By ANN staff

Thousands of Seventh-day Adventists in Brazil have offered drinking
water, religious literature, and hugs outside the 12 stadiums hosting the FIFA
World Cup.

With the month-long tournament ending next Sunday, local
volunteers have started to report figures for the “Hope Brazil” initiative to reach
out to international football fans and tourists.

Here are some highlights:

• In São Paulo, volunteers used an Adventist church a few miles (kilometers)
  away from the Arena Corinthians stadium to prepare 500 meals, which they
  distributed along with water and religious books. Adventists distributed about
  100,000 books at Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport in
  Guarulhos and in metro stations.

• In Porto Alegre in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Adventists
  distributed 60,000 trilingual pamphlets with Christian messages and information
  on connecting with the Adventist Church online. Volunteers distributed
  pamphlets near the Beira-Rio stadium and at other tourist attractions,
  including the Gasometer, Redenção Park, and the Brazilian Navy Park.

• Adventist youth took to the streets on June 14 to offer football fans hugs,
  words of encouragement, and kits containing religious materials.

• One of the biggest impacts was made at the state blood center as several
  groups of 60 people each packed the venue to donate blood.Local New Time Radio reported on the
  activities of the “Hope Brazil” initiative and invited listeners to join the
  2,000 volunteers working on the project.

• In Salvador in the northeastern state of Bahia, 30 Adventist volunteers from
  the Pituba Adventist Church distributed some 2,200 books on June 14 at the
  Deputado Luis Eduardo Magalhas International Airport.

• Near Arena Amazonia in Manaus, 1,000 Adventists distributed 50,000 books on
  June 18, 22, and 25.

• In Brasilia, about 130 Adventist young people distributed books on June 21.

•  Even though the city of Juiz de Fora in the southeastern state of Minas
  Gerais didn't host a match, Adventist youth donated blood and distributed
  leaflets.

• In Rio de Janeiro, young people donated 200 units of blood on June 14. In a
  symbolic gesture of the cause, 4,000 people formed a large “drop of blood” on
  the field of Olaria Atlético Clube stadium. On the same day, 300 Adventist young people distributed books, hugs, glasses of
  water, and information leaflets in front of the Maracanã
  stadium. The next day, June 15, 40,000 books were delivered on the beaches of
  Copacabana and Leblon. Spanish-speaking tourists received the book in Spanish.

With reporting by
Andréa Figueiró, Andréia Raquel, Dina Karla Miranda, Felipe Lemos, Ionara
Wichinheski, Jéssica Guidolin, Lucas Rocha, and Vanessa Lemes.