banhocheiroso

Yesterday it rained all day. Today it looks as if it might do the same. This is unusual in Florianópolis. They were talking about a possible second cyclone hitting the State, like the one we had a few weeks ago. A freak weather occurrence. You didn't hear about it? Well, there was a lot of debate about whether it was a cyclone or a hurricane, but there was definitely a tornado which caused a great deal of damage, made thousands homeless etc, though few people died. The tornado didn't reach Florianópolis, but we did have an incredible amount of wind and rain. The rest of the State was in shock, and the Government has granted emergency status and funding towards rebuilding, but the financial losses, in terms of businesses shut down and job losses, have been substantial.

More worrying than this was the statistic on the local news yesterday that a man shot dead in another district not far from ours was the 52nd person in our region to be murdered since the beginning of this year. Recent official statistics said that the rate of homicide in Brazil has increased 130% over the last 20 years. This in spite of what some people call "revival" happening in the churches. An article in the magazine "Superinteressante" questioned why the rapid growth among the so-called evangelical churches has not produced the sort of social reforms that came as a result of Luther's reformation in Germany, and the Reformation in England. A good question. And a reason to pray that the real gospel would make an impact on the hearts of the Brazilian people.