The staff and volunteers at Expresso Riso visit hospitals as clowns and bring joy, laughter, and most importantly God's love and gift of eternal life to situations that seem bleak and hopeless. We were privileged with the opportunity to suit up and join them for 3 days of clowning (after an intense clown class, of course)! We didn't visit any hospitals but had the chance to go to a home for senior women who don't have families to take care of them, a school/hang out centre for kids in a favela, and a school for people with special needs.
Something that I will NEVER forget is the smiles [and the booming laughter that accompanied them] I saw on the faces of the people that we interacted with! Last Thursday when we were at the school for people with special needs we got to see the clowns at work in full force! The laughter and love that they spread throughout every classroom caused me to have a permanent smile on my face :) We were uncertain as to what they were saying to the students most of the time [because of the language barrier] but one thing was clear, they were affecting change everywhere they went! I was seriously challenged by this, being reminded to truly put others first and love them with the unconditional love of Christ... All the time!
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."(Philippians 2:3, 4 ESV)
And then to top it all off they shared with us at the end of last week that they were encouraged and refreshed by our joy! Okay... How about it should be the other way around!? I've just been absolutely humbled and challenged by the simple fact that we can encourage people and affect change just by living each day with intention and with eternity in mind. It doesn't matter what you're doing... Just do it for Him!!
Learning to love as He does,
Julia
