THE JUNGLE

Sao Paulo City, Brazil.

FAVELA

Sao Paulo, Brazil.

THE LOST HOTEL

Sao Paulo. Crackland.The living space of the Hungry People...

New Year of 2006, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL

Hungry People...
On the night of January 6th I met many of them.... When our team arrived on the street, my shock was minimal, but only because I had seen them before. It still made my heart ache.
The slim, tall and short figures were seen throught the whole street, standing closely to the street lights. Prostitues? Women? Men? Anyone would be puzzeled, the bodies were of women, or sort of women. The faces with very thin eyebrows and a weird twist in their features. Neither men. Neither women. But the eyes expressed pain of being lost. Tranvestites. Hungry People.
I have never met any tranvestites before, only drag queens. They are not just guys who like to dress up in ladies clothes. They are people so lost in their identity that they pursue the change of appearance and are ready for very extreme actions, like having silicon breasts and hips. But sexually they remain men. That leaves them looking deforemed, not real, without identity....
That night I was in God s hands. He led me through the conversations, prayers and talks. I was overwhelemed. What could I do? Did they even wanted to consider a change of their lifestyle? Did they even wanted to hear God s name? I could not speak proper Portuguese, just some Spanish... I gave my all to God that night.
And He surprised me. We walked from one guy to the other, asking if there is anything we could pray for. They all gave us their names, some even the real ones. Many asked to pray for their health, which I found unexpected. I guess they did not realy know what changes such prayers could bring into their lives. Amazing that none of them said, No, Thank You, Leave me alone.... Some of them, however were hungry for more.
I had two conversations that openned my eyes. I learned the truth of life of a tranvestite.
One man shared the desire to get off the street, so he could visit his mother. He missed her, and was afraid that she would not want to see him again. He missed home. He looked very tired of the lifestyle he had chosen. For any of them getting off the street it is very difficult. That means changing the way they look, the way they live, speak, behave, and get off drugs. For this guy it ment having the silicon breasts removed. He had already removed one, he still needed to earn money for the next one. Listening to it, I realized their struggles with such a simple decision.... get off the street.
The other guy I talked to in my broken Portuguese, wanted to visit the ministry house that is outside Sao Paulo and offers rehab and support with learning the new lifestyle again, life of a true man. He was scared that he will not be able to perceviere. I was able to encourage him, to share how God transformed my life. First he was sceptical, but then suddenly changed and said that he can see all that I am telling him, in my eyes. He talked with us for one and a half hours!
I felt the Spirit of God and His power upon me that night. God gave me the words of wisdom in the languge that I am not able to speak well, so I could communicate the truth with those people. I saw their hunger to be treated like human, to be noticed, heard, to be worthy of someone´s time... to be loved.

P.S. I wrote thgis not to judge but to speak out the truth.