Since the quarantine began, I had the idea of bringing some of my contacts together and allowing them the chance to introduce their undertakings, thoughts as a major aspect of a commitment to other people during this quarantine, through the world of social media. This idea has led me to interview my friends and other contacts from a range of different backgrounds and parts of the world such as: Brazil, Israel, USA, Mozambique and Angola.
As I began interviewing them weekly, I began receiving positive feedbacks regarding the initiative which had urged numerous of others to be open to new cultures, new ideas and roused by their compassion, purpose and confidence. I’m happy to state that, these live meetings have likewise impacted the crowd to do likewise: to be creative, expand their horizons, carry on with their projects and even to remotely approach new contacts, welcoming them for a live meeting where they could share their goals.
For each live meeting, I have made a title featuring their perspectives and interests in like manner.
10/04/2020 A Live Session of Sisterhood & Celebration
My first interview was with a Lara Maia, a lawyer student from Formosa – GO who had imparted her encounters to two distinct ventures: one that had sent her to a very desolated country city in the the State of Piaui. Her participation in the project involved giving sweets to children, praying with their families and empowering them.
Lara’s second project is an idea that she and a friend had organised two years back while seeing that numerous youthful grown-ups from their urban communities didn’t have a spot to celebrate NYE’s, let alone a company to spend that special evening. Since then, they proceeded with this project offering many young people a place to stay, celebrate, eat and make friends during NYE’s. This have attracted many young adults from other cities to come over and join them all. This has contributed immensely to them emotionally as they were all embraced with welcoming attitude, delicious foods, games, music and a wide range of other individuals to meet.
14/04/2020 A Live Session from the Holy Land
I have been fortunate to meet a couple of young jewish Brazilians who have chosen Israel as their ultimate home. They have imparted to us their affection for the Holy Land, the way of life, customs and the contrasts between Brazil and Israel. They also shared with us about their project called Israel na Caixa (Israel in a box) a project that promotes a cultural experience exchange via the post.
The costumers purchase a box of normally Israeli treats, nourishment, customary enrichments and cultural items delivered to their door. The project envisions sharing the traditions from the Holy Land and customises the boxes as per the extraordinary jewish celebration that is on. Their other project is teaching Hebrew for Portuguese speakers, which also promotes culture.
21/04/2020 A Live Session about Seeds
In 2013, I was honoured to become more acquainted with a project called Skate For Jesus. The project was established in the early 2010s, in Queens, New York by Diana Rodriguez. On Diana’s interview, we learnt that the project assist skaters with getting to know love, expectation and put their confidence practically speaking through the expression of God. .
The gatherings occur in a skateparks in New York and pull in numerous skaters that are encouraged, prayed upon and most importantly, feeling loved. Diana had also joyfully shared with us stories from varied occasions at the time that they were gathered in the skatepark and others came nearer to discover what was happening. Every so often, Diana and her skate team bring snacks and tea to share during their gatherings. Skate for Jesus has also grown in other part of USA, such as Ohio.
01/05/2020 A Live Session about Faith
A year ago, during the tragic occasion brought by the Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, I became more acquainted with Raimundo, the organiser of a cause project in the city of Dondo, known as Casa de Missoes (House of Missions). The venture is very much organised with a school and church that instructs and urges the youngsters to learn and develop in confidence and solidarity. Casa de Missoes’ project is near my project in Dondo as well and connecting with them was the best thing that occurred for I became increasingly aware about their undertaking at that point and discovered that they were raising assets to get food for the individuals affected by the Cyclone Idai. Thankfully, they have managed to get 4 tons of rice and share with the locals.
This year, because of the pandemic of the Covid-19, numerous families lost their positions and are confronting starvation, once more. This moved Raimundo’s heart again to raise assets to help 400 families in the city of Dondo and I went along with him in this purpose. So as to introduce this initiative to the world, I welcomed him for a live meeting, where he shared to us about his life in Mozambique and all that he has been doing to the development of its kin. In the live meeting, he additionally presented the adopted children of his. His sons played and sung to us beautiful tunes in their local dialect. From that point forward, we have been cooperating effortlessly to raise more assets and provide food to the families in need over there.
04/05/2020 The Lockdown of Endless Adventure
After reading many articles on the web about anxiety and fear during the lockdown, I had the initiative to invite the lovely and professional psychologist and therapist, Alessandra Arevalo who is a specialist in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to talk to us in a live session.
Alessandra has offered us valuable guidance on the most proficient method to deal with our tension, stress and fear at home. She has additionally featured the significance of knowing the contrast between social seclusion and social distancing which numerous individuals are getting confounded nowadays and numerous others are enduring a result of it.
Probably the best counsel that we have learnt with Alessandra was right off the bat distinguishing our uneasiness and putting it in our brains as a subject. At the point when we recognise it, we can converse with it as a strategy for remedial exercise, facilitating the pressure and taking control over it.
We also learnt that during this lockdown, many elderly and infected individuals are facing prejudice due to the health guidelines. However, this has provoked them fear and sadness when they ought to be treated with with love and care, still under the health and safety procedures as per the WHO.
In conclusion, Alessandra has helped us comprehend that discussing about death, which is an untouchable subject for some individuals, can be additionally useful while dealing with our emotional and psychological struggles.
It was great to learn from a professional that our psychological and wellbeing improvement comes when we talk about the subject without dreading it, but showing authority over it.
It was definitely a very enjoyable, learning live session to us. During the live session, some people began sharing their emotions and worries with her and they received a brief advice on that.
It was very rewarding to see that happening in a natural form during the live session and it has been very joyful to me to learn that, despite of our fears and personal issues during this pandemic, these lives sessions are being so inclusive and beneficial for them.
06/05/2020 Brave New World
Since my other live sessions were covering topics such as cultural exchange, giving other the opportunity to love and be loved, gaining mental and emotional control, learning from the hardships that many face in poorest areas of the world etc, I have thought of including a spiritual and reflective session as well.
Pastor Samuel is a good friend of my family who I have known for numerous years. He is a lawyer, Pastor, a amazing guitar player and a great lead model. I have welcomed Pastor Samuel to share a word of encouragement in the midst of this chaotic circumstance that we are living.
The Brave New world title is related to our future state which will demand us to be brave to face the new world that will be awaiting for us when the pandemic ends.
Then, Pastor Samuel brought to us not just a message of courage but, hope taking from the reflective passage of the gospel of Matthew, chapter 6:25:
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? *26*Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? *27*And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? *28*And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, *29*yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. *30*But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! *31*Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ *32*For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. *33*But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. *34*“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
On the off chance that God can care for the feathered creatures, the grass in the field and everything else that coincide in this colossal universe, what wouldn’t he accomplish for us?
God’s will is to make us feel loved and cared. A clear example from the scriptures is seen when Adam and Eve sinned against God and this immediately withdrawn them from his sight. Meaning: fear and anxiety are products of sin. The Garden was beautifully created for their survival and enjoyment but, the wish of becoming independent made Eve sin against God. However, through the power of the cross, we can still find true Hope and Love. God wants us to be confident and free from anxieties, fear and whatever hardships we have.
He calls us to put all our trust in Him and He guarantees that He will never leave us. The same God that provided bread from heaven for the people of Israel in the midst of the desert, can provide us everything we need! This pandemic has not changed the course of nature, the birds are still singing, the grass is still growing, this pandemic has not changed God! He is still in control. The circumstances won’t change who God is but having God in our life, will change the course of our life stories.
This message transmitted through this live session with Pastor Samuel has been hugely encouraging to all of us.
11/05/2020 Exploring Joy
In this session, I had the pleased to speak with Simone Roncada who has lived in South Africa, Mozambique and Angola. She has shared with us about her life experiences when living in these countries and the lessons that she has learnt when exploring different cultures, customs.
The first lesson is living a day per time. Seizing the day. Not expecting or planning things ahead. This shows us that life in these countries are so valued that expecting more than what you already have is not ideal under their circumstances, because for each day there is a miracle to celebrate.
The second lesson is about joy. Those people were always smiling, always up for sometime dancing, always welcoming and happy. This teaches us about gratitude. How many of us live expecting more material things, a new car, a new house, a new tv… when we should all be thanking for all we have. And how many of us still murmur and complain about the things we have not yet accomplished? This message calls us to be humble, to live a day at time, to be thankful despite of what is happening around us and with us.
The third lesson is knowing the other face of the African continent. The media and magazines seem to come quite often with topics that sell a different view of it. We see poverty, misery, we almost find it so extreme that our eyes can not forget it. It is shocking, we all know that but, there is also positivity. There are amazing beaches, there is a very rich flora, fauna, culinary and not to mention their people, that are incredibly happy.
The forth point that Simone has brought is that women in these countries are extremely strong, physically and emotionally as well. This teaches us, women living in a completely contrasted reality that, technology along so many other facilities definitely help us to get on with our routines; they are are essential however, knowing your own strength, either physical or mental is very empowering.
11/05/2020 Anxiety as a Friend, Creativity as a Key to Resilience
In this live session, we have learnt with CBT Alessandra Arevalo that anxiety is a good stimulus for us. This is taken from the term good stress, something referred to eustress which keeps us motivated and excited about life.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and is beneficial in some occasions for it alert us to dangers and help us to act with more attention. However, Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness for they involve excessive fear or anxiety.
During the live session, the Therapist has highlighted that being creative is a key to resilience during this pandemic period.
Anxiety can be a tough thing but it is also a fuel, an energy and once we can channel that anxious energy to our ideas, that is the magic key to healing our frustrations or moments of boredom.
We have learnt in this session that, in the midst of feeling high anxiety or fear, stress, it’s incredible that we can still create something and that’s resilience!
13/05/2020 Casa de Missoes, 400 times
Casa de Missoes has finally reached 77 packs of rice to donate to the family in the city of Dondo, Mozambique. We have been working together to raise funds to get the packs of rice and distribute to the 400 families that are in need of food.
In the live session, they also emphasised to us that it has been hard to get help from people as they find it difficult to believe in their project. This demonstrates to us how tough it is get help for people who are facing misery and famine.
The live session has turned out really good, having the presence of his adopted children who have played and sang to us. They have also presented the joy that we heard about on Monday, from Simone’s recounting.
On the next Monday, Raimundo and his sons will be distributing the food to 77 families. They will take pictures and make videos to make this memorable to those that have donated.It will be posted here as well.
A massive thank you to all that took part of this amazing project that has surely encouraged growth in love, in faith and in every cultural aspect one can imagine. Thank you to my faithful followers that were always participating by sending requests and questions. I am super proud of having accomplished this project and I’ll pleased to come back with some more wonderful people with wondrous surprises!
Much Love,
Ticiele de Camargo
Ticiele de Camargo 