Back in 2017 whilst I was working for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) a colleague and I received an invitation to attend a Ministry Conference in Sau Paolo, Brazil.

2017 proved to be a tough year. My right hip had been playing up for some time and had become extremely painful and after several scans and x-rays, the hospital had decided on hip replacement surgery. Right in the middle of organising that, my kidneys decided to generate some stones which, made the pain from the hip seem like a walk in the park! Anyone who has ever experienced pain from kidney stones will know exactly what I am saying!

Surgery on the hip was scheduled for after the Brazil trip, so with this in mind, my wife sue was not at all happy at the prospect of me taking a 14-hour flight, and to be honest I was not relishing that part too much, myself.

On the positive side, there was an opportunity to attend a very important conference plus we might also get a chance to see some of Brazil itself.

I had always fancied a trip to see that huge statue of Christ The Redeemer and my colleague Steve had a hankering to see the famous Maracanã football stadium and the Copacabana beach – but all of these were the best part of 300 miles North West of Sau Paulo, in Rio de Janeiro.  So, Steve came up with the idea of taking a flight to Rio a day earlier to take in the sights which would still give us time to fly down to Sau Paulo.

We arrived late in the day in Rio where we had booked rooms for the night, with our ‘day out’ planned for the next day. I had arranged with Sue to call her when we had arrived in Brazil and I was able to call her that evening to let her know how things were going. So far so good, if a little tired and not a little stressed out over a run-in with our taxi driver who tried to rip us off with the fare from the airport to the hotel.  We gave him the 100 Real (about £12.00) we had agreed with him at the airport, but he insisted “No, no. price is 500 Real.”

Rio really is one of the poorest and run-down areas I have ever been to and not at all as glamorous as it is depicted.

The next day we set off on our site-seeing adventure in Rio.

We managed to get see both the things Steve wanted to see but only got within about half a mile to my choice - the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

Anyway, the Copacabana beach was fine, but just a beach and the Maracanã football stadium was closed to the public and so a waste of time.  We just saw the horrible concrete outside of it.

We had travelled by bus to get there but I spotted the Maracanã Metro and suggested why not get the train back?  We had put money on travel cards and it covered the metro so why not?

We travelled as near to the hotel as we could which was Central station.

“It's a ten-minute walk to the hotel from there,” says Steve. By now I am completely shattered and my hip is very painful and not keen on another walk but at least it deflected him from his next idea of going to visit the Olympic Stadium.

So, when we arrived at Central Station we started to walk and we walked and walked......and walked.

“Google maps say this way.” says Steve.

“No.  Turn, Turn.” says the Policeman we checked with. But Steve knows best and we go the Google maps way.

“This doesn't look right,” says Malc.

“Yes, this is the way,” says Steve.  “Up here and turn right.”

'Up here' looks even less right, with its concrete barricades across the road, ghetto music booming out of rundown buildings with rather dodgy-looking young Brazilian men outside.

We turn right.

“No, this is definitely not right,” says Malc, realising we are now entering one of the many Favelas – not the safest places to visit in Rio.

“Just up here,” says Steve.”

As we approach the top of ‘just up here,' there is a machine gun painted on the white-washed wall in front of us, with a no-entry sign painted in bright red above that less-than-inviting image.

“No, that's it,” says Malc.  “We are going back and getting a taxi.”

“I think you are right,” says Steve.

At last!

We headed back through the dingy streets that took us into the centre of the Favela. We later learned there are no other ways out of most Favelas except the way you go in (thanks, Google Maps) and when we finally reached the Taxi rank by the station, it was with some relief, and we headed back to the hotel.

I do remember Steve commenting, once we were in the taxi, that as we walked back through the Favela nobody really took any notice of us.  And he was right (the only thing he had been right about, that day.) The Lord had clearly blinded their eyes to our presence so we could get safely out of that rather intimidating situation. But it was a scary experience, to say the least.

We are not called to test the Lord, and I knew exactly when it was time to turn around and go back. Steve was a little slower on the uptake and if he had suggested just checking Google Maps once more, at that point I can assure you - he would have been on his own. And he would have most likely gotten shot.

By the time we got back to the hotel, I was almost unable to walk and had become dangerously dehydrated. To add to the misery the Hotel could not find my passport, which I was certain I had handed to them the evening before when we arrived. I called the travel insurance company for assistance and it looked increasingly like they would have to fly me home without it and of course, cancel my flight on to Sau Paulo and the conference – the whole reason we had travelled to Brazil.

It turns out that amid the confusion and the row with the crooked taxi driver, that the hotel staff on duty at that time, had put my passport in a safe place, just not the usual safe place and it was eventually found. Phew!

Nice day in Rio? Nah!

Needless to say, I never mentioned anything about our little ‘adventure’ to Sue when I called her that evening but waited until I returned home. I also confirmed that I would never want to visit Brazil again and Sue was very relieved to hear that.

Jesus already knew the perilous situation that we would find ourselves in when we went to Brazil and He made a safe way out of it. The Lord Jesus always makes a safe way out for us, from any perilous situations.

Do you find yourself in such a place in your life?   Seek Jesus and His salvation.  He will answer your prayer and He will rescue you.

Maps and well-meaning people may lead us into bother at times but you can always put your trust in Jesus.

Do you know the safety and the eternal security that the Saviour wants to offer you?  You can!  Find out how right here.

 

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