Life in Santa Marta, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, is rarely predictable. There are days filled with laughter, community and opportunities to share Jesus, and there are days impacted by grief, challenge and heartbreak.
Yet in every situation, God is at work.
Recently, our Eden team in Santa Marta were reminded of this through a number of powerful encounters that showed the impact of faithfully sharing the gospel and being present in the community.
A life changed through a phone call
The team recently hosted an evangelism training session, equipping local Christians to confidently share their faith with those around them.
The very next day, one woman who had come along put what she’d learned into practice. She called her brother, who was in prison, and began sharing the gospel with him over the phone. As she spoke about Jesus, his love and the hope she found in him, something incredible happened.
By the end of the conversation, her brother had made the decision to give his life to Jesus.
It’s amazing that a training session on one day led to someone encountering Christ the very next. Stories like this remind us that when ordinary Christians are encouraged and equipped to share their faith. God can use them in extraordinary ways.
Bringing hope in the midst of grief
One evening, the Eden team were finishing a prayer walk through Santa Marta when they came across a large plastic sheet. As they got closer, the team realised the sheet was covering the body of a man who had died earlier that day.
Due to tensions in the community involving the police, the services responsible for collecting bodies were unable to enter the favela. The man’s family had been waiting for hours beside him, not knowing what to do.
In that difficult moment, the Eden team stopped, listened and prayed for the family. Even in this sad time, there was an opportunity to bring the comfort and compassion of Jesus and support those in their community with what they’re journeying through.
Known as Jesus-followers
Team members Felipe and Kyra have now been living and serving in Santa Marta for 18 months. Over that time, they have built relationships, become part of the community and consistently sought out to share the love of Jesus with others in the favela.
Recently, they saw the fruit of that faithfulness in an unexpected way.
As they were walking back to the Eden house, a man stopped them and asked where they were going because they were approaching one of the checkpoints that controls access through parts of the favela.
Before Felipe and Kyra could explain who they were, the response came back, ‘No, let them through. They’re Christians from the church.’ The team didn’t need to introduce themselves. People already knew who they were.
For Felipe and Kyra, it was a powerful moment. Not because it made life easier, but because it showed that their presence in the community was making an impact. They had become known as people who follow Jesus, love their neighbours and serve the community around them.
It’s a simple story, but one that captures the heart of Eden: moving into communities, staying for the long haul and demonstrating the love of Christ through everyday life.
Please pray for Felipe, Kyra and the wider Eden Santa Marta team as they continue to share the good news of Jesus. Also pray for the man who recently gave his life to Christ in prison, for the family grieving the loss of their loved one, and for many more opportunities to bring hope, comfort and the transforming power of the gospel to the people of Santa Marta.
Because whether through a phone call, a prayer walk or years of faithful presence, God is changing lives.
