Thank God for Friends!!!!!

On Friday my son had a field trip, and just before both Samuel and Leandro both had to travel, both of them gave the day to take the girls out and show them the city so I could spend some time with my sons class in the park... Later in the evening, we met at the very "top" of the city, at a place called, "the place of the Pope".



Theo and a school friend in the park...

Theo's entire class together preparing for their snack.

Meanwhile "the guys" were out getting to know Belo Horizonte, and the city park and a local museum.



Thank you Leo and Samuel for always being such a blessing! I know the girls had a "blast"! Keep an eye on the girls blogs! I know that they will have much to say in the days to come!

June 18, 2008 Girls in Nova Contagem

What a beautiful photo! The girls left yesterday with Raquel and went to this place called Nova Contagem... It is a poor governmental created slum of 80,000 people. When the population grew so much out of control, the solution was to make a new city and transport the people that had migrated from inner cities to cut down on over crowding in Belo Horizonte and Contagem. There were no jobs and no infrastructure .

There is a huge problem with drugs and violence, and it is like leaving Brazil and entering Peru or Mexico because it looks so different... Raquel now is the official social worker for the "Casa de Apoio" and she is in the process of visiting around 2000 families that are helped through the project. So Jeanne and Sarah spent the day visiting families and the project with Raquel.

One of the ways the families make an income is through becoming "slaves" by working in the local garlic pealing trade. They make almost nothing and force their children to work and not go to school and the acid from the garlic eats their finger prints away along with re-using the water from the washing of the garlic for every other thing in the home. It is a real sad situation that is being changed through the Casa de Apoio and their creation of a professional mechanized set up that they can come and have garlic pealed by machines... The "catch" is, they have to send their children to school... They also benefit by learning hygiene and are plugged into so many other resources, and most importantly the Gospel message...

Here in the picture above Sarah and Jeanne are at the Garlic project praying with the women and enjoying some fellowship together.

Jeanne and Sarah are doing a great job and they are learning more and more every day!

Tues. 17th at Vila PTO

In 1997 when I moved to Brazil, I began to work in this slum called PTO. After 2 years and an attack on our lives and our new course taken with Raquel in our family... Well I never thought that I would return to this place.

Jeane was invited to preach, and since Raquel is very connected with the church there she was going to take Jeane and Sarah, but I felt a real "peace" about returning. So many years have passed and yet there I was... Not just back at that same church where everything began, but with two women who want to serve Jesus with their whole lives! For Sarah to come from New Salem my home church... That just added to the emotion. It is a very different kind of church service than the typical services you may be accustomed to...

Don't be frightened! The bird was not trying to eat Sarah! Anyway, there is a huge art painted on the wall across from the church that made for a few moments of fun for the girls... Jeane on the picture below thought more about the sheep, not quite sure whether she was trying to rescue it from the giant Eagle, but they were having fun anyway... You get the idea.

You would be so proud of Sarah... She sang, she prayed, and she is making friends and loving people!
Then they ended the night with a group picture out at the wall... For a first day... I think she is being so blessed and being a huge blessing!

Sarah is here, Brazil watch out!

Straight from New Salem UMC, in North Carolina! She is excited and Wahoo! (she is speaking as I am writing...) The first day was "new" and enlighting, with much to learn, she is becoming passionate for the people here.

Tonight we will be going to Raquel's church, where Jeane will preach and Sarah will get a taste of what a Brazilian church service is like. Pray for Sarah that God will help her to know exactly what God would have her to do here and that she will be effective in reaching people. she has a wonderful heart and is "up to the task".

Weekend of June 13 - 15 "Water colored Ponies"

Jeane from California is a bit of a force of nature. She is a great artist and brought special paint from home to do something special for the children...


The children at Waterfall enjoyed the treat along with a lesson on "Taming the Tongue" and learning to appreciate the beauty of the colors in which all of us were created and to say good things about those differences not bad, along with nicknames and a few other differences that reflect character.
As you can tell, Brazilians are "painted" in the most magnificent colors!

This Week at Waterfall, June 8, 2008

Jeane in a woman from California that came to Brazil to Work with Street Children and the "Happy Child" ministry. She came to Waterfall along with Pastor Marcio and his family and her host family.


She taught the children about the "Prodigal Son" and the children learned that the father in the story acted in a way that they wouldn't have expected. It was interesting to hear their comments and to see them learn and interact during this lesson.

Next Week Sarah arrives! She is coming from New Salem UMC to spend a month and a half in ministry with us here. Pray for her, that she would have an incredible experience here ministering to people.

A Place for Us

You wouldn't believe how much the children at Waterfall get excited about riding in my car once around the block... They love the idea of "going places"... So we cram 10 children in the car and ride the equivalent of one or two city blocks, and the children wave to everyone. They love the experience! The children want to take turns honking the horn... We are a sight!



Lucas is the boy on the left side of the picture. I wanted you to see the picture of his "toy of choice"... A bit different from game boy or x box... But perfectly content...

we meet in the local town square and have been meeting here for the last 5 years or so... We would like to buy a house in this community. If we are able to establish ourselves in this place, the work will belong to the Baptist church of Florestal.

The government gave us a piece of land some time back for a period of 30 years... The draw back was that after that whatever is built would have to be returned to the government, not only that but that the Catholic church does not want us to be there so they put pressure on the government to revoke the land even now and not honor the agreement. Now we have the opportunity to buy a house there for 30 thousand Reais, which is about 16 thousand dollars. Please pray that we would be able to see this happen. We have a little over 6 thousand Reais at the moment. This would be something that the government could not take later and insure that the church would have a place to take root and become a point of reference for the people of this city and become the 1st Protestant church of Waterfall of Souls!