A Very "Nasty" Outreach

WARNING: I received this email (below) while I am here in the USA looking for more sponsors and partners. The content of this email was sent from one of our students in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It’s raw, in real-time and filled with real pain and will be essentially unedited. Please focus and capture the conflict raging within Eli-Ruama’s heart as our team went out again to the streets of Brazil.

With her permission I am sharing this with you, hoping that it demonstrates why your prayers and financial support is so crucial to our work in Brazil. We are not taking lightly the training we are providing – the world can be a very nasty place… and that is exactly where God has chosen to establish Master's Commission Brasil.

Holding nothing back,
Pastor Richard

---

Hi PR (Pastor Richard),

Tonight we went out again to pick up trash...it was about 7 p.m. when we left. We wanted to see the nightlife and meanwhile do community service by picking up trash. After all that’s what Jesus called us to do. When we left I prayed this would symbolize a prophetic act. Not only clean the streets, but also clean the hearts of the people that we passed. To impact and change the history of this place; this city.

PR, I am so sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we went out, as you know a beautiful team, with huge dreams and hopes of changing something in our lifetime. We began to pick up anything and everything we saw in front of us. Pastor Joshua planned out our route – what streets we were going to clean. There were a total of four people on my team and while were picking up trash a guy walked out of a bar and asked us why were we doing this. “I see that you are all young”, he said. He excused himself because of me and Adriana (we’re girls), and said, "I know I was drinking and sniffing in the bar, but I was a Christian once, and seeing you guys, so young, and you ladies made me remember how it used to be!” I asked if we could pray for him and he said yes, but he was a little embarrassed because he didn’t want anyone to know that we were praying for him. I asked Bruno to pray for him, and He did. It was awesome. And now he agreed for us to pick him up on Saturday and he will go with us to church. WOW!

We kept going and started cleaning in front of the prostitution houses.... LORD JESUS!!!!!!! OH GOD..., PR it broke my heart...I can't stop crying until now, and when I got home I went to pray and I cried to God about it, but it hurts me so much. As we passed the many prostitution houses, men were walking in and out like they were going into a grocery store. Not one or two, but like 10 and 20 men at a time. It was unbelievable how many men were going in. I am so sorry for being so descriptive right now, but I can imagine how many times those women, some even teenagers younger than me, every night are objects of sexual pleasure to those disgusting men. They weren't even ashamed to leave their wives and families at home to come hurt, abuse and scar those women. PR they walked out of those places smiling and laughing like they just left a soccer stadium and their team won the game. GOD PLEASE FORGIVE ME, because if I could, I would kill them all...I hate them PR....that’s all I could think of. My whole body began to shake, I was so angry.

I continued to pick up trash. I feel fortunate to have had wonderful guys from our team with me. In the terrible environment I felt protected. But sadly I could only imagine how many times those women and girls feel scared and unprotected. ...Oh GOD!!!! I was trying to fight back the tears. But my body couldn't handle seeing all that was happening... Funny because some of the people on the team said to me, "Don't cry now", or "I don't like to see you like this, cheer up".... PR tell me, HOW IN HEAVENS NAME CAN I WALK AROUND SMILING AFTER SEEING THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPENING AROUND ME? Are we supposed to accept this as normal? Please explain this to me!

When we returned to the house one of the staff came to talk with me and I burst into tears...I couldn't hold it anymore, and thankfully I knew he wasn't going to think that I was weird for crying. He asked me how it was on the streets but I couldn't say anything, I could only cry. He said, "It will be ok" and all I could say to him was, "NO IT’S NOT!!!!!" In my mind those women and girls were all still there. Those filthy men were still going in and out of what I hate to call the "sexual abuse house". After a while of mumbling through my tears he finally understood why I was crying and encouraged me by saying that God was breaking my heart by what breaks His. “This is only the beginning of knowing God’s heart.”, he said. After that I went out for a prayer walk and asked God to reveal His heart to me, because I desperately want to know his heart. I enjoyed my time with Abba (God) and He helped me work through my feelings. He’s good. And Now I feel like that song that Brook Fraser sings called Albertine where she sings, "Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead"....

So that is my story for tonight...I am very happy to be able to share this experience with you. I feel like the Holy Spirit is doing His work in my life... and please don’t worry – I’m not going to go back and kill anybody, but I will definitely be praying very differently from now on.

Hurry Back to Brazil – Love you!!!!
Eli-Ruama

I am gonna start crying again!

Today we had a feet washing service .WOW...I am gonna start crying again... WOW! God does some crazy things...

You know when we already know so many things in theory, but in reality they just don’t sink into our hearts? Well, this morning Pastor Joshua talked about how we have a "they" in our lives to help us remove the stone so Lazarus can come out... (John 11:38, 13:4) and He said that what stood out to him was the THEY, Mary and Martha, didn’t need to remove the stone alone... and that there are things in our lives that stinks and smells really bad, like Lazarus. After all, he had been in the tomb for four days....

He explained how God wants to remove those stones, those rocks, and those barriers, and that He wants to bring us out of dead situation. And the best part is that we don’t have to do this alone. As a spiritual family, we need to be the "they" for each other...WOW!

I've always felt like I needed to be "perfect"; that I needed to help people; to be there for them – but I didn't allow people to be there for me. And many times I've been frustrated because I wasn't able to overcome so many personal weaknesses. And adding to this frustration I would think that I was hopeless and felt helpless. I felt like if anybody helped me, it would be like I was being a burden on their time. I didn't want people to worry about me. I didn’t want to be "another problem for someone to solve". And now I can see how I transferred this to God...I didn’t want to be another problem that God needed to solve.

I have always loved to serve Him, but I didn’t want Him to serve me. In my head I know that it brings joy to His heart to serve me, but I figured that I needed to walk alone or "solve" (heal, overcome hurts) myself, alone. But at this moment my reality has become, I can actually trust the people around me. This reality has taken a huge load off of my back. I feel light and safe in my MC family.

Thank you so much Pastor Richard for not giving up on MCBrasil, because of your perseverance and obedience, my life has been changed. - Love, Eli-Ruama

It’s as complex as it looks!

With some degree of risk I took this photo inside one of the biggest, most dangerous and complicated slums I’ve ever been in. I was “hiding” when I snapped this shot because camera-carrying Gringos are not necessarily trusted or welcomed in this world where police seldom drive through.

Last week with part of our MC team, we utilized public transportation to get an inside look at this slum community where city officials estimate up to 160,000 people survive everyday.

It was complicated trying to wrap my brain around living conditions that are surrounded by opposing gangs, sewerless streets, windows without glass and doors that maybe shouldn’t be called doors. Bouncing inside the bus while trying to reconcile with my brain and emotions what my eyes so clearly saw, I wondered how in the world could I effectively describe this to you?

For Master’s Commission Brasil, this world is our classroom. From this difficult reality are we working to help transform the lives of young adults willing to learn about themselves, about our amazing God and a global responsibility to love and serve people living in unbelievable conditions as reflected in this photo.

The reason why I’m attempting to describe what is undoubtedly impossible to describe, is simply because it is your financial support and prayer that makes Master's Commission Brasil work. Without you we’ll be heading back to the suburbs.

Thanks for helping us stay here doing what we do. You and your loved ones are very welcomed to visit. We’ll make sure that you do the bus ride that we believe will change your life.

Some missionaries do their own laundry

My mom should probably get all of the credit for my ability to do my own laundry, especially since it was her idea when we were growing up as children; and that includes teaching us how to iron, sew and cook too. Thanks mom!

So if any of you who think we’re living an easy life, think twice! – But then again, maybe some people are thinking we had to go down to the river to do our laundry. If that were the case, there definitely wouldn’t be a photo of me doing it.

Now, if any of you feel bad that we've got to do our laundry by hand, would you also feel bad enough to prayerfully consider helping us replace the washing machine that recently broke down. Then we won't have to do it by hand anymore! Simple, huh?

Saying Goodbye, Goodbye and Goodbye

Saying Goodbye again doesn’t get any easier the second time, we recently learned after visiting family and friends in the United States. And it certainly wasn’t any easier saying Goodbye to Rebekah, daughter number three, who we left behind for her first year of college.

It had been exactly two years since we had all of our precious children together in one place, and after enjoying a few days visiting Washington, D.C., we said Goodbye to our oldest daughter Randi who is on a serious job hunt after graduating in June with her masters in Sociology. She stayed. The rest of the family said Goodbye to her and traveled on to California.

Jocelyn and I feel fortunate to have spent three wonderful days in San Diego with daughter number two, Aravis, who recently graduated with degrees in Journalism and English Literature. Because she enjoys the climate and culture of San Diego, we were forced to say yet another difficult Goodbye.

And in order to say Goodbye again, we spent the evening before our departure at my mom and dad's house with family and friends. Jocelyn's mom was there for another opportunity for us to say Goodbye again. There were lots of warm embraces and Goodbyes that evening.

Also traveling with us was our granddaughter Sadye who is growing and changing faster than we can comprehend. – We had to say our Goodbyes to her with Rebekah at the airport. And speaking of Goodbyes, just moments before we boarded our flight, my mom raced to the terminal with a fresh batch of homemade cookies. Yummy! But again, more Goodbyes... these Goodbyes came with tears.

We are learning by experience that saying Goodbye will probably never be a cherished word in our vocabulary. Not in English, nor in our second language, Portuguese, “Tchau”. – There’s something about saying Goodbye that just doesn’t fit right. Goodbye. Geez… that word doesn’t have a warm-touchy-feely feel, does it? Goodbye.

And although it wasn’t our final Goodbye, we also said Goodbye to Gustavo, 20, a former street boy who spent his teenage years living in a house for ex-street children in Belo Horizonte. Gustavo entered Master’s Commission Brasil in the same month that we arrived and has matured to a point which enable him to travel with our family. Because he has worked hard to learn enough English to effectively communicate in most circumstances, he was able to enjoy an extra three weeks in the USA with former Master’s Commission students who have previously traveled to Brazil with us. – That was a great Goodbye!

Can Squirrels have high blood pressure?

It’s at least 5am and I am sitting on the edge of a bed in Washington, D.C. watching a squirrel dance from limb to limb with effortless ease in an ancient oak tree. As I observe his squirrely antics, I wondered to myself, “What’s that little guy thinking about while he bounces about with what appears to be a gentle grin on its face,reflecting the joy of the Lord?” – I wonder, do little guys like my friend the squirrel inherit stuff like mental disorders or high blood pressure, because from the window I’m looking through, a squirrel’s life looks a lot easier than mine.

As for me and my siblings, high blood pressure was a condition that was genetically and generously passed on at birth…. for us there was no need to work hard for it to show up; it’s always been there like a shark circling in the waters waiting for its moment to strike its prey.

And so here I sit on the edge of a bed at the crack of dawn with my blood pressure slightly elevated, staring out the window at a squirrel and wondering if he or she knows it has high blood pressure. – Thankfully my family does NOT have a history of mental disorders.

But on the serious side (and the bit about the squirrel was definitely serious), I do suspect that at this moment my blood pressure is elevated most likely because I was laying awake trying to work my way through what feels like a gazillion details for continuing the growth and expansion of Master’s Commission in Brazil. There’s no doubt it’s a daunting project and thankfully in the two years since arriving we have experienced wonderful and exciting progress. But, there is still so much more that needs to be done. Yet, in contrast to the enormous needs, we can also remember the many people whose lives we can point to as proof positive that good things are happening. The favor of the Lord has indeed been with us.

Finally, in the physical realm I must continue to effectively manage this curse of high blood pressure, and unfortunately it’s deciding to stay with me. And in the spiritual realm with the continued prayers and sacrificial financial support from family and friends, we are going to continue our efforts to express the love of God to as many people as we can…. and hopefully we can do it with a similar sense of ease as my friend the squirrel.

Please read Matthew 6:19-34

3 Moore Graduations

If you’ve not heard much from us in the last few weeks, it’s because Jocelyn and I have been very busy celebrating 3 Moore graduations in 3 different cities. – We are tremendously grateful for the Lord’s help and provision for our oldest three daughters, Randi, Aravis and Rebekah.

Randi, who will be 25 in July, just graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Masters degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Women’s Studies. Immediately following her graduation, she and our soon to be seven year old granddaughter, Sadye moved to Washington, D.C. where Randi is pursuing opportunities for writing public policy concerning international rights for women and children. Randi’s long-term goal is to return to South Africa and study for her doctorate in the same discipline.

Aravis, 22, graduated Magnum Cum Laude from the Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego with a dual major in Journalism and English Literature. For almost the first time in her life, Aravis is experiencing the freedoms of life after college. She called me the other day and said, “Dad, this is the weirdest feeling having the afternoon completely free with nothing to do.” I encouraged her to enjoy it while it lasts, because life won''t often slow down anymore.

Aravis and her three college roommates have all agreed to hang around San Diego for the time being and moved into the cutest 2-bedroom apartment only two-minutes from downtown. With the current job market already flooded with last year’s graduates, Aravis is wisely choosing to carefully survey her options before moving too far away from San Diego. For later in the year and beyond, she is considering relocating to New York or Washington, D.C. where she could better apply her trade in writing, as well as being closer to her sisters and niece, Sadye.

And finally there is Rebekah, 18, who graduated also with honors and as the Citizen of the Year by the Escola Americana Campinas. We are very proud of our “Bubba” who finished very strong in spite of changing horses in the middle of the stream (transitioning to an international school) without breaking stride. As parents we were obviously concerned especially for Rebekah who left Elk Grove in the middle of her high school experience. The Lord has certainly proven Himself more than able to meet our children’s needs.

Rebekah has accepted a tremendous scholarship to the American University in Washington, D. C. (there seems to be a “theme” for D.C.) where she will major in Communications and Film. One of her personal goals is to document with film the plight of Meninos da Rua (street children) in Brasil. Rebekah voluntarily added to her college application a short documentary on the life of one of her friends, Gustavo, a former Menino da Rua, titled “One Country – Two Worlds”. Her goal for majoring in Communications and Film is to create documentaries for Christian organizations around the world that are trying to bring to light the incredible social injustices especially to children and women.

Obviously we are extremely proud of our children and their hard work and determination, especially since we have relocated to the missions field. This has been both a very difficult, and at the same time, a very exciting season of our lives. Difficult in that Jocelyn and I have not been able to help our children as much as we have always thought we would, and exciting for being able to experience the faithfulness of God to our family. The Lord has sustained us in many ways, and in many of those ways He has used your life to bless the Moore Family. Thank you. – By the way, there are 3 Moore’s to go! Adriana, Sean and Chris. We most certainly still need you for “Moore”.