SPRINT Brazil 2013

Our Host• AMAI (Associação Mennonite de Ação

Integral- Mennonite Association for Total Action)

• Works through holistic missions to bring the good news of the Kingdom of God

• Social service arm of local Mennonite churches

Our Host

• Previous teams worked with MCC• Ended Brazil program• AMAI continues much of work

AMAI

What We Are Doing

Recife, Northeast corner of Brazil

Urban setting: favelas of Recife

Interior: sustainable agriculture and water cisterns

The 3 R’sRelocation, Redistribution,

Reconciliation

Of Community Building

Relocation• Mathew 28:18-20– “18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority

in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Redistribution • Leviticus– “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath

sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.”

Reconciliation • Mathew 5:23-24– “23 Therefore if you bring your gift to

the altar, and there remember that your brother has ought against you; 24 Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

The Swinging PendulumIt is easy to go into travel

abroad and fall into the two extremes.

1. The tourist-missionary

3. Choosing to be disarmed

5. The fixer

“We want to fix things as people. As Christians, we long to bring healing to broken circumstances and to be instruments of God’s reconciling and healing work… Choosing to be disarmed is the only way to be present. Without the power and resources that could substantially change the situation, we can still be friends” Friendship at the Margins

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Choosing to be Disarmed in Brazil

“We are not indispensable and we are not saviors” Friendship at the Margins

The people we encounter will move us. Whether that is towards distancing ourselves from the complex issues of poverty among the farmer and communities in the favelas or to take on the role of the fixer. If we put down our cameras and hammers, and disarm ourselves to a truly vulnerable state, we can be in harmony with those we are building relationships with.

Opportunities: Preparation!• Assault on Paradise by Conrad Phillip

Kottak– Summarizes research findings of social

and economic change in a coastal village in Brazil (fieldwork from 1962-present)

• Gracias: A Latin American Journal by Henri Nouwen– Recounts Nouwen’s travels in Bolivia and

Peru– Explores questions of God’s presence in

the poor and the relation between faith and justice

• Gaining context for our trip

Opportunities • Relationships are the longest-lasting

– Projects act as a catalyst– Brazilian emphasis on relationship

• Cross-cultural engagement and learning– Both sides have something to offer, learn

• We serve a global God!– Known differently in different cultures– Reading through Luke