In English it translates to “You are my child”. This has been said to me every time I’ve been in Brazil, multiple times and has come from multiple individuals, but I believe it all comes from the same source, the Lord. What has always followed after hearing this is an encounter with the Holy Spirit through the people of Brazil.
I want to share two of these experiences with you. The first experience was last year when a student fractured two vertebrae in his lower back. I remember going to the hospital with a translator and the injured student, but feeling this incredible peace. I couldn’t stop singing “You are faithful, God you are faithful.” I knew I was about to be blessed to experience the Lord’s provision for His people. After spending several hours in the Emergency Room, it was about 2 am and the hospital staff said that only one person could stay with the student. The translator had to leave and now I was going to be left alone to communicate with doctors and nurses in a language I could not speak…I still felt this unfathomable peace.
As the translator was leaving the head nurse asked him to translate something to us. She told us, “Tonight you are my children. I will take care of you as if you were my own…” She and the other nurses did just that. They took wonderful care of us and through charades we were able to communicate our needs. The Lord continued to provide over the next four days as the nurses changed and we were moved to different wings of the hospital. The Lord was so good to us! It will be a moment I will always remember.
On Monday of last week my team moved into the city of Porto Alegre to stay in host homes for a week. The first night I was in the host home the mother and father of the home told me “Tu es o meu filho”. That night began with us all sitting around the dinner table for 3 hours trying to communicate through my broken Portuguese and their broken English. We laughed and enjoyed one another’s company. Throughout the week we had worship nights, movie night, games, and lots of late night conversations. Through this family I experienced the love and community of the Holy Spirit. This family had 6 kids, 4 of them adopted. I watched them interact with each other. They cared for, served, and loved one another on such a deep intimate level. Even if we were not able to communicate at all I would have been blessed by how they treated one another and how much the parents loved each one of the kids. But the family’s love was not exclusive to one another, but included me. I was humbled by how much love they showed me and through their love I was reminded that no matter where I am, what I am doing, and whatever barriers there may be He will provide, He is faithful, and He says to me each day “Tu es o meu filho!”
-Daniel