Rio Team Update: "Free Day" in Rio

This morning, after breakfast in the hotel cafe, we met in a room to sort medicine and organize our supplies for the coming week. It was a good way to unify the team even more and talk more about our purpose for being here. Here are some of the organizing/packing party people at their finest:

According to Sharon, people in Rio see Jesus one of two ways: 1) helpless as a baby in the arms of Mary and 2) hopeless in his death on the cross. They don't know him any other way. They don't know him as the giver of life, powerful and perfect in word and deed, strong and mighty to save, and victorious over death.

We were reminded that we haven't come to Rio to be lawyers; we've come to be witnesses to the truth of who he is and the relationship he wants to have with each person (Acts 1:8).

We aren't here to manipulate people into Christianity or argue with them about the Virgin Mary. We aren't here to tell them how wrong they are for believing and practicing Spiritism and Universalism. We're not here to coerce them into becoming church members.

No...we're here to introduce them to Jesus. Period. The world will know who we are—that we're disciples and followers of Christ—by how well we love and serve others (John 13:35).

Here, there are barriers these people must deal with that we Americans will never understand. There are issues they're working through that we'll never be able to comprehend. That's why our mission is what it is.

All who come to the clinic this week will hear about Jesus and know of his great, unconditional love and grace for them. It's been said it takes 6-8 times for someone to hear the gospel and actually understand it, so we realize we may only play a small part in simply planting a seed or we could actually witness a life completely change before our eyes.

Either way, it's not our job to clean up lives. It's not our purpose to throw perfume on people, make them look pretty first, and then introduce them to Christ. No, he wants them just as they are.

Our job is to tell his story, show them his love, and point them to hope. He takes it from there. It's his job to penetrate hearts, redeem situations, offer forgiveness and grace, wipe up the messes, give them a fresh start, love them passionately, and walk with them daily.

During our team meeting today, Sharon shared a story about the time when Elizabeth Elliott, well-known author and wife of martyred missionary Jim Elliott, visited her home. Hoping to gain some golden nuggets of wisdom from this spiritual giant over a cup of tea, Sharon asked her: "Is there any wisdom you could pass on to me?"

Elizabeth replied: "Do the next thing."

Profound, simple words from an incredibly wise woman, don't you think?

That's exactly what we're going to do. When we hit snags along the way each day, we'll continue by doing the next thing. When we face obstacles in our path this week, we'll just do the next thing. I know, for me, this is a piece of advice in my spiritual walk that I'll take with me long after we leave Rio.

Stop back by tomorrow for more updates. Until then, take a look through some of the pictures below that we took today on our "free day" as we explored the city and its people:

(The photographer/missing team member for the team photo on the beach)