As we shared on the blog not long ago, torrential rains hit Brazil earlier this year. There was wide-spread flooding, landslides, and the destruction of whole communities. Lifewords responded with an emergency print-run of Picking up the Pieces and Who Cares About Me? in Portuguese.
Clenir dos Santos, from Lifewords in Brazil, spent time with some of those most affected. She reports on how the Bible’s life words were able to bring peace, hope and salvation to a country suffering its worst natural disaster in living memory.
“On Saturday January 15 2011 the phone rang. I listened as Pastor Jeremias of the Brazilian Baptist Home Mission Board described the devastating situation he was seeing in Nova Friburgo and in other parts of the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. He told me that many people were lost and in need of emotional and spiritual support.
I knew that I had to respond. Myself and my son, plus others from local churches, decided to go to those who needed our help. I didn’t know what we would do when we got there or what we would say to people who had lost everything: relatives, friends, neighbours, belongings.
When we arrived at First Baptist Church in Caleme, Teresópolis the full extent of the situation was laid before us. Where the church stood, relatively undisturbed by the landslide, all around were the remnants of houses. Some people were trying to decide whether they should abandon their homes in case the situation worsened, others were dealing with the knowledge that they needed to find another place to live, but unsure about how to begin to rebuild their lives. People described the horror of hearing their family, friends and neighbours screaming during the night; people, cars, houses rolling the down the hill, carried by torrents of water. They say they will never forget the image of the dead bodies being swept away.
Peace beyond understanding
Two women were crying in despair. One of them had abandoned her home because it was at risk of falling down. We heard their lament of losing friends and not knowing how to care for their families. I prayed with seven people and gave them copies of The Little Book of Life. Later when I returned with Pastor Celmir, we found a father crying as he read the booklet. He showed us the text from 1 Peter 5:7: ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.’ The man, called Mr Manoel, told us that in the middle of the previous night he had got on his knees and asked God to grant him peace. He cried, deeply moved that God had answered him and he felt an inexplicable peace. We spent an hour talking about God with him, and he responded, telling us that what he wanted more than anything else was to give his life to Jesus.
Mrs Fatima was standing next to her house, which had been ripped apart by the landslide, her belongings in plastic bags on the porch. She was preparing to return to the north-east with her son because they had nowhere else to go. She had lived near the church for a year, and two months before the floods had accepted Christ into her life. Despite the uncertainty and doubt she was facing, she felt ready to leave because God had already given her the most important thing – a home with him.
Counselling in Teresopolis
A few days later my son and I, plus Luciana, Cleisse and Cleide from the Lifewords office, drove to another place in Teresópolis – Barra do Imbuí – this time taking with us Pavement Project resources, so that we could begin to counsel those who had been traumatised by the events.
When we arrived, there were 173 families being given shelter by the church. All had a mattress and a safe space in which they could sleep. They were fed by women from the church, who prepared meals with great enthusiasm. We spent time with over 100 people, talking to them about what had happened and counselling them through their individual experiences.
One of the refugees told me how well she was being treated by the church, and I asked her why she thought the people were being so kind. She responded that they must have good hearts. I was able to share with her the real reason – that they were motivated by Jesus – and she exclaimed, ‘I want to give my life to Jesus, truly and from the heart!’ Right then and there she prayed and asked God to accept her.
Changed hearts
Our time with these people was inspiring – seeing those who have lost so much find hope in Jesus. One conversation will stay with me more than others. On leaving Caleme, I received a tight, delightful hug from 6-year-old Laura*. We had talked for an hour and suddenly she stopped and said, ‘You know what I’m thinking? I want to give you an award!’ I asked her why and she replied, ‘You and Jesus gave peace to my heart. If someone asks why I am different I will say it is because I am changed – God has changed my heart!’”
*Name changed in line with SGM Lifewords’ Child Protection Policy