Porto Alegre is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. Rio Grande do Sul borders the state of Santa Catarina to the north, Uruguay to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Argentina to the west. The Gaucho's (people from Rio Grande) are known for their love for cooking barbecue. And here in Porto Alegre there are dozens of churrascaria's (restaurants where the waiters bring around the meat rotisserie style. Even Pizza Hut serves the pizza here rotisserie style! The sunset is is amazing as it hits the Rio Guaiba. If you have a chance to visit, please do!
Gaucho's are also famous for being more Gaucho than they are Brazilian. Their culture is a stark contrast to the rest of Brazil. It is to me: a different country of sorts. Unemployment is very low, there's more formality to everything and even the weather is different-yes we have all four seasons of the year here.
Most of all, what I see here is more like America though than the "rest of Brazil". People here live to work and whereas in northeastern Brazil people work to live. There is also a strong German influence here. I truly do not know why, but the as Christian church as gone dead in mos Europe it seems that way here, too. Whereas Christianity in Brazil as a whole is growing like never before.
The tree is definitely not ripe for the picking. But it is my belief that one day it will be. My family and I have come here to plant seeds of salt and light to a place that seems, at times, so dark. Porto Alegre has more Atheists, Spiritists, and African based religion (Candomble, Macumba) followers per capita than any other capital city in Brazil. This is a place that needs prayer for a spiritual awakening that that only Jesus can bring! Please join me in prayer for this city, Porto Alegre
