Hey world. Again, my apologies for these huge gaps in communication that have been my trend this past year. Sometimes finding words at the end of the day seems nearly impossible; the majority of stories I can’t tell publicly, and the ones I can tell don’t scratch the surface of what we face on a daily basis. But I do have an update I have waiting to share, about the city of Rio de Janeiro. Rio has been on my heart for a while now. In 2017, a former student of our missions school, opened a prayer house and film crew in the Rio metropolis region. Over the last year, I have gone various times with several others on our Recife team to support their work. Their project was officially inaugurated as a new Shores base this October.
This plant is very different from our Recife base because it supports several ongoing social efforts in the broader Rio area. They minister not only to those in material poverty, but also to the influential as resources are channeled to other non-profits. I remember the first time I visited their prayer house, worshipping on the floor with members of the fashion industry on one side of me, and a family who has chosen to live with a community in the landfill (for over 10 years) on my other side. Brazil has one of biggest wealth gaps in the world. Babies grow up in the trash, playing with pig carcasses dropped off in trucks from the butcher; while the shoreline of Copacabana houses politicians and billionaires. I have met the most joyful people in the most desperate living situations, and some of the most miserable with 4 car garages. Many suffer physical poverty, and many suffer poverty of spirit. While it’s so hard with my natural mind to bridge these extremes, in the presence of God, we are all, nothing more than children; with very connected paths to walk. Both wealth and lack can corrupt; but the Rio base is working to unify people that society and culture has long kept separated.
This year, through various business campaigns, Shores Rio built several homes for families living in the biggest landfill in South America, Jardim Gramacho. Now closed, the dump houses a community of around 400 residents. Many of these people work as trash pickers re-selling recyclables and separating the masses of waste into categories. There was a documentary made about Gramacho several years ago called Wasteland that shows a much fuller picture than what I can describe here (see trailer above). The film is about an artist who works with the residents to construct portraits out of the trash in hopes that the funds raised could build them a life outside Gramacho.
Unfortunately, community transformation is not that simple, and I have met one woman from the documentary who still lives there. Over the years although money was exchanged, without oversight of the finances, education, and long term engagement, it does little good. Shores Rio partner organization in Gramacho (Iris Ministries), has been physically on the ground for over 10 years, daily spending hours visiting homes, educating, and mentoring the children. They also have a community center, which doubles as a church. I will write more about various projects in Rio over the upcoming months as we continue to connect there. My visits, though short, have reminded me that the arts are so valuable in communicating both need and beauty. They are a gift and tool for re-distributing resources, building community, and restoring a sense of worth; not a frivolous pastime in the face of poverty. Teaching photography and walking with our girls here in Recife, I have been so blessed to watch creativity in it’s various forms, build opportunities for employment and personal growth.