I am on a journey to volunteer at a charity organization in Sao Paulo, Brazil, called ABBA. Not the band.
This journey that I'm on is one that started at the end of 2009, when I was home alone and watching a DVD advertising the I-Hearts Revolution movement by Hillsong. On the DVD there was a short little clip of the Hillsong team moving through the favela's in Rio, and talking to a priest who was trying to find a way to develop a plot of land that could be a safe house for the children who are forced to the street, and forced to sell drugs, and are looking for a way out without getting killed. I enjoyed the whole DVD, but from that time until the end of 2010, every time that I closed my eyes to worship and pray to God, this whole situation of the street kids in Brazil was brought to the forefront of my mind. I didn't know why, but I was sure God was trying to bring it to my attention. I was hoping it would be for someone else, and I just had to be their confirmation, or something of the sort. However this never happened, and this whole idea just never went away. Eventually, I gave in to the obvious, that I may have to start actually doing some praying about Brazil, and my future. I was challenged by the apathy of the church in general towards the needy of the world, and thought to myself that I wanted to be a part of the solution, and to be God's hands and feet in whatever way He needed me. I made a decision that no matter what, I was going to buy a plane ticket to Brazil, anywhere in Brazil, and whatever happened from there, happened.
At this stage of my life I was still working as a structural engineer, and as far as I knew, was still under contract with them to pay off my bursary. I was under the impression that my contract to pay off the bursary was until August 2012, so I decided that October, 2012, I would jump on a plane, and take a leap into helping God's people in any way possible. I then heard a whisper that I hoped came from God, saying 'Sao Paulo', however I rationalized that away as being my own thoughts, or imagination.
I decided to start putting some plans to the chaos in my mind, and I decided to go talk to an American missionary in my church to discuss how a missionary's life works. Soon after that decision I ran into him on the streets, while walking home from a friend's house. I started asking him questions, and told him that I was hoping to venture to Brazil and do whatever I could over there for God. He replied with "Oh, I have friends from Brazil who are missionaries in Sao Paulo." My heart leaped inside of me, and I could feel my conscience reprimanding my doubt.
We agreed to go for coffee to chat about these plans.
When we met for coffee, he asked me what kind of mission work I was hoping to do. I told him "anything", again rationalizing everything in my mind. I was just thinking that as long as I get to Sao Paulo as any kind of missionary, then later on in life I can work out how to help out the street kids. He didn't accept my answer. He pressed, three times, to get a definite answer of what I would "ideally" liked to be involved in. Eventually I caved in and told him my ideas. He didn't even flinch, and calmly told me that the friends he had previously mentioned from Sao Paulo work at a house that looks to bring the kids in off the street, and give them a home, an education and a family, while attempting to either reunite them with their biological parents if possible, or finding another family to adopt them.
I grinned. Like a little boy on Christmas morning, who had just spotted his most precious gift, still wrapped under the tree...I grinned.
He gave me the e-mail address of his friends over in the west, and then started a conversation with them online, including me. I got a few replies from all the guys in Brazil, and for the next two years, have slowly been planning how this venture is going to pan out.
I later found out that my repayment to my company for my bursary had already being completed in August 2010, but I still felt that October 2012 was an appropriate target.
So there you go. There's my story. One of illogical doubt, and so many failings in faith, but one in which the Author has shown His faith to be infallible, indelible and so reliable. That's why I'm going to go. That's where I'm going to go. That's the start.