Last week I saw a little bit of paradise. I was so blessed to go to a place called Jericoacoara which is about 4 hours from Fortaleza and known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I have always wanted to visit this beach, but in my time living here I never had the opportunity to go. So when my friend Juliana said that a team of doctors were coming from the USA on a missions trip and that they were going to spend 3 days in Jericoacoara, ministering to a poor community in Jijoca (close to the famous beach) and also seeing the beach and lagoons, it didn’t take me long to decide to go and help translate. It was such a blessing.
The team of 8 are a wonderful group of people and it was so much fun to hang out with them as we ministered and saw the beauty of that place. The first evening we arrived and participated in a church service at the local Assemblies of God church. My friend, Luciana, who was organizing the team asked if I wanted to share something and I said I would if they needed me to. Needless to say the opportunity arose and I shared for about 15 minutes about loving God and it was such a blessing to not just do practical outreach but also minister spiritually to the community.
The next day we spent the day attending people in the community. I worked translating the doctors and we attended about 200 people with various illnesses. It was a long and busy day, but so good! The next day was our day off so we spent the morning at “Lagoa do Paraiso” (Paradise Lagoon). It looked like a piece of paradise. Clear, transparent blue water, sandy beach and just lovely. I swam, sunbathed, and enjoyed the beauty. For lunch we ate delicious grilled fresh fish. Then in the afternoon we drove over the dunes to Jericoacoara, the famous part. We paddled in the sea and then went up on a famous sand dune to see the sunset. It was spectacular. Breathtakingly beautiful. How anyone can doubt the existence of God after seeing that, I don’t know.
I asked someone how the name “Jericoacoara” had come about and they told me that when the fishermen were approaching the famous “rocha furada” (rock with a hole in it) which is the symbol of the place (unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit the rock), it looked like a crocodile sunbathing which in portuguese is “Jacare corando o sol”, so “Jacare corando” kind of sounds like “Jericoacoara”. I thought that a cool story.
In the evening we had dinner and looked in some of the touristy shops, before driving back to our hotel which was about 45 minutes on the dunes. We drove in a special lorry with an open back because they don’t allow regular cars to enter the little village. It was a good few days.
We got back Monday afternoon and I continued translating (or rather “interpreting”) for the team on Tuesday and Wednesday, going to some of the poorer areas in the city of Aquiraz (which is close to the farm). It was really good and I so enjoyed working with the doctors and impacting the communities.
Another few things that happened before heading to “Jeri” (as Brazilians call it) was a prayer night on the main base property in Jacundá. I helped lead it and it went really well. A good time of laying a foundation on that property in prayer. And before leaving for Jeri on the Friday I spent the night in a youth hostel in the city (so I could meet the team to leave early in the morning). It was called “Hostel Terra da Luz” and it was really good. Simple, a bed in a bunk bed, but with clean sheets, clean shower and nice staff. A good experience!
One last thing is that coming back from Belo Horizonte I needed to make a decision if I was going to move to Amsterdam and lead the “Shine Seminar” and work with the Lighthouse ministry. After praying and thinking a lot, I have decided to go. I have peace, a sober peace because I know it’s going to be challenging, but peace non-the-less. And I believe it’s going to be good. My challenge right now is to manage to focus on these last two weeks of my time here in Brazil and not start living in the ahead. I don’t want to miss out on time here, thinking about the ahead.
Well, I will end this post. Right now I’m in Itapipoca, which is in the interior of the state of Ceara, about 3 hours from Fortaleza. I am teaching at a Bible school which is run by a friend of mine, Saulo, in one of the local churches here, and staying with him and his family. It’s so beautiful here. The surroundings are really different with the Serra all around (big hills) and it’s really green. Tonight is my last night and tomorrow I head back to Fortaleza to spend the weekend with a friend of mine in the city. Time is truly flying. I really need to be intentional to make the most of every moment.