The awakening from sleep

In the Garden of Eden, I don't know what happened or how it was before, but one thing I know, it was a completely different world from what it is now. Maybe actually the opposite.

When they ate of that fruit, whatever it was, they enter into a dream sleep. They enter into a dream where they experimented fear, guilt and hatred for the first time. They started fearing God and running away from Him, insane fear of Love. They started being ashamed of their bodies and covering up, and they felt guilty. With fear came hatred, because whoever you fear you hate.

In other words, they died and didn't even realize. Now we still dreaming that same dream of fear, guilt, hatred sickness and death. It is just our imagination and it has no reality but that's what we perceive.

Jesus Christ came to wake us up, he sowed the seed of that wakening and the apostles did what they could, but along the way the truth was adulterated and a religious system was created to replace it. That wakening was pretty much covered with darkness again but the seed never died, it lived underground it kept sprouting up here and there along the centuries.

Now the Second Coming of Christ is the full wakening. We will wake up from that dream and will see no more death, no more time, no more fear, no more guilt and no more sin.
God is not angry at us, He is just sad for what we are going through but happy that it's almost over.

(These are considerations based on "A Course in Miracles")

What is Love? How can I forgive?

Lately I have been thinking a lot about love. Wow, I didn't know that love was so important. But of course it is, we were created by a Being called Love, so no wonder. If Love can create us imagine how powerful love is.
So, now, next step: How can I love? What is love?

I have being learning that we are all connected, and in order to energize that connection we have to love. How can we connect with others unless we love?

Then it comes forgiveness. When we forgive we love. But how can I forgive if I believe that I was hurt, or that I was deprived of something in my life that I absolutely needed to be happy? Huuum, how can I forgive? - Well, brother, that was an ilusion in your mind. 

There is also the religious christian forgiveness, "I forgive you because I am stronger that this. You did hurt me, you have no idea of the harm you caused, but you know, I am a christian and I forgive you"

What? No no no, that's not the way. I can't really forgive that way. I can just pretend I forgive, because that horrible remembrance will persist and destroy anything truthful and beautiful in me.

So -- and here it is what makes the whole difference and what heals the whole situation -- the truth is: YOU DIDN'T REALLY SUFFERED ANYTHING AND THAT'S WHY YOU CAN FORGIVE. There was no hurt involved. He or she didn't hurt you at all, and you didn't hurt them at all.

Only now by knowing this you can really forgive. Let it go, let the person go and set him or her free, and that person whom you forgave will set you FREE.

True forgiveness happens only when you know that there was no harm involved in the action. 

Real Freedom is Inside

• The biggest oppressors in this world are fear and hatred, which are pretty much one and the same because fear is the source of hatred. 
• The biggest liberators in this world are love and truth. 
• The source of fear are lies and illusions and of course the source of love is truth. 
• I was always a lover of freedom. Not the freedom of doing whatever I felt like doing, not the freedom of hurting others, not the freedom of hurting myself -- of that I had enough. But that is not freedom. 
• I am talking about freedom of fear, freedom to smile, freedom to be spontaneous without criticism from others or imaginary criticism in my mind. 
• I have been a seeker of freedom all my life.
• It's written that Jesus Christ said, You will know the truth and the truth will make you FREE! Wow, so where is the truth? The truth is the truth, and ONLY the truth is true. But where is the truth, where can I find it?
• It's written that Jesus Christ said: I am the Truth the Way and the Life. But everybody claims to have the truth, otherwise how could they have followers? But I know that Jesus Christ was sincere and if he said that, then he was telling the truth. 
• Fear, hatred and suffering are the fruit of lies. But lies don't exist, otherwise they would be true. So, if the lie doesn't exist and if fear, hatred and suffering are the fruit of something that doesn't exist then fear, hatred and suffering don't exist either.
• Hey, wait a minute, you say. "You tell me that fear, hatred and suffering don't exist? I see it everyday".
• You see it because you want to see it
• Take the first step to freedom

Consider the Poor (June 2016)

Twenty and nine children suffering from cerebral palsy forgotten by the busy world around them were rescued by a brave woman to a center to be taken care of. 

The fact that there are needy people around us, needy in their bodies, health or physical condition cause us to wake up to the real values of life and to consider how blessed we are. By giving and stretching our hands to others we receive, and thus our brother becomes our savior. 

We have the privilege and blessing of being able to contribute weekly with meals, meat, vegetables, juices and other products, thanks to the generosity of Woolworths Ilanga that donate these products on the verge of expiration date.

The small freezer full of good meat that will last, hopefully, for the whole week.

The door of the fridge with juices and milk drinks.

And the fridge with other perishables

Ennie, is the owner of this small NGO which she keeps at her own initiative and persistence. She was awarded with the promise (from a Mine Company) of building a new center with all the conditions to receive full time these 29 children handicapped by cerebral palsy.

Holland in our way to Portugal

Since we had to go through Amsterdam on our way to Portugal why not stop in Holland? It was the right decision. 

The five nights we spent in Holland visiting Silvio and Rute (Sara's daughter) and their 4 beautiful children were extremely relaxing and pleasant.

The timing couldn't be better because the kids were having school holidays for one week and the parents were on leave. Perfect!

On the train from Amsterdam to The Hague. The two girls (Zoe and Georgia), Sara and Rute

Spending a couple of hours in a beach restaurant for warm coffee and breakfast. From left to right, the kids: Senna, Georgia, Jayden & Zoe. Adults: Rute, Sara and Silvio

At the beach. Too early for swimming but great to enjoy

It's impressive the attention and care the Dutch people give to families, bicycles and nature. Very safe to walk and cycle. Children and pedestrian friendly environment.

May the 5th - a national holiday. A sunny and warm day. A fantastic opportunity for a family day out that the Dutch people took full advantage of. 

The Prodigal Son

In the story of the prodigal son we learn what really is God’s treasure and ours:

The son of a loving father left his home and thought he had squandered everything for nothing of any value, although he had not understood its worthlessness at the time. He was ashamed to return to his father, because he thought he had hurt him. Yet when he came home the father welcomed him with joy, because the son himself was his father's treasure. He wanted nothing else.

We are God’s treasure and He is our treasure. And where His treasure is there His heart is also. And where our treasure is there is also our heart. More and more we understand the mystery of this great love.

Prison Ministry

We continue to distribute food weekly now to a group of children 10km away from here.

We also keep visiting the prison (mainly Carlos). Actually instead of speaking to a group like before, we decided to choose 1 or 2 men that we visit regularly and focus mainly on them.

Now, that the main person we were following up (Rui) left the prison and went home to Mozambique, he suggested that we continue our visits to the prison to see 2 of his friends (Daniel and Agostinho), and that’s what we have been doing for the last 6 months.

Daniel went back to Mozambique last month and now it’s only Agostinho in the prison. Agostinho is a very likeable man, humble and meek. He likes art and sculpture, so last time we took to him all the materials and paint he needs to make his sculptures. He said that he wants to give them to us but we plan to sell them and give him back the money. We will visit him again next Saturday and let’s see if the art is completed. Looking forward to see him again.

News and Views - March 2016

Jenifer and Alan

Jenifer finished her high school and moved experimentally to Johannesburg to continue to study and practice what she loves the most: music and singing.

(Jenifer singing in a gathering in Kaapsche Hoop in August last year)

Alan is in the last year of high school and planning for and exchange student visit to Brazil at the end of school year. He has been brushing up his Portuguese that was rusty as ever. Both are optimistic about their future which is good for all.

(Alan in January this year on a outing to the mountains close to Swaziland)

Hurricane in the Fiji Islands

Last month and beginning of this, our prayers and attention were turned to the Fiji Islands (Pacific) although so far from here and 10 hours of difference in the clock. The reason for this was the hurricane Winston that devastated the Islands and was considered the strongest hurricane that ever hit land in south hemisphere. And why we were so interested in a so far hurricane?

Claudia and her husband in the Fiji Islands

Because Sara’s oldest daughter (Claudia) lives and works in the Fiji Islands as the general manager of a Resort Hotel. She called her mother's attention to the strong hurricane approaching the Islands and we started following the progress of the storm in the internet hour by hour.

Finally the storm hit with all its violence and the communication via cell phone, internet or any other way was cut off and for three days we had no news from her. We followed the news in the internet and started seeing pictures and movies of the devastation of 12 hours of winds reaching up to 315 Km per hour, wreak havoc in Island after Island.

Three days later she managed to get a hold of a satellite phone and called a friend in Spain to forward the message to us that she was well and all the staff in the hotel was safe but the hotel itself suffered a lot of damage.

<--- Picture on the left  Peace After the Storm

Except for the mattresses outside and all the mess to fix, clean up and dry who would say that one week before this picture it was all like a different world? - The sky dark with clouds, torrential rain and winds blowing at 300 Km/h.