A glimpse into the New District

Youth doing outreach........

Last week, was our third week of the youth doing street outreach around different parts of Maues. This time we were in the ‘New District’ (Bairro Novo in Portuguese). This is where we want to buy land and build another school and get a foothold into this area.

Thursday night was a great night and really highlighted the need and dangers of this area. We set up a flood lamp on a street corner where a couple from the church live and have a ‘cell group’. The format was very simple, praise, worship a word of testimony, prayer and an appeal. Rebeca was uncertain as to what kind of church support we would get, as this district is one of the furthest from the church building and one if not the most dangerous. But we were pleasantly surprised when many people showed up to help and support.

The area where we set up is the last street of that section of the neighbourhood and is a very ‘active area’ with young guys passing with ‘stones’ (crack wrapped in small bundles) in hand. People coming into the area to buy, many young girls coming and going.

Some of the guys who were setting up the flood lamp and some balloons were questioned as to who had given them permission to enter ‘their area’. Later on in the night a young man came up to me presenting himself as the ‘head’ of that section of the district. He was high on drugs and sniffing glue as he told me that he was armed (though this was apparent due to the pistol in his waist band). He also wanted money, though I refused him explaining why we had come and what we were about. Many of the neighbourhood came out to participate and listen and when asked if there were any who wanted prayer, many raised their hands. A lady committed her life to the Lord and was introduced to the couple who live in the area.

On the Saturday night at the ‘cell’ group six people came along to the ‘cell’ group as a direct result of the youth’s street outreach.

On Sunday we got a reminder again of the constant gang and tribal warfare that we often don’t see (because we are in bed!). The lorry picking up people to go to church stopped off in one district before going into the Barrio Novo, unfortunately it was stoned as the people crossed unwritten boundary lines from one district into another. This is a very simple reason to go into an area, because many of them can’t venture out without fear of reprisals, beatings or even being murdered.