Suggestions to Overcome the Controversy (of the Olympics)

2016 Olympics begin this Friday! And I am in Brazil! Even though I am as far away from the Olympics as I was when they were in Atlanta  (I was in Indiana in 1996), I am exited about them--and holding my breath. I will be posting a four part series to lead up to the Olympics (Overcoming Controversy, Olympic Information, Global Citizens, and About Brazil).

First, there is NO controversy about the cute little man in the picture above: that is my friend's son, and he is holding the Olympic torch! The man next to him has an amazing tennis ministry, and was chosen to run the torch through his city, which was on the path to Rio. Apparently, they let you keep a copy! Since you can easily read about all the controversy on the Internet, I will instead give you my perspective on it, as someone who calls Brazil their home.

My friends getting to hold the Olympic torch is really the only cool thing that has happened with the Olympics so far. We live far enough away from Rio (like Indiana to Florida) that it isn't talked about much. What is talked about is the corruption and ALL THAT MONEY (4.6 billion dollars) that was thrown into the Olympics rather than education or other long-term solutions. Here are the main controversies:

ZIKA 
I had Zika. We live in the WORST part of the Zika outbreak, and I can tell you it really is not that bad. Unless you are/want to get pregnant. Zika is now in the USA (Florida) as well. I did lots of studying about that, and here is what I have to say:

Suggestion: Pray for the pregnant women in Brazil (and all over the world), and help provide for Zika kits (including bug repellent and mosquito nets) when mission trips come. 

DIRTY WATER/TRASH

Swimmers are worried about swimming in Rio, and people are shocked at the trash. This is a daily issue for us. After swimming in a lake here, I got some weird rashes. Pollution is not properly taken care of, normally because of corruption/someone using the money to line their pockets (in the private or public sector). When 41% of people (in Northeast Brazil) live in poverty, they are trying to survive, not find the nearest trash can. Recycling has had a big push in Brazil, but it is still not part of common culture. 

Suggestion: check out the work Living Stones does with children who live at our local dump, and begin praying for them, making a difference one child at a time: 

BUILDING/VENUES NOT READY

Pictures look pretty bad. The comment from an American athlete was that things were great--but sad because there was no "Pokemon Go." Some of this is just #firstworldproblems, but some of this is real, and disorganization can cause a lot of stress. We have seen this in our own construction projects with World Renewal Brazil: 

Suggestion: build gratefulness for all the things we do have, and pray for the Glory Sports ministry building that will make a difference for so many kids! 

POLITICAL CORRUPTION

You don't have a history of hundreds of years of pillaging and taking from the people/land and then suddenly change. Brazil is missing a good system of checks and balances that limits greed. The Brazilian president, Dilma, was impeached (kind of). She is out of office until it is officially proved that she broke the law, and the hearings do not begin until November. 

Corruption extends it's reaches all over the place. One of the main problems we regularly have is teachers/police/public service jobs on strike because they are not getting paid. 

Suggestion: Please pray for God to do a mighty work in politics (hopefully, you are already praying this!) Truly, there is no other place we can see so clearly that only God can change our hearts/lives and make a permanent difference in how things are run. trying to be "good" or "better"or change policy just doesn't cut it. 

VIOLENCE

I have been to Rio, and laid out on their beautiful beaches. I stayed at a lovely hostel and ate glorious street food--all as a single woman traveling alone--and was safe. But many of my Brazilian friends who have visited Rio have been robbed in some way. The police have threatened to go on strike during the Olympics, and then there is ISIS. Safety is a big issue. 

Suggestion: let us remember that no matter where we are, our security is in Christ. Please pray for the safety of everyone involved in the Olympics, as this is a time of people coming together, and there are many who do not want that. 

CONCLUSION

I am holding my breath because I want the Rio Olympics to be a success. I want people to see Brazil as I do: a beautiful amazing place with incredible people. I cringe at the idea of people looking down on us with their #firstworldproblems. But mostly, I am excited about the opportunity it gives to groups like Athletes in Action who are putting on community festivals all over Brazil around the Olympics--and reaching kids for Christ: 

Brazil does one thing better than anyone else I know in the world: celebrate. Please take time to pray for Brazil while you watch the Olympics this year. There is a lot to work on, but there is much to celebrate!