Interest Awakened

For many months, I observed my amazing sister-in-law (Aline) come and go to the Umuarama slums every Thursday night. Although she had a great amount of other things on her plate, she still made time to serve the Lord by teaching 2-5 year old children in a very poor section of our 20-million-people city.

The story of how this ministry started is quite fascinating, and I would like to write more about it in another post, once I have more precise information. The general story is that about nine years ago a single woman from my church began serving soup in a community center located across the street from her house. She would feed the needy children, and, along with that, she would teach them about the Bible. The ministry has grown and developed, they no longer serve soup, now they hand out sandwiches with a candy or little dessert at the end of the meeting. They have as many as 50 to 80 kids on a given Thursday.

Last year, Aline shared a devotional with her fellow teachers about the ministry in the slums that she helped out with. She showed us pictures and discussed the various needs of the children and of those who worked with them. Clara, my roommate who has a heart of gold (she is always off into the slums whenever she has a chance-- evangelizing, loving, and caring for the poor), was very touched by the ministry and told me that she would be interested in helping out. Unbeknownst to her the Lord had also been putting some thoughts in my heart in regards to serving him in this project. My problem: I didn't have a ride (Yes, its pathetic, I know, but I still don't drive). Clara's problem: She didn't want to drive in a dangerous section of town, at night, all alone.

So a few Thursdays later a petite, Chinese woman and her big white roommate set off in their borrowed station wagon to check out the Umuarama ministry. What a site it was!!! Tiny little children everywhere, brown little faces adorned with cutely braided hair, smells, noises, and all kinds of chaos. When Tia Sandra (the woman who started the ministry) entered the room something fascinating happened. The children quieted down and looked up expectantly. She warned them that if they were noisy they would be sent outside and go home. Her strictness might come across as meanness to an outsider, but its exactly the structure and discipline that those little one need and even maybe crave for.

Aline went up and sang three songs with them. After this the 2-5 year old kids were escorted out with Aline and some of her helpers. That day she had a crowded lesson- 30 children for a tiny tiny tiny room where they all practically sat on top of each other. Clara and I observed, wondering how God could use us in that place. As I observed and the night drew to a close, I felt no peace or overwhelming feeling like I could do much more for those kids. I wasn't quite sure if that would be the place that God would want me to serve Him in... I kept praying for an open mind and wondering what I could do. Aline finished her lesson and Clara and I went over to the community center where the bigger kids were learning about God from another teacher. As I walked in, I noticed several teenage girls who sat quietly in the back, watching the little ones listen to the story.

After it was all over, I asked Tia Sandra why those girls were there. She mentioned that many of the mothers did not let their children come unless their older siblings brought them. I asked her if the Umuarama ministry had any special lessons for those girls. She said that sometimes, twice a month, a man from the church leads a bible study on Saturdays with them. At that moment I knew where I could serve. "What if I had a small bible study with the girls while the little ones heard their stories?" I asked. She said that would be great and quickly volunteered her own living room as the location for these meetings.

I left the place having no idea what I had gotten myself into, but knowing that if God could use a donkey to speak wisdom into Balaam life, maybe he could use me too, regardless of my inabilities and deficiencies.