Back in 2011, when I was here in Portugal on TREK, one of the tasks our team was assigned was to clean-up this new space the Massama church had acquired. This space was located right next door to the existing church, but previously to it being in the hands of the church it was a butcher shop. I still remember the first days of us cleaning and scrubbing dried blood off of tile walls and floors. The smells of that building are permanently etched in my nose!
After months of scrubbing and pouring chemicals down drains in attempt to remove any lingering stench, we ended our 8 months here proud of the work that was accomplished. The space had been transformed.
Last summer when I returned on the ACTION team, it was neat to see how the space was being used for various ministries. I hardly recognized the place.
Now, another year later and the Espaco has experienced further transformation. The space is now being used as a second-hand clothing store for the Massama community. It has taken numerous hands to transform that space - a true community effort.
Yesterday, the community of Massama gathered after the worship gathering to dedicate and celebrate the space, the ministry of the second-hand store and the people working there. It is my prayer the presence of God would dwell in that space - that all who enter there would feel welcomed and experience the presence of God in a very real and tangible way. May there be genuine conversations and relationships built within those four walls.
Butcher shop to kids ministry space to a second-hand store. The journey has been great. I can't wait to come back next year to hear the stories and see what has become of the space.
