At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! Luke 13:32-33

In my last post, I mentioned that things in the streets were getting worse. Robberies and theft are a frequent occurrence. Brazil has higher rates of homicide than most of the countries going through a war. However, now I see that I spoke like the Pharisees in today’s gospel reading. They were not being hypocritical this time. No doubt everyone dreaded and despised Herod for being a dangerous and malicious leader. Most likely they were genuinely concerned for our Lord’s welfare. They were right in warning Jesus. However, they forgot that our Lord is not one to allow circumstances to dictate His purpose.

In the same way, I have been looking at the negative changes around us without realizing that this does not actually make any difference for the Good Shepherd. He came to seek the sick and not the well. Growth in criminal activity, persistent pandemic, and increasing political unrest is not going to stop the healing and casting out of demons. Jesus will achieve His goal in the streets. Therefore, we need to be attentive; not only to what is happening around us but the things God is doing in the places where we live. Our Lord is not into showmanship. He does not like the limelight. He is a subtle Shepherd. Therefore, we need to pay careful attention. There are many good and wonderful things happening in the world. Yet, for those who want swift justice and peace, the actions and presence of Jesus will be inadequate and perhaps even distracting. In other words, God works in His own time and space.

Camila sent us a message this week. It has been a long time since we heard from her. Some may not remember her. She was actually one of the first homeless teenagers we met when we came back here in 2013. All we can remember was that we spent very brief moments with her before she was arrested for theft. She spent most of her teenage life in the juvenile detention center even though she did not commit a serious crime. The major problem was that she is an orphan and there was no place available for the State to send her. As soon as she turned 18, she was released and became determined to get her life on the right track. We always randomly ran into her over past few years. Every time she was so happy to see us and remembers our times with her fondly. She claims that we did much to help her. It was not exactly true. In fact, we can hardly remember anything of our times together. Somehow, she saw something in us and we are forever grateful for it.

Camila has always been a fighter and very proud young woman. It took her a while to receive any kind of help from us. We had to explain to her that we needed the help of many people in our lives before we could be on our own. Therefore, she shouldn’t feel like a failure to receive help from us. Fortunately, things are going well for her after a long uphill battle. She is a squatter in an abandoned building. She has a tiny room which she shares with her two year old child. Unlike most of these occupied buildings, she has to pay a small fee. The place is organized itself into a movement that is fighting for the government to provide affordable housing. I visited her place once. The place is not in a great condition but it is clean. The movement managed to secure a small number of apartments in a local housing development. The apartments are not free but they are subsidized by the government. They still have to pay a high price for it but it is divided into affordable installments. Priority was given to single working mothers and Camila’s name was selected. When she told us the news, she could hardly contain herself. She said that she knew that God will answer her prayers. There is still a long battle before her but she is a fighter.

Camila found a steady job but her employers are underpaying her. She expected it but she also realizes that this is how things work. She knows her objective and she is not going to allow these unscrupulous people to get in her way. She is getting the experience which she needs. One day she will be able to find a better job with a fair salary. She also shared with us that she was almost robbed one day. She was walking with her child and a young man about her age tried to steal her mobile phone. She confronted him and told him that he should be ashamed for stealing from a single mother with a child. The guy returned the phone to her and told her that it was too cheap for him. Camila laughed and said, “I left that life behind me but I am not going to be victim for someone like my past self.” She was into crime for a very brief period. She despised it. She allowed the circumstances to dictate her choices back then. Now, she tries her best to listen to the voice guiding her in the straight and narrow. She gave us a big hug and rushed off to pick up her son from the public daycare center.

When we got to the streets where the children and teens were, Guilherme approached us. There are few teens with this name. I have never spoken about this particular one before. We have known for him for a while but he has been in and out of detention centers. Despite his actions, he does have an open and kind face. He is a divided person. There is goodness in him but he allows himself to do the things he does not want to do. Guilherme wanted to know if we were an NGO. I told him that it was just us, Mary and Stephen. We were not an organization but I was curious. He wondered if we could help him buy a portable cooler. It was a strange request. He explained that he was planning to sell bottled mineral water at stop lights. He thought maybe this could be a start towards the right direction. He does not want to be involved in crime anymore. He said that he was aware of the long road ahead of him and he is determined to take small steps each time and eventually God will help him get there. We told him that we will take these steps with him. We made plans to buy the cooler the following week. Next day, Guilherme brought another young man, Josiah. He wanted to do the same thing and asked for our help. They said that they needed three coolers altogether. “Three!” I blurted out. Josiah quickly added that they were not expensive. They asked me to follow them because they had something to show me. They managed to get some money together to buy several cases of mineral water. To my pleasant surprise, the third cooler was for Kawanna. We have seen these three sitting together in deep discussions for weeks. We were always a little concerned because we thought these two were bad company for Kawanna. However, it was clear now that they are trying to figure out a way to get out of crime. Kawanna thanked us for offering to buy the coolers. They found a place to store their bottles in a fridge and they can start selling once we get them the coolers.

As we left, Guilherme asked us to keep praying for them. They want to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd calling them back to walk in the right path. They are finding means and ways on their own. They are working out their salvation. Yes, things are heading from bad to worse but this does not change anything. Jesus is still healing and casting out demons in our midst. Perhaps not in the way the world expects. Jerusalem wanted the prophets and servants of God to do things in the way the city desired. However, God acts according to His own will. He leaves the ninety nine in search for the one who has strayed. The city expects Jesus to do something spectacular for the ninety nine but our Lord is wandering in the wilderness looking for the one. Things are bad but God is still actively healing and comforting His sheep. We just need to look for Him in the right places.