Photos from our 2nd weekend camp!

Thurs night 7/29/2010

Hey! Brazil Mission Partners

From: Ed

It sure was a long trip (We left our house about 12:15 Thursday morning. We arrived in Sao Paulo at about 2:20 am your time on Friday. Then it took about 2 hours to get through customs (several flights arrived within minutes of each other). We went straight out to the camp (that took about an hour). On Saturday, Jody did crafts with the kids and I helped with bible lesson skits. The evening program was followed by the old “find the staff in the dark” game (a few kids were crying during the “festivities”!). We left camp on Sunday early PM. Went to church on Sunday night, a 2-hour service. They are very enthusiastic in their worship and we could learn something about fellowship from them judging by the post-service visiting among the attendees. This whole trip has involved a lot of hugging. The Brazilians appear to be big time huggers. It’s great.

Monday we toured some of the favelas (slums) we will be working in the rest of the week and had a get acquainted meeting with the Restoration Ministries staff. We’ve had one dinner out, so far, at a Brazilian BBQ. Food was very good. Food at the camp and at the church has been simple but very good, so we are not losing any weight. Lots of pictures have been taken and are posted on the blog site. None of the pics I’ve taken are there because I haven’t turned them in for posting yet. Mañna! (Maybe.)

Tuesday we did home visits/prayer with some of the people in Favela Igatami (Outward appearance is similar to “projects” in the US, a multistory building, each apartment appears to be about 800 sq.ft., constructed by the government. Although they were constructed about 6 years ago, they look like they are at least 15+ years old.). The team does Bible lessons including games and skits at 3 PM. Lots of drug use and prostitution issues for children of about 13 on up. VERY few families with a father living in the home. Many (it seems like most to me) of the mothers had their first child at about 15 or 16. The young kids are great, but when you hear about their home/family life…it is heartbreaking. Their reality is just not something most people I know have ANY idea about, except for a report on the TV news.

Wednesday we visited Promorar Favela. These homes are mostly one and two story buildings made from the cheapest, lowest quality, building blocks in existence. Adobe may be stronger. The response from the kids was similar to Tuesday – very enthusiastic. We did have what appeared to be drug dealers observing from a distance. Maybe something of our message will start to germinate there, too. We are definitely learning a lot.

Today we went to Vila Rosa Favela. We are told that this is the worst of the worst here. We made a few home/prayer visits. One in particular is an incredible example of a person's faith. Elena has to go in for dialysis 3X/wk. She has some kind of back injury, and the Docs think she has had a minor stroke sometime in the past. (Ministry staff say this is all true.) Her husband left her years ago with a little boy (now approx 14) to raise. She has not had any other children. She has a home that she maintains as well as she can. It was clean, but needs paint. She lives in this slum, surrounded by drugs, prostitution, and whatever else. She has to make her own way to see doctors. Her sister, who lives nearby, helps some. But this is the really uplifting part: She loves Jesus, and no matter what happens to her, and she is in ALOT of pain, she is going to continue in that faith, looking to the day when she sees Jesus. There was joy and tears in her face when she talked about it. The Ministry staff say that this one person is what gives them the strength to continue in this work. This one person is a Christ Follower in the truest sense of the words. What faith!!

Tonight we had a demonstration of a martial arts exercise form known as capioiar (spelling?). It looks like a combination of Tae Kwon Do and gymnastics. The idea is to do karate moves very fast, like in a fight. The moves are choreographed and you are supposed to get as close to hitting each other as you can, without actually hitting each other. As skill level improves the participants get closer and closer to each other. It is very aerobic! The pastor teaches this class to kids at the RM Day Center. Speaking of the pastor, Antonio, he holds services on Sunday nights at the RM Center and services on Saturday night at the Pomorar Favela as well as teach this class. He does not receive any payment for any of his time. He holds down a full time job to support him and his family.

Tomorrow afternoon, Friday, we will perform the Bible lessons and skits for the last time in the slums, then go back to the camp and do that program again.

Thursday night - what a day!

From Diane: Today was a whirlwind of emotions and experiences. We did morning visits at Vila Rosa...the roughest of the favelas that Restoration Ministries works in. These visits tear your heart and your soul. People who are desperate for jobs, health, safety, crime, depression, loss of hope....and others who in the same circumstances can praise the Lord for what they do have. One young lady who at 16 has a 2 year old little boy. He has been in the hospital a lot. She is an orphan and lives with 2 of her brothers. One of them is using and selling drugs. Their home was clean but totally bare. I'm not sure they had any food at all. Some of us went together and purchased them a "necessary box"....something the grocery store here has put together to feed a family for 3 or 4 weeks...rice, beans, sugar, oil, flour, etc. I costs about 40 Reais...about $22 of our money. We also got some diapers for her little boy. This girl loves God and acts as a missionary to those around her. They have a Bible study and she makes sure she brings others to that and to the street Agita program that RM does on Thursdays. Her face just shone with her love for her Savior. Wow!

Before leaving Vila Rosa, I finally got to see Tevas...the little boy that many of you have heard about that I have grown so close to over my trips here. He isn't doing so well. He wants to hang out in the streets all the time and won't mind his mom. She threatens him that if he doesn't behave, she is going to sign over guardianship to the lady from the US (me)....don't I wish. He just clung to me. I talked to him about staying out of trouble, trying hard in school, coming to the program, doing what he knows God wants him to do. I hope some of it sinks in. I assured him that even if I hadn't been able to see him for a while, I never forget him and pray for him continually. Do you think they would notice if I fit him in my suitcase?

In the afternoon, the rest of the group went back to Vila Rosa and did the Agita program. Jody and I got to go back to Promorar (the favela we ministered in on Wednesday) and teach another quilt class. We had a smaller group this time...only about 6 or 7 ladies. But it was well received and a lot of fun to see them get excited about making prayer quilts.

But this evening, I got to go to the hospital and visit Italia!!!! I went with a couple who work in the ministry. I wish I could describe better the whole hospital....dark corridors, confusing security (even for my friends who spoke Portuguese)....and then scrubbing and gowning up....and finally getting to hold Italia's hand. I would like to say that he responded when I talked to him but I didn't see that. I talked to him in English and William translated. He appeared to just be sleeping though. His vital signs were good, swelling and bruising way down (from what they had described before)....but he is gonna have one nasty scar across his skull from the surgery. I did assure him that chicks dig scars...but I didn't even get a reaction to that. Please keep praying. He is by no means "out of the woods" and there is a long road still for his recovery. But we are all trusting God to bring Italia through this and stronger and better on the other side. After I left to trade with Priscilla (Williams's wife....only 2 of us could be in there at a time)....they said he was moving his legs more and his head around. Even these little movements are encouraging. Pray, pray, pray!!!

Tomorrow we will be back off to Camp California for our 2nd weekend camp. We won't be able to update until we return on Sunday.

Thanks again for making this trip possible....for us to serve and be God's hands and feet here in Sao Paulo!

hello all. Tyler again.

I just finished teaching an english class while the other went and did the home visits in the favela. It was kinda awkward at first but once we finished the material, we tried having conversations and that seemed to be easier for the students. talking about their names, ages, favorite color, animal, food, song, band, etc. then they had the opportunity to ask me some questions and i think they liked that too. Now i'm just excited for lunch. the last two meals, the loves of my life, a.k.a. the cooks, didn't make rice and beans with it, and i feel a little ripped off. the food was still great, but i'm hoping they make me my new favorite meal today.

Prayers and Squares of Sao Paulo!

July 28, 2010 - from Jody

Wow, what a wonderful day. We started off doing home visits and praying with some of the families in the Promorar Favela. The group Ed and I were with had finished visiting the homes we were assigned when we met a young boy walking home from school (half the children go to school in the morning and the other half go to school in the afternoon). The young boy was asked if he knew where an old neighbor of his had moved to. He told us no but we could follow him home and ask his step-dad. Sounded good to us until, we realized we were in the middle of an adventure. You see he used to live where a road is now being put and we had to walk through all that construction to the other side of a valley. We walked past dump trucks, earthmovers, sprayers, and ground rollers all working with treated sewer dirt. When we finally got to the young boys home, no one was home. He said Mom was in Japan with youngest brother (not too likely), an older sister was at grandmas caring for a child grandma didn’t want to care for and he didn’t know where his step-dad was because he has been without a job and it is easier for women to get jobs than men (right). We prayed with this young boy and walked back past all that stink being moved around with all that heavy equipment.

After lunch Diane and I went off with Tati to the police station where one of the ministry staff works at the community Computer and Craft Center. This is where we got to share the prayer quilt ministry with about 20 women. We went there not knowing what to expect since this a public center, but the women were very open to prayer and got very excited about the quilts. We had so much fun sharing, with these ladies, the processes we use to make one of the quilts. Tati, our translator, had absolutely no idea how to translate some of the processes but the ladies educated her.

We had several stations set up so the ladies could learn whatever areas of the quilt making they were interested in and it was amazing how well we got along with just sign language. We got almost three baby quilts made (the squares were already cut). Since we only had two sewing machines several of us sewed a quilt together the old fashion way, by hand, imagine that.

Now comes the part that makes my heart soar. Have you ever known a group of women to get together and not have a snack and social time? What wonderful goodies these women shared with us and it was at this time the group decided to establish themselves as the first official Prayers and Squares group in South America. They even came up with a name for the group: "Mulheres des Mantas e Oraçoes" (Women of Quilts and Prayers). The excitement was so contagious that it brought tears to my eyes (not a surprising thing to those who know me). Two of the quilts have found homes. It is always such a blessed moment when a group of women get together and pray. These women feel so much for each other and put so much of their heart into the prayers. Diane and I got kissed and hugged by each woman at least three times. I wished that each of the ladies at Bayside Auburn Prayers and Squares could have experienced the appreciation these ladies had for the gift you gave them.

Many, many thanks for all of your prayers. What awesome results we are seeing from them. We continue praying for all of you and are so appreciative for your support which has made it possible for us to experience all of these blessings.

(Note from Diane....I found it wonderful that even on the "baby quilts" (several of them weren't really going to babies), they wanted the ties in the quilts....they wanted knots to be tied so they had those prayers over the quilt!)

Another Day

A blog update from Ryan.

Today the sun came out and was warm. We toured another slum area in Sao Paulo. Today was different from yesterdays. This area didn't look "nice" from the outside. We visited some houses and one lady was pretty meaningful. She has gone through many struggles with her family. She hasn't lost hope that God is good. She lost her daughter to the gangs in the slum. She prays for her grandchildren to know Jesus. I found her story uplifting because no matter the darkness that she has encountered she never lost sight of the light that is always there.

After the morning home visits, we put on another Agita program. The kids were super excited to see us and to see the program. The kids enjoyed what we and the Restoration Ministries team were there to do. It is awesome to think that the Restoration Team is this involved in the community around them. They are engaged in helping those around them and that is an awesome thing.

That is all for this blog update.

Italia Update

Good (but guarded) news! Tati went to visit Italia today. The doctor was able to take out his breathing tube and Italia is breathing on his own! What a wonderful praise and answer to prayer!! The doctor said though to know that he may not be able to maintain the independent breathing. If he does not, they can re-position a breathing tube, but at that point, they would most likely do atracheotomy. His skull injury has caused a lesion in the front part of his brain. This part of the brain controls behavior which is also controlling his breathing. It is also mixing up his nights and days where he is sleeping most of the days and is more awake at night (unfortunately when no one is visiting). He opens his eyes some but does not "track" but seems to react to family and friends/prayers and song. Another praise: the lung infection is completely controlled.

The doctor will continue watching the lesion for the next few days. We are not sure what they will do at that point. But we continue to pray for Italia to become more alert and start reacting to his environment. He is not out of the woods. But God is good and in control! Keep up the prayers, dear friends.