(My cousin Lillian came to visit me in Brazil this October. After taking some time to organize her thoughts about the trip, she asked if I could post it for her.)
Rachel is too modest.
Her life is not for the fainthearted! The work she does with Living Stones through World Renewal is phenomenal! She can’t leave her apartment without someone shouting “Rachel Rachel!” English students, Living Stones participants, past students, school students, friends from church, and on and on. They are always stopping to chat and receive hugs, but not for long as Rachel is racing off to another class, another mission, another project.
She has made an incredible difference in the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands! In Brazil, a friend of a friend is their friend too—much to my benefit. She is loved and respected, and gives so much love. The people know she really cares.
As Tele Moraes, the head of the mission said, “Rachel is more Brazilian than the Brazilians. She has learned the language, the culture, and how to fit in and reach people.” Rachel is an asset to the World Renewal efforts—not only does she attend to their spiritual needs, but to emotional needs like self-esteem, and physical needs like food and gifts. You can’t find anyone who thinks less of themselves and more of the people they are working to reach. God has been able to change many lives through her ministries: I saw and heard first hand!
I can assure you that any money you donate to Rachel or her Living Stones projects is well spent. She keeps no money for herself unless so allocated. Even then she spends her own money on mission projects rather than on herself. She’ll walk an extra mile or two instead of taking a bus so she has enough to buy a cake for a birthday party for one of the children. She doesn’t eat out, even if it is inexpensive, in order to buy bread for the children in her Living Stones project.
Do Go Visit!
You will have the most incredible experience of your lifetime! I felt so many emotions at once. Rachel is a most excellent hostess – catering to my every need. Knowing I was tired one day, she put me on public transportation while she walked home, not wanting to spend extra money. I had special needs for my feet and she helped all the time. It is incredible—worshipping with believers in her church—the Spirit of the Lord is there so strong it doesn’t matter if you understand the language! The people have such a heart for the Lord that you can’t help but be blessed!
Go with her to meet her children—they will steal your heart and will be so glad to meet you and enjoy whatever you have to say (Rachel will interpret).They are happy to play board games—no interpretation needed!
Go with her to the market—get fresh pineapples for 60 cents, 6 mangos for a dollar, and many other fresh fruits and vegetables, depending on the season.
Go with her to walk around town—hustling and bustling with people all day! So many shops: you can get anything you want. Try a manicure and pedicure—I got one to help my feet and treated Rachel to a pedicure. The manicure and two pedicures cost $8.00 and was the best job ever! The people are so helpful and friendly. When I got ready to lace up my big shoes, the lady in the next chair waiting her turn got down on her hands and knees to lace my shoes! Only in small town Brazil!
Go with her for a ride in a Kombe—a VW van with 3 to 5 seats – public transportation that stops anywhere along the main road. They try to squish in as many people as possible, but nobody minds crowding in and they were a lot of fun.
Go visit the pottery town (wonderful place to find gifts) as well as the blanket factory. Go experience wonderful restaurants: the best beef in the world, with so many fresh and natural foods—Rachel knows all the best spots and how to get the most for the least cost. (You have to have cheese wrapped with beef or fresh grilled chicken on a stick over a little open fire grill! And be sure to have a Romeo and Juliet tapioca—guava and melted cheese in a wrap made out of the flour from a root.)
Living Stones
Rachel is making an incredible difference in the lives of these children—the poorest of the poor. She is teaching them that they can have a dream, they can have a better life, and they can love and be nice to each other. She also works with hygiene, manners, sharing, getting along, and so much more. She and Pastor Flavio show the children a good Mother and Father role model, as they work together like a family (No, Rachel and the Pastor are not an “item”).
I can see the incredible difference she has made in the time she has spearheaded this project in the lives of these children after being with them for a week. It is the love she shows them, and God’s love. If the project receives the funds, when the children reach age 16 they want to teach them a trade: carpentry or welding for the boys, and how to cook for the girls, so that they will be able to get jobs to support their families. Otherwise they have little chance or opportunity.
The children do go to school, some of them sometimes anyway. They live an average of 4 kilometers off the road on a path of up and down steep hills with almost impossible ruts. That is 4 kilometers from the main road which is still a distance from a town or the school. Some days the school bus comes, more often than not it doesn’t. I asked why not? Nobody knew. These children have very little opportunity, other than what Rachel and the Living Stones Project is doing.
Have you seen Rachel’s curriculum? She has a subject and schedule for each day. She has organized for a year of lessons!
Rachel has a policy—each day has 3 parts, except even busier days like Sunday which have 5 parts. Her policy is to go home and “rest” one part of the day, to get out of the heat. Most days she’d say “I’m tired—I need a half hour power nap.” What does go home and rest mean? Go home and rest to Rachel means organizing projects, getting English lessons ready, planning parties, get-togethers, songs for the school opening ceremonies which she does every morning, preparing what to take to Living Stones, planning what she is going to teach for her various classes, etc. Most days while I was there she never had time for a power nap before we had to rush off to the next class, commitment, church, or event.
The English School for the Upper Middle Class
The International School is for the upcoming middle class of Carpina, the town Rachel lives in. She does the opening ceremony for the kids teaching them Bible verses in English and Christian songs in English as well as teaching English. The children are taught all the subjects but get healthy doses of the Word all day long! The money made from the school then goes to fund the seminary and the church planting ministries.
In Brazil, those with money do not mix with, help, or donate to the poor. The School is doing something phenomenal: they are gently asking the kids to help with Living Stones. They are also offering as many scholarships as possible to children who would not otherwise receive a good education. One of the missionaries, who teaches basketball at the school, asked the well-off students to come and help at an event for the poor children. At first they said they were too busy. He said “You have everything. They have nothing. Can you just spare a couple hours to come help?“ Several of them did! Even one little girl who doesn’t like sports came and put on her gym shorts!
This Thanksgiving Rachel presented Living Stones to all the students and parents at the International school, sharing about the needs and becoming the official outreach of the school. Now, any time they have a fund raiser, the money will go to Living Stones, and many of the children donated their toys to give to the Living Stones children for Christmas. Enough food was donated for the rest of the year!
Giving to Rachel you know that every cent is well spent. One thing I found out is that with the devaluation of the American dollar and inflation in Brazil, just a few years ago the exchange rate was 3 Real for 1 dollar. Now the exchange rate is 1.6 Real for a dollar – which means it costs over twice as much to live – even meagerly!
Thank you! Lillian
(Wow! I feel a little sheepish about posting such a glowing report about myself on my blog…toot toot toot goes my horn. But I gladly say a huge THANK YOU to Lillian who came and loved everyone she met. She was a great encouragement to me in so many ways I cannot even count. And everyone in Brazil cannot wait until she comes to visit againJ.)
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