vbs

While in Brazil, our team hosted a three day Vacation Bible School (or Holiday Bible Club as our English friends Faith & Peter would say). It was a chance for neighborhood kids to come experience the farm and hear more about God. We taught about the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) -- love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, and self-control.

Because we were in Brazil and they have a tropical climate, we played lots of water games. The boys got a kick out of using the big sling shot to throw water balloons.

I fell in love with little Vitoria. She was beautiful and precious. All you had to do was put your hand out and she'd follow you anywhere.

Eric drew a great coloring page for the day I taught.

"Cohe" in Brazilian Portuguese means "run"

claudio's community

We were blessed to be able to visit Claudio's community. For many, this day was the highlight of our trip. There is so much emotion that comes from seeing such poverty and little broken hearts. We hugged and played with every child that came out that day.

We taught them to play baseball, had a large parachute, played futebol, and whatever other small things we could do. The group from the farm always comes out in yellow shirts. It helps the kids and families understand who is safe and makes their presence very real. The faces may change with the different teams that come, but the children rely upon someone in a yellow shirt for a hug and a smile. We were able to provide that on that particular day.

For some on our team, this day was too emotionally difficult to repeat. Having to leave the children at the end of the day was heartbreaking. We had to get in our van knowing what abuse, filth, and danger they would stay in. As many tears as I shed upon leaving, I loved every minute I had with them.

There is so much hurt in the world. We were able to witness a small piece of it that day. But children are children. No mater what color, what language, what income, or what location. They all deserve love. Love can come in the form of food, clothing, housing, hugs, and smiles. Most of them have very little if any of these things.

I would love to share the stories that touched our hearts, but since this blog is such a public space, I would prefer to respect the families' privacy. I hope these pictures are worth a thousand words.

This little boy's name was Eric and he LOVED Eric. He followed him around most of the day. It was the first time I ever heard Eric say that he wanted to bring a child home forever. That tends to be my regular statement at home.

I adored Luiza. She clung to me every second she could and often it was hard to walk because I had so many children attached to me. Of all the little girls I met that day, she touched my heart the most. I wanted so desperately to bring her home with me.

Claudio and two of his brothers

Faith worked at the farm for many years and only recently returned to England. We were so thankful to have a translator and friend during our trip.

the reason

Deciding to go with our church to Brazil wasn't easy. Eric wanted to go and I was hesitant. He felt very strongly that he wanted to serve in this way, so we went to the informational meeting. We learned about the needs of the people in Brazil, that it would be physically challenging, and it wouldn't be cheap. More than ever, he wanted to go. More than ever, I was sure I wanted to stay home in my comfort zone.

Money can be tight for us sometimes. And I'm not very strong or a good builder. And I didn't have much vacation time from my new job. And. And. And. I was giving God a million reasons why He should send someone else.

Sound like anyone you know?

But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”-Exodus 4:13

Once Eric made up his mind that he wanted to serve, I made the decision to serve with him. The moment I put my application in, my heart changed. I let go of all my reservations and fears. The Lord equips who He calls.

We went to Brazil to build. Exactly what, we weren't sure. Construction in Brazil is very different than in the United States. You build on sand and off of drawings loosely sketched. All measurements are done in real time and there isn't much you can do to prepare. You have to show up with a good attitude and ready to work.

Humble beginnings

So we worked. And worked. It rained. And rained.

To say that we were frustrated and discouraged would be an understatement. Work we had carefully completed would come undone and fill with water. The rain stopped one day and two of us started to take the water out, bottle by bottle. After lots of hard work, within minutes of us being done - it rained again.

So we built the only way you can build - one brick at a time. The process was more difficult because of the rain and the round shape of the building, but we kept on working.

This was the flooded "road" made of broken clay bricks and palm branches. On one occasion I was carrying heavy palm frawns for the thatched roof and fortunate enough to fall down and land on the broken bricks. After lots of whining, blood, and band-aids I was a new woman. I was still surprised that I was able to carry something so heavy for so long with only one injury.

Some days we worked into the night.

I loved playing jump rope with the boys. Learning the Portuguese word for "jump" was incredibly helpful because it isn't a game they usually play and their timing was really off.

We had a lot of sand to make the concrete. It wasn't always being used, so we made sure it worked for us.

There were some hours of the day that were just too wet to work outside. Mike was able to concrete a small apartment floor.

Our building could be summed up with a few words:

lots of digging

lots of heavy lifting

(those wood beams are heavier than concrete. they are so hard that the termites eat concrete instead of this kind of wood)

So...from this....

to this!