Three weeks turn into full time!

"...And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" 

Esther 4:14 

For the last two months the book of Esther has been coming to my mind in response to my searching for guidance from God for what to do next. As I explained when I was at home, in returning to Brazil, I would move house to live with Nico at the Rock House but my desire was to continue working in the Restoration House. The difficulty with this was that I didn't have a team at the Restoration House anymore (one moved to another YWAM base and the other had a baby). So I sought God for answers. 

This verse above spoke to me, that for now it is my time to be here at the Rock House 
with my husband, helping and supporting the ministry here. Oh, don't worry, it's definitely not a royal position such as Queen Esther! haha. But it's a nice place to be!

I will visit with the small group of boys from the Restoration House, inviting them here in the Rock House and visiting when I can. But for the foreseeable future, my place will be here in the Rock House beside Nico. 

The Rock House has been involved in the favela called Pedreira Prado Lopes since 2009. Since Nico has stepped into leadership of this ministry, he decided to stop all activities and take some quality time really seeking God's heart to hear from Him what He wants for this ministry. It's easy to get caught up in the activities and general day to day things and forget to seek God. And actually God confirmed that we should continue all activities that were already running, but He gave us new direction and focus for the groups. It gave us new passion to serve the people of this community, and also opened the door for a few new activities. And it encouraged us to be more in the community, as much as possible.

So what does that involve??

Internal activities... involve kids groups(6-12 years), teenage boys groups, tutoring, teenage/young mums groups, and ladies water aerobics. We also have jijutsu classes, run by a professional teacher.

The aim of each of these groups is to have a time of discipleship followed by activities such as the pool, games in the big space we have, arts/crafts, water aerobics etc

External activities...  
Home Visits: We have the aim to visit each family that is represented in the groups here at the Rock House. These visits will allow  us to get  to know the families better but also see if there is more we can do to help the family. If we only serve the child but not the family we can't make as big an impact as we would like.

Crackolandia: Every Friday night there is a team that goes to an area we call crackolandia. This is an area on the edge of the favela that many crack addicts stay day and night using drugs. The team take some coffee and donated bread, used as an open door to start conversations. The aim is to listen, to pray and to invite them to know Jesus and with the hope they will leave this life behind.

Evangelism: Once a month we hold an evangelism event in the community. We invite churches/volunteers to come along and participate. We call the attention of the kids by doing face paints, skipping rope, playing football, a trampoline and of course some loud music. When you arrive there may be 10 kids, by the end there could be about 50+ and many adults. Then we sit them down and give 'a word', this could be through songs, dance, drama etc. And then we finish with prayer.

A general presence in the favela is also important and sometimes we just go walking there without a specific goal, this leaves us open to be used by God in whatever way he wants. This presence in the favela lets us as a team be seen and known. We make new contacts or visit families that we know but who don't participate in one of the internal activities. This time usually is just walking around and talking to people and kids on the streets of the favela, as it is a hot climate culture generally people stay outside as inside can be too hot and stuffy. It's a great opportunity to chat and share about God's love for each of them.

There are some other activities that we have that are more irregular. Such as camps, this can be for the kids or teenagers or the entire family. We help support a rehab that is the contact for when someone from the crackolandia or the community is in need and desires a life away from drugs etc.

There is a lot involved and it can be quite busy, but it's a good place to be, at the centre of God's will. I am filled with peace to be here and I know for such a time that this is my place to be, until when, I don't know. But for now I will invest my time, my energy and my love into this community. Please pray for me as I adjust to this new way to work, as I get to know the people of the community, that God will grow my love for the people who live here. Pray also that I can be a good support to Nico and for Nico as He seeks to lead this team. For wisdom and discernment. And that us a team continue to seek God's heart for this community.