Love.

The most beautiful thing about today was sitting and visiting with families in the favelas, genuinely building relationships, and sharing Christ. We (Jonytas, Italia, Patty, Jim, and I) got to visit one family though that was really special to me. To put this experiences in to words would be an impossible thing to do, but I will do my best to explain. Last year, my mom, Pam, went on this trip to Brazil and had a special bond with a girl at camp named Bruna. This year, when I came on this trip, my mom sent me with a picture of her with Bruna and told me to try and give it to her. I had the opportunity to meet Bruna and her family today and spend time in their home. Though I forgot to bring the picture with me, Jonytas will bring it to her next week. I showed Bruna a picture of my mom, and she smiled..and excitedly exclaimed “PAMELA! PAMELA!”. She was ecstatic. She then ran to her room and gave me a brown wooden box to give to my mom, along with a necklace for me. Her two sisters gave me little presents as well. And, I took a picture with Bruna and her family. It was a moment that was painted with God’s love and grace. My mom would be happy to know that Bruna has a wonderful, God-loving family.
There is so much more I could explain about today or about this week. Being here is a blessing, a gift, a priceless treasure that I hope you can share in. We had some pretty neat experiences today. I love that we serve a God who loves His people dearly and is passionately in love with those that put their faith in Him. This week is about loving God and loving others.Love. Love. Love.