While in Brazil my friend and I were fortunate enough to be introduced to an angel. We had some time one afternoon and we decided to seek out some peace and balance, what we got was life changing. After searching for some time we came upon a convent/Catholic school atop a beautiful peninsula with breathtaking views. We knocked on the iron gates and we were met by an elderly woman, one of the resident nuns, who we attempted to converse with in spanish and badly spoken and very limited Portuguese. She was kind and patient bringing us through the gates and into the property and ultimately to the superior nun. Following our attempt at introducing ourselves and explaining why we had come there on that day she took us by the hand and began walking us around the grounds. As she spoke to us about her relationship with God and the work she does with the local homeless children that live in the streets we were overcome with a feeling of peacefulness and serenity as well as an awakening of a passion and desire we were unaware that we possessed.

The children of the street that come to her daily have nothing, they are born into abject poverty without parents to care for them. Children are brought to the convent daily and while in her care the nun tries her best to provide all that she can in the form of education, food, love and most of all faith in God. She spoke of the children, of nature and of her love for God, she was passionate and committed. We realized then that we had to do what we could to help the children of the streets.

Since that afternoon with the sister, charity has become essential to our beings. Im not referring to charity born from guilt that I ‘have’ and they do not, that type of charity is passionless and short lived. Charity brought on by guilt is unsustainable, lacking stability and concistancey. Charity born from guilt of the mind is not charity at all. True charity comes from the heart, the soul and is a passion for the cause which lasts forever.

While there that day we never saw one child, it was after the children of the street had gone. However, we never needed to look into their eyes to see their tears, to hear their voices to know they cry, or see their mouths to watch the little smiles that the sister brings out in them during their short time with her.

There are children all over the world just like the children of the street we almost met one day atop a peninsula in Brazil. We will continue to try and help as many as we can for the rest of our lives.

Thank you sister.