Samba, carnival, beaches? Whatever you've been thinking since the moment you read the word Brazil in the heading, forget it. It's not real for the average Brazilian. And it certainly wasn't the reality that I was faced with.

When I tell people that I spent a month in Brazil, they ask if I saw Christ the Redeemer. The excitement in their faces as they ask me how amazing Rio was, or what the favelas were like. However, this trip wasn't about Rio. It wasn't about the excitement and madness that comes with a famous city, eyes of the world upon it. This was about seeking out the unknown, the untold stories and discovering what it means to live in Brazil. In the North East. Paraíba, to be exact.

First impressions are usually pretty important, but they should never be allowed to consume the experience ahead. Brazil was no different. I landed in Rio and seemingly into the centre of chaos. 38 hours of travelling and a heat that made me want to jump into the Irish Sea probably contributed to the blurriness of those first few hours, but in that moment I was lost. And yet I couldn't afford to be... I had a flight to Recife to catch pretty soon. My destination for the next 2 weeks would be Juru, Paraíba.

JURU, PARAÍBA

We arrived in total darkness. The cobbled streets only identifiable due to the rockiness of the car journey in.

We awoke to the beauty of multi-coloured houses, carefully maintained cobbles and a sky as blue as ever. This place was simply the sweetest little town I'd ever seen. In those first moments, Juru had my heart. The joy to serve in this place was immense.

Our time in Juru was a mixture of madness and joy, leading worship in the church, endlessly struggling with the native Portuguese and having the opportunity to visit around 15 schools giving words, playing music and sharing in games with the kids we met.

Apart from colour, the other most noticeable aspect of Juru was the dryness. The air was hot, the ground struggling with thirst and the people desperate for a more sustainable supply of water for themselves. The lack of access to clean water is a major issue for the people all across the North East of Brazil and we had an opportunity to witness the reality of this first hand.

The top image in this section shows the pastor, our loving host in Juru fetching water, not from the tap in his home, but from a truck parked in the street. The Government of Brazil provides this water to the people, but unfortunately this isn't the service that it first appears to be. The people in the towns served by this water truck must pay for the privilege. This in turn has made the locals fearful that criticism or dissent against the government could result in them losing their water access. This is not said directly, but when your water, the very essence of life is put at risk, it all of a sudden appears a lot less important to be out on the streets protesting the gross injustices brought by the Olympics development programmes in Rio. This is the Brazilian way of keeping people quiet. And instead of proving sustainable solutions to the water crisis, the government are content to keep their people under-the-thumb of water politics at a time when democracy and the freedom to protest has never been more important. However, the people kept going. (More on this will come in part 2, including a message of hope.)

Apart from witnessing tragedy and the resilience of the people in Juru, I also had an opportunity to take in some of the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring scenery I have ever known. As I said in the title, Brazil is beautifully wild and nothing speaks to that better than the outback at sunset. The golden sun reflecting off the crooked land, the otherworld-like dryness of the landscape. The beauty of creation expressed in the land itself.

Juru was a place of grave injustices. A place that has had a hard time and faces increasing pressures everyday. So they should be lifeless and downtrodden, right? Not quite. There was something that prevented that: the Gospel in action. I was in Brazil serving with ACEV (Evangelical Action). This is a growing movement in Brazil that is spreading the Gospel of Christ but it is doing so with action. The Juru ACEV is a small church, perhaps around 40 people in total, but it brought life to so many in the community. Small time football projects and teaching served their community so well. They have remained faithful through the most difficult of times and remain so today. It was such a joy to join them in what they were doing and to witness the incredible love and dedication they have to their community and their conviction in telling others about Jesus. They served God in such a beautiful way and it was my pleasure to be part of for 2 weeks. I left Juru with a heavy heart, because it was so full. I couldn't bring myself to leave this place.