A couple miles off the main road, down dirt roads and a rail-less bridge, is Mussurepe, a small community of about 700 people. Originally formed around a large sugar cane factory, the community was devastated when the factory closed down about 15 years ago. Some people moved out, others work for large farm owners, some grow their own food, and the rest walk the long way to find jobs in other communities.
One of the poorest rural towns that Living Stones works in, many people from the community live in mud and stick homes, and have running water only half an hour every other day—when that doesn’t work, they bring in water with donkeys or wheel barrels. In town there is a school up to 4th grade, a Catholic church, and a health clinic.
Grandma Isabel, from a large city nearby, bought a farm in Mussurepe 10 years ago, and has been working to help those in the community, and build relationships with them. When she met Pastor Flavio in 2012, she asked him to use her farm to have a Living Stones program, and begin a church that meets once a month, often using her own resources to run it.
In 2014, the local public school started a whole day program, making it difficult to continue Living Stones through the week. But we are excited about the openness of the school to let Pastor Flavio (and anyone) come in an teach Bible studies at the school! We are excited to see where this leads us in the future.
We had over 60 kids and almost as many mothers spilling out of all corners of Grandma Isabel''s picnic shelter. Pastor Flavio brought the children from Cajueiro Claro Living Stones, who make up his worship team and mime team, to come and minister at Mussurepe.
Before Pastor Flavio preached, many women stood up to share how grateful they are for what God is doing in their lives--and to give testimony to some miracles that had happened in the community (health issues being healed through prayer). Flavio shared the parable of the wise and the foolish man, and then began to pass out Bibles to the children. But instead of forming a line and then giving them out, he called them one by one and challenged them: "Do you have younger siblings or know younger kids who can't read yet?" (yes) "Then you have a responsibility. Not just to read this Bible for yourself, but to read and explain it to them."
Afterwards, there was cake and games for everyone.
