Our God is Good

Normally I stick to one story per blog, but these last two months have just had too much going on, so prepare yourself, this is one of the longest ones yet!! But its a good one because our God is Good and it is because He is doing so much here that we have so much to write about!!

Birthdays!!

After the big celebration in May of 30 years of the YWAM base, we loved it so much we decided, why stop there! Let's keep celebrating birthdays! It has been on our hearts to start celebrating the birthdays of the kids in some way especially as the children from Rachel's home church raise money specifically for this here in Brazil, but we were yet to start this here in the Rock House. We have now decided to do on a two monthly basis a small birthday party in each groups! In each group we celebrated together everyone who had a birthday in the month of May and June!

We took time to explain how important their birthday was because it is the date God chose for them to be born and since they are special the date is special! We prayed for them and then of course had some cake and nice juice! They were so pleased! Some of these kids may never have had a cake!

Future, What's that!?

Every week the teenage girls arrive excited to see what project they will be doing, this group is focused on arts and crafts! Each week is something different and each week they produce beautiful work! Before the creativity explodes the group starts with a time of sharing the word with these precious girls!

One week they had to imagine they were 75 and looking back on their lives.... it was very difficult for them. But it was impossible for one of them, she exclaimed, "But I never think of the future, whats the point if I don't know if I'll be alive tomorrow!" What a way of thinking! The reality of her life is that it is more possible to not make it until tomorrow than make it! 

Her expressing this gave us the opportunity to share with her telling her God has made a plan for her therefore she should seek to discover what it is. She began to think differently and in the end was able to complete the questions and realise some of her desires for the future! This is our desire for each precious person that we meet through the Rock House, whether child or adult that they can "...be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2)

Cycles in the Community!

In 2010 during the school 'Children at Risk' that I (Rachel) did here in Brazil I heard a quote that stuck with me.... "change a child change a life, a child can change their entire family and a family can change an entire community." (Not exactly worded like that but you get the idea). Here at the Rock House we are witnessing just that. Nivaldo is from the community, born and raised there. In 2009 his son started coming to the children's group at the Rock House, learning about God and going home to tell his family. The Rock House team also visited Nivaldo and his wife and soon both of them accepted Christ as their Saviour. Today they are our friends and continue strong in their walk with the Lord, both of them help and volunteer at the Rock House when available. 

They are examples in their community and recently Nivaldo came to give his testimony to our teenage boys group. What an experience, to hear him tell the boys his story of drugs, drug trafficking, a life wasted and then to turn his life around when he met Jesus. He shared the story of the blind man made to see by Jesus, telling the boys that he was blind to see what really mattered, but now he sees and wants to tell others to see Jesus too! 

What an example and an encouragement to us to keep investing in the lives of the kids and families here in the slum.

Mission Trip

We had the opportunity as a couple (Nico and I) to go to serve another mission here in Brazil, using the gift of language that God has blessed us with! Every year a group from a church in Orlando, USA come to a city called Porto Seguro and alongside a church they carry out an amazing evangelism programme. Giving out trainers, tooth brush and paste to kids, and reading glasses to the adults and of course evangelising. They do this through the 'wordless book' using bracelets to give out to everyone they meet. 

The project is very well organised and linking with a church from the city the work can continue building on what the team completes during the week. We had the opportunity to go and to help the Americans with translating. It was an amazing time to see God at work in this city and to meet others who are so willing to share their life stories and pray together etc. It was a time of refreshing for us and renewal in our calling here in Brazil.

Here is a short video of the week...

Finally, my brother in Brazil!

After seven years of promising to visit, he finally took that long flight and came to visit us! Gareth came with his girlfriend Julie and we had a wonderful time together! We took a few days at the beach showing them the beauty of Brazil. Then we had a week together in the Rock House for them to visit the community and see a little of what we do here. They really enjoyed it and even got stuck into some more of the maintenance work: painting! 

It was so special for us to have them as it is always good to have family close! Although the time was short! We loved it!

 

Jobs finished.... more to do!

Like I mentioned in the last email the construction work has started! We now have a new roof on the big room that we use to host our groups, all the wood was sanded and varnished and then the tiles put on along with new drainage pipes! We are just waiting now to see if it works.... it hasn't rained since April! We also now have our second bathroom to host the community with a girls and boys bathroom what a blessing! 

When the builders were finished we were so happy so see these two big jobs completed.... only sad thing was it took us 3 full days to clean up after them, so much dirt and dust!!! In the last week we have also painted the new wall and the walls of the big room. It makes the house look so well! THANK YOU to each and everyone of you has made this a possibility! Soon, very soon we hope to continue the jobs so watch this space for more news!

Kings Kids

Children of the King, thats what three young girls felt like as they climbed into the kombi and headed for a 'winter camp' with a project from YWAM called 'Kings Kids.' These camps are super expensive and it would be impossible for a family from the slum to be able to pay for their child to go to the camp. But we received some money donated specifically for this and so we could send three kids to the camp. The three chosen girls, aged between 10 and 12, were ecstatic about the opportunity! 

During the camp they are taught and then encouraged to read the bible alone, they have worship times with teachings, small groups, prayer groups and they learn dances, drama and circus tricks! During the second part of the camp they go out to evangelise using the dances etc in the town squares, and even in the teenage detention centres! The last night they present what they had learned to their families. We were so honoured that each girl's family came with us to see them perform and they were all so proud of their daughters! And so were we!! 

Go Team 

Each year we receive a team of young people from Holland through YWAM for a short mission trip. 

This year we received 5 in the team and they were led by a family and their two young kids. We completed many extra tasks with them, more bodies means more things can be done! This included in the community, in a creche and a rehab (partners that work alongside us). It was such a great opportunity to bless this community and other ministries. We also got them helping us in this great challenge to restore the Rock House building, they got to painting! They painted to big room and the new bathroom and some other bits and pieces. It looks so well now! The time was short with them but it was a time of learning, growing and blessing others!

POINTS FOR PRAYER:

• For the construction work and refreshing of the Rock House to be completed
• For the kids, teens and families that are being impacted through our work here at the Rock House, that God will continue to stir their hearts. Especially pray for the teen girl who has learnt to dream again, for Nivaldo who has been transformed and is now pouring back into his community as an example and for the girls who were at the camp, that they won't forget all they learned and that they will be lights in their community too.
• For our team in the second semestre, we will do a YWAM course 'Community Development' which lasts for three months, completing classes every morning. Please pray for us as we juggle the demands of the course with the work we will continue at the Rock House.

• Our volunteer Ruth, she has been doing an internship with us for 6 months but leaves this weekend. She has been such a blessing and we, with the kids and families will miss here greatly.

THANK YOU for reading to the end! Your faithfulness blows us away! We continue to recognise that without you, we would not be here, so thank you for being a part of all that is going on!