself into?) Apparently, you have a much better chance of getting out of such a situation if you have some money to give the assailant. Thankfully, it never came to that. So, with all that danger, going in there to spread the Gospel seemed unlikely. But we did- and we could because a particularly intrepid missionary I know, went before us to prepare the way...by going bar hopping.
These favelas are full of the most intense poverty I have yet to experience. They lay on the outskirts of major cities like Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo. Homes are stacked upon homes & made out of trash and scrap metal. In many favelas, human waste flows through the disorienting maze of streets and alleys. Though they are part of Brazil, they are governed by their own laws and enforced by the guns of the local leaders. Cash flows from the trade of illicit drugs and prostitution. It makes sense that people don't include a stop to the local favela to their vacation itineraries. Yet, there we were, about to walk onto the turf even law enforcement won't go near. We were advised beforehand to remove any jewelry or sunglasses, put away our cameras and to carry $50 in our pockets. When I asked what the money was for, I was told in a very matter-of-fact way, that we had the money in case we got assaulted or kidnapped. (Seriously?!? What have I gotten myself into?) Apparently, you have a much better chance of getting out of such a situation if you have some money to give the assailant. Thankfully, it never came to that. So, with all that danger, going in there to spread the Gospel seemed unlikely. But we did- and we could because a particularly intrepid missionary I know, went before us to prepare the way...by going bar hopping.
No, he wasn't there to get drunk; he was there on a mission. He did it because he needed to meet the leaders to get permission to enter the favelas. So, he began regularly visiting the many neighborhood bars to establish a connection with the men in power. He would express to them that he and his family wanted to come in and do something for the kids and families in the favelas. He let them know he was there to help the people. And surprisingly, they let him. (Lesson I learned from this: Just because someone has been sucked into a lifestyle of drugs or prostitution or something else pretty awful, doesn't mean they don't want something better for their kids.)
Slowly but surely, slum by slum, he was granted permission to come inside-being shadowed closely the whole time of course. His family began to enter the favelas and do after-school programs for the children. Over time, he earned the trust of the leaders and as a result, the Gospel is being spread among a people the rest of the world has written off.
This isn't a ministry technique you're likely to find in most churches. It's messy. It's dangerous. And it's worth it.
Jesus regularly went among the unclean, uncircumcised and unaccepted-the cast offs of society. He could be found in the company of prostitutes, con men and lepers. So, why do we expect people to clean themselves up and jump in a pew in order for us to reach out to them? We should instead follow His lead and take hope to the darkest corners of the world where people need it the most.
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."~ Mark 2:17
I thank God for people like those missionaries who were moved by the calling of God on their lives to do something so unorthodox. It sure give me hope that God can do something through me. If God would use drug lords as a means of spreading the Gospel, don't you think He can use you too? Maybe your ministry won't be very traditional. Maybe people will give you a hard time. But maybe, something extraordinary will happen.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your waysand my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:9
- Faith in a Favela
- Hope in the Favelas
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