So it's been about a week and a half since my last post. My English is now worse than ever, so please don't judge the grammatical errors of this blog. But my Portuguese is really coming on pretty strong. Here in a week or two when I am finally fluent, I think that in my next blog, I may attempt a completely Portuguese post (this is just a rumor though). This last week and a half, I've been to Itu and back. I went to Itu to see everyone for the last time, hang out with the group from San Angelo, watch the circus they put on (which was amazing!), and ask questions about camp. And from what I heard, Camp Roots was an awesome experience for Americans and Brazilians both, and there were many great things that happened.
These last few weeks I've also made a few trips to Rio de Janeiro as well, and one trip to Sao Goncalo (the cities neighboring Niteroi). The LST groups have now left Niteroi, and it is just us interns hanging out up at the church teaching English, studying Portuguese, and working on projects. But last Saturday, I had the opprotunity to go to Rio with the LST group to see the Christ Statue and go to the beach. We also checked out a few big Catholic churchs there in Rio as well. Which brings me to my title.. Cidade de Deus.
Rio de Janeiro is a Cidade de Deus. Literally translated "Cidade de Deus" means "City of God." When I have been to Rio, things have happened that have made me think about what it really means to be a "City of God."
First, on my way to the airport last Friday right after crossing the Niteroi-Rio Bridge, there were tons of grafitti and markings on by the road talking about God from some church there. Now that I can read most signs, and make sence of most writings, things like this stand out to me. One thing I remember it specifically saying was "acorda Brasil" translated "wake up Brazil." And these words were among rows and columns of writing of the same style and similar message.
Next, the statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooks the city of nearly 20 million people and is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Rio also claims to have the biggest favela (slum) in the nation. From multiple points in the city on the eastern side, you can see the Christ clearly. However, most of the favelas are not where the Christ is facing. It's interesting that it is that way, in a "Cidade de Deus," I would think that it would be the diffrerent.
Also today in Sao Goncalo, we rode on the bus for about an hour looking for the mall. The bus stopped and, like an American, I looked around at everything around me. I noticed on a garage door the writing "Deus e' fiel" or "God is faithful." This caught me off guard, because normally I will see signs that say "no parking" or "garagem." This was also odd because it is part of the title from the series Nathan is preaching here at the church in Niteroi. "Povo falho, mas Deus e' fiel" or "People fail, but God is faithful." Nathan teaches from Judges that despite how the Isrealites continue to fail, God is faithful to them.
Lastly, considering the damage the city of Rio de Janeiro has been through since the release of the children's movie "Rio," there are a lot of things to be done. The governor is running the drug dealers out of the favelas, and the city is getting ready for the World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016. But throughout everything the city of Rio de Janeiro continues to amaze me. I have not yet seen the Brazilian movie released a few years ago titled "Cidade de Deus," but I have already bought it and am looking forward to watching it when I have learned enought Portuguese.
In conclusion, all these things lead me to believe that their are ideas, people, and efforts out there in this city making a difference, and changing the culture of Rio de Janeiro and their surrounding areas. I have experienced things that I cannot describe here in this blog, and I wonder what the city would look like if it really were a complete city focused on living out God's commandments through the life of Jesus. I think the important thing to remember here when thinking about Rio is that.. even though people fail, God is faithful.
- In other news, I just checked the standings from the polls. And now it looks like I am a... Flantostian. There was a three way tie between Flanemgo, Santos, and Corintians (I counted the crazy amount of votes from Brent as one) -
No comments:
Post a Comment