The reality of the pregnant girls and women in Oitão Preto is one of violence, abuse, and a severe lack of knowledge with regards to how the body works and what actually happens during a pregnancy.
One 16 year-old girl Melanie and Mirjam met, as they joined with the SHINE team, was covered in bruises. She was also probably already 3-4 months pregnant, but couldn’t say for sure as she hadn’t been to the doctor. She already has a one-year old. As the team showed her and the other girls a book with pictures of how the baby grows and develops inside the belly, it was very clear that this is totally new stuff for them. Yet, it did catch their interest.
Thank you for praying for God to reveal a strategy of how we can be reaching the pregnant girls in this community! As we go in there it is becoming very clear to us that we need to use visual aids to teach them and educate them. One idea is to make cards with pictures of how the baby looks in the belly, one for each month, and on that include a Bible verse and something about the project. It is important to give them something to remind them of what we talk with them about.
Actually this work we do with these young mums is really focusing on restoring families to the way God intended them to be. The violence, drugs, prostitution, and brokenness are what drive the children to seek the streets as an alternative, and so we want to see their families restored so that they never consider the streets as a place to make their home.
Continue to remember this work in your prayers. Pray that we can show these girls that we care so much that they will care what we say.
And pray for them to grasp the acceptance of a loving God of them.
One 16 year-old girl Melanie and Mirjam met, as they joined with the SHINE team, was covered in bruises. She was also probably already 3-4 months pregnant, but couldn’t say for sure as she hadn’t been to the doctor. She already has a one-year old. As the team showed her and the other girls a book with pictures of how the baby grows and develops inside the belly, it was very clear that this is totally new stuff for them. Yet, it did catch their interest.
Thank you for praying for God to reveal a strategy of how we can be reaching the pregnant girls in this community! As we go in there it is becoming very clear to us that we need to use visual aids to teach them and educate them. One idea is to make cards with pictures of how the baby looks in the belly, one for each month, and on that include a Bible verse and something about the project. It is important to give them something to remind them of what we talk with them about.
Actually this work we do with these young mums is really focusing on restoring families to the way God intended them to be. The violence, drugs, prostitution, and brokenness are what drive the children to seek the streets as an alternative, and so we want to see their families restored so that they never consider the streets as a place to make their home.
Continue to remember this work in your prayers. Pray that we can show these girls that we care so much that they will care what we say.
And pray for them to grasp the acceptance of a loving God of them.
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