Soup Kitchen in Brazil

Last December, I visited Abadiania, Brazil with my family to visit John of God's healing center. My sister, who had gone a couple of times before, showed us various sites in the neighborhood. One of our various neighborhood trips was to the soup kitchen on the other side of the highway from the healing center. This was where the locals lived, and many of them were poor.

John of God built a soup kitchen there where people could come and eat hearty soup several times a week. We visited it to see what it was like. I was surprised by what I saw. It was nothing like what I had imagined. I imagined a small little room that served soup on picnic tables. I was expecting a very modest place that was dim, basic, and all brown or beige in decor. After all, it was just a place to serve soup.

When we arrived, I was surprised to see a bright white and blue structure that was decorated with Christmas decorations. It was during the holiday season, after all. I did not expect money to be spent on such festive decorations. Walking inside, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful paintings that hung inside. The interior was bright and airy in the warm summer weather. How nice. It was the best soup kitchen I've ever seen.

Here are some photos of the exterior with Santa and his reindeers.

The portrait is of St. Ignatius de Loyola.


Here is a picture of the front door:

The interior as you walk in:



A view of the front door:

The window to the kitchen:

The most beautiful painting I ever saw painted of the Virgin Mary above the doorway:
Something that really surprised me was seeing all the kids in the soup kitchen. It's sad to think that children are going hungry because their parents don't have enough money to feed them. Hopefully this family has everything they need and is just supplementing their meals...

A little girl at the water fountain:
A picture of the actual soup that is served. It was very hearty and yummy. They didn't skimp on the soup recipe.


Inside the kitchen:

What surprised me the most about this soup kitchen was not only how clean it was, but after we ate our soup, we were given a tour of the rest of the building. There was a lot more to see! In the back of the building, there were clothes, food, and all the basic toiletries and necessities that families might need.

A kids room in the back:

The back area is quite large!

There's lots of food stored in the back! It's so neat and orderly!




Not only is there a lot of food, but look at all the clothes and how organized it is!


They even have soccer balls and soccer shoes for the kids!





Look at the toys!


Santa in the window!