Young missionaries from CLM Brazil bring hope to Igrejinha after floods

From June 18th to 25th, young people from the Christian Life Movement (CLM) of Petrópolis brought hope to the city of Igrejinha, Rio Grande do Sul, following the devastating floods that began in late April. For a week, they visited affected homes, participated in pastoral and spiritual activities, and provided support to the community.

It is worth remembering that the city of Igrejinha suffered flooding that affected approximately 90% of the houses. This tragedy was part of a larger disaster that has affected the entire state of Rio Grande do Sul for three months.

Our brother Dante Carrasco, who led this mission with the collaboration of the parish priest, Father Lucas Peres, commented that the main objective was to visit the homes most affected by the tragedy and participate in the spiritual and pastoral activities of the parish for a week.

“Living solidarity”: Meetings and training activities in the CLM missions

The group also held meetings with young people, children and couples, and offered training talks. Dante shared that “along with Deacon Craig Kinneberg, five young people from Petropolitan who are already part of Mission Brazil participated .”He added that this mission sought to “live solidarity with the affected people.”

The mission activities were planned, combining moments of prayer and meditation with visits to the homes of the most affected families. “We had several training activities with different groups of the parish, including young people, parents and parish leaders,” explained Dante. He also stressed that “the welcome was very good, both from the families who welcomed us into their homes and from the parish leaders.”

Experiences: “A unique opportunity to do good”

Deacon Craig Kinneberg also shared that these missions have been very refreshing. “It had been a while since I had been on a mission like this, and being able to experience it for several days was special. I met people who suffered greatly, but with deep faith and hope knowing that they are not alone at this time. I felt that our mere presence was very valuable to them.”

Gabriel Leite, one of the participants, commented: “Participating in the missions was a unique opportunity for me to do good without looking at who. I saw people who had lost all their material possessions, but were full of hope and faith in God. I heard several testimonies where there was always some intervention by God, and that was a great example of faith for me. The people I met will remain marked in my heart.”

For his part, Vinícius Macedo described his experience as one of the best of his life: “We found many people who are still suffering because of the tragedy. When we arrived, I realized that material help was already more advanced than emotional help. There is still a lot missing in this sense of welcome, encouragement and hope. Our group of missionaries was small, but very cohesive and efficient. As a Catholic Christian and as a psychologist, I feel that this has been a mission accomplished .”