"His name is Pastor Sylvio," and I was fortunate enough to hear him speak yesterday afternoon.
Pastor Sylvio is a Brazilian man in charge of an organization that gives rescued girls who were trafficked not only a safe home, but an opportunity for education and a future career. They started out with only one home and a very small school, but through sponsorships and persistence they were able to start a full school, from nursery to 8th grade levels, and it is now open it to street kids and poor families in the village areas as well.
When prompted with a question about how the organization is funded, he began by discussing the many sponsors they have, but eventually dove headfirst in explaining the ins and outs of the program. A few quotes in particular stuck out to me throughout his talk.
"Many times people ask us for our formula. We don't have a formula. We love, we care, we cry, we play...but we don't have a formula. We make mistakes but we try. It's not perfect." I think it is easy to have a systematic mindset about organizations in general, and even natural to think that formulas with results should be followed, but Pastor Sylvio does not think there can be a "formula," per say, when dealing with human emotions, stories, and frailties. To be so honest and aware that trying and loving is more important than perfection is something I've been processing. And I've been thinking about the things in my life I try to formulate that should rather be dealt with by faith, hope, and love. If only I could remember to "love, care, cry, and play" more often.
The second was in response to a question concerning the corruption in the Nepali government. "We don't escape the corruption. The government's hard. We don't know what to do. But we pray one of our girls will grow and become Prime Minister." Again, Pastor was so honest in admitting that even a well-intentioned NGO has difficulties sometimes. But to have the mindset to dream that one of their driven, intelligent girls can one day change that is hopeful and inspirational to say the least.
He continued to talk about dignity, and how "it's one thing to enjoy the grass between your toes and another to have no shoes. It's one thing to camp out and enjoy sleeping on a cloth and another to have no bed. And when you do have a bed, if that bed doubles as your place of work in a brothel, it's no longer a bed to you. When they come here, we give them a blanket and they say, 'This is mine?,' and we say 'Yours, forever. You can keep it till its end, till it's done.'"
The man's outlook and understanding of the organization can be characterized as humble, trusting, yet aware of the problems and improvements that need to be made, and putting the idea of dignity in that way left me with a sense of respect, hope, and thankfulness that someone like him has come half way around the world to do such ministry.
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