This week I (Dave) have been spending more time in the community and God has really opened my eyes to see things which I had previously not noticed. For example, there is a run-down park near the top of the favela and we have often walked through there to get to another place, sometimes stopping to pray and we have often seen people smoking drugs there. What we had not previously noticed is that a lot of the children actually buy there drugs there, in the bushes just the other side of a wire fence. So what we decided to do was stand a couple of meters away from the dealers and pray....they did not seem to like that very much as they started making a few negative comments amongst themselves about foreighners being at the park. But last time we went there they were not there!
What we would like is the drug dealing to stop altogether because it literally kills people....many people over the years. However, we would ask for prayer for good relationships with these guys because they are very influential in this community so if they have changed hearts, changed by the love of God, the power of the cross and made new with the blood of Jesus then the people around would really notice. May the Kingdom of God come into this community.
This Saturday the community development team ore organising a pastors breakfast with the intention of enabling the pastors to network together and start praying together for this commnuity. Exciting stuff.