In March of 2005, 40 women from the impoverished neighborhoods of the Cruzeiro district of the city of Santa Rosa, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, gathered at the Santa Mônica Mission of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil to create a small cooperative that would provide them with needed community, goods and, through a few ventures, a small income.
A few months later, in August and at the request of the local bishop, Jubal Neves, my mission partner, David Catron, and I took up residence in the Santa Mônica Mission (an abandoned railroad station) to serve the Episcopal Diocese's new social ministry. We stayed for two years, and during that time we helped to strengthen a community garden, a sewing workshop, and a micro-business of making cleaning products.
After serving poor and street children, off and on, in Rio de Janeiro for 3 years, we returned to Santa Rosa in June 2011. This move came about at the request of the women of the vilas (poor neighborhoods) we formerly served as well as at the invitation from the mayor's office. The community garden is still going strong and has even been expanded with the aid of the city government. This project has shown that the women are committed to growing food for their families and that community effort pays off, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
With the help of a grant from Franciscan Aid of Canterbury, England, we were able to purchase two large, 4' x 7', tables with benches to seat 20-25 people. The primary way we use these tables is to teach art and English to the children from the surrounding vilas. These are children without...resources, reliable parents (if any), food, someone who really cares. The space works great and the kids' behavior is much improved, in large part due to their being able to work in an organized, calm space as opposed to the chaotic, overcrowded environment used before. Still, we are operating at full capacity with 20+ kids both morning and afternoon. This is a mixed bag for me. There are a lot of gratifying moments opening the world of art and of foreigners to some of the neediest kids in Brazil; but working with kids has always been a challenge for me. God must know something I don't because it seems to be a consistent part of this call to mission in Brazil.
While serving in Rio, along with teaching art to impoverished children, we gave foot massage to the homeless community one day a week. This was a ministry I enjoyed--it opened up an opportunity to engage with the homeless in a more personal way, to offer them a form of relief, and to pray over them individually. Upon moving to Santa Rosa, we missed this ministry and sought a new outlet for it. We were led to the Lar de Idosos (old people's home), a state run facility for those who have no place to go due to lack of family or money. The home houses about 100 men and women, most being elderly, who live from 3 to 10 in a room. The facility is clean and the staff friendly but I was stunned by the lack of privacy. And I was shocked to learn we were their only volunteers! Now, on Wednesday afternoons, we journey across town to the Lar de Idosos to give foot massage. This, for me, is a gift because I enjoy both the giving and the getting to know some unique, interesting folks.
Our Franciscan Aid grant also included an allotment for installing a small "internet cafe" for the community. This is proving to be a slow process because we are undertaking it with care. It is a new type of endeavor for us and we want it be successful so we are spending time talking with local experts and watching for good computers in our price range. Sometimes I get impatient and want to get on with it, but in this case, I sense patience is a good thing and will pay off with fewer headaches in the long run. Or so I remind myself.
About 6 months after beginning our mission in Brazil, David Catron and I began writing a book that reflected on the intersection of the gospel story and our daily life in mission. The book, by way of daily meditations for a year, spans the four gospels and five years of our lives, some lived in Brazil and some lived in Catholic Worker communities in the States. The book is now available in electronic form from Barnes and Noble for Nook as well as from Lulu.com for Adobe Reader and iTunes for iBooks by the title, Don't Touch Me! Daily Stories of Gospel Relevance.
Our dreams continue to focus on our outdoor space, a highly public location consisting of large open fields. On the track-side of our railroad station, we hope to enhance the space with benches, tables, and potted plants on the platform. We have discovered some great outdoor benches made of "recycled plastic wood" and have already purchased two. The next step is to figure out how to secure the benches in place. And we have begun clearing the field where we hope to install a labyrinth. I found a pattern for a Santa Rosa labyrinth which seems most appropriate. This, too, is a slow process--as you all know in constructing your own labyrinth in Kalispell. We want the community full on board with us and this means taking the time to educate, to develop relationships, to simply sip chimmarao (shared herbal drink-mate) on our newly benched platform.
Another dream is one being revisited since 2005. The ladies who work the garden continue to clamor for a fence to protect the garden from cattle, horses, and the occasional thief, all of whom not only eat the produce but also trample the rows, destroying in double measure what the women have worked so hard to create. We are currently seeking funds to build a fence to enclose the two sides of the garden exposed to both two- and four-legged predators (the other two sides are bounded by our Mission and neighbors whose property does not permit access).
We remain thankful for the ongoing prayers and support of the Christ Church community. Daily, we pray for you and give thanks for your generosity. We always welcome donations to our work sent through the Christ Church Brazil Mission Fund.
In Christ,
barbara baumgarten
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