My Father´s House

Christmas in the community.

2009-01-30T15:44:00.001-02:00

We had two main Christmas celebrations in the slum to bring some joy and presents to those who otherwise wouldn’t have, and also to bring the real meaning of this special time of year. We had our usual children’s Christmas party where 150 kids from the slum came and were entertained with games, music, dance, drama and puppets. Before they left they had a nice meal and each received a present. At the end 13 of the children came forward to give their lives to Jesus and all left joyful, feeling loved and special.

On Christmas day we also managed to reproduce one of my favourite parables in the Bible that I have wanted to do since I arrived in Brazil – the parable of the Great Banquet. In one of the squares in the slum overlooking the sea and the big luxurious 5 star hotel over the road we put up Christmas lights, tables and chairs and invited “the poor, crippled, blind and lame” - those excluded and forgotten in society. The poor, addicts, drug dealers, prostitutes, and street children came and we served more than 100 people at the banquet. The whole community was involved with the ladies cooking, people setting up and lending chairs and tables and even the drug dealers giving money to provide the drinks, which we kindly reclined. After the meal the children and teenagers presented two dramas of how Jesus can transform lives. It was very powerful as they had lived out their role in the drama in real life and where the children of the drug dealers, addicts and prostitutes; presenting God’s light and truth to their own parents.

Pray for a transformation in lives in this community.
(Andrew- leader of “SHINE”)

Jesus at work on the streets.

2009-01-30T15:10:00.005-02:00

Yesterday I saw Jesus at work on the streets. This was in the form of Fabiano specially, but also in Peter. Fabiano and Dayanne are the couple who work alongside Pete and Selma here at the farm.

We drove through what Pete said were very dangerous areas, but then he said it is really all like that. When we arrived at the square (blessedly in the shade) it was to find two, a boy and a girl, lying on a tattered foam mattress. Another young guy pointed out the mattress to me and I asked him if he ever slept in such comfort. He replied that if he slept on that mattress he would be killed. It belonged to the boss who turned out to be the young girl asleep on it just then. She never did wake up in the two hours we were there.

What struck me most about these two was their absolute filth. I have been on the streets here before but never seen anything as bad as this. D*, the lad, was roused. Fabiano immediately sat on the ground next to this prostrate figure, donned gloves and proceeded to clean this boy's feet, which had some nasty sores on them. D* let him do it. He washed them, applied iodine and goodness knows what and plastered and bandaged what he could. He then cut his fingernails and cleaned them finishing up with cleaning his ears.

I sat and watched just amazed and very moved. Peter had said that these on the square are the ones who have no hope and are the lowest of the low. Pete knows they can do little for them in terms of ever bringing them out here to the farm, but they can show that they care and that they love them.I had been reading about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples the previous day, a passage which always moves me. I had not expected to see it put into action literally. As Fabiano was doing this several others joined us including many of the curious mostly older public who stood or sat around watching or talking with some of us.Fabiano continued his work, bathing sores, bandaging, cutting nails, including those of the girls who joined us.

In the meanwhile Michiel (from Holland) shared the Lord with a group of older men. Pete hugged and talked, impervious to the dirt and squalor. The look of delight when these guys saw Pete was stunning. Their eyes just lit up and they rushed forward with huge hugs. As Pete's Mum I received my own share too! But there was another wonderful aspect to this morning and to the whole day. We took some of "our" boys along with us… When I was here two years ago it would have been impossible for such a thing to happen, but such is their growth that they are now part of the team.

Both at the square and in the late afternoon at the beach, they greeted friends with whom they had lived themselves on the streets. They talked with them, laughed with them. I asked them how they felt about going to the streets like this. Were they glad not to be there? Their answers were that they were very glad not to be there and just feel so sad for those who are. Jesus has transformed these lives. Please pray that as they grow older, two are now 19, that they will really know the presence of the Lord in their lives. If we think of how weak and watery our own lives can be in Christian terms, how important it is for them that they have deep knowledge of him. Pete allows them to make their own decisions in many things these days, they do not always make the right ones. We do not want to see them lost.

Can you take more? Not much! We went on later to the beach. Here the tourists walk in their lovely clothes to their lovely hotels and apartments directly opposite the beach... The two co-exist. Except that the police do not want them there and beat them so badly that they are left to die. Not one coke bottle was in evidence. They now all smoke crack and lots of it. Much more expensive and much more dangerous… Fingers are burned where they heat up their crack. Their bodies are emaciated in some cases. One tremblingly eats a small lump of cheese. Some of them do not stir on the floor. The girls stand around, 13, 14 15 years of age, in their very tight very short shorts and their very brief tops. A real contrast to the girls we saw in the morning all of whom were so dirty. These are all prostitutes, but not for these boys. These are for the men who hang around all the time, many of them European. Their faces are so pretty. It is heart breaking. One girl in the morning had asked with tears, if they were going to open a girls' home. This has been a desire…but it cannot happen without life committed staff.

(Written by Mary Thomas, visiting from England).

Bearing fruit and touching lives!

2009-01-08T12:36:00.007-02:00

Happy New Year! We start off 2009 by thanking all of you who faithfully pray for and support us! What we do is only possible by people partnering with us in building the Kingdom of God here in Fortaleza.

So much GRACE!

It is amazing to see how the boys on the farm are growing up into fine young men of God! Paulinho continues at the music school in Norway being challenged in new ways and learning what it means to have snow in winter.

Mardonio who has lived with us for 3 years said this when he came from a home visit over New Year: "About midnight I went out of my house and went to a party. There were lots of people and I started drinking. Don’t worry, only Coca Cola! They were a group of young people from a church near my house. I knew one of the girls from when I was younger. I didn’t know she was a believer. She asked me if I would go to the youth group meeting on Monday – but I said I would already be back home (on the farm). See Aunty (he said to Selma), your prayers are not in vain!"

“Sorry Claudio, but the work on behalf of the Hakani Indian tribe does not receive volunteers in January . . . so we will have to keep in touch with them to work out a time later in the year for you to go to Brasilia to serve . . . but do you want to go to the church Youth Camp in a couple of weeks time?” “Ora! Claro” (You bet, of course I do!)
(Claudio who is 17 is of Indian descent and has an amazing servant heart and wants to serve among Amazon Indians during his holiday times.)

These are just a few glimpses of the fruit we see in these boys’ lives. Hemerson and Paulo are also doing well. Continue to pray for them and the staff at “Sítio Graça”!

An open house for open hearts.

We regularly open our city centre house to receive kids who are currently living on the streets to spend time with them; showing them the love and care of God through showers, meals and sharing the Word of God with them. Here are a few comments from some of these kids:

“Can’t we come to the Open House every week?”

"Vanessa? Is that you? Of course we’ll let you know when there will be another girls meeting in the house . . . but don’t let that fight with Anna stop you two being friends”. (This is a snippet of a phone conversation with Vanessa, a street girl who is 15. She calls us collect and has really started to open up about the extreme sadness she faces in her life.)

Hold us up in prayer!

These are just a few glimpses of what is going on here at “My Father’s House”. We are desperately in need of your prayers! Here are some prayer pointers for you:

For God to break in to lives with revelation of His love and Truth which sets free and transforms!
For more quality staff so we can minister to all those who are so hungry for something more then what they’re living.
For the current staff- for strength and perseverance and that they would encounter God deeply on a personal level so that they can work in His strength.
For the boys on the farm, that they would keep dreaming and going deeper with Jesus.
For the different parts of our ministry- the farm, the street work, the open house, the prison work and SHINE (community development work).

We bless you in this new year! Please don't hesitate to contact us via email casademeupai@hotmail.com if you have any questions or want to know more about what we do and how you can get involved!

Out and about and gearing up for Christmas…

2008-11-30T17:35:00.000-02:00

There is always something going on at SHINE, and this week we are taking the boys in our discipleship group for a day out! These days out are such a good opportunity for the children to be children and have fun in a safe environment.

We are also so blessed to have two of the young people in the local Assemblies of God church, Nedson and Moacir, join us weekly to teach drums and guitar to the boys in our group. It is so cool to see people from the local community get involved. And we have even seen some of them do our YWAM nightschool which is a great encouragment.

Christmas is coming up soon and we are already busy preparing for a big Christmas party where all the children from our groups will come together. We’re also hoping to do a Christmas meal for the community to bless and honour them and communicate the love of Christ- the reason why we have Christmas in the first place.

So keep us in your prayers. Pray that the Truth of God’s word and the love of Christ would enter into the hearts of the children and adults we minister to every day, and pray that Jesus be glorified!!

Together we can do it

2008-10-21T11:06:00.003-02:00

A few months ago we received a team from Hawaii, which set up medical and dentist clinics and did a children’s holiday club. Another practical expression of God’s love and care for the people of the community. It was a great week, but the best part of all was that we managed to get the three churches in the community involved and working together. It was amazing to get them out from within the four walls of the church and actually impacting the community and their neighbours around them. We had many activities, each held in one of the churches or our project.

As well as having prayer, evangelism and medical teams, we also had clean up teams. The community is notorious in the city for selling drugs, and to enter the community you need to pass through a narrow walkway where the drug guys keep a look out. For one of the activities we managed to repaint the whole main entrance wall to the slum, and with the help of the talented youngsters of the churches paint a new wall. Now the many people who pass by to buy their drugs each day will see and be welcome by the wall calling for a better place and community.

On the final night we had a big open-air service with all churches taking part in the main square of the community, and many people from the community were present.

We are starting to see God impacting this community! As it says in Romans 5: “where sin increased, grace increased all the more”. The churches now want to organise another joint impact to the community, and I believe that nearly anything is possible.

Pray for God’s anointing and Spirit in our lives to give us wisdom, love, energy and power to bring His kingdom to the community.
Pray for two of the main drug dealers in the community that we have lots of contact with – that they and their families will accept Jesus.
Pray for unity among the churches in the community and that the locals will be inspired to get involved in the work.
Pray for more full time staff.

Filling the community with fragrance.

2008-10-21T10:59:00.011-02:00

We have long realised the truth in the old Chinese proverb “don’t give someone a fish if you can give them a fishing rod”, and that is what we have aimed to do in much of our work. We realise each person has talents and abilities that often just need to be awaken and unlocked for them to rise up and live a full life.

This is especially true in Oitão Preto (the poor community) where we work, where the main economy is based on drugs and prostitution. Those who receive Jesus and leave that lifestyle need a viable alternative to make a living.

The most recent course we ran was teaching how to make soap. On the course we had the wives of the main drug dealers; people who have come off drugs or out of prison and become Christians, and other people who are needy who have no fixed income to support their families.

One such lady came to me in the late afternoon one day asking if I could give her 30p to buy some soup for her mother who was 90 years old and hadn’t eaten all day. I went to visit her and found a bare house with lots of hungry people inside. So I brought some soup for her and invited her to come participate in the soap course that started the following week. She did and she now has a way to support her family without having to rely on us every day to bring food. Her self-esteem has shot up and she has hope back in her life.

Another guy who has benefited from this enterprise is a guy who used to be involved in lots of armed assaults, and had been in prison for a long time. He now lives with his wife and 5 children in a hut about 3 by 5 meters. He has become a strong Christian, a gentle giant compared to the guy he used to be. One night he too had nothing to eat for his family and so he sat them down and prayed that God would provide. Just as he finished praying someone came knocking at the door with an envelope containing money saying God had told him to give it to them. God does provide in special ways, but He has also given us hands and intelligence to do things ourselves. Now this man collects old coconut shells that he cleans, polishes and varnishes and then sells them to us so we can use them for the coconut soap we sell.

Be praying for us as we offer courses, that we would know what courses to offer and most importantly: that above all they would come to know Jesus in a deeper way.

The “light-club”- being children.

2008-10-21T10:47:00.008-02:00

Last week we had a day out for the 47 children who are part of our “Clubinho da luz” (light-club). They meet every Saturday morning and this day we were able to take them to the countryside to an estate with a swimming pool. They absolutely loved it! And it was great to see many volunteers come to help out, including 7 women of God from Lake Hills Church in the US.

Pray for these children. When they are with us they hear of the love of God and the transforming power of Jesus, but the rest of the week they hear so many negative things spoken around and over them. Pray for the Truth of Jesus to take deep root in their hearts and minds.

New lives on the path to restoration!

2008-09-10T18:56:00.008-03:00

When you ask a question of God, do you expect a quick answer? Well, with Paulinho studying in Norway - (speaking English already and having settled in well) we began as a team to pray and prepare to receive new boys here on the farm.

We have been using the open house again with groups of kids from the Bus Terminal called 'Parangaba' , and we have been more and more present on the streets . It has been such a blessing to us because the boys here; Paulo, Mardônio, Hemerson and Claudio have really embraced the challenge; their prayers are real, their ideas and insights realistic, and they have seen Paulinho's going as a real victory for all of us!

Then 2 days ago the city's child protection authorities picked up 2 kids on the streets and threatened to put them in a home if the family did not take care of them. Well, the Gran said that they had no way of taking care of them as they are already involved in life and 'crack' on the streets. Their mothers have abondoned them. Edward is 13 and David 11 (not their real names). The gran said that she saw only one hope for these boys and said 'I'm going to take them to that place where Paulo is - if they can't help there's no hope'. They are not brothers, but they are both cousins of our Paulo; more of his family living on the streets.

They arrived here after hitch hiking from the city. We prayed together as a team and felt sure that God had answered our prayers- today is the day that we should receive new boys! God even brought them here! We have begun the process of helping them adjust and they have 1 week to prove that they deserve the opportunity to stay here- we call it our Triagem week. It will be a difficult week for them as they will have to work, study (neither can write or read), wash dishes, pray,worship and learn to respect and accept the love God has to give them through us.

Will you pray for them and for us? Of course our life changes drastically when we bring in new boys- we have to give them 24 hour care until they calm down, and of course we have to keep on with our other tasks.
But one thing we are sure of: Our God is a God of transformation and restoration!

This is the reality of the kids on the streets:

2008-08-30T10:08:00.001-03:00

The kids leave home for varying reasons- poverty, abuse, lack of structure, peer pressure…the list is long. Once they are on the streets they are quickly absorbed into the ”gang” where usually a ”chief” is responsible for the well being of them all. At first they resist the drugs, but it doesn’t take long before they are tempted to ”sniff” glue from a bottle or dip the corner of their shirt in a ”dab” of thinner, solvent, nail polish remover or some such liquid based inhalant. They usually have to pay the owner of the solvent small change for their ”dab”, and of course the shirt or piece of cloth only stays damp for a short period of time. And so the drugs’ controlling power begins to act.

They have to start begging for loose change to ”buy” their ”dab”, and then they are absorbed into the gangs schemes. Usually, once they are involved in drugs, they form ”partnerships”- two kids who join together and unite forces to raise money through begging, stealing or other means to buy their drugs of choice.

As a natural progression inhaling solvents through the nose turns into inhaling them through the mouth, and then the nature of the drugs has to change to produce a similar, better, longer, higher result; the drug of choice here in Fortaleza is ”crack” (”pedra” or ”mesclado” as it is known as here). ”Crack” is a combination of cocaine and other drugs in a potent and highly addictive combination easily found and easily bought on any street corner from dealers who have more control then any parent could ever imagine!

The ”crack” eliminates hunger, rots the teeth, sends the kids into wild spirals, and takes them to places we cannot go. Places where we do not want to go, but where they want to go, even deeper.

This week we went to pick up some kids to take to our ”drop in centre”. At the bus station, where dozens of kids hang out, they had all been so keen as we invited them the week before. But Friday they had no desire to come. Minutes before we arrived to seek them out in their hidaways they had climbed a wall into an abandoned lot because someone had turned up with some ”crack”. They looked at us with blank faces as if our offer of lunch, a change of clothes, a shower, and some genuine love as an absurd offer. Why of course! They have ”crack”!

Three kids came and what a fantastic time we had as we were able to show them the love that Christ has first shown us. At one point during lunch I got up and wandered a few metres from the table. As I looked back I saw a happy family: four boys who have lived with us for a few years on the farm, a number of local volunteers, and our team eating lunch, laughing, telling stories, and sharing in a real moment of family.

The three, 14 year old Jefferson who looks like he’s 12, John-Paul aged 16, and Angela a girl of 15 (not their real names) were there too. They were unsure of how to fit in, but were part of a restoring of family values. Paulo, Hemerson, Claudio and Mardônio then told their testimonies, led worship, and treated the three the same way they were treated 3 years ago.

God restores you know! Paulinho will tell you that as he studies music for one year on a full scholarship at a school called Hedmarktoppen in Norway (http://www.hedmarktoppen.no/). Four years ago he was in their position and now he is where God has put him.

” He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He sits them with princes, with the princes of their people.' Psalm 113:7,8

People ask if there are still death squads called upon to ”remove” street kids from the streets. I can’t say yes or no to that, but I can tell you that the kids on the streets experience violence on a daily basis. Some tell of being shot at, kids we have know for years have been reported dead with rumours of how that came to be…Is it death squads? Does it matter? We watch our world turning itself upside down, ignoring God’s principles in favour of a worldly ”if it works, do it”. THIS I can say categorically- we live in an age where ”integrity” is the make of a car and where ”honesty” is the name of a clothing store.

As a believer in Christ Jesus I state boldly that ”love your neighbour as yourself” is a command created to promote love between all men by a God who loved us so much that He gave his only son to die for us because of our sins and His great mercy! Pray, give, rise up and practise this gospel of love that Christ preached and LIVED!

”Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses, it has cut off the children from our streets and the young men from the public squares . . . this is what the Lord says ' Let not the wise man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight''. Jeremiah 9: 21,23,24

We who call Christ ”Saviour” can make a difference by living according to His principles and obeying His voice!

Pray for us!

Peter and the Urban Missions team at ”My Father’s House” in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Biscuits and unity- SHINE still shining.

2008-07-31T03:27:00.000-03:00

At ”SHINE” the work continues. The last months we have seen several courses run especially for the women of the community; we have done some in the culinary field and we also recently just finished a course in making fruit soap. It is vital that the women of the community learn skills and can support their families. Many of the women have been involved in drugs and prostitution, and now need another way to get an income. Others have husbands who have turned away from drug trafficking and other illegal means of earning money, and these women can now be a part of providing for their families in an honest and dignified way.

The various team that have come to help us out in the community have been a great blessing to us! Apart from the practical help they have given, it always blesses us when people come and receive the love and heart of God for the people of Oitão Preto.

We are also seeing the Christians in the community come together. It was amazing to see one of the meetings we had where the traditional Assemblies of God brothers sat side by side with the tatooed surfers for Christ. This is part of what it’ll be like in heaven! And unity of the body of Christ is the key to anointing!

There is still a long way to go…in the recent months we’ve seen people very dear to our heart die as a consequence of the lives they have been living. But we believe that we have the answer and we know that Jesus’ heart is to see a transformation of this community! You are part of that! Keep interceding for us!

Street worship.

2008-07-22T11:24:00.001-03:00

At times it seems the kids worship the streets. . . and often we sek strategies and solutions for the kids and discover only frustration.. . one thing is for sure - Our God is worthy of our praise! We have begun to spend time in the places where this kids most often congregate, to simply pray and worship God - to reclaim the land that Satan has stolen. The fascinating thing is that we discover that as we take our eyes off the kids themselves, more kids come and want to be a part of what we are doing. Pray that we will hear His voice and demonstarte His love as we seek HIS solutions on behalf of those He has called us to love!

Points for prayer:

For new staff
For support for staff members
For the work of Shine as it continues to build on the foundation of God's love
For the students of the night school (ENVIA) as they hear God's voice for the mission God has for each one.
For the boys,their families and their dreams as they seek God for their next steps in restoration
For strength courage and perseverence for staff
For the prayers and preparation beginning for next years DTS

Believing in the restoration of families.

2008-06-16T05:17:00.001-03:00

The work of supporting the families of the boys who live on the farm is a great challenge. The boys are facing it with faith! They visit their families, and we we regularly invite all the families we work to the project for a family meeting, which is a time of fellowship and investing into their lives. It is great to see the boys’ families come and the boys grow in their relationships with them. Last time all the boys gave their families a present which was a miracle.

One of them, however, is facing some serious challenges. When he was at home years ago, His mother used to tell him: "Quickly, run away, your father is coming home!” Usually he would obey, and thus began his career on the streets aged 8. However, sometimes, with his heart full of fear, he would not go. Instead, he simply hid under the bed for days from where he witnessed horror after horror. This story is not complete yet, but the accompanying fears are still real, and from these fears come fears about the future which paralyze this young man.

God is a God of justice and love. He will see justice done! We pray that this family will see forgiveness and the power of forgiveness to bring restoration.

Journey with us in prayer!!

Prayer points:

New staff.
Support for staff.
The work of ”SHINE” that works in the community.
For the students of the night school (ENVIA), that they can hear God’s voice for what He has for each one of them.
For strength and courage for the staff.
For the DTS next year.
For the boys and their families.

”I am a thief”- the challenge of bringing identity to those in prison.

2008-06-09T05:22:00.001-03:00

"Write down on the piece of paper we are giving you your strengths and your weaknesses". These were the instructions Fabiano, in his broad Brazilian accent, gave to the 20 some inmates of the youth prison. Imagine his shock when the vast majority, with a mixture of bravado, embarrassement, and bewilderment, showed that they don't know how to read and write. The majority of these boys are not street kids, but kids from different spheres of society. Those who express themselves with clarity need Fabiano's help to write. One of them says of his strengths: "killing", and of his weaknesses: "I steal". Another one says: "I am a thief". There were two thieves crucified with Christ- one a thief, the other hanged for stealing. Both died that day, one however, was saved.

The team in the prison prays and seeks God to know how we can expand this ministry to help the inmates discover their God-given purpose, and to be able to accompany them when they are released. We desparately need workers- it is a mammoth task!

Pray for strength and clarity for the prison team.

Pray that God would raise up more workers.

Victory and tears.

2008-05-06T10:43:00.001-03:00

The past few months we’ve seen many ups and downs. We’ve rejoiced at the victories both in Oitão Preto and on the farm. We’ve cried over lives lost. We thank those of you who have stood with us in prayer! Without God there truly is no hope, but with Him miracles happen!

”Shine”

Finally being able to work out from a house located in the community is a great victory! We have had services and prayer meetings there, as well as working with different groups in the community. SENAC (a private non-profit organisation focused on offering courses to all of society) also held a 3-week course in the house on how to make sweet and savoury snacks for parties which went really well.

We do, however, realize that we are in a spiritual battle. What we need more then anything is to see more intercession and worship come forth from the house.

”Sítio Graça”- the farm

The farm is going well. Everyone was very excited to see Peter and Selma return in March after a well deserved time of holiday and networking. This year holds exciting challenges especially for Paulinho and Paulo who are taking steps to pursue their dreams. Paulinho is hoping to go to a Bibleschool in Norway and Paulo is wanting to do the YWAM Discipleship Training School in Salvador with the outreach in Africa. Do pray for them, and should you want to contribute financially do get in touch with us! The other boys are also blossoming and walking into the things of God.

We still need to see more staff join Peter, Selma, Fabiano and Dayane. We long to be able to give more boys, who are currently living in hopelessness on the streets, the opportunity to get to know Jesus and be transformed by the grace of God! Pray for committed people to join us! We believe that God has much much more for us.

The reality which shakes us.

The last few months have really shaken us up as we’ve received news of 3 of our young adults being killed. The two young men and young woman were all well known to us, and we had worked very closely with all of them; visiting them on the streets and getting to know their homes and their families. One of them was one of the first boys to ever live on the farm. The two young men got killed fleeing from the police, the young woman was stabbed to death. The stories are grusome. They reflect the reality of where the children, adolescents, and adults who live on the streets are headed unless something changes.

Thomas (one of the boys who spent a long time on the farm, but decided to leave) is painfully aware of this. One Sunday he turned up at church petrified. He knows that it is only a miracle that he is still alive. After getting out of youth prison his life has been comsumed with crack and armed assaults. After chatting with him for a long time we left him with the leaders of ”Lar da Paz” (the church’s drug rehab centre)…Pray for him.

Another boy very close to our hearts is now in prison serving a 30 year sentence for murder.

We choose to hold on to hope!

In the face of all of this it is easy to loose hope. But we refuse to give in to the hopelessness! As long as there is life there is hope!

We choose to keep remembering the victories in the lives of the boys at the farm, the house in the community, and the story of Graziela (a teenager from the community with severe eyeproblems) getting free treatment for her eyeproblems and doing a course.

Stand with us in prayer:

pray for the work of ”SHINE” in the community of Oitão Preto.
pray for ”Sítio Graça”- the farm- for staff, the boys, and guidance.
pray for the kids and adults who still live on the streets.
pray for Thomas- that God would redeem and restore him.
pray for the staff of the project, and that God would bring ”more workers for the harvest”.

A good ending to the year and challenges ahead.

2008-01-28T12:27:00.000-02:00

We are well into 2008, and so we do wish all of you a Happy New Year!

We had many good parties over Christmas in Oitão Preto for the various groups we have with the people there. With the men we played football at Gerardo Bastos (a company one block away from the project which works with car repairs and has a football pitch they let us use) followed by hot dogs and a powerful testimony from our staff member Fabiano. We saw about 30 of them come, many drug dealers which was good.

We also did parties for the children and the women who are involved in our project to set up micro businesses to enable them to support their families.

We are in the process of trying to rent a house in the community to run courses and have our activities in. As usual with these things, it’s a battle. But we believe that God is in control and we know that being there, as a light physically situated in the community, will have a huge impact on everyone living there and all the activities that go on there.

Please stand with us in prayer:

pray that we can get the house in the community
pray for Andrew and Claudia as they head up the work in Oitão Preto
pray for the work with the children, women, and men
pray also for the farm, for God to be with the staff and boys and that they can daily grow in the knowledge of God
pray for the city centre work, that God would open doors and guide the work
pray for structure for the prison ministry, that the Truth would set these young boys free.

Christmas Greetings!

2007-12-25T09:50:00.000-02:00

We want to wish all of you who have participated, prayed, contributed, encouraged, supported, laughted and cried with us, shown friendship, received God’s heart, and stood with us this past year: A VERY BLESSED CHRISTMAS and a 2008 full of PEACE and victories in the Lord!

In this season where the focus is so much on material things and traditions, we want to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ, who when he became an adult died for our salvation and rose again to give us life. And it is this HOPE we want to bring to those who are lost and broken here in Fortaleza.

We hope you feel a part of what God is doing; through YOUR prayers and YOUR support YOU are a vital part in us all seeing God’s Kingdom grow in the city of Fortaleza!!

The photo is from our Christmas celebration last year. As you can probably imagine, Brazil not being the coldest of countried, it’s a plastic tree, but it brings in the Christmas atmosphere.

Lots of love from all of us at “My Father’s House”.

This is our team at the end of 2007.

2007-12-19T17:03:00.000-02:00

2007 has been a year of many changes for us as a project. We have seen many goings and comings of staff members. And so as we draw to the end of this year, we thought it would be nice to give you an update on what our faithful team of staff looks like so you can hold them up in your prayers:

Peter and Selma Thomas- are the faithful overall leaders of “My Father’s House”, and also leaders of “Sítio Graça” our restoration farm. They are currently on a much deserved 3-month furlough. Pray for strengthening and that they can find rest and peace in this time. They have a gorgeous son.

Andrew and Claudia Fanstone- lead “SHINE”, our community development project which reaches out to the community of Oitão Preto. Pray for wisdom as they head up this work. They are expecting their first child next year.

Karen and Vinicius Guerra- head up the 3-month “Night School”, which seeks to raise awareness in the local churches of missions and equip them to grasp God’s heart for missions, both locally, in their own city, and worldwide. They are currently in Switzerland doing a course.

Fabiano and Dayanne- they did the DTS on the farm this year and are now full-time staff at “Sítio Graça”. Fabiano also participates in the prison ministry, and Dayane has taken on responsibility for the accounts. Pray for God to really give them His heart, especially pray for extra wisdom and discernment during this time while Peter and Selma are away.

Jander and Melanie de Oliveira- Jander works on the farm and is a huge blessing both with the boys and also in helping with the many things that often need to be chased to get sorted out. Melanie works with pregnant teenagers with “SHINE” as well as with pregnant teenagers in Aquiraz where they live. They have one son who is super-cute!

Neide Ferreira Batista- works with “SHINE” and is also involved with the family work. Neide has been involved with “My Father’s House” on and off since 2000, and is now back with us as full-time staff.

Diego- works with “SHINE”. Diego spent a few years working at “Sítio Graça” and is now back full-time reaching into Oitão Preto.

Avisi Tshimalenge- works in the different parts of the project, using metalwork and jewellery workshops to teach young people skills, which can help them move forward in life. She is currently on leave in England.

John William Hunter- coordinates our work in the various youth prisons citywide. He is married to Rochelli and they have a little daughter.

Helyvane- works at “Sítio Graça” in the area of schooling and education. She has one son.

Michiel- has just arrived from Holland to work with us. His focus will be working in the city centre, and he plans to do a DTS later on this year.

In addition to these we have introduced you to, we have many short and long term volunteers from Fortaleza and beyond who play a vital part in seeing God’s Kingdom come to the poor, needy, despised, and rejected of Fortaleza, bringing HOPE and LIGHT to a dark and hopeless reality.

Please be praying for:

more full-time staff
God’s protection over those involved in the project
strength and wisdom
Christmas, as it is often a very sensitive time especially for the boys on the farm being far from their families. Pray it’ll be a good Christmas for them and the staff there with them!

Strategy and trust to reach pregnant girls.

2007-11-27T17:39:00.000-02:00

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.

Farm Feature- Micah

2007-11-14T12:29:00.000-02:00

Micah is a boy who is now starting to have hope for his life, and who is learning what it means to be loved. He is a lovely boy, and it has been amazing to see the transformation God is doing in his life. Here he shares a bit about himself:

“My name is Micah, I am 17 years old. My mother lives with my brothers and sisters. I have 10 brothers and sisters. Today I live at Sítio Graça, My Father's House, because I used to live on the streets. I like to play football and paint. I also like to think. I am a very organised person! It is my dream to have a family. I really want God to continue forming my character.”

It moves our hearts to hear these boys we love so much express their dreams, and actually dream. Micah was in a sense forgotten on the streets, but God saw him and God has given him hope again. Be praying for him. Pray that God continues to form his character, and pray that as he grows with God in character and knowledge of Him, that his family can be reached and restored by the love of God.

Increased openness in the closed places.

2007-10-31T11:20:00.000-02:00

It is so amazing to see how the boys in our discipleship groups in the youth prisons are opening up and asking questions. These are boys who have gone through life surviving by staying tough, boys who don’t believe in showing insecurity. Seeing them changing is amazing, and it is only because of the power of God touching their hearts. Praise God for the breakthroughs we are seeing!!

We have seen a good team of different people come together to minister in the youth prisons, and we are seeing even the most closed prison now approaching us and asking us to come in and work with their boys. When this happens we have even more freedom to come in and preach the Truth, the truth that sets free!

Telma, one of the staff of YWAM Fortaleza is involved in the prison work, and here she shares a bit of how she experiences it:

“…this Thursday was my second time going to the youth prisons. To see those boys locked up like animals broke my heart, because I knew that God did not created them to be in that place. He created them to live in freedom, free from the cells and also free from sin. We do our work in a room that is locked with security guards in case they try to escape. When they are thirsty they need to ask for water, and receive a big bottle of it. They have to drink directly from the bottle because they don’t receive cups. And when they drink, they drink as if it was the last water they had. This made me so sad to see. Maybe you wonder what the problem with drinking water this way is. My point is that so often we don’t value what God has given us, and we don’t give water and bread to those who hunger and thirst for God. Seeing that scene reminded me of how much we as Christians have to give people, and how often we keep it to ourselves, and how our lives are far from simple. I think we need to go back to simplicity.”

At the moment we are looking to using some material in our discipleship groups from the Saddleback church, which goes through eight steps in growth and healing in Christ. Please pray that we as a team can get a good grasp of that material and all be on the same page as we go in to share and teach the boys.

Pray for John as he coordinates the prison work and seeks to draw all those involved together to be unified!

Pray for us to stay humble and dependant on God as we go in, and that we will always seek to know His heart and His plans for every single opportunity we have.

Existing in a life without hope- the mothers of the next generation.

2007-10-22T18:11:00.000-02:00

The community of Oitão Preto has always had a large number of pregnant girls and women. Due to the harsh reality of the community, their reality is far from simple. These women are very much on God’s heart!

Melanie, who works with pregnant girls in Aquiraz, also as part of YWAM Fortaleza, came to see the reality of Oitão Preto. Her aim being to get to see for herself the desperate reality there, and see how God wants to use her experience to reach the girls who live (if you can call it living) in this community, be it working directly with them, or helping give valuable information to the staff who faithfully go into the community week after week.

Here she shares a bit of what she experienced:

“Last week I went along with the team from YWAM that visits a big favela [Oitão Preto] every week. I had been asked to come along to see how I could help them with the pregnant teens they see there. The favela is close to the tourist area, and so there are many prostitutes and street children/ teens that live in this favela. The situation here is really difficult. In the short time I was there I met at least 3 pregnant girls, often still doing their ´programs´ (prostitution) in spite of their big bellies; they’re still on drugs (glue, solvents/crack), and they’re not doing any prenatal care (which is for free). The girl I spoke to was already 23, and pregnant with her 4th child. She was obviously on some kind of substance and didn’t care a bit about her pregnant belly and what was inside it (her own words). She has no idea how long she had been pregnant, but she already decided to simply leave her child at the maternity of the hospital. It is obvious that there is a lot of work to be done here, and I am thinking and praying about how I can help the team that works in this area almost daily. Unfortunately we had to leave early as they started fighting (physically). This is a totally different world, and you can’t imagine it if you haven’t seen it with your own eyes. The situation here is very different from that of the community in Aquiraz where I am used to working, so it is a really big challenge.”

Pray for the work with these girls. They are giving birth to the next generation and we are able to impact how these children will grow up!

Pray for Melanie as she seeks God for the way forward with regards to this.

And pray that God would raise up a strong team of people to minister to these girls who don’t really live, they just exist, trapped in a life that is so dark they have lost all hope!

Farm Feature- Jonatas.

2007-10-01T08:56:00.000-03:00

God is doing amazing things in the boys living at Grace Farm (Sítio Graça in Portuguese). In these “farm feature” sections you can get to know them a bit better in their own words…

“My name is Jonatas, I am 18 years old. I have a mother and father, sister, brother and a niece and nephew. Today I am living at Sítio Graça, which is part of ”My Father's House”, a ministry of YWAM, Youth With a Mission, which cares for street boys. I am one of those boys. 4 years ago I was on the streets using drugs, begging for food and money, stealing ... each time the police would see us using drugs they would beat us as if we were animals. But I grew tired of this life and at this time someone from ”My Father's House” found me and asked me if I wanted to change my life. My first answer was yes, and so I went to the sítio. There I met this guy called Jesus and my life was changed. This is why I am here: To know Jesus and to make Him known – speaking of His love for others. OK, I like to paint, play the guitar, do acrobatics and play football. Of these things, I like best to paint and do acrobatics. I have some weaknesses, I'll just share one – girls, I really need help in this area, please pray for me, I would really appreciate it.”

BE PRAYING for JONATAS!

Lots of workshops and Grace…and a bit of Noah.

2007-09-13T14:17:00.000-03:00

A few weeks ago we said goodbye to a group from Grace Fellowship; a team of 10 who have blessed us with their grace and servant hearts. The team came to build us a workshop and left having nearly completed two; one for metal and the other for woodwork here on the farm. The photo shows Avisi (one of our amazing staff) teaching some teenagers at a workshop in another project run by YWAM Fortaleza.

This is the third time the team have come down from Connecticut, and we pray that this relationship will continue! We are amazed to see how much the boys are impacted by the willingness and love shown by folk that come to serve us here. The team was able to go to a youth prison, be involved in the work in the slum of Oitão Preto, and visit the streets and our friends who have made it their home. They were even able to go on some family visits to deliver two pigs to the families of Paulo and Mardônio who live here with us. We praise God for the relationships we have with all of you who love and support us and the work we are doing here.

We are busy building here on the farm. With workshops and reforms to the existing building, I (Peter, leader of the project) have often said in recent days that I feel a little like Noah - building with no sign of rain! But we believe that God is continuing to allow us the necessary time to build a strong foundation for the many years to come and generations whose lives will be transformed.

Please pray for us to have the wisdom to know when to bring more boys so as to further enhance and not destroy the work that is being and has been done in the lives of Hemerson (Jonas), Claudio (Mateus), Paulinho (Jonatas), Mardônio (Micah) and Paulo (Timothy).

Snapshot from "Grace Farm"...

2007-09-11T09:30:00.000-03:00

Peter, the director of ”My Father’s House” shares:

”On going to watch a little of Pauliho's training session for the Brazilian sport/art of Capoeira - I was invited by the leader of the group to give a word of advise to the 40 some youths involved - but to prelude this, I was presented to the group by the leader who expressed how our boys are simply well manered, well behaved, respectful and dedicated . . . . what an honour to hear those words in public - Our God has done a mighty job of restoration in the lives of these boys in the last 2 years - and promises to do more . .”

Be praying for the work at "Grace Farm" (the restoration farm part of the project where street boys can come to be restored by the love and grace of God).
Pray for the 5 boys who live there. And pray for the staff, that they would have strength and passion and a love for God and for the work, and also that more would feel the call to come and join them in this amazing work.

Intense Warfare on the Streets.

2007-09-03T05:45:00.000-03:00

As we were getting ready to leave the Terminal da Lagoa (a bus-station where we meet a lot of street children) Marcos decided to kick up a fuss, trying to steal, making unreasonable demands, and in short wanting to manipulate the situation. Although only 13, Marcos has the street experience of an adult, and even if he is a small and very skinny boy, he has a huge temper and is often very violent.

This Friday we had a small team of people, and so it wasn’t the best time to deal with a violent Marcos (although there is never a good time for these situations). The team left the square where they had visited the street children, and headed off towards the car. Marcos and another boy decided to follow the team and started threatening all kinds of violence. It was one of those situations where you don’t know what to do.

Somehow Marcos managed to sneak himself into the van and refused to get out. It looked impossible, and so one of our young volunteers did the only thing you can do when faced with a situation like this one; he started to pray! As he prayed for Marcos’ life and the situation, Marcos started crying and ended up getting out of the van. The team promptly set off back to the project.

Getting back it is needless to say that the team were pretty shaken up by it all, and had also become incredibly aware of the fact that the war that is being waged on the streets of Fortaleza isn’t a war against drug addicted and violent little boys like Marcos, but a spiritual war. And it is intense!

To make a difference in these kids’ lives we need to fight in the spiritual realm, and we need spiritual cover as we literally step out into the enemy’s territory.

YOU CAN BE A PART OF THE VICTORY! Stand with us in prayer every Friday as we head out to the streets. Pray for protection for the team and also for God to bring His power into the lives of the young and old like Marcos, who have made the streets their homes.

If you feel like you can commit to pray for us every Friday, let us know! It would encourage us greatly to know that you are praying. Either leave a comment in this blog or drop us an email at: casademeupai@hotmail.com to let us know.

CHALLENGE for the future!!

2007-08-31T05:02:00.000-03:00

Paulo (Timothy for those who have followed us for a while), one of the boys on the farm, has come so far from the life he used to lead on the streets. He can no longer be called a street boy, as the streets are no longer part of his life. It is truly amazing to see what God has done in his life, and how God keeps working and changing and moulding him. Paulo is a very dynamic boy and loves people and attention. He has a very transparent and sensitive heart, and he is very good at making contact with people. One of his greatest passions in life is to play football, which he is very good at!

At the moment Paulo is at a place where he is thinking ahead to his future. YWAM runs a training programme called DTS (Discipleship Training School), and Paulo is thinking and praying about doing a DTS to invest into himself (he realizes that he needs to know God more and allow God to continue to work on his character and in his life). His thoughts are that after concluding the DTS he could come back as a staff member in the future! It is so exciting to hear these thoughts and dreams coming from a boy who didn’t have any hope for the future a few years back.

HOWEVER, there is the challenge of finance. The DTS costs money, and so we hereby launch the challenge to you reading this. If you want to partner with Paulo as he walks into the future God has for him, please send an email to: casademeupai@hotmail.com , and we will get back to you with information of how to do so.

And PRAY for Paulo. For wisdom and direction as he seeks God, and God’s provision always.

Making a stand!

2007-08-08T04:34:00.000-03:00

It is amazing how God keeps using the team that goes into the youth prisons. The other week we took the pastor of a team, which was visiting us from Gordo Alabama, with us. It was a great blessing and we saw six boys stand to receive Christ. Some of them had made a stand before, but it still takes courage to get up in front of 25 of their peers, and by standing saying ”I want to follow Jesus”.

Our greatest barrier to reaching these young boys is that they don’t want to commit to something they won’t follow through when they get out to ”the freedom”, as they call it. As we minister to them it is easy to tell by the look in their eyes that they long to have that love, security, peace, and forgiveness Jesus brings, yet they are afraid. Afraid of what the future brings, and afraid of what it means to follow Jesus when faced with the pressure, violence, and hate they encounter on the other side of the prison bars.

Please pray:
* for the boys who have had the courage to make commitments to Jesus.
* for John and the rest of the team who faithfully do the prison ministry.
* for an increased anointing and fresh creativity as the team minister.
* for God to bring strategy as to how we can continue to invest in the lives of these young men when they are released.

A jewellery workshop and cooking.

2007-08-07T06:25:00.000-03:00

One of our great joys is to have Avisi with us as staff. She is an amazing woman of God who is trained, and very gifted, in the area of welding and jewellery making. Her vision is to start up jewellery (and also later welding) workshops, and use these to build up the self-esteem of those who participate, and also to enable people to learn a skill with which they can use to work and support their families.

She already has a workshop running in a project called “Friendly Hand”, also run by YWAM Fortaleza, where teenagers in the poor community come and learn how to make jewellery. It has been amazing to see the change in the teenagers there as they grow not only in skill, but also in self-esteem.

Here at “My Father’s House” we eventually want to see many such workshops up and running; at the restoration farm with the boys who live there, in Oitão Preto for the people of the community, and in the city centre for the many young people we work with who long for an opportunity to be something in life. However, these things don’t come about by themselves, and Avisi has spent many months making lists of materials needed and designing what the workshops need to look like.

And God is being faithful! It now seems like a company from the USA want to sponsor tools for us, and next week we have a team coming from the USA who will start building the first workshop. It is all so exciting for us and we can’t wait to see it all happen! I will keep you updated and hopefully bring you some photos along the way.

But you might be asking what all this has to do with cooking? Well, in this team that are coming to build the workshop we also have two chefs. They want to bless us by making food, but also by learning Brazilian cooking from our very lovely cook Cleide, whose food is delicious. In preparation for their arrival they gave us an offering to buy some much needed new kitchen equipment, which we have greatly enjoyed sorting out and putting in place for their arrival.

Please pray:
*for Avisi as she plans the workshops, for time and language; and for inspiration as she teaches the skills.
*for the team as they come to build and cook, that they can get God’s heart for this place.
*for God’s continued anointing and provision in this area of our ministry.

Lost girls.

2007-08-06T05:09:00.000-03:00

Our discipleship group with the boys is going very well! Involving the girls is, however, a bit more of a challenge. Even if they might voice a desire to participate in a group, they are more resistant when it comes down to it. We really need to find a way of reaching them as they are a very vulnerable part of the community in many ways.

One good development is that Nadia has opened her home for us to come in and do a group with girls involved in prostitution. Many of these girls live with her, and so it’s a great opportunity to reach them where they’re at. It’s not really a formal discipleship group, as it’s more a matter of coming in and praying and chatting, but then that is discipleship in a nutshell really. The girls and women here have a lot of hurt and are very weary, and it takes a long time to win their trust. We need real discernment and strategy to know how to make a difference in their lives and get beyond the many barriers they have put up to protect themselves.

One of the girls we have known for a long time, Lisa who is 19, lives with Nadia at the moment. She comes from a very difficult background and has been involved in prostitution since she was a teenager. She is now pregnant and close to giving birth. When we met her again last week she told us she’d been at home for a long time, which brought joy to our hearts, yet sadness in seeing her back. However, her explanation was that being in Oitão Preto she is closer to a project run by Catholic nuns which works with pregnant girls, and can easier get help when the time comes. She has shown a genuine desire to change her life many times, and we really hope that maybe becoming a mother might be the thing that really gives her the strength to fight.

Pray for:
* for the discipleship group with the boys
* to know how to get the girls involved in the discipleship group
* for the times at Nadia’s house, that we can win the trust of the women
* for Lisa as she becomes a mother and for a change in her life

Surfing for Christ.

2007-08-02T12:55:00.000-03:00

Having a passion for God and a passion for surfing, Wagner, one of the guys from Oitão Preto decided to start a surfing school in the community. Fortaleza is a costal city, and Oitão Preto lies almost as close as you can get to the beach without being on the beach, and so surfing is naturally a very popular sport amongst young and old.

Not being one to wait around Wagner has managed to get sponsorship for the school, the school registered and it’s documentation in order, and is well on his way. It is so amazing to see how God is working in his life now he’s become a Christian, and also see how eager he is that the other kids get to learn about God also.

Every Friday we join with him to do Bible classes for around 40 young people. It’s amazing how God just keeps opening doors in the community, and more importantly is bringing opportunities for all kinds of different people to hear about Jesus.

Pray for:
--Wagner as he heads up the school- that he would have wisdom and integrity.
--Protection for the school and provision.
--Pray that as we reach young people with the Good News through this school, we can guide them away from a life of drugs and into Life in Christ, and get them linked with the local church.

“I know if He didn’t change my life I would be dead now!”

2007-07-12T04:52:00.000-03:00

Camilla was only 10 years old when she was taken from a life of drugs, sexual exploitation, and violence. She now lives at Davis Lar, a Christian children’s home, and at age 11 has proven to be one of the most dynamic evangelists there. Someone who visited there filmed here singing a worship song (she has a beautiful voice), which we took to show her mother and family. Her older brother, Israel, reacted by throwing away his glue-bottle and starting to sing. Even from afar she is impacting her family!

On Friday we took Nadia, the mother of a boy who also lives at Davis Lar, to visit her son. They are also from Oitão Preto, and when Camilla saw her she came over. To those of us who have worked with Camilla over the years the transformation in her life is amazing. She’s gone from being a very violent and angry girl, to becoming a girl who loves Jesus and is passionate about Him. And so for Nadia, who remembers her as that violent and angry little girl, the change must seem almost unreal. It was with great authority that Camilla looked Nadia in the eyes and said: ”Woman, you need to get out of this life! This isn’t a life for you to be living and it will just lead you to death. Let Jesus free you like He did to me. I know if He didn’t change my life I would be dead now!” As Nadia’s eyes filled with tears she could see a miracle of God in Camilla, and also a glimmer of hope for her own life. Pray that this hope would grow in Nadia's life and that she would dare to believe that Jesus loves her and wants to forgive her

Be praying for Camilla and Nadia and their families.
Pray for the work in the community Oitão Preto.
Pray for Andrew and Claudia leading the work of SHINE, and their faithful volunteers.
And pray for more and more of God's light to SHINE!

Off to camp again!

2007-07-09T14:42:00.000-03:00

The excitement level was sky-high as we set off for camp. 15 of the boys we have in one of our discipleship groups from Oitão Preto packed their little rucksacks, and headed off with us to camp organised together with the orphanage Davis Lar. It was an exhausting, exciting, fun-filled, and God-filled time. A fantastic opportunity to spend quality time with the boys, and invest into their lives away from the harsh environment they live in.

The orphanage is home to a few children who come from Oitão Preto whose families aren’t able to take care of them. Camp is a really precious time for those children to catch up with their friends again. One girl we’ve worked a lot with, who is very very dear to our hearts, is Camilla. Camilla has been at the orphanage for a bit over a year now, and she is an incredibly passionate girl. It was such a blessing to see her during the worship times. She was always easy to spot being the one who would sing the loudest and dance the hardest.

After three action-packed days the camp was over for this time. I think everyone agreed it had been yet another great time, in spite of some of the children being ill with colds.

Please pray for a continual growth of these boys with God. That they might be strengthened to keep going, witnesses to their families, and bringers of hope to their community.

Getting stuck in with both hands.

2007-07-09T14:14:00.003-03:00

As we took the team from Hawaii into the community of Oitão Preto for 4 days, many of them were really broken by the stories they heard, yet encouraged by what God is doing.

With an increased team this year we were able to not only do medical and dental clinics, but also bring the Truth of Jesus Christ to the people. It was an amazing time of really seeing God move! A time of truly getting stuck in with the two-handed gospel. Over 150 people were treated in the medical clinics offered, and around 30 people made a personal commitment to Christ. God is at work! It was great to have the team join with us in times of prayer and worship, bringing in the Kingdom of God where darkness has reigned for so long.

Tears were shed as the team left. The community felt so loved and blessed by them, and I think it is safe to say that the team felt an immense love back from the community. Four days may be a short amount of time, but the effects are lasting.

The team has left, but God hasn’t. This Sunday the Revival church held an open air meeting in the community where they baptised 80 people.

God’s light keeps on SHINING into Oitão Preto…

SHINE in the darkness.

2007-06-25T18:14:00.000-03:00

The work in Oitão Preto has really had a great boost since Andrew and Claudia started up a full-time work there in April. "SHINE" is the very appropriate name of the project, as that is what our heart is to do there: Shine the love, truth, and life of Jesus into every single life in the community, and see it transformed for the glory of God.

Even if it is still early days, we are seeing the community respond to us in an amazing way. The main focus as we start is to form discipleship groups with the young people in the community. We already have several groups for children and teenagers, and one women's group. It's great to see God move in these young people's lives and see them receive the truth and life of God which strengthens them to stand up against the strong influence of drugs and violence which they have to face every single day.

During Carneval this year we took 10 of the children in the community to a camp for 5 days at a Christian children's home which is about an hour's drive outside the city. It was amazing to see them respond to the positive environment and really be changed. One boy told us the last day that he'd felt joy for the first time in his life. Powerful words from a 12 year old. As we drove back to the community most of them were crying because they wanted to stay longer. On arrival some of the parents were very welcoming, whereas others were too busy doing drugs or too drunk to really welcome their excited sons home. This month we are taking another group, and we are praying that God would really impact them in a great way again, and that the temporary change from their home environment, can cause permanent, positive change in their lives. Please pray for them!

Beyond the prison walls.

2007-06-25T17:54:00.000-03:00

Our work ministering in the youth prisons continues going strong! Every week we see gates opened and boys hungry to learn more about God, a God who cares and forgives, and a God who loves and wants to know them individually!

A few weeks ago we were in Oitão Preto, the community we work in, and met one of the boys we'd been discipling in prison. With great excitment he took us to his home where we meet his pregnant girlfriend and various other family members. It was great to be able to continue the work we started in prison with him. We pray and hope that through him, not only his future will be changed, but also his whole family can be impacted. To be able to follow up the boys when they leave prison is something which has been on our heart for a long time, and it seem like God is now showing us the way forward. Remember this boy, and also the workers and work in prisons in your prayers.

Oitão Preto- reaching out to the community

2006-10-21T15:18:00.000-03:00

One of the areas God has put on our hearts is to reach out to the children and adults who live in the community of Oitão Preto. It is one of the slums where there is a lot of drug dealing, drug abuse, violence, and misery.

Every Saturday morning we head out to bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ to the people who live in the midst of discouragement and dispair. We visit specific families, bringing discipleship to those who have accepted Christ, and a listening ear to those who are going through tough times. And as we wander through the roads of the community we minister to the drug addicts and the street teenagers.

Last month through the arrival of a team from Hawaii we were able to also offer medical and dental assistance, and we saw hundreds of children and adults be treated with dignity as they not only received healthcare, but also heard the word of God. We still meet people who were blessed by the care they received and we are seeing a change for the better in the community.

Every wednesday we have a group of children from the community come for discipleship at the project, and these times of investing into the lives of these 12/13 year olds is so valuable. They see people using and selling drugs every day, and through working closely with them we hope to be a part of preventing them from becoming the future drug dealers and users.

Pray for us as we invest into this community. The needs are great, but we serve a great God! Pray especially for the starting of a full-time work there next year.

Bringing FREEDOM to the captives.

2006-03-12T12:54:00.000-03:00

As we sat with the director of the prison, he shared his heart with us: "Some of the boys are so cold and show no remorse for the most horrendous crimes. It scares me. We need God in this prison."

We are at a time where God is opening many doors for us to minister in the youth prisons in the city. Last week we went into two prisons with a DTS outreach team from Norway. It was amazing! As they presented you could tell that the boys were moved, and as we invited them to respond many came forward. There is a real hunger for God in these boys' lives. One boy gave his life to Jesus a month ago, and he was the first to respond in his prison. He is a very coragous boy and you can tell that Jesus transforming his life.

Another time I was talking to a boy was in prison for killing a man. As we talked about freedom, he came to the conclusion that even out of prison he isn't really free "you always have to keep looking over your shoulder in case someone comes to get you" was his reflection.

One boy who was about to be released asked me if I thought God would protect him from the family of the person he'd killed. I said I believed God was with him, but that what he should ask for was for God to give him an opportunity to ask forgiveness from the family. His response was "that is what I most long for. To be able to express to them how sorry I am for what I've done."

These are just a few glimpses of what is going on in the lives of these tough, often quite scarey boys who are in prison. They are human, and they feel. And deep down, what they long for is not just physical freedom from the prison, but a true freedom which can only be found in God.

Pray for this work! Last week one of the coordinators for the board of social services in the city told me he wants us to go into all the prisons. It's amazing to see how God is opening more and more doors. We don't have the capacity, but we are willing to go wherever God would lead us. So pray for God to bring more people with a passion and heart to reach out to the imprisioned. And pray that we won't limit ourselves, but go for it.

Triage- starting the road to restoration.

2006-02-16T17:44:00.000-02:00

This week we started a triage with two boys. For those of you who are already thinking "what does that mean?", the triage is basically 10 days the boys we want to take to the farm spend in the city centre property. It is a time for the boys to show us they really want to leave the streets, and a time for us to get to know them better and evaluate if they are ready. The triage phase is a very intense stage both for boys and staff, but it also brings great joy to us who work on it as it´s a time where we can literally take boys off the streets and give them another option.

Sat here writing the boys are at the football field playing football. They are 12 and 14 years old and have both spent a considerable time on the streets involved with drugs and street life. Now they have a chance to change the direction of their lives.

One of them, David, is a very determined boy. The first thing he said was that he is going to hold on tight to this opportunity "because if I decide to leave, who knows when I´ll get the chance again".

At the triage the boys get stuck into an agenda as similar to the one at the farm as possible. The space here is obviously a lot smaller, actually during a triage it seems as if the property here shrinks, but I think it´s more the fact that we don´t usually have two adolescents here 24 hours a day with all that that entails. They have a discipleship time, time for school activities, cleaning, practical work, and also, needless to say, time to play football (this is after all Brazil). The evenings we spend doing activities with them and having a more chilled, family like atmosphere. Today we got a huge donations of apples, so I am thinking I´ll make some apple crumble with them this evening (similar to apple pie).

This is day three, so we are still in the early stages. It´s good though. Today as we did a group time with them they were both visibly moved as we talked about their mums and things that had happened in their lives. God is already starting a work of restoration and healing in them. And we hope and believe it´s a process which will continue.

Prayer pointers:

- Protection. We are in a spiritual battle!

- For the two boys. That they would persevere and be open to God.

- For strength, passion, patience, unity and perseverance for the staff.

- For God to prepare the staff and boys already on the farm.

"You can call him `azulino`"

2006-02-01T11:49:00.000-02:00

When I sat down to chat the kids hanging out at the bussterminal, the first question I was asked was if I wanted a fish. I bit puzzled by what that meant exactly I asked them to explain. Quickly four glassbottles were produced containing small, aquarium sized fish in water. The boys had gone fishing in the lake next to the buss-station. They were very exited with their catch, and also because they'd heard that someone had found small aligators in the lake.

I decided on the blue fish and was promptly informed the I had to name him. Such a dilemma. I thought for a while, and one of the boys said: "I know what you can call him. You can call him `azulino` because he's blue" (azul= blue in Portuguese). I said that was a splendid name. We decided it was best if the boys looked after the fish for me, and that I would bring him some food the next time we came. I must remember to get some fishfood tomorrow.

It was such a special moment with this group of boys. We only started visiting them regularaly on the streets a few weeks ago, and I can already see trust and respect growing in them. Many of them are young, 11, 12, 13 years old, and often we find them very drugged on glue or paint-thinner when we arrive.

In a few weeks time we are hoping to open spaces for more boys to go to the farm. God is already highlighting some of these boys to me, and I am praying for God to really guide us these next few weeks as we seek to find the boys He has prepared for this next triagem (triagem= in between stage between the streets and the farm).

Stand with us in prayer:

* for the streetwork in this area of the city. It's called Terminal da Lagoa.

*for God to bring strategy as to how to reach these boys.

*for the triagem, that we would know which boys to take.

Transforming lives- "Grace Farm"

2006-01-17T11:43:00.000-02:00

God is a God of miracles. When I think of the 5 boys we have at our restoration farm, "Grace Farm", the only response is gratefulness to God. He has truly taken these boys out of the pit and placed their feet on rock. "Grace Farm" is a restoration house where boys who cannot return to their families from the streets can come and live. At the farm they learn how to live and relate to others, and most importantly they're introduced to Jesus, the One who can tranform their lives. It is amazing to see how much they've changed, and how incredibly gifted they are. Each one of them has huge potential. It brings such joy to our hearts as we see each of them discover who they are as individuals and how loved they are by God!
The boys went to a youth camp with the church at the start of January. As they came back they were full of stories about the amazing worship times, games and activites, friendships formed, other kids getting saved and late nights with no sleep. Stuff "normal" kids take for granted. Stories of a lost childhood being found.

Prayer pointers:
-pray for the boys at the farm, that they keep being open to change and face the challenges they have in their lives.
-for the bond with their families
-for the staff to have wisdom, unity and God's heart and love for the boys, and for continued strength and patience.
-for God to provide in all areas!
-for us as we look to build more houses on the farm to be able to receive more boys
-for guidance as to when to bring more boys, and which boys
-for more staff!
-for the love, GRACE, and presence of God to be there so powerfully.

Restoring bonds- family work

2006-01-17T10:45:00.000-02:00

"I never received love. But I want to show love to my children. In this place I feel loved." These were the words of one of the fathers who participated at our Christmas party for the families of the boys who live on our restoration farm, or who we work with on the streets. It was amazing to see how the parents shared their hearts in the group time for the parents. Many tears were shed as they spoke about the pain of being separated from their sons and daughters, and of the hardship of their own lives, yet finding comfort in seeing that they are not alone and that others share the same experiences.

Monthly we invite the families we work with to come to the project in the city centre for a family meeting. We have activites for the children while the parents have a time just for them. The times with the parents are times for them to share, cry, listen and encourage one another. We want to see them restored and discover the value and potential they have, and also introduce them to Jesus who is the reason for everything. Often the examples they have had about raising children and living as families are distorted, and so we try to bring light to them about how God intends us to relate to each other and how we can show love through limits. We also try to visit them regularly in their homes. Our aim being to encourage and strengthen, but also to get to know the reality of their individual situation so that we can seek to help them more specifically.

Prayer pointers:
- for our monthly meetings the last week of every month.
- for the families to come to the meetings.
- for us to have God's love to show to them.
- for wisdom and discernment as we share with them and seek to show them their value and potential
- for a revelation of Jesus in their lives and salvation.
- for our visits to their homes. For God to bring strategy and also means to do these visits.
- for the restoration of families so that the streetkids can return to live in homes of safety, security and love.

2006-01-07T13:47:00.000-02:00

Wasting away on the streets.

The first contact with the street kids is on the streets. The tough reality of the life there often hits you in the face when you are faced with boys and girls who are skin and bones as a result of excessive drug use, and whose faces bear the marks of having lived, and of living, a life full of desparation and hopelessness.

Yesterday we went to Beira Mar, one of the tourist areas in the city of Fortaleza, and also one of the areas where the street kids hang out. When we do streetwork we bring games, drawing material, bibles and first aid equipment with us. These are great tools to make contact with the children and adolescents, and help us in drawing their attention, sharing with them about Jesus, and building relationships with them.

As we approached the group we saw Simão. He saw us and gave us a drugged grin. His main priority was to hide his bottle of glue under his t-shirt before he headed off to the sewer drain to do some more drugs. Simão has been to "Grace Farm" twice. When he is off the streets he is a different boy. In spite of being 15, he'll play for hours with toys and loves to invent games. Unfortunately numerous years of living on the strees has made him deeply addicted to drugs and streetlife, it's hard for him to get out of it.

And Simão's story is only one of many many more. The majority of the kids we work with are between 12 and 25 years old and have been on the streets for more than 5 years. We work mainly with boys, as they make up about 80% of the kids on the streets, but we have a great heart to reach the girls in greater measure also. When "My Father's House" started, the main drugs used by the street kids were glue and paintthinner. The last few years crack has invaded the streets, and is causing deeper addictions and more destruction of lives.

As we walk the streets of Fortaleza, and meet with those who have made their home there, we want to bring the love and Truth of Jesus to them. The Truth which sets free and transforms lives. And we want to bring hope and value and dignity to them, so that they would start longing for, believing in, and fighting for a life off the streets.

Prayer pointers:
vision and strategy - HOPE - housing and work for the street adults - freedom from drugs - protection for the kids and us as we work there - widsom and discernment - LOTS of LOVE to share with them!

The nations working together...Our team

2006-01-05T15:31:00.000-02:00

The group of people working at "My Father's House" has always been a multicultural one. Currently we have people from Brazil, England, Norway and Holland working with us. It's a challenge and a privilege to work side by side to see the Kingdom of God come in this city.

As we embark on the year 2006 we have a team of 14 staff working in the city centre and at "Grace Farm":

Peter Thomas (ministry leader, from England), Selma Lima Thomas (Brazilian, married to Peter), Andrew Fanstone (leader of the city centre ministry; English), Elisabeth Christensen (staff at "Grace Farm", Norwegian), Elisabeth Håmsø (staff in city centre, Norwegian), Claudia de Oliveira (staff in city centre, Brazilian), Faith Spinks (staff both at "Grace Farm" and city centre, English), Torbjørn Tande (staff at "Grace Farm", Norwegian), Kleber Martins (staff in city centre, Brazilian), Diego (staff at "Grace Farm", Brazilian), Juliana Batista (staff at "Grace Farm", Brazilian), Nonato (staff at "Grace Farm", Brazilian), Jan and Jacqueline (married; staff at "Grace Farm", Dutch).

Prayer pointers:
unity - communication - finances (all workers with Youth With a Mission are responsible for raising their own support)- vision and passion - protection

2006-01-05T10:59:00.000-02:00

After a long time with webpage problems, we decided to try this new thing called a blog. I hope we can be more faithful in updating it and that you as a reader and person interested in what God is doing here in Fortaleza will feel updated, encouraged and inspired.