We've misdefined Freedom

Urban sprawl
The thing about Urban violence, is that you lose freedom. The people here in the North East are a little more used to it, and perhaps don’t have the same experience as I have, but the loss of freedom is incredibly frustrating but it has taught me that dependence on others, and the kindness of strangers is ultimately a gift. We are not created to be singular individuals. But we are very much created to live in community. Let me explain myself a little better.

In Scotland, I lived about 20 minutes relaxed wander from town, or from work. If I wanted to get a cheap flight home, I would walk to catch a 4am bus to London. I would frequently return from Glasgow or Edinburgh on the last train, which arrived at around 1am into Aberdeen, and I would walk home. I spent hours alone in church in the city centre during all hours. We would camp beside lakes and wander in woods. We would catch buses and jump into roadside taxis. Our schedules were planned around eating times, or work, or cinema times, or perhaps around the opening hours of the carpark at Union Square. We get to dictate our schedules. Of course, there are some limitations to this with regards to bus schedules or depending on where exactly we live, but in general, we have control over our schedules. We have freedom.

The reality of Scotland (and many other European countries), is very different to that of Brazil.  Each and every day here we hear more and more about government corruption and the rise of violence, although Brazil is technically free from the oppression of the period under a dictator, the legacy lives on in the way that the government has been shown to handle the resources, and their distribution through the vast country, thus being the catalyst for the rise in violence and poverty in the North- East. This situation has developed into a loss of freedom for the citizens here.  In Recife, we don’t build our schedules so much around exactly what we want to do, but around the things that we can possibly manage in the climate. There is no walking home from 20 minutes away for me, at any time of day, but especially not after dark. There is no coming home off a train at 1am. There is no going to gigs on my own, even the Ubers are ultimately dangerous. Everyone lives with a small level of anxiety daily. My church is 2 bus stops from my house, but the buses are being held up at all times of day as well, there is no escaping the consequences of poverty in this city, for anyone, but especially not for someone quite as foreign as me!

I was hit with this in particular since I met my Finnish friend Siiri. Tomas and I were going to a meeting at a local school to see if we could partner with them to help the youth in the local community near the school. As we walked into our meeting, and Tomas presented me to the owners of the school (this is a private school next to a poor community), when he presented me as a Finnish missionary, they were very excited, as it turns out, they had recently accepted a Finnish exchange student, a teenager from near Helsinki! There are not many Finnish people in Recife, if at all, having two in the same neighbourhood is a one in a million chance. The fact that she lives, literally on a street perpendicular to that of Tomas, means the odds are even more crazy! The school asked and I offered, in the same breath, that I would take some time to look after her.

One of the first things that Siiri mentioned was her annoyance at losing some of her independence. From her home, she can see the school that she attends, but is unable to walk to school. First because her host family would not allow it, but then more lately, because when she did try to walk home she was harassed, and she no longer feels comfortable doing it. For two girls from Finland, it’s very hard to not be able to walk to school, or work, or to the shops on your own. Our loss of freedom has made us dependant.

But here is the thing about dependency, it’s not all bad. In fact, through dependency on others I believe that we reveal a part of the nature of man which is good, and through dependency we can actually have our needs fulfilled in a way that we would not be able to do for ourselves. Those who know me, know that this is a favourite topic for me. That it is for community that we were created, and that it is in community that we ultimately flourish.

Here in Brazil, you rely on the kindness of friends, family and strangers is how we survive through the day. I am at the mercy of people to drive me around, to get from place to place. Yes, I can get a bus or an Uber, but those do not always function when we need them too. Having said that, I have had one or two wonderful Uber drivers, who have been worried for my safety more than I have, who have given me tips and tricks for how to stay safe, and have given me contacts for people who can help me. I rely on people to help me get to know my surroundings, to help me kill the mosquitos in my bedroom, to look after me when I am sick. 

As a society, we have been moving towards an existence where we try to do everything for ourselves. In many places, if we are in need, we may go to the government looking for help in some cases we go to our family although this is more acceptable in some cultures and not so acceptable in others. But, generally we try to resolve our problems for ourselves. We read self-help books, we start new fitness regimes, we buy into pyramid schemes, and we believe that if we try hard enough we can find our own success. Ultimately though, we are limited. We can’t fulfil all of our own needs. We don’t all have the same talents. We don’t all look at the world in the same way. We even have different body types and passions, and upbringing and education. We are not the same, and we were not made to be. We were made to live in community. The Bible speaks of this in particular when speaking of the church. That we are like a body and we need each other to function best.

When you lose the liberty/freedom to do everything for yourself and you learn that you have to lean on those around you, you begin to notice that you function better. Community around it does not take away from you, it doesn’t make you weaker. It makes you stronger. I barely ever eat alone here in Brazil, if I need something, I don’t even need to voice a necessity sometimes before someone is trying to help me. If I am ill I am taken care of better than I could on my own.

Learning how to function in community, learning how to support others as well as allowing ourselves to be supported also helps us realise how much we depend on God, and how this dependency leads to freedom. We are not our own Gods, we are fragile, and temperamental, and weak. God is none of those things, and we are able to rest in the knowledge that he cares for us, and has given us access to community to help care for us.  But it means becoming vulnerable and allowing for that care. For me it was easier here, because the situation makes me vulnerable, for those who are in a less complex situation, it may be harder, but give it a go, I promise it will pay off.

P.S. Quick update: We had a lovely Sunday at church this week, with two of the boys who have been released from FUNASE come and join us at church. I was able to visit with one of the boys at his home this week and meet his family. Please keep praying that we can help these two families in particular, of Henrique and Emerson. 
This is the street that Henrique lives on
On the downside, one of the boys that we have built a relationship with at the Funase, also recently was released, but instead of coming to seek help from us, he went to help himself, and was spotted by two of the girls from the team, sniffing glue and trying to rob people at a bus stop. It’s not all happy stories.





P.P.S – I bought every possible mosquito killing, repelling and petitioning product I could find (at some cost!) and have only been waking up ONCE a night in the last couple of nights. Sleep has come back! Thank the Lord.

P.P.P.S Here is a fun photo of our little dude. He makes me smile. My Brazilian Bestie.

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