What Would You Fight For? by Ruth Mercy: To see with the eyes of a child.

To see with the eyes of a child.

Hello everyone, I hope and pray you are all safe in whatever part of the country you are in, especially with the severe cold and winter storms I have heard about. Sorry for the delay in writing, my family and I have been ministering constantly here in Brazil, working in the prisons and dealing with a lot of issues.

It has been difficult adjusting from Spanish to Portugueses. There are enough similarities that its easy to mix them up but they are still completely different languages. For example a word can exist in both Spanish and Portuguese but have completely different meanings in each language (For example, the word, "tip" in Spanish, means a "bribe" in Portuguese, so you could really get yourself in trouble with that one. You wouldn't want to say, "as a waitress I work for bribes" :)) We have to focus, study and work really hard to communicate. I definitely have a lot to learn!

We were grateful to bring back bibles, printed materiel and some things that a few people generously donated to us to give to those in need. We got to the airport at 4am so we could get everything weighed and checked (this usually goes better when we don't have a long line behind you and allows you time to smooth over the people weighing the baggage so they let a few pounds over slide:)) We had connecting flights and you have to claim all your check-throughs, put them through two security check points, move them to another terminal and recheck them before the next flight, which we barely made. So we ended up getting quite a work out by the time we were done lifting our many, heavy awkward boxes 90,000 times.

It is unbelievably hot here with extremely high humidity (like 104 with 90% humidity and you get sunburned in the shade). Due to that, a lot of the clothes, sleeping bags, costumes, gear and things we had stored here were covered in mildew. We had taken precautions to prevent this, but it was not enough. Luckily we were able to save most everything with some washing and a special mixture of vinegar and alcohol the locals showed us. With one washer to use, and no dryer, it took a number of days to get everything cleaned and I was living in the same jeans and t shirt for too long;). Our vehicle had also suffered some damage and there are a some things we have to get repaired.

There have been a number of massive storms here. In the storm pictured below, the clouds looked apocalyptic, it poured sheets of rain and knocked out the power from our neighborhood and that of 250,000 people. I feel so bad for all the many homeless living in make shift shelters on the streets throughout the city. Imagine being wet all the time, having nowhere dry or clean to go and constantly being sweating hot, besides trying to find enough food just to survive.

This is one of the storms that hit here. These clouds were rolling in every direction.

The power was out for a while so no fans or fridge, but don't worry, eventually ONE guy with flip flops on showed up to fix the power for 250,000 people. Oh yeah, this looks hopeful! The main power box is literally right below my window so every morning I got to watch (and hear) the fixing process. With a chisel, he eventually dug a hole into the side walk, then another guy showed up and they put a post in it, then they poured cement in as one of them moved their hand from left to right to indicate when it was level. So needless to say, the power here may come and go... forever:)

On rainy days or during the weekends when the normal crowded streets are empty, it is really sad and eire to look up and down the sidewalks and see the homeless moving about like phantoms, trying to survive.
We met whole families living under the freeway bridges. Some people have complete "houses" set up under the freeways including pictures put up on the cement and a tv they saved from their house. Because of severe flooding, many were driven out of their homes and just took what they could before they lost it all. I don't know if I have ever seen a city with so many homeless people living on the streets and I am so grateful to the companies that donated products to help us out. It is an immense privilege to have things to give people in need. A lady that works at a little store on the corner where we live saves any extra bread or fruit and gives it to us before they close at the end of the day. If its not enough we get some rice, beans or hot dogs to give a long with some nice rain ponchos and sanitary items.

I think some of the most beautiful people I have met are homeless and I have become friends with some of those that can always be found in the same spot down town. One guy, whose name is Ronaldo, has no legs due to polio and its really hard for him to move out of the sun, yet he still always has a smile and upbeat attitude. Another man, named Leo, has a teenage son with down syndrome and will yell to me when I am still a block away. He knows I always have something for him and is genuinely grateful for any help or even just a conversation. So many regular people here are below the poverty line and know that they are only a few steps from being on the street. The majority seem to be right at the point of giving up. Its as if they are teetering on the edge of a cliff and we are trying to pull them back. As Jesus said from Isaiah "...He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor..to bind up the broken hearted... to comfort those that mourn...to proclaim freedom fro the prisoners..." Lk.4:18/Is.61

A few families living together under a freeway bridge that we visit now and then.

He sleeps on a wooden pallet so he can try to stay dry as rain water will drains underneath him.

We performed an event inside a prison here for the children of the prisoners. It's heart breaking to see their sadness as they come out from visiting their fathers or brothers and it was a privilege to bring them an escape and a little hope and laughter. I gave this one boy a chess board and he was so grateful treating it like I gave I'm the keys to a car. He said he would play with his dad when he came to visit him in prison, and teach his siblings to play at home. Because these families are poor and live far away, they cannot afford to come and visit very often. Some prisoners NEVER get visitors because either they don't have any family, or their families just can't afford to come. One prisoner we met had been in for 7 years so far and not a single person had come to see him. I understand why Jesus said, "...I was in prison, and you came to Me..."(Mt.25:35)
We do many different theater acts and magic routines that contain simple but profound messages, like one about a little boy with a kite. The boy decides he wants to become important and to become important he has to grow up and give away his kite. After he "becomes important" he realizes that he has changed and no longer cares about the many things that are truly important, like forgetting about himself and loving others. Eventually he realizes that the Father said, to be important, you must be a child. "the least is the greatest". He finds the kite which was thrown away and decides to always be a child. I love to see adults, truly enjoying something and even moved to tears by simple acts designed for children.

My whole family and I performing an act of magic and clowns called, "Alegria" (joy). My mom made all the costumes in this picture.

Isn't it funny, how when we are kids, we want to grow up as soon as possible, but now that are adults, we sometimes wish we could be a kid again? I remember playing "house" with my sisters when we were little. I would always pretend I was 20. That was like the perfect grown up age. Now 20 has come and gone and I sometimes think how cool it would be to be 8 again when I actually did this thing called, "play". I used to love winters in Colorado. I remember one day, I was maybe 7, we drove up to Estes Park to see the elk then when we got home my dad pulled my brothers and sisters and I around the house on a sled and we tried to pull him. When our hands got so cold they hurt, we went inside and my mom gave us hot chocolate (or we poured apple juice on snow). That's one of my favorite memories from being a kid. Do you have a favorite childhood memory? Somewhere you would go back to if you could for a moment?

Performing at a festival for Mardi Gras.

Everyone accepts the thinking that being a child was a time left behind and someplace we lived long ago. We have aged and matured but we do not turn into aliens. We did not leave the child in the past, the child yet remains in us. Did you know that the only part of our body that does not grow, are our eyes? From the time we are a little baby, to now, we have the exact same eyes, a child's eyes. So no matter what you have been through, or are dealing with you can still "see" like a little child if you choose to.

What is so beautiful about a child, is the complete absence of any cynicism or self consciences. A child is not inhibited by what others think, but is free to simply trust and be who she or he is. I read that a child can learn a language faster than an adult for that reason. A child does not analyze everything, but just speaks like he is told and does not care if he sounds foolish, so they learn quickly. As an adult, so many things can cloud our vision and we think we have to figure everything out and handle everything ourselves. We think we have to try to be right and we make things complicated that really are quite simple. According to the Scriptures, a childlike heart is the only way to be right in Gods eyes. Jesus said the only way to "See" the Kingdom, is to become a child (Mt.18:3).

I love being with children because what you see is what you get, no hidden motive, agenda or image, only sincerity. No matter where you are in life, no matter how old you are or how tragic your past may be; no matter how impossible your situation might seem, you must go back to your past, back to childhood, in order to find a good future. Simplicity will lead to humility, humility will lead to sincerity and sincerity is the only way to seek the Father and find Eternity.

A childlike heart is more important than anything in your entire life. It offers the key to a sincere conscience, a beacon of contentment and the key to communicate with the Father.

It is a challenge to do a performance that requires so much energy in this intense heat and there have been times we have gotten bad heat stroke. Once in a prison my dad couldn't catch his breath and his head was spinning. We had to get him to shade right away and the prisoners got us some cold water. We have been trying to schedule events early before the full heat of the day. For places that are far from where are staying this requires leaving at around 5 in the morning.

On Sundays there is a busy park we go to. Pretty much everyone goes there so it is a great way to reach the whole city. We have had beautiful times performing there and ministering to so many. The down town city center is just packed every week day so we are constantly going out on the streets, both with our music and just to talk with the crowds.

God is far bigger than we can imagine. His thoughts are NOT our thoughts. His ways are NOT our ways. If we think we know anything, we know nothing (2Cor.8:2).
It is our desire to not only talk about the Fathers great love, but to show it through music, laughter and by weaving a message through dance and theater. Thats why besides constantly walking the streets and sharing the Gospel to the multitudes down town, we also use a performance of music and dance that draws large crowds and allows us many opportunities to get invited into places we otherwise could not.
You know how it is, you can only listen to someone talk so long before you kind of zone out, especially when talking about the Gospel in a generation that is full of so many churches (many being complete frauds, especially here) and religions. So by communicating a message through stories, martial arts and magic tricks we are able to keep people interested for hours and sow many seeds in them.

We try to become all things to all men, as Paul says, "...I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible... I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."(1Cor.9:19).

Maybe one thing we do will reach the 20 year old body builder guy who has not given God a second thought. Maybe one thing we say will reach the 60 year old Catholic women who is about to give up because life is so hard. Maybe something we do could reach the middle age business guy who has just been going to church on Sundays but knows God requires more. If we can plant one new thought in someones heart, one thought that turns into an action and brings them to the Father, then all this is worth it.

To be able to execute a performance as we want to takes a tun of work and practice. My brothers and sisters are working on a Tae Kwon Do choreography now (we are 2nd degree black belts) and it takes a lot of focus and work to get all six of us doing the same exact moves to the same exact beat (especially practicing in the burning sun). But we want to have something quality that will make people give us a chance and the Living Jesus is so very worthy of hard work and creative effort.

My brother interacting with a cool musical machine he made out of heater ducting.

For so many, this is "home".

The prisons here are run very differently then other countries. Brazil has the 4th largest prison population in the world with most prisons being at double the capacity they were built for. The conditions are outrageous and violate human rights. There is a lot involved and I will write about this next time. We are praying for Gods divine grace, wisdom and courage to handle what we are going to face and to effectively communicate the hope of the Gospel to these men. Yesterday we performed at a prison 130km away. It was probably one of the worst things I have seen in my life. The conditions these men are living in are worse then the worse zoo you may have been to. I found myself fighting back tears as I saw the faces of the men and the conditions they have to live in every day. I read an article about a man that had been imprisoned in one of the prisons we go to. He had a similar last name to that of a gang leader and so was falsely convicted and put in prison for 6 years. Eventually his lawyer got him out. A few weeks after his release he was driving and stopped at a military check point.
They ran his name and since he had never been cleared in the system, he came up as a wanted man and was rearrested. He was given a 15 year sentence, put in another prison in which he contracted tuberculosis and died. Stories like this are common, many never see a judge and many are lost in a broken system, forgotten of by the world.
The other day when we were in a prison I met a man named Marcos who had been shot in the spinal cord and was paralyzed Imagine not only living in hell, but being in a wheel chair there as well. Another older man I talked to was in tears as he told me he had been in for 7 years and had no idea how much longer he would be there since he has never seen a judge or received a sentence. He said he did not know how long he could make it. I will write about the prisons next post so this one does not get too long.

Raw sewage literally runs down the wall since they have no drainage system. The smell is unbearable. All it would require to fix this is running pipes down, but no one cares enough to do anything. No one cares, so no one thinks. Prisoners are never the priority and all though 20 years ago the government promised to build new facilities and start to fix the process, nothing has been done. We are looking into this particular prison to see if there is anyway we could afford to getting piping for them and fix the problem ourselves. We offered our manual labor to the prison officials and they gratefully excepted so we are going to see what we can do. We have not had any luck getting building materials or funding for this since installing a sewage system, in a prison, 80 miles in the middle of nowhere is not exactly high on peoples list or appealing for a good deed portfolio.

There was a massive horrible storm that hit here about a week ago. It destroyed thousands of trees and buildings. The park where we performed (you can see it in the very top picture), looks like king kong walked through it (yes I know king kong is not real:). Every where there are huge thick trees that have been snapped in two. 300,000 people lost power and water. We had to buy drinking water and then fill buckets with rain water to wash and flush the toilet for awhile. The wind was hurricane force and in the center there was certain kind of tornado. We had a prison scheduled one morning but it had flooded so bad that we were not able to get there. Days after the storm no effort had been made by the city to start to clear the roads or get power back. The government has abounded these people and its like because no one cares about them, they have also given up caring. Driving down town there were no crews out working to clear roads. Eventually I saw one man with a machete trying to cut a thick tree so he could clear a road. It is a really tragic situation.
It's funny, sometimes people ask us with a sense of wonder, “Are you from the 1st world?” Not a question you’d ever expect or something I have ever really thought of, but all they know is the third world and so the first is like something from the movies for them. We are far out in the middle of nowhere. Many people we deal with are grateful to us for coming to them and ask us why we would come way out here. The answer is not “Because we are so concerned” or “Because God told us to”. It is simply the end result of the command “Go…” and "the wind blows..." (Mt.28:19/Jn.3:8). We ended up here as a result of Go…ing by our choice and being blown by the the Spirit of the living Father.

Out our front door early in the morning. It ended up rising about another foot before the rain stopped.

There used to be a street here considered the most beautiful street in the world because of the trees that lined it. Now it is destroyed.

Bye for now, I will try to write more often, or at least post pictures. May God bless you and keep you and may you choose to let go of all that would hinder you from hearing the Father and "seeing" with a child's eyes.

(Ps. I apologize for any typos or gramatical mistakes I make in this blog, I just don't get a lot of time to write and when I do I have to just get it all down quickly. I hope you can bear with me, get past my errors and maybe get something out of what I write. I also realize the layout and alignment are pretty bad and a first grader could probably do a better job, sorry I am not that good on computers and tech stuff.)

At this prison we wanted to hang a canvas to give the prisoners shade, but the director told us that everything was so rotted the walls might not be able to support the weight of cables to hold the canvas.