Daily News
Saturday, August 4th – We made it to Brazil! After a long flight, we finally arrived. We had a short period of time at the hotel to unpack and rest a little before a busy afternoon. After lunch we went to Promorar, one of the day centers, to pass out fliers and invite people to the outreach the following day. It was great to meet some of the kids and visit the community. We are very excited for the outreach tomorrow and look forward to what the Lord has in store for us and those we will minister to.
Sunday, August 5th- Today we had our outreach at Promorar. The weather was a bit dreary and resulted in a lesser attendance, yet we were greatly encouraged to see the people there and some decisions made for Christ. The main church brought their worship team and a couple of rappers, while Dustin performed on the unicycle and presented the gospel. Pastor Dave Gibson gave another invitation and we saw people responding to the gospel. There were a few individuals that had never been to an event or even acknowledged the ministry. These people indicated decisions to follow Christ. Praise the Lord! After an early outreach we had the opportunity to go back to the hotel and rest before church. It was so wonderful to worship with our Brazilian brothers and sisters. Following the service we got a taste of Brazilian pizza.
Monday, August 6th- We took a tour of the favelas which was humbling and heart-breaking to hear the stories and the conditions in which the kids live in. We spent the afternoon with the Restoration staff, sharing testimonies, and learning about the ministry. Pastor Rob Wassenaar shared an encouraging devotional. We also did some work at the main day center, painting and cleaning some of the rooms. On Monday night we went to a “Rodizio,” Brazilian barbeque. We had a great time of fellowship with the staff and ate some great food too.
Daily Focus: Love one another; Take a genuine interest in others
Tuesday, August 7th- We started our week of Vacation Bible School at Iguatemi today. Iguatemi is an area outside of the city that was built by the government for people from the favelas; however, the government has since forgotten them. The people there are challenged to find jobs and are often very far from food, necessities and loved ones. We were blessed and overwhelmed by the great amount of kids that showed up. Many of them indicated decisions to follow the Lord. We also had the opportunity to learn about the ministry and visit some families, make connections and further build relationships. As part of the VBS program, Dustin Kelm did a unicycle performance and gospel presentation, which drew many children and adults. It was also very encouraging to see the people watching from their windows in the surrounding apartment buildings. The loud speakers allowed us to project the message to others who were out of view.
Daily Focus: Be kind to one another and forgive one another; Smile J
Wednesday, August 8th - This is our 2nd day of VBS ministry. We went to Day Center, Promorar. This is the place we did our outreach at earlier in the week. It was fun to already have staff and kids we worked with earlier and they were very excited to see us. When we work at the Day Centers doing VBS, we do two each day for different sets of kids. Schools in this area have three shifts for the kids to attend school: 7AM - 11AM, 12PM - 4PM, and 7PM - 11PM. (yes those times are correct!!) Many kids walk a long time to get to school. With a city so big it is very hard to attend to the needs of so many. This is where these Day Centers are so critical, because they provide a safe place for these kids. We also visited and prayed for those in the ministry and church and those who we knew who needed a word of encouragement.
Thursday, August 9th - Our biggest VBS program is at the main Day Center, Tolstoy. This is where the first one was started years ago. We also worked on our big ministry project of painting 4 rooms. For the most part these room have not been painted since they purchased the property 7 years ago. We painted them with a fresh coast of colors and painted designs on them for the kids. It was great to see the kids so excited to into a room that was bright, clean, and fun to go into. Dustin and Katie Kelm once again performed for the kids. We prayed for Dustin because his knee was swollen but he kept going. The kids had never seen a unicycle and they were in awe on his talents. At each VBS program we put on Dustin and Pastors Dave Gibson and Rob Wassenaar presented the Gospel. Each time kids and adults would raise their hands accepting Jesus into there hearts. It was amazing.