Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When I was fresh out of college, I was privileged to spend 6 months living with my friend's family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My friend had a great, close, and loving family that did special things for each other. For example, she told me about how her mother would help her pack her belongings to leave for school in the US, and how she would hide little slips of paper with encouraging Bible verses on them in her clothing for her to find later when she arrived at college. It was this family that offered to let me live with them and find ministry opportunities at the same time.
This family basically "adopted" me as their very own and took care of me in so many ways. They included me in all their family life, even trips and vacations. They just took care of me as their own daughter. Especially the mother, Dorisa. Dorisa took me everywhere with her: to the market, the church, visiting friends. She showed me how to shop, how to ride the bus, how to figure out landmarks so I would know where to get off the bus (which was very hard for a country girl like me - every building and street corner looked identical). She spoke very slowly so I could understand her and basically taught me Portuguese. She figured out what foods I liked and made sure she prepared them. She taught me proper manners Brazilian style. She found ministry opportunities for me. She was this wonderful person and just a mother to me. She made me feel included and like one of the family. I didn't call her Dorisa but "mae" (mom). She even helped me pack my bags when my 6-month adventure was done.
The adventure was finally over and I was headed home. At the airport I admit I broke down and cried to leave this Brazilian mother. I don't think I realized till later all that she did to help me, and how she loved me and treated me as her own. I left feeling very sad to say goodbye and very thankful for my Brazilian family, especially Dorisa. Later when I was back in the US, I was talking to a friend and just happened to put my hand into the pocket of my jeans. I felt something and pulled it out. There on a slip of paper was a Bible verse in Portuguese. Dorisa had done the same thing with me as she did with her own daughter. She had put the little verses of encouragement in with my clothes. She was a special lady, now in heaven...
I was thinking about all this recently and seeing how similar it is to what God has brought about for us. He has, through putting us into Christ, brought us into His very family. He has adopted us and treats us as His own. He has even gone a step further - through the new birth we have been re-born as members of His family. We really are His own children through Christ; we truly belong in His family! He loves and cares for us just as He loves and cares for His own Son! And we share in all that the Son has! He meets our every need and takes care of us in every way. Wherever we go, He is with us every step. He has included us in every way in the family circle, and He has brought us to share in the love relationship of the Trinity itself. And He puts little love messages everywhere in our lives for us to find and rejoice in, just to say, "I love you, My child", just as Dorisa did with me. He is so good! What a wonderful family life we have in Him! We're part of the Divine Family forever, never to be excluded, with no possibility of being rejected. We're home forever in Him!
With love,
