Reflections from Copacabana

To celebrate our 32nd anniversary we decided to spend a couple of days in Rio de Janeiro / Copacabana beach. Rio is one of the most beautiful places in the world - the contrasts of nature are hard to describe – mountains mixing with tropical-warm-clear-water- sunny beaches make one wonder whether one has reached paradise.

But the contrasts and beauty of nature are challenged by a very different and sad reality: the social inequality visibly displayed on the beach.

Copacabana is the place for the rich and fortunate of Brazil and for the not-necessarily rich and famous from Europe or America. While you will not be able to get a hotel room in the Avenida Atlantica for less than $300 a day, the multitude of vendors selling ice cream, drinks, sun blockers, and bikinis on the beach may not make much more than $10 a day.

I felt a little depressed for a short while, but suddenly recovered from it when I thought that from those sun-burnt men and women there maybe the hope for this beautiful country. While the politics of this great South American nation is infested by corruption these little people were enacting part of the moral law built in our hearts: they were doing a day’s work for (less than) a day’s pay – they were not taking bribes, neither making up facts like many of the countries politicians and administrators. They were even ready to give us the right change for the few items we bought.

I suddenly felt also proud of them - Many of the vendors come from one of the poorest regions of Brazil: the northeast. How do I know that? By their accent, their darker skin, their easy smile, their tendency to too quickly engage the customers in conversations, their politically-incorrect-humorous remarks, and finally by the fact that many of them look just like me – that is the same region where I came from and long to return to with my beautiful blonde Dutch wife, who could have been born there if the Dutch had not left the Northeast of Brazil in 1654.

By the way, we also had the opportunity to share the gospel with someone who
after some conversation revealed a little of the family difficulties he was going through. He was very open to the hope he could find in Jesus. We prayed with him and referred him to a local pastor friend of ours.

Afterwards we thanked the Lord for the blessing of our married life and the opportunity to share it with others.

Thanksgiving and Christmas can be celebrated together.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Paulo and Adriana