This Was Only Our First Day, Really?

How can one group, in less than 24 hours, accomplish what we've accomplished????

Our day was FULL of activity, but the best part was the time with the boys of Cidade Dos Meninos (City of Youth). In our devotions this morning, we were all challenged to step out of our comfort zones and touch the lives of the kids here in Campinas and in Vitoria, later in the week. For some of us, that meant letting go of our own insecurities and hug, physically embrace, a child. For others of us, it meant we needed to reflect on how we've been touched by others, either spiritually or physically, and use those experiences to do what we could to impact the lives of the boys in City of Youth. And we jumped right in...

We started preparing for the afternoon activities which began with an Easter Egg hunt. Well, it wasn't long before we were surrounded by little hands that wanted to help fill plastic eggs with candy. Intense frisbee competitions followed (ok, maybe that's an exaggeration). We almost didn't make it out of the Easter egg hunt alive because those boys charged the campus grounds like horses going into war. Then, we all needed to cool off with a "water balloon toss", but you can imagine what it turned into... We had plenty of opportunities, in those small moments, to let the boys know they are God's children and are just as important to us as they are to Him.

But what touched us the most was the Talent Show put on by the boys and girls at tonight at service. Think about it. These are kids who, at some point, couldn't trust a single person, and now, they are on a stage in front of their peers and Americans they don't know, taking this amazing risk and performing for the entire group. Can you see the girls, some who have been abused emotionally, physically, and sexually, getting on a stage, talking about God's provision through the manna in the desert? Imagine that boys, who may have been scavenging the streets, now dance as unto the Lord, declaring His creation good. Our hearts were full of emotion, seeing their courage without knowing all of their particular situations. And what could have been a more perfect ending to the day, with our emotions sky high, than showing the kids, through a telescope, the magnitude of God's creation.

Yes, the day was VERY long and quite tiring, but as we lay our heads on our pillows, may we dream about all the lives we touched today and those who have touched us. And this was just our first day...