"Winners in Christ"

Boys, staff and volunteers at our Boys Camp

Last weekend we had a Camp for some boys who we are working with who have already made the decision to leave the streets. We decided to invest in these boys by inviting them to spend a weekend with us here in the Restoration House. We invited 13 boys to come, 7 arrived on friday night but unfortunately one decided to leave on the Saturday evening, so we finished with 6 boys.

During the time they were with us we had many times sharing the word with them: the theme 'Winners in Christ.' 

Discussing how we can be Winners in Christ and what tools we need to fight of the temptations. We looked at burdens that might be holding us back. On the Saturday morning we had an event 'running with our burdens'.... each boy had a sack full of burdens and he had to run the race. Throughout the race there were posts where they would receive a verse and one of the burdens would be taken from their sack. But also along the way there were temptations and lies from the enemy. Each boy completed the race... Winners!!

         

Overall by the end of the camp 4 boys gave their life to (or returned to their life in) Christ:

A staff praying with three of them: Ronaldo, Johnatan & Robert

Lucas was the fourth
On Sunday the boys had some time to individually bring their burdens to the cross

Then the staff prayed for the boys:

We also had a lot of fun with them:

Playing and hiring bikes in the park and then Paintballing!!!!

Some of the boys really enjoyed making bracelets:

 And don't forget lots of football, video games and eating!!

Playing around with the camera!

Please continue to pray for these precious boys as they face lifes struggles daily, its not an easy life for them and the majority of them don't have family supporting and helping them. Pray for wisdon for our team as we continue to work along side them. Thank you

Winners in Christ!!!!

New bricks building new walls

So I have settled into a new set of bricks! I am still with YWAM but have moved ministries; I am no longer part of the Rescue House (although I still go with them to the streets). I am now part of the ministry called 'The Restoration House.' 

This house used to be a shelter for boys coming off the streets and many boys have passed by here and have transformed lives because of their time here. But God has a new time planned for this house - it is no longer a shelter, but our focus continues; teenage boys. Since the house closed as a shelter there has been only a few workers who stayed around and tried to discover what was on God's heart for the ministry with teenage boys.

(Working together to have a camp for these precious boys - March 2013 - there is a blog about this camp!)

Now for some 'new walls!' Since last year we (as a Rescue House) started working with the teenage detention centres, as many of the boys that we know from the streets ended up there. I always felt in my heart that it was Gods will to work with these boys but there was no time to really invest. I started talking with the leaders and discussing what was best... the director of the base helped me see that what I was trying to do was in the area of 'restoration' not 'rescue.' He encouraged me to talk with Geke (dutch), the leader of the Restoration House. After a long chat about what was on my heart, she accepted me to work with her!! 

A date was set, I packed all my things and the move began......

I said good bye to my old room, my old team (although would see frequently) and my old neighbourhood.

And then I got to work turning an empty room into a home:

When all my things were finally inside, it looked like it was made to fit!!







One of the amazing privileges I have is a great view over the city and every night there is a beautiful sunset to admire:

My new team: 

With Geke my new leader (middle) and Guilherme

Now I have been here 2 weeks with lots of discussions and planning, putting our visions together and now we are ready....

So what is the plan??

Visits
We have a list of 19 boys that we will work with. Five of these boys used to live in the shelter and of the other 14, one boy is back at home and the other 13 are in the detention centres. 

Our plan is to visit with these boys (there is at least 2 per detention centre) at least once every two or three weeks. The visit will involve some chit-chat to see how they are doing, where they are struggling etc and then do a bible study with them. 

Workshops
Also in our schedule we will visit 2 other detention centres to teach English in one and helping with school work in the other. This is our open door into these places to build relationships, with these relationships built we will do a second workshop on discipleship.

Discipleship Group
Every Friday afternoon will be an open afternoon, all boys who we are working with are invited to the Restoration House to have some time together: chit-chat, play football, do activities and have a time of discipleship and prayer. 

Weekend Camps
Then the final area of our discipleship work here will be the continuing of the 'Weekend Camps.'  Where all boys are invited to participate for an entire weekend with us where we will have fun activities planned and times for one-on-one and discipleship and prayer. 

Phew!! Seems like a lot of work for a small team, eh? But in the Lords strength we can do it. We believe this plan for the Restoration House is God's plan, and so therefore as the Harvest is large and the workers are so few, we rely on His strength but also Hope in him that He will provide more workers to complete this work.

Please commit all these activities and the lives of these precious boys to prayer, you are part of our team!!

7 - 1 loss

Man, it's been a while but  I don't even want to talk about THAT game!!! I think Brazil is still in shock that we let 7 goals in.... like I am still hearing them say; 
"It seemed we didn't have a goal keeper!!"
"They put all their hope in Neymar, and forgot to play themselves!"
"What an embarrassment, Brazil let us down!"

 We may have lost badly in the football, but in the Kingdom of God we don't lose!! It says, "...my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

I believe we won SEVEN goals...
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Hope
4. Unity
5. Generosity
6. Family
7. A bit more of God's Kingdom

These are just some of the goals we received and the ONE that we gave... THANKFULNESS!!!! To our Rescue House team, to the teams and volunteers who helped, to the community for receiving us, but most of all to God... He had every little detail written and planned out before we even imagined it!! And therefore everything was 'more than we could have expected!'

The project that we completed in the community was Fantastic, we loved every minute of it, on our last day there were many tears... and the question: Will you come back?! One thing on our hearts is that we started something and it should continue! Pray with us as we seek God's direction and how to continue with this project.

Here are some photos of the highlights from our time during the world cup season... 




LOVE

Lots of running, shouting... the energy never ever stopped!!!

       JOY

HOPE

Rescue House, volunteers and a team from Hawaii

UNITY

GENEROSITY

The community serving us hotdogs

FAMILY

A BIT MORE OF GOD'S KINGDOM

A team from Hawaii performed a drama that was formed with many other dramas and a few bits added into it. It tells the story of a girl who was created with a beautiful heart. But the things of this world destroyed her heart bit by bit. [the words shown to her were calling her 'ugly' 'stupid' 'worthless'. She gets rejected over and over. She turns to drugs and alcohol as her heart is destroyed more and more. It all becomes too much for her as she looks at her heart on the ground in a million pieces. But when she decides to "Cry out to Jesus" He comes and gives her a new heart. We believe that this time we were in the community was the start of that process in many of the people from the Community Uniao and we believe that when they are ready ... God will give them new hearts in place of their broken hearts.

Here are a few more photos of the precious times we had during the world cup in this wonderful community!

I hope you also enjoyed the world cup from wherever you were watching!! And I hope you weren't too jealous that I was here in the host country (and got to go to a game.. although it was the England game.. after they were out!!)  After this experience, I have decided that I don't hate football any more (my brother and dad will be happy to hear)!! But maybe that is because I saw God use it for His Glory!! And because "Our passion goes beyond Football!"

Our passion goes beyond Football!!

Our work in the community continues during the world cup, with more than two weeks over and still more than two weeks to go.... we are getting excited about what more God is going to do through us in this special community... and hoping Brasil will go all the way to the final!!! 

In our programme the evening before the Brazilian matches have been doing a Bible Study in groups - kids, teenagers, women and men... each split up. We have been doing our studies on the 'Wordless Book'.... a book of colours. Each study is a different colour representing something different, but each telling the Salvation Story:



Orange = heaven/relationship with God
Black = sin/separation from God
Red = love/God's open door for us to return to Him
White = when are sins are washed away-return to God
Green = hope for Heaven and growth in our relationship

We have been limited with space and have to be very flexible, so the first night the kids were sitting on the ground in a circle and not far away the teenagers huddled in a corner. But God is bigger than the area we are in and He used these times with the kids to speak powerful to the young people. We have moved it around a bit now with the kids inside.

Praying at the end with the teenagers

We also had some times with the women and the men. The first time was positive but after that they weren't so open to receive, but by just building relationships with these precious people they are beginning to open up again. Pray for these relationships and continued opportunities to share God's love for each individual in the community.

It has also been positive as our team have one on one chats with different people in the community. I had the opportunity to share last night with an amazing young man called Douglas. Pray that he opens his heart as God calls him to 'come back home to Him.'

Pray for a mum in the community called *Fabia. She has been a blessing to us so far, making popcorn, boiling eggs in her house for the egg and spoon race. She spent time with the women receiving and has requested a bible. Pray that we may bless her in return for her blessings, with a message so powerful it will turn her life around.

Of course we continue to support Brazil and watch the games with the community and continue with our activities with many games and much fun.... PRAY with us, for the Transformation of the Community Uniao. Not because of our presence but God's presence through us.

Football and a little bit more!!!

So, today we didn't have any programme in the community so we decided to do something a little different. God has been opening the doors in the teenage detention centres over the last year. So today we entered through these open doors with our DTS (Discipleship Training School) and had an AWESOME time.

We went into two different detention centres, one in the morning were our goal was FUN!! The DTS began with presenting themselves and then doing a drama then we enjoyed some time with 14 teenage boys. We did the sack race - was all fun until they made me and Helen participate!! Then 'Capture the flag' and of course football!!! In the end we finished by telling them how special they are to God and one of the boys prayed. It's so powerful to hear the boys pray...

   

praying at the end with the boys: my FAVOURITE TIME in the detention centres.

Then after lunch we headed for a second detention centre nearly an hours drive away. We know 4 boys from the streets who are serving time there. Today was 'visit day' so there were some family members there. The DTS team presented some worship, a drama and a testimony, then they called forward anyone who wanted to receive prayer. At the end we handed out to each person (including the guards) a book of the Gospel of John. It was super encouraging to see many participating and sharing their stories with the team.

worship

Drama

praying

One of the boys we know and his neice

PRAY with us that the seeds sown in 

each life today will bear much fruit!!!!