I recently asked a man from church to take us to a local favela (slum) that I had heard about. After church we bought 50 ice-cream bars (to help beat the heat) and headed to the favela. This favela didn’t seem to be a violent one, but there was a lot of poverty.
The Lord used us to truly minister to and pray for the people we connected with. I prayed for one little girl with Down syndrome who was in a very small crib with her legs bent to fit and she was wearing a diaper made of a Wal-Mart bag and toilet paper. I reached my hand down to tough her face and she smiled so big and grabbed my hand. It was impossible to keep back the tears! She was beautiful.
We were asked to come into a home and pray for an old man who was very sick. When we got in we found that the whole family was in the home. It was a God-orchestrated opportunity to pray for an entire family – several generations. So we prayed for complete healing for the man and then our team began to pray for each member of the family. After moments of ministry by the team, I asked “How many of you know Jesus as your Savior and God as your Father?” None of them were saved. So I spent a few moments explaining how much God loves each one of them, so much that He sent His son Jesus to die for them, and then I extended the opportunity for each to trust Jesus as their Savior and begin a personal relationship with Him. That day, thirteen members of this family, from a four-year old grandchild to the grandmother, prayed, gave their hearts to Jesus and renounced curses and witchcraft in their home. An entire family! Praise God! It was awesome to experience the power of God to heal, save and deliver across several generations in one home.
But God wasn’t done, we then went down to the soccer field to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Eight more people prayed to receive Jesus!
Twenty one total people placed their trust in Jesus as their savior in about an hour in a favela. We are now beginning to discuss and implement the discipleship plan for these new believers. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to adjust to life and ministry in Brazil.
