Time Out for an Announcement

Are you tired of reading?  Would you like to hear about our trip?  We have just the thing for you!  Beyond Our Borders is having a celebration dinner on September 11, 2010, in Ascension Hall at Christ United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. 

Our special guest will be Nayana Reis, a former resident of Hope Unlimited in Campinas, Brazil.  Come for the wonderful food and stay to hear Nayana's amazing story.  We will also have information on hand about future projects and ways that you can volunteer to help the children.

Get your tickets now!

Joao Turquino Community Center

Joao Turquino Community Center

We had a wonderful visit with Jorge de Melo Maura and his beautiful wife Lu at the Joao Turquino community center.  Jorge is an architect and teaches at the university in Londrina.  Lu is a popular actress in Brazil, now spending most of her time raising their son Natan.  Jorge and Lu have been friends of Beyond Our Borders for several years, and we are impressed with their commitment to the people of the Joao Turquino favela.  The community center is located in the favela on the west side of Londrina.  The property for the community center was purchased by the Catuai Baptist Church, and Jorge and Lu have overseen the renovation of the house and have established Christian based programs for the local residents.

 Gail, Rosalee, Lu, and Myron at the kitchen

Room for classes

The community center is used daily.  There are classes for local women to help them learn trades, such as sewing and manicuring.  There are Bible studies and activities for small children.  A part time volunteer with musical training leads a girls' choir.  All of these activities are provided to help the women and children of the favela have a safe haven where they can learn, have fun, and be exposed to God's teachings.

Jorge and Lu have begun a new project to renovate the homes of some of the favela residents.  Many of the families are single mothers with one or more children, living in very run-down housing.  Jorge and Lu selected one of these single mothers and have begun working on her house.  The house was in such bad shape, that the interior rooms flooded with each rain, and the renovation includes both foundation and roof repairs.  Look at the pictures below.  Even after the renovations, these houses are far below the standards that we consider livable.  Yet when we met this young mother, she was thrilled with her home and so thankful for the help she had received to make her home safer.                                                                                                                                        

Renovated boy's room

Typical house in Joao Turquino favela

We in the U.S. are so fortunate.  God has blessed us with nice homes, safety, lots of food, availability of medical care, and so much more that we assume will be here every day.  Our friends in Brazil have so much less, and there are many ways that we can help.  Is God touching your heart to help?

Where Have You Been?

Sorry 'bout that.  It's been over a week since I posted anything, but I have a good excuse.  Sort of.  I think.  I caught the flu on my flight home from Brazil.  The doctor called it a "summer virus", but since I had just been to South America, she did all sorts of tests for malaria and dengue fever, all negative.  I think I brought some excitement to the doctor's office.  Anyway, I'll just call it the flu, because I felt terrible all week and still cough at inappropriate times.  No more excuses -- let's do some more work for the children.  Up next -- Joao Turquino.

Still Here

Friday morning in Curitiba, and all is well -- except that I have had little time and little internet access to keep you updated.  Stay tuned and I will eventually post information and pictures about all of our Brazil travels in the coming days.  We have found some exciting new projects that will need support, such as church planting in Curitiba led by the Methodist Bishop's wife, and the Nuselon foster home in Londrina that has capacity and security problems.

This morning is the first internet access I have had in 24 hours.  We are meeting Bishop Joao Carlos Lopes and his wife Audir later this morning to continue our project discussions.  They will be taking us to the airport this afternoon.  Yesterday, Audir showed us three startup churches in Curitiba, Guaratuba, and Itapoa.  All three projects are in very poor favelas and are led by Christian volunteers.  The Curitiba church is in the Pantanal favela, literally in the middle of a garbage landfill.  The other two churches are very new and are located in small cities on the southern Brazilian coast.  Each church has the capacity to serve about 15-30 children and also hold a worship service once a week.

Although the bulk of our travel ends today, our work is just beginning.  As I have promised, you will soon see much more information and pictures about all of the project needs in Brazil.  We will be discussing all of the needs we have seen and then will propose some new projects to help spread God's love in Brazil over the next 12 months.  Also, we will be hosting a celebration dinner at Christ United Methodist Church on the evening of September 11 in Chapel Hill.  Stay tuned for details on all of this.

Thank you for your prayers and for your interest in helping the children of Brazil.

Sao Jorge Creche in Pictures

We have been supporting the creche at the Sao Jorge favela in Londrina for about six years.  This day care center serves over 200 children, enabling their parents to work.  Although the creche is located in an area with high crime, mostly drug related, the children and leaders are safe, because the gang leaders are protective of the creche.  It is important to keep the creche strong and growing, because the children on the streets are the ones most likely to get into trouble.

The Sao Jorge creche is very well managed by committed Christian leaders.  We are very pleased with the skills of the leaders and their ongoing commitment.  Turnover among the leader and teacher positions is low.

Rather than type a long account of our Sao Jorge visit for you to read, I will post some pictures that show the teachers, children, and classrooms.

Rosalee Ewell (missionary liaison), Orlando (operations manager), Silas Silva (creche president)

Classroom of 3-year-olds

Gail observing a class of preschoolers

New classroom built in 2009-10 with donations from Christ Church

A view of the neighborhood around the creche

Older children in martial arts class

Creche Director; Orlando's wife; Accountant, Event Planner, and daughter; Board Member

Beyond Our Borders team with Sao Jorge leaders and teachers

Presentation of T-shirts made by the children of Christ Church

What a wonderful visit we had, reuniting with the Sao Jorge leaders and teachers and interacting with the children.  In the coming weeks we will be communicating with the leaders to identify the critical needs where Beyond Our Borders can help the Sao Jorge children over the next twelve months.

Wednesday Morning in Londrina

The hotel internet connection was down last night, so I could not get updates posted.  Here are the visits that I will fill in when I get a few minutes between activities:

Monday:  Sao Jorge creche and the community center at Joao Turquino (both in very poor favelas); visit with friends at the South American Theological Seminary

Tuesday:  Refugio Ministry, a growing church in the nearby city of Cambe led by a young Presbyterian pastor named Marcio.  The church concentrates on outreach programs, such as Tae Kwan Do instruction for children, street ministries for prostitutes and transvestites, and a government sanctioned foster care program.  Nuselon Foster Homes, a group of four houses that cares for small children that are homeless, most likely with mothers who are in prison.  Rev. Jonas Creche, a downtown creche that serves the children of domestic workers from the favelas.

We are piling up the pictures, and I will get some of them posted for you as soon as I can.  We are leaving now to visit with leaders from the Londrina Central Methodist Church.  They will be taking us to three creches on the outskirts of the city.  These will be some of the poorest areas that we will see on this trip, and we are looking forward to meeting the children.  We will be giving the children the T-shirts made by the Christ Church children in Vacation Bible School.

Monday, Monday

Well, I am already about a day behind on keeping you updated on our activities.  This will be a quick summary post, and I will provide more details with pictures tomorrow.  We have many pictures and video clips already, but they are spread across at least three cameras, and it will take some time to upload and organize everything.  Also, I am getting sleepy, and we have another early start in the morning.

After finishing our visit with the Hope Unlimited staff and children in Campinas on Sunday morning, we joined them all for a terrific lunch at a local churrascaria (Brazilian steak house).  Then we loaded into the van for the two hour drive to the airport in Sao Paulo.  After a quick flight to Londrina, we were met at the airport by three of our great friends:  Rosalee Ewell, a missionary supported by Christ Church who helps us manage all of the Beyond Our Borders projects in Brazil; Angelica Fornaciari, a director and lay leader of three creches (day care centers) under the auspices of the Londrina Central Methodist Church; and Clariana Narcizo, another director and volunteer at the Methodist creches.  Friendships formed while doing Christ's work together are the best!  These great ladies helped us load up our luggage and took us to our hotel.

Today (Monday) we got an early start (love the included breakfast buffet!) and headed off to the creche at the Sao Jorge favela.  This creche has been supported by Beyond Our Borders for over six years.  We were delighted to reunite with teachers and staff and meet some of the new teachers.  The children were at school today, so we got to visit in several classes and see the happy faces.  Remember, without this creche, these little children would be out on the streets.  Here is a teaser picture, and be sure to come back tomorrow after I have had time to write a detailed account of our Sao Jorge visit, including the giving of gifts -- T-shirts and blankets for the children from Christ Church and a generous donation to the creche from the men of All Saints.

Sao Jorge children at lunch

This afternoon we visited the community center at the Joao Turquino favela.  This center provides a safe environment where local children and teens can come to play and participate in Bible study.  Supported by the Catuai Baptist Church in Londrina and led by a Christian couple (Jorges and Lu), the center also has an outreach program to help improve the housing and living conditions of favela residents.

At the end of the day, most of the Beyond Our Borders team visited our friends at the South American Theological Seminary (SATS).  SATS has strong theological programs and a worldwide reach.  Several of the projects that we support in Brazil are led by graduates of SATS. 

Ok, that should whet your appetite.  Tomorrow I will post more information and pictures about the children at Sao Jorge and Joao Turquino.  As soon as I can, I will get some video clips uploaded to YouTube.  Thanks for your prayers.  We are having a great time, but we remember that the reason we are here is to find the next set of projects that we can take on to help more children.

Good night.

I Learned to Walk With My Head Held High

This is Ileana's story, told in her own words.  Ileana is not her real name, but she is a real girl, and we met her yesterday.  This is the type of transformation that Hope Unlimited can bring and that Beyond Our Borders seeks to encourage.  Do yourself a favor and read Ileana's entire letter.

"When I was eight, my stepfather went to prison.  My mother became a drug addict.  We did not have much money, so she told me to go out and make some.  I started collecting tin cans and other trash in the streets to recycle, but my mother always complained that I was not bringing home enough money.


"One day the owner of the grocery store on the corner told me he thought I was beautiful.  I told my mother, who became very quiet.  That night she left the house very late, and I went to sleep before she returned.  When she arrived back home, she woke me up and told me to go into the little plywood storage shed in our backyard.  I did not understand, but when I arrived, the grocery store owner was waiting for me, smiling and drunk.  My mother asked me to lie down on the bed, and then she left.  The grocery store owner tied my hands and feet to the old bunk bed that was there.  I started to cry and asked him what he wanted.  He started to hit me, saying that I was useless and that he was the owner of a grocery store, and then he abused me.


"The next day I was not allowed to leave the storage shed.  I was locked up there for about three months, being abused two or three times a week.  The first time they let me out, I was terrified of everything.


"My mother stopped taking drugs, and she asked for my forgiveness.  But my happiness did not last long.  In less than two weeks, the nightmares began again.  This time I don't know how long I lived like this, being locked up for weeks at a time in the shed.


"When I was 13, I stole some money my mother had hidden away that she had made from my prostitution.  I ran away to my grandmother's house in Sao Paulo where I had traveled a few times with my mother.  I lived with my grandmother for one year, and then my mother came to visit, begging me to come back with her, saying that this time it would be better.


"It was better.  She was only smoking marijuana, and I did not have to go out with anybody.  But one night I slept at my older sister's house, and when I came back home, my mother was completely high and started to beat me, and I was raped by her boyfriend.


"I ran away again to live with my grandmother.  While I was there, I went to Campinas to spend a few days with my cousin.  One night I walked with her to the supermarket to buy some ingredients to make a cake.  She told me to sit on a bench in a park down the street and wait for her.  It was about 10:00.  Suddenly two men came by in a car, pulled me inside, and stopped under a train overpass.  They pulled me out of the car and tried to take my clothes off.  I was able to get away and ran down the street to a taxi stand where they called the police.


"From there the police took me to the government emergency shelter.  I could not go back to my cousin's house, because she might have been involved in what had happened.  They decided I should not go back to my mother's house either.  They had nowhere to send me.


"So they brought me to Hope Unlimited.  Today I believe in transformation.  And I am sure that my mother can change.  I have not seen her since I ran away, but I have forgiven her and ask God every day for her salvation.


"Today I have found Jesus and am very happy.  I have the chance to study and hope to achieve my dream of becoming a nurse, so I can come back to help the children here at this place, where I learned to walk with my head held high."


Fortunately, Ileana found Jesus and hope at Hope Unlimited.  Unfortunately, her story is but one of thousands that tell of the horrors these children must endure.  We are thankful to God that his servants at Hope Unlimited are here to guide these transformations, and we are seeking to find our role in helping to transform more children.

Hope Unlimited

Philip Smith, David Nowell, and student

On Saturday and Sunday we visited with the leaders and children of Hope Unlimited in Campinas, Brazil.  Hope Unlimited was founded in 1994 by Jack Smith and his son Philip Smith, the current CEO.  Philip lives in Campinas and leads all daily operations.  Hope concentrates on caring for children of ages 10 through 18 that either lived on the streets or have been removed from abusive situations by the Brazilian government.  It is literally true that these children have two choices:  live at Hope Unlimited or die.  The boys have most likely been involved in crimes, such as theft and drugs if not worse.  The girls have most likely been sexually abused by strangers, family members, or through prostitution.  Hope offers these children a home with Christian leaders, a high school education, and vocational training, such as cooking, computer skills, auto repair, and other trades.  Notice in the picture that the closet is open.  The children are very proud of their closets, because for the first time in their lives they actually have belongings and a space that they can call their own.

A unique aspect of Hope Unlimited is that when the children graduate from the programs at age 18, Hope continues to support them as they find jobs and start their own families.  Graduation is not considered success.  Success comes many years later when the Hope graduates have maintained their lives away from crime and abuse and have started their own families.  The cycle of abuse and destruction has been broken.

If you want to learn more about Hope Unlimited, please go to their website at www.HopeUnlimited.org. 

Today Hope Unlimited serves over 1,000 children in Brazil and has 10 sites.  We visited four of the sites this weekend, guided by David Nowell, the president of Hope Unlimited.  David is based in Tennessee and is responsible for generating U.S. support, but he is in Campinas several times each year.  The main site is called the City of Youth, and it encompasses the educational facilities for all of the children, plus the dorms for the boys.  The Hope Girls Ranch, about five miles away, is where all of the Hope girls live, and they take a bus ride to the City of Youth each day for classes.

Entrance to the City of Youth

Boys' Dormitories

Girls Ranch

Boy Residents

Two of the Girls

Buck with Two Girls

 
Hope Unlimited has established a positive, long term relationship with the Brazilian government social services by successfully helping thousands of children over the years.  The government has mandated the construction and opening of preschool centers in all of the city slum areas.  However, there is often not enough local funding to provide for the staffing of the new schools.  Because of Hope's track record, Philip has been asked to manage the operation of a new preschool on behalf of the government.  This wonderful new facility, part of the Nave Mae ("mother ship") preschool program, now provides daily care for over 100 favela children, under the tutelage of Hope Unlimited leaders and teachers.

Rosalina Favela Preschool

Rosalina Favela Preschool

We also visited the Hope Girls Graduate Home, which is a home in Campinas for the girls that have graduated.  Currently, there are ten girls living there, learning to live on their own after their Hope Unlimited educations.  We met several of the girls, and they are so delightful -- very positive about their experiences and forward looking about their opportunities to succeed in life. 

Graduates of the Hope Girls Program

Because of contributions from Christ Church, we were able to move and retrofit the Hope Unlimited dental clinic earlier this year.  This investment has enabled Hope to continue its dental care for all of the children, as well as make room for a new science laboratory.

Dental Clinic

Science Laboratory

As you can see, we were very busy, hustling around four locations and talking with many teachers and the children.  How inspiring it was to see what is being accomplished!  These children are overcoming huge problems -- drugs, prostitution, abuse -- and they are learning to take care of themselves and treat others with respect, all under the umbrella of Christ's teachings. 

We will be communicating with Philip and David over the next few weeks to identify ways in which Beyond Our Borders can continue to engage with Hope Unlimited and help these beautiful children.  One idea on the table is a 2011 visit by a larger contingent from Christ Church and All Saints, perhaps to do some building or repair work.  Stay tuned and let us know if you are interested!

Yes, We Made It

Our trip to Brazil is off to a great start.  Buck, Gail, Myron, Bob, and Rick all arrived safely in Sao Paulo on Saturday morning after uneventful flights.  We were met by the Hope Unlimited bus and whisked off for the 1.5 hour drive to the campus in Campinas.  We spent a wonderful day touring both the boys and girls campuses, talking with leaders and meeting many of the children.

Today, Sunday, we are going back to the main Hope Unlimited campus for a worship service and discussions about potential projects to help the children over the next year.

Our schedule is very tight, so this is just a short post for now.  Look for more updates in the next 24 hours.  We already have many pictures and stories to share with you, but I have to go catch the bus right now!

Thanks for your interest and your prayers.  The children are beautiful, and they have many needs.

Ciao for now.