Street Kids – Page 2

Brazil Update for 4/24/2010

April 25, 2010 By MarkP Leave a Comment

Someone flipped a switch.

The “on” position referred to rain, and it wasted no time in getting started. March was an incredibly hot month with clear blue skies every day; then April came, and with it, rain. The skies are now filled with clouds, the sun is desperately trying to peak through, and the humidity is hanging like a weight on your shoulders; the heat is oppressive-sapping you of all your energy and strength. The constant wind that we have counted on for comfort is often nowhere to be found and things have become very uncomfortable.

Our house has many openings that are impossible to close off to the outside, so this morning I had to navigate large puddles in attempting to make the breakfast table. William did his usual boing-ing out of bed and running for the stairs like Christmas morning, only to find himself flat out on his back, lying in one of the many indoor lakes. The roads here have no drainage whatsoever so, often the streets are flooded with huge puddles. Last year we were driving small Fiats with very little road clearance. I would drive up to the water’s edge, kick off my shoes, roll up my pant legs, and wade into the center, making sure we could pass before attempting the ocean crossing. Thank God He’s provided us two vehicles that are capable of rough roads as well as water crossings.

What an answer to prayer and another hurdle that God has helped us over: finding us vehicles perfect for the work He’s called us to, here in Brazil. Cars are so expensive here, used vehicles are a real gamble, corrosion is a huge problem because of the ocean air, and the roads are awful, taking their toll on any of the vehicles used around Natal. Some of the speed bumps are so high you’ll hang up and drag if you don’t cross them on the diagonal.

One night, Lori and I were desperately looking online for a car in the Natal area when we saw what looked like a nice little SUV. It was two years old, had low mileage, and was seemingly well-maintained. The contact person’s name was Nildo. When we contacted Nildo, we found out the vehicle was nowhere near Natal, but rather about twenty hours inland in the city of Brasilia. Brasilia is a fairly brand-new city, built to be the capital and pride and joy of Brazil. It is flawlessly designed with perfect roads, no speed bumps, and is far from salt-saturated air. Nildo willingly drove the twenty hours to Natal just so we could look at his truck. As soon as we saw it, we were re-affirmed that God was answering prayer, meeting our needs, and working far outside our pre-conceived boundaries. It was a black truck (Lori’s preferred color) with black leather interior (Lori’s preferred choice) and it was perfect, as if never driven. Nildo was an obvious fanatic-the kind I often made fun of!- but just the guy you’re not making fun of when you need to buy a used car. It was a five week process before the truck was in our possession. At times, it looked as if it might never happen. The constant complications were mind boggling, but she has it now, loves it, and it serves our need perfectly.

I was still in search of a pickup for myself, over and over again coming up empty. The trucks were beat, the mileage high, and the prices out of this world. I found one truck at a dealership and he accepted my offer. When Lori went to transfer funds, he informed her that there was a small lien on the vehicle. “No problem,” he said. “Give me the money, I’ll pay off the lien, and in a few weeks the truck will be yours.”

Hmm. What would you do? We walked away from that deal. Only days later, Nildo called from Brasilia. He had found me a truck. It was perfect, it had low miles, it was the model and color I wanted and thought I would never find, and it was priced considerably less than anything we had been pricing here. It was a close friend of his that was selling. If we were still looking, he said that he would put it on a truck and ship it to Natal for us to inspect. We both thanked God, and agreed to buy the truck on Nildo’s word, sight unseen. I picked it up a week later and it was all he he claimed it was. It’s perfect; it has been meticulously maintained. I’m sure that only since it’s been in my possession, has it ever been used as a truck. We are so thankful that again God has proven to be a kind and reliable master, who provides abundantly for His servants. What a huge blessing to have that behind us, and no longer have to pay ridiculous rental fees that added up to a small fortune over the last eight months.

We bumped the number to five hundred and fifty, because we kept running out. I would close the bin at the second-to-last stop, knowing there wasn’t enough sandwiches to cover the multitude waiting at the last stop. While we would have been so excited to see God multiply the bread and mozzarella-mortadella, we arrived at the last stop, opened the bin, and realized that God just wanted us to use commonsense and order more. I wasn’t expecting to open and see a full bin, but every time I reached in I wanted to come up with another sandwich.

Two weeks ago, we arrived at one of our stops to be greeted by a young man who had ridden his bike about fifteen miles from his home, waiting the day at our last stop, hoping to see us. I didn’t recognize him, but immediately Lori knew who he was-Adriano. Clean cut and dressed in nice clothes, he had a big smile on his face. He had come and waited for us-to tell us that God has saved his soul! He was living with his family now, far from the Ponta Negra stop, where he once washed car windows and waited with his buddies for our arrival on Thursdays. He wanted us to know what it was that made God become real to him, made him realize that a new life was possible, and convicted and convinced him of God’s personal love for him: the distance we travelled to bring him the Gospel!

What a thrill it is, to be passing out sandwiches and juice and God’s Word, while seeing fruit from your labor standing right before your eyes. We had the chance to talk with him after the hungry were fed, and you could see on his face the joy that God had now placed deep within his heart. Staying in touch with these kids is very difficult with no means of contact, but he promised to find us, once in a while on Thursdays.

The circus is in town. We saw the big tent being set up when we arrived at our Machadão stop, right in the center of Natal. Surrounding the filthy dirty tent, were twenty little camping trailers, hardly fit as shelter for a pet, and hardly road-worthy. There was one larger wreck-of-a-trailer that I guessed was the communal showers and bathroom because it had a large drain pipe that exited the trailer’s back and dumped into a large hole that had been dug in the ground.

This happy environment was cordoned off with a dilapidated, rust-ridden, steel fence. I imagine that the fence’s purpose was not only to keep non-payers out, but also to keep their acquired attractions in. I went to the fence and yelled for the people to come. I wish I could aptly describe the little faces that came from every corner, lining up along the fence like little prisoners. Their hands reached between the bars, excitedly grasping whatever we gave them. I know your heart, like ours, would have been melted. Filthy, dirty children-boys and girls wearing only underpants that may once have been a color, but now all matched the color of the dirt they were living in. Many of the children were deformed, and their deformities were being used as a means of profit. All their faces showed the hard lives they have already lived, even though the oldest was fifteen. When we asked how long they would be in town, their response was, “As long as people come and pay to see us, we’ll be here.”

It’s been four weeks now, and they’re still entertaining the people of the city. I find comfort in knowing that while they are here, we’ve been able to feed them sandwiches for their hunger, cold juice for their thirst, and-best of all!-tell them the old, old story; the Lord Jesus Christ satisfies both the hunger and the thirst of their precious souls.

Last week we met a young man named Enrique. He was sent to us by a concerned citizen, who had heard about the work that God was doing. He had told him that he could get some food for his starving body, and maybe some help with his life.

Enrique was a professional chef who had once worked in all the big hotels in the city. He was a father, with children and a wife who loved him, but couldn’t take his addiction any longer. He was living under the soccer stadium, sleeping in the dirt, and had had no shower or change of clothes for three weeks. He was begging us for help. We made arrangements to pick him up Friday morning at ten o’clock. If he was serious, and was there when we arrived, then we would take him to the rehab., where he would hear the Gospel and hear that God can help him overcome the sin of drug abuse.

Friday morning I loaded the truck with about eight hundred dollars worth of food, purchased for the rehab, and made my way to Enrique’s stop. He was there waiting, happy to see us, and quick to get in the truck and make the trip to the rehab. You can imagine our disappointment when the admissions person took one look at him, then informed us that this was his third time there. “He comes for clothes, a shower, and a hot meal,” he said. “Then he’s off looking for his next fix.” So, it came as no surprise when we heard he had only lasted the weekend. Once again, he turned his back on God’s offer and chose his life of drugs, filth, and vile sin.

While at the rehab. I asked Clesso if he wanted us to take him home to visit his family, a break he had earned for exemplary behavior. His face lit up, he looked towards his counselor who gave him the nod, then ran off to collect the few belongings he had. While he was gone, they again took the opportunity to tell us about the amazing transformation that God has accomplished in his life, and how wonderful he’d been to all the other men, helping in any way he could, in an effort to put the love of God on display.

He left with us, full of excitement at the thought of seeing the grandmother that he hadn’t seen since checking in at the rehab six months ago, and the rest of his family-some of whom he hadn’t seen in two years.

It was at least two hours of driving due west. We headed well into the interior before arriving at his small, humble village. It was a nice ride, and we saw landscape and lush foliage-so different from the sand dunes we’ve been surrounded with the last nine months.

Everyone was home, all sitting around the front door of the little house, and all eyes followed the truck as we pulled up. This was the most exciting thing they had seen all day, and they had no idea who we were or why we were there. That is, until Clessio jumped out with the huge smile that seems to consume his whole face. Looking back now, I remember yelps of excitement, looks of unbelief, overwhelming joy, and happiness. He ran and threw his arms around his Mom, grandmother, little brother, and sister in-law, and they looked into the eyes of a transformed son that had come back home to be with his family for Easter.

We dropped him off Friday reminding him as we left that we had promised the rehab to have him back by Monday evening.

The grandmother apologized for the disheveled condition of the house as we returned Monday evening. She explained that Clessio’s brother, who is a husband and father of three, had been drinking all weekend and had wreaked havoc on the home where they all lived. They asked me to pray and it was a bittersweet prayer meeting-filled with thanksgiving for one miracle and begging God for another. We stood in a circle and I prayed for this family as one mother thanked God for sparing her son, and another wife wept outloud, as I asked God to liberate her husband from the power of Satan and save his soul. When I said amen, she slumped to a nearby chair with her face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking, and repeating over and over again, “Please God, only You, please do what only You can do.”

They had all seen the transformation in Clesso and openly acknowledged it as a God miracle. This wife of a troubled husband professes to be saved, but confessed that her faith in God had been shaken by her circumstances. Now, faith had been renewed as she looked at Clessio and was reminded that God still spares lives and saves souls. Please pray for this boy, Cleberson and Clessio’s mother who is not saved, but plainly acknowledges that God spared the life of her son. Clessio happily jumped back in the truck and talked our ears off the whole two hour trip back to the rehab.

Lori and Caroline have been spending a fair bit of time at the orphanage, and the visits have been very encouraging. Cleide has been feeling much better and has been spending her days back with the kids. We dropped by Easter weekend with some candy and small toys for the kids, arriving to find the house unusually quiet. We learned that Cleide had the kids at a special Easter Sunday School service.

The lease is up on the home they are using, and the landlord wants them out; he’s unwilling to renew the lease. Thank God for a temporary home He has provided, a little south of the city. Cleide and Lori went to check out the property and then accompanied two women from the minors judge’s office, who gave their approval for the site. The best thing about it is the huge piece of land that the house sits on. The kids will finally have room to run around and, hopefully, exhaust a bit of the boundless energy they have!

Most likely we’ll all be there to help pack and move the few belongings they have when the moment of moving arrives. Lori’s been helping with pre-moving organization and cleaning, although she’s having flash-backs of our own hectic, whirlwind move of last July!

Now that we have received confirmation that our Permanent Visa is waiting for us in Boston, we will be able to purchase the property that we believe God has chosen for the orphanage. Please make this a fervent matter of prayer as we move forward. We are very aware that destruction will be the result of moving independent of God’s will and purpose.

The women of Aningas are so pleased with the renovation of the Galpão, and it’s exciting to see them in there working every day. There’s an experienced seamstress who has been spending time with the women each day training them on the machines. They presently have six sewing machines that were given to them by a company who has contracted them to sew for them. Five more machines are promised to them, from another vendor who has guaranteed work. The building is quickly becoming a center of activity in Aningas, with mothers working inside, while the kids congregate and play around the outside grounds.

I have four boys from Aningas that are helping me work. We’re still working on the exterior of the building, but soon hope to introduce them to the craft of woodworking, and begin to teach them a trade. I sat them all down one afternoon and explained again why my family was working in their village. I gave them a simple Gospel message and told them to expect this every week. Please pray for them; they all seem very receptive to a message that they seemingly had never heard before. Vaughn is in his late twenties, married, and a dad of four children, all sick with respiratory problems. Paulo is about seventeen, a great worker who is eager to learn. Leandro, 17, is the boy who lost his eyesight suddenly, so we took him into Natal for treatment… Nego is his younger brother. They were both orphaned as children when they lost their parents to alcohol abuse. Nildete took Nego in and raised him as her own. Others in the community stepped forward to raise the other children, who are grown up now.

Leandro lives with his older sister who has no husband, but three children. She depends on Leandro to support them all.

Teaching them will be very difficult, seeing that presently they know nothing, and seem to be afraid of almost anything that plugs in. Pray that while getting involved in the project of teaching them we never lose sight of the motive: their spiritual need and the well-being of their souls, as well as the souls of their families.

Many of you have heard me talk about Eliel, whom we’ve known since our first trip here in 2007. He and his family have become good friends to us, and many times have been a great help to our family. Eliel teaches English in Natal and he offered to spend time with me and help me with the Portugues language. I took him up on his offer and pick him up every Tuesday morning. He spends the day with me in Aningas, and I deliver him back home at night. This way, I can be close to the boys, while committing the day to studying the language. What a blessing it is to have this gifted language professor available to work with me at my convenience, teaching me what I so desperately need to communicate God’s message to the lost!

We’re all doing great and the weeks fly by with so many things to occupy our time. The kids are doing very well at school. I believe that this report will bring everyone up to date on what’s going on here in Natal, Brazil.

We continue to ask for, and covet, the prayers of the saints as we take the daily steps that God lays out on our pathway. We can look back over the last nine months and see God acting as only He can-flawlessly!-and it gives us the confidence to move forward knowing that, right now, we are exactly where God wants us to be. That assurance causes us great joy and a true spirit of thankfulness.

Good night, and good bye, for now.

With Christian love Mark, Lori, Caroline, William.

Filed Under: Vá Livre Update Tagged With: clessio, gospel, hungry, poverty, Street Kids

February 6, 2010

February 25, 2010 By MarkP Leave a Comment

Hi everyone!

I think it’s coming up on two weeks since our last update. When I left you all, it was a Monday morning, and Lori and I were about to head out on the city streets looking for Rafael. He’s one of the boys living on the street who had asked for help at the drug rehab. We had given him the weekend to get his affairs in order, and had arranged to pick him up first thing Monday morning.

We arrived at his city corner, but he was nowhere to be found. We talked to some of his companions and they agreed to show us where they thought he might be. We followed them down one of the city’s side streets and up to what looked like an abandoned building. I looked through holes in the walls hoping I could pick him out amongst the rubble. He was in the middle of washing a little white puppy in his window washing bucket, and looked up as he heard us calling out his name. He dropped the dog and came to open a makeshift gate, and welcomed us into, what was for the moment, his home. There were piles of broken cement, building material, and trash throughout. In the middle of it all was a six foot piece of cardboard that he was using as his bed. I saw some rags, hanging from an improvised clothes line, and assumed it was laundry day and that was the extent of his wardrobe. I saw two bricks claimed from the rubble, sitting on end, with two pipes across the top and a pile of ashes below, and assumed that was his stove.

“I had no luck finding a place for my dogs,” he said, “I won’t be able to to go with you today.” He was talking about a large pit-bull and her little offspring that had just been washed in the bucket. Mom was a scary looking bull of a dog lying in the corner, and she came running when we all looked her way. Lori’s white shirt was looking more grey by the time the big, very dirty, dog was done greeting us.

“I’ve had her since she was a puppy,” he said, “she’s the closest thing I have to a loyal friend; I can’t leave her.”

Lori was on the phone immediately talking to Berg- pronounced Baggie – (admissions person at the rehab) asking if the dogs could come.

“We have seen God at work on these streets,” he said. “If God brought this boy to you for help, then I have no authority to say differently, who am I to oppose God’s direction? Bring the dogs, we’ll figure out what to do.”

Having taken care of that hurtle, Rafael then presented us with the next one.
“I’ve had lots of trouble with the police,” he said. “I’m not allowed to leave this corner, without informing an officer of my whereabouts. He left us to rifle through his belongings, returning with a phone number.

“This is the contact person I’m responsible to,” he said. One call after another was made and he was passed from one department to another. He learned that he needed to appear at the federal police building with his documents in hand before he would be allowed to go anywhere. While these calls were being made, Lori pointed towards the boy’s feet. I looked down to see his scarred, bare feet, with open wounds, crawling with what looked like thousands of little black bugs. How desperately this boy needed a bar of soap, a bath tub, clean clothes, and the Saviour who alone can offer him hope of a better life.

“We’ll be back tomorrow, Lord willing,” Lori said. “Get this taken care of in the morning, and we’ll come get you in the afternoon”. We were back at his corner Tuesday afternoon, only to find out he had done nothing in getting the necessary permission to leave. I was upset, thinking that Satan had been successful in holding tightly to this soul, and annoyed at what seemed to be a lost day.

We sat and chatted with him and the other boys working that corner for a while. In conversation they told us a wild story about the events of the previous night that involved another one of our boys.

“He owes money to drug dealers,” they said, “and they caught up with him last night”.

Six guys drove up in a car, got out, and surrounded João. They all had guns, which they attempted to shoot, but the guns misfired. No bullets came out. Seizing that moment of confusion, João bolted, but not before one of the men struck him in the face with his gun. Running away as fast as he could, he heard the guns again, but this time they were functioning, and the bullets were whizzing past him. He was wounded from being pistol whipped, but miraculously none of the bullets hit him, and he was able to get away.

We left the boys and were driving down the city street when Lori shouted, “There he is! Stop.” João had seen us drive past him, and had started to run behind the truck for all he was worth. We pulled to the side, found a place to park, and gave him a chance to catch up. The minute he saw us, he put his head down and started to weep. His whole body trembled as he told us that this was his second brush with death. Lori quoted this verse, “God speaks once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not…” We asked him if he recognized God speaking to him, and if so, what was he going to do about it.

“I have to get out of here,” he said. “They’re going to kill me; will you please help me?”
We offered the rehab, and he begged us to take him first thing Wednesday morning. He sat on the tailgate of our truck while Lori treated his wounds, then we all bowed together while Lori’s Dad prayed to God that this boy’s life would be spared, and his soul saved.

He was waiting for us on Wednesday morning, with his belongings packed in a backpack. He jumped in the truck asking if we would take him to say goodbye to his family. We found his mom, sisters, and brother coming down the street to meet us. João was out of the truck the moment he saw them. The three of us watched as he held his family close, weeping while he said farewell. Dad was with us again, so we asked if he would commend, this situation and this family, to God. We stood in a circle on the side of the road as he prayed for the spiritual and physical well-being of João and his family. While driving to the rehab we found out in conversation that fifty Reais ( roughly thirty American dollars) was the amount he owed to these dealers. Because he was unable to pay, João almost lost his life.

He wasn’t out of the truck long before one of the boys at the rehab recognized him as a sports figure he once looked up to. We found out that João was once a Brazilian surf champion. He had competed throughout Brazil and in Europe, too. He had had several sponsors and had earned decent money. How could anyone look at this boy now, living on the streets, beaten and running for his life and think that anything good comes from a life given to the desires of the flesh and the whims of the wicked one? Satan’s only interest in this boy is to ensure a ruined life, and guarantee, through the helpless captivity of his many vices, eternal destruction. How thrilling it is to see how persistent God is. How life-changing to realize the battle that is fought over one soul. And how reassuring to know that God is always at work, always present, and-this is the best part- always the victor! Yes! We are on the winning side.

We arrived at one of our stops on Thursday to be met by a soft-spoken boy; he came up to us both, wanting us to see how well his wounds were healing. Manoel had been involved in a street fight two weeks previous, that had left him with knife wounds. Lori had taken him aside and spent some time cleaning the wounds, putting some antibiotic ointment on them and bandaging them. Since then things had healed nicely. He too asked for help and said he wanted to go to the rehab. I took some time to make sure he understood that the only hope for him was God’s help.

“Think about it,” Lori said. “We’ll be back on Monday morning, Lord willing, and if you’re serious than we’ll be glad to take you.”

Manoel hung his head and quietly asked if there was any way we would be willing to take him right away. Lori looked my way and I said, “Let’s go.”

Thursday is a long and exhausting day, and by the time we reach that last stop at Igapó, the heat of the day has always gotten the best of us. I really didn’t want to make the ninety minute trip each way to the rehab. I opened the back door of the truck, pointed him towards the seat, and affirmed the promise we had made to God-to respond when any one of these kids asks for help. It would be a long night and we wouldn’t get back to the house ’till very late, but this boy asked God for help.

We have taken six boys off the street so far and I wish I could tell you they all received Christ and are going on well. Some lasted a few weeks, others just a few days, the point is that presently there’s only two of the six still going through the program. Drugs have an incredible hold on these boys. They will all tell you that they know the drugs will kill them. They will all say that they want nothing more than to be free of its power. But even those taken off the street, to a place where help is available, often can’t live without a fix and soon are found back living in the gutter of the street. Our hearts go out to these kids. We find ourselves on an emotional roller coaster, we want so much to help them, but we haven’t a clue what they’re going through. We feed them, hug those who need a hug, listen to their life of sorrow, pray with them that they recognize their need of God’s intervening power, remind them that God is their only hope and their only salvation, close the truck’s tailgate, and move on to the next stop. Please remember these kids in your prayers. They are infinitely lovable.

Dad rode with us all day and was a great help as we fed all the kids. Lori and I were a little worried that the heat of the day would be too much, but he was a real trooper. He had the opportunity (with Lori’s help) to speak to many of the boys, and we were able to gather all the kids, who respectfully bowed their heads, and listened while he prayed for theirs souls. It was fun watching him pass out the gospel papers. When all the kids at the stop had received a paper, he would turn to anyone else who was in walking distance of the truck. At one point, I saw him walking down a line of buses waiting for the light, passing up the papers to all the passengers. He loves the Gospel, and is amazed by the demand for the Word. What a pleasure it is to hand a gospel paper to someone here and they actually stop and thank you for it.

With a bank account now open, we were able to get started on the projects planned, Lord willing, for Aningas. I’ve been in the village pretty much all week working on the building we’ve been given permission to use. I hired a mason to do some work needed on the structure, and I’ve been building the units needed for a wood shop. I’ve designed some basic, simple furniture pieces that will be cheap and easy to build. I plan to teach anyone in Aningas who wants to learn a trade. Doing this, I’ll have a chance to work with the folks side by side. I also aim to start each lesson with a very short Gospel message and prayer. Please pray for this effort as the structure takes shape, the tools get set up, and I start to work with, and get to know, the people of Aningas better.

It has to be over one hundred degrees in that building every day, with absolutely no air movement of any kind. And the moment I’m through the door the sweating begins. William was laughing at the sight of me the other day. Within five minuets of work my shirt was soaked with sweat, and all the sawdust kicked up by the tools was sticking, making me look like a sawdust snow man. I bring a cooler with ice and water bottles, hoping the liquid will help me give the work a full day. But that heat saps your strength so fast that six hours is about all the gas I have. I hope my stamina increases as my body gets used to the heat, but right now I’m finding it very difficult for this forty-eight year old body to last eight hours.

Continue praying for the orphanage. We’re not sure of what to do, and when, so we know that we need to take that first step. We’ll start the procedure to purchase the land and see if the door is opened for this. God is faithful. We seem to waver an awful lot, but deep down, we know He’s faithful.

We’re all doing fine here, and all seems to be going well. We have so much to be thankful for; we daily enjoy the undeserved blessings given by a Father whose love is unconditional. Thank you all again for your daily prayers, and we ask that you continue to call on God for blessings in the north of Brazil.

The kids are doing fine, and every day William seems to show up with a new found friend. Last Sunday night he ran past his grandparents with a flashlight in hand, exclaiming as he ran that he was meeting his buddies on the beach to hunt crabs. I came down a while later asking where he was and was given the information he had passed on while he made his way out the gate onto the beach. I got a bit concerned and walked out on the beach to see if he was at least close by. There was no sign of him, so I came back. I grabbed one of the kids’ four wheelers, and made my way back out into the night looking for him. I hit the beach, took a left, and headed towards the river with the high beams cutting the fog that rolls onto the beach each night. I was scanning the sand as far as I could see looking for the bouncing light beam of William’s flashlight.

It happened so fast, I never saw it coming. I knew the river was close, but thought I had a few minutes worth of drive time. Surely the quad’s lights would give me fair warning and lots of time to make the left turn. Within a split second, I had left the river bank and launched into about four feet of water. For those of you who don’t know, quads float, and in this case, the river’s current was strongly influencing it to float out to sea. I broke the water surface in shock, and as soon as my brain processed what had just happened, I prayed, “God help me!” I started to fight the current pushing towards shore for all I was worth, constantly losing my footing as the sand slipped out from under my feet. The quad by this time had stalled, the lights went out plunging me into darkness, and I was alone in the pitch black. I could hardly see the shoreline that made up the river bank, but I pushed, kicked, and dragged the quad, in what I thought was the right direction.

I finally was able to get the machine back to shore, pulled it up onto the river bank, flopped down on the sand, and just lay there trying to catch my breath. I thanked God for His help. The bike wouldn’t start, so I had to leave it and I walked the mile back to the house, trying my best to blame this all on my son. He was waiting at home when I called him to the gate, shocked to see me coming back on foot.

“Get your quad and come help me! Caroline’s won’t start!” I said.

No words were spoken as we made the trek back to the river. He knew as soon as he saw the bike what had happened. Quietly he helped me latch the two quads together and we made our way back home. I pulled the plugs, drained the water from places it didn’t belong, washed off all the salt, and was so thankful when I heard the sweet sound of a gas engine when it fired up.

I want you all to know that William is still alive, he just got a lot of sleep that night! Thus the joys of raising a boy, as many of you know. He does, however, feel that I should shoulder some of blame for that evening’s events. I just keep repeating something my father always told me when I had him backed into a corner: “When I’m right, I’m right. When I’m wrong, I’m still right.” I had to listen in silence as Dad made that foolish statement, now I get to use it without William responding, and the day may come when William can use it as well.

I will end this now and bid you all farewell,
Love in Christ,
Mark, Lori, Caroline, and William,

Filed Under: Gospel, Orphanage, Street Work Tagged With: gospel, rehabilitation, Street Kids

December 7, 2009 – Jeremy and Katie Lusk

February 25, 2010 By MarkP Leave a Comment

Hi everyone!

Did ya all think I was becoming a slacker?. Last night we dropped off a young couple at the airport, and we were all very sad to see them go. They had spent the last ten days with us, and we had a awesome time with them. We used the ten days to show them the work God had given us, and to Introduce them to the north of Brazil. I asked them both if they would be willing to write the weeks update before they left us. They were both very excited about being able to give the report. I thought it would be nice for you all to hear about the work from this couple’s perspective. I hope you all enjoy reading this, as I did, and that your able to see this work through the eyes of Jeremy and Katie, and experience the impression that God made on their heart.

I’ll be back next week, till than I’ll say good night.
Love in Christ Mark!

————-

Oi amigos!

It’s Jeremy and Katie Lusk enjoying a quick visit with Mark and Lori. We came down for 10 days to see the work they are doing here in Brazil, and try to help out where we can. We’re almost to the end of our time here, and we feel Mark and Lori have shown us a great overview of their work. We went to Aningas a few times and visited some of the people door to door. We also went to the orphanage to see the work there and spend some time playing with the children. But the work with the street kids was where we were most useful. We helped with this twice and saw it grow from one week to the next. Because this ministry had the most impact on us, we’d like to give you a more detailed description of it.

CASE STUDY: STREET KIDS MINISTRY
Each week, Mark and Lori distribute sandwiches, juice and tracts to over 100 street kids all over Natal. They also spend time building a relationship with them and telling them about God and His love for them. Some have estimated that there are about 8 million of these orphaned or abandoned “disposable children” living on the streets in Brazilian cities. Most of them are teenagers, but some kids are as young as 6 or 7 years old. Some of the teenagers have children of their own living with them on the streets. These poor kids are totally destitute with virtually no possessions other than a pair of shorts, a tee shirt, and usually a pair of flip flops. I probably don’t need to mention that they are absolutely filthy. They sleep in cardboard boxes, under chairs, or just on the sidewalk and spend the day washing car windows, selling fruit or trinkets, begging, or stealing to try to eke out enough money to survive. Many of the kids are addicted to drugs or sniffing glue. They find that the high is necessary for the courage to survive in their violent environment. Mark and Lori have discovered that there is an informal network connecting all the street kids across the city. As they got to know some of the kids they learned of other intersections where even more kids live. This network of street kids has helped the ministry grow each week. We were happy to find out that the kids show the tracts to their friends that live on other intersections. One time we were stopped at a light and a street boy came up to the car window. Mark gave him 25 cents and a tract. He got very excited and said “You’re the guys that stop at Ponta Negra.” We weren’t giving out sandwiches so he must have recognized us by the tracts.

PREPARATION
The work really started the day before with a delivery of 480 sandwich rolls from the local bakery. Next we made a trip to the supermarket to pick up about 22 pounds each of sliced mortadella and mozzarella for the sandwiches. We also picked up ice and juice mix–enough for about 15 gallons. Many of the kids are barefoot so we bought some sandals to distribute and of course made sure we were well stocked with tracts in Portuguese. As Mark and Lori get to know the kids they uncover other physical needs to meet. They noticed one young mother bathing her baby by dunking him in a bucket of dirty water that the kids were using to wash car windows. The next week we gave her a little baby bath tub. Mark and Lori often make trips to the pharmacy to get ointments for rashes and other ailments, and they always keep a little medical kit in the car just in case.

The next morning we rolled into production mode slicing the rolls, stuffing them with meat and cheese, counting and loading them into plastic tubs. We mixed up the juice and poured it into insulated containers with nozzles to dispense at each stop. Mark has rigged up a system of storing everything in his little Fiat so when we roll up to a stop we can pop open the hatchback and one back door and start serving.

ON THE ROAD
We left the house by 11:30 and headed out to the first of 6 stops. The first stop is a large intersection near a tourist area called Ponta Negra. There are between 20 and 40 street kids working this intersection trying to get a coin or two for washing windows as the cars wait for a green light. There are also a few young mothers (one was pregnant), a couple of babies and some small children. These kids are often high from drugs or sniffing glue.

We drove both cars over the curb and onto the median and set up shop. We gave each kid two sandwiches, a cup of juice, and a tract to start with. Most of them came back for more sandwiches and juice. To the extent possible we didn’t limit their refills; the kids are virtually starving and almost never get enough food. Once everyone had eaten we gathered them all around while I spoke in the gospel briefly. I spoke about I Peter 5:7 and how God told us that He cares for us and also proved it by sending His Son to die for us. No one else cares for these kids so this verse seemed very poignant to me in this situation. I also explained that because they’re sinners, their sin has separated them from God and that their sin must be punished. I told them that God loves them and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to suffer the punishment for their sins. Lori translated the message and helped explain things that the kids didn’t understand. The kids listened intently to the whole message. They were fascinated to hear English, but they are also very interested in hearing about God and the gospel. Many of the kids thanked us for speaking to them and quite a few had questions about the message. Its obvious that God has been working in their hearts because they are so open to the gospel and want to talk about Him. The potential in the work with these kids is amazing.

No one has refused a tract yet so we took advantage of the tremendous amount of foot and motor traffic at these intersections by handing out tracts to everyone we could. When the traffic lights turned red Mark would walk among the cars, motorcycles, and buses handing tracts to everyone he could reach. Many of the kids can’t read, but they’ll keep the tract and have someone else read it to them. They collect all the tracts we give them, and they’ll tell you if they already have the one you’re trying to give them.

Once everyone had eaten and we’d spent time talking to the kids we packed up the cars and drove on to the next stop. We made 6 stops in different areas of the city. By the time we got home it was close to 6 and already dark. We had given out 480 sandwiches, 15 gallons of juice, about half a dozen pairs of sandals, and several hundred tracts.

OUR THOUGHTS
Mark and Lori spent much of the time at each stop finding out how the kids were doing and getting to know them better. We noticed how the kids’ faces light up as soon as they see Mark and Lori and how happy and grateful they are for the sandwiches and juice. But anyone can tell that it’s not just about the food; their physical needs do need to be met, but they are really aching to learn about God. The kids have told Mark and Lori several times that they see God when they see Mark and Lori. Through the love Mark and Lori show the kids, they are able to understand God’s love for them and the gospel. Because Mark and Lori know Portuguese and can answer the questions the kids have about God, it was most helpful for us to hand out sandwiches and fill juice cups, freeing Mark and Lori to talk with the kids.

You don’t need to know the language or the kids to hand out food and tracts, so this is a great work for any visitors. Not only are you are a part of the ministry and a good testimony, but you also get to witness God working. We’ll leave Brazil greatly encouraged by the hunger for God and growth potential in the street kids ministry. There’s still much to do and even more to pray about!!

Jeremy & Katie

Filed Under: Gospel, Street Work Tagged With: food, hunger, Street Kids, street work

October 25, 2009

February 25, 2010 By MarkP Leave a Comment

Hi Everyone!

It’s Sunday afternoon and I thought I’d get started on this earlier seeing that it seems to take me so long to write these updates. First of all, I’ll let you know that everyone here is just fine. I pray that all who receive this update are doing fine, too, and have experienced God’s blessings in your life this week as we have. What a busy, fun, and great time, we all had working this week. It began Monday with us finally having the funds to visit the wholesale food warehouse and purchase the food needed to stock the food pantry we built in the village of Aningas.

After building the pantry, we had locked it up and given the keys to a Christian woman named Nildete. She has proven her genuine care for the folks in her village. She is also aware of those in the village whose needs are desperate because she visits each house weekly, as a health official for the government. We know that she’ll be fair and responsible in distributing the food to those who have nothing. She was with us on Friday and told us that the town surrounded her house when they found out she was the key holder. She had to make it clear to them all, that this was just for the desperate who had no food for their families. Having made that announcement, she promptly sent them all home with nothing.

We arrived in Aningas Tuesday morning with the supplies for the food pantry, and sat in on a meeting that Nildete had called. It was made up of government people, a woman who presently teaches sewing as an instructor in a nearby town, and about sixty folks from the village. The government woman promised to help, the locale woman promised to teach, and we promised the resources as a loan, giving them the means to get started. Wednesday we picked up Nildete and went to the nearby town to see a co-op that is presently up and running successfully. We were able to see how it all functions and also get a list of the things needed to get the woman in Aningas started. There’s presently a building in the village where they will be able to set up and work. It’s structurally a good building, but will need some repairs and modifications before this is able to happen. It will need a ton of lights installed and a fair amount of electrical work. Somehow we have to get rid of all the bats that have made this building their home. They need cutting tables, special industrial type sewing machines, and I really want to give the building a coat of paint. We also got a promise from a local reliable clothing vender, that he would sub out work to the woman once they were set up and had been trained.

When we arrived to pick up Nildete on Wednesday morning, she brought us a young boy form the village and asked for our help. His name is Leandro, and in a matter of two days, he had lost his eyesight. They had no idea how or why this happened. He is an orphan that lost his mom and dad to alcohol when he was ten. Presently, he’s living with his older sister who is a single parent of three young ones. At seventeen, his labor is their only means of putting food on the table everyday; and now he’s blind. As scared as he was about losing his eyesight, he was also very nervous about a visit to the doctor’s. Never in his life had he seen any kind of physician or even ventured outside the little village of Aningas. We got him into the city and brought him to a cornea specialist, who told us that this was something he had never seen before. He had heard of rare cases when this would happen in one eye, but never both. Apparently, he has toxins in his blood, caused by some type of infection. He gave Leandro antibiotics and two other prescriptions. Along with that he also ordered a battery of tests. Friday morning we were up at the crack of dawn so we could have him to the lab by seven. And so this begins the process needed to figure out what has caused his blindness.

Thursday we left the house with two hundred and fifty sandwiches, our cooler of milk, sandals for the barefoot, bars of soap, toothbrushes, powered milk for the babies, and cous cous; all this for the street kids who have become our friends and who have become a burden on our heart. Once again we ran out of our provisions and had to skip one of our stops because we had nothing left to give the kids.

Remember the stop where I got tangled up in a street fight last week? We were approaching that stop, a little apprehensive about what might await us this week. Caroline was a little scared so we prayed that God would allow us to feed the kids without incident. Instead of a street brawl, we crossed paths with two boys we had never seen before. They told us that the intersection they normally work was a mess because of street construction. They took their last two dollars and boarded a bus, to come to the other side of the city. They made their choice, left the bus, and began to work an intersection they had never worked before.

We could immediately see a spirit about these two that was very different from the rest. They stood and waited for us while we served the others gathered around the car. When we were done with this, they asked to talk to us. They introduced themselves as Levi and Lesseo. They explained how they had come to this intersection. They both told us that they had asked God to prove that He cared about them, just last week. They told us that they felt that God had sent them to us and that He was showing them that He cared for them because they were getting a lunch and some supplies. They asked us if we were serving God, so they could know for sure that He cared for them. What a thrill it was to be able to tell them that, yes, we are God’s servants and oh, how He loves you! Their response was to tell us that they wanted God more than anything else in the world. Their life was awful. They had both gone for over a month without taking drugs, but they were petrified that they would begin again. They said that only God could rescue them and free them from their horrible life on the streets. We told them that, in their current condition, they were lost. We told them that they needed to be saved; and we explained what that meant. We told them how God hates the condition they’re in and how He gave everything He had to free them from their sin and free them from the power of the world and Satan. I watched them wipe the tears from their eyes as together they openly said we want God in our life. We told them that God’s salvation is a free gift, quoting Ephesians 2:8. Lesseo said, “I accept it.” Levi said, “I, too, accept it.” We, slightly dazed, offered to bring them to the rehab. center where Bruno is, in Pium. Monday morning at 10:00 a.m., Lord Willing, we will go to their regular neighborhood and pick them up.

Please pray for Levi and Clesseo. We believe God sent them to us because they’re truly searching. It would be wonderful, if along with Bruno, these two have truly accepted the Lord as their personal Savior. It will be a relief to see them tomorrow morning, to know that they are serious about what they said, and to see them off the streets and at a place that preaches the Gospel faithfully several times a day.

Before we pick up Levi and Clesseo tomorrow morning, we have to go to Aningas and pick up Leandro and bring him to the lab in Natal for more blood tests. It’s always a good idea to get there at opening time; the waiting room is always packed full of people and the lab closes at 11:00 whether you are seen or not.

We have also been looking at cars whenever we have free time; that has been hard for me because the cars here are boring. I have always been a car guy and there’s nothing here that I can get even remotely excited about. Along with their nondescript looks, these cars cost a fortune. For the price of a Toyota Corolla, I would be able to buy a Mercedes S-500. We will have to settle on something though because we’re spending a fortune on rentals and the cars we have don’t really serve the purpose needed for our work here.

Once again I’ve done my best to help you all understand the accomplishments of this past week. The days are so full, but it’s very satisfying to lay your head on the pillow at the end of the day and know that what you’re feeling is a good kind of tired.

Please don’t forget to pray for us and some of the very specific burdens that I mentioned in this update. We will continue to remember our family at home and pray God’s blessing on you all.

Good night.
Love in Christ,
Mark,Lori, Caroline and William

Filed Under: Aningas, Vá Livre Update Tagged With: aningas, clessio, drugs, Street Kids, street work

October 18, 2009

February 25, 2010 By MarkP Leave a Comment

Hi everybody!

I was sorry to hear that the Sox blew it again. I guess it re-confirms
the pointlessness of following that stuff. I didn’t forget to write
last week. On the contrary, I actually had my report down to the last
sentence. In one swift move (which to this moment I still don’t how it
happened) I lost the whole thing. Lori worked at it for quite a while,
but it wasn’t coming back. So, late Sunday night we both gave up and
went to bed. We have been so busy, the days go by so fast, and there
are times when after all the day’s activity, you come home feeling
like nothing was accomplished. Like (for example) the day we were
called by the rehab to get Bruno back to the hospital for blood work.
I left the house with William, after he was done with his school, and
made the trek to the rehab. We picked him up, drove the hour to the
hospital, waited this side of the infamous swinging doors, all the
while thinking he was on the other side being attended to. After what
seemed for ever, he came back out, to tell us, they wouldn’t be able
to see him today. But certainly they would find time for him if we
wanted to return on Friday. I finally found some value to the
childbirth classes that I had left work early to attend fourteen years
ago. That heavy breathing in and out prevented what otherwise would
have been the eruption of a devastating volcano.

Lori set out with Inacia to go pay bills. Here, they know nothing of
checkbooks and paying through the mail. And the idea of paying bills
on line is just something you might see in a futuristic movie. No, no,
this is the way it’s done in Rio Grande de Norte: choose a day, (and
you will be needing the whole day) gather your bills, and board a bus
( most don’t have a car). You’re heading into the city, looking for
these little government owned store fronts, scattered like cities of
refuges. They won’t be hard to find, you’ll recognize them by the long
line going out the door and down the street. Get in line and try to
think pleasant thoughts, because you’ll be there a long while. When
you finally reach the counter your able to pay such thing as your
electric bill, phone bill, water bill, internet, or cell phone bill.
But if any of these bills exceed one thousand reais, you’ll be told
that it can’t be accepted and must be paid at a bank. What that means
is basically leaving to go stand in another line. Lori outsmarted
their system by putting Inacia in line, and going off to do other
errands, she would come by and check up on her at different intervals.
There have been times when we’ve come into the supermarket to find
lines stretching down the food isles. We used to be good customers and
follow the system that everybody uses. Until there were a few times
when we waited for over an hour to pay for groceries. Now when we go
in, if the lines are that bad, one of us immediately goes and stands
in line, while the rest of us shop. This really boggles the natives
minds, first that we thought of this strategy, but also that we feel
that it’s necessary. I don’t know how a person can hold down a full
time job, or have any kind of a productive week, operating this way.
Somehow the people have to get to these places during the day, because
at five anything that matters is closed.

We’ve been working on getting health insurance, and as a result we
have had to make six visits to this place and we’re not finished yet.
Every time we go they inform us of something else we need to complete
before we’re on line. The plan is awesome, when you finally are able
to nail it down. Complete coverage, with nothing denied, for about
$3,500.00 a year. Private hospitals, private doctors, who give you
their undivided attention the moment you walk in. Complete dental
which includes braces, and all with a R$3.00 (about US$1.50) per visit
co-pay.

I’ve been working at the orphanage a lot in the last two weeks. I’m
happy to say that Vanderlay and myself were finally able to get the
water running. It has been so long since waters ran through those
pipes, so the minute it was turned on we had leaks everywhere. We were
able to run around and finally get the house water-tight. I had
everybody stand around the toilet, while I was given the privilege of
flushing it for the first time in two years. The minute Cleide saw the
toilet flush she disappeared. Later I saw her walking around the house
with wet hair. I found out she had taken off to the third floor and
for the first time in a long time enjoyed a shower. We also fixed a
lot of broken switches and plugs throughout the house. I bought a pile
of light bulbs and sent William around the house lighting it up once
again.

Tuesday was William’s birthday, and his birthday request was for dad
and him to go four wheeling. We found a place that would rent us the
machines with a guide to take us on trails through the woods, over the
dunes, through rivers, huge mud pits, and up to this gorgeous deserted
lake in the middle of nowhere. When we were getting directions to the
place I realized that it was very close to the rehab. So on our way we
stopped at the wholesale food warehouse and bought a ton of rice,
beans, cooking oil, flour, sugar, salt, and delivered it as we passed
by. The director was overwhelmed, and so thankful, reminding us of
something that we’ve already learned: “God is no man’s debtor.”

Almost every time when feeding the street people they ask us for
sandals. Many are barefoot while others are wearing what’s hardly
recognizable as footwear. We have been telling them about the large
box of crocks ( that Paula gave us) waiting to be released at the
port. I couldn’t go and face them one more week without shoes, and so
on Wednesday, while buying Bruno his groceries, we picked up a bunch
of sandals. Unknown to me, Lori was having the same thoughts, so both
of us came home holding a bag full of sandals for the kids. They all
went the next day along with two hundred sandwiches and 14 liters of
milk. This week there had to be over fifty people at one of our stops.
They were all waiting for us along with their girlfriends, and all the
little kids and babies. We pulled up to hear them yelping and
screaming, calling all their buddies, and running up like we were the
floor around a Christmas tree. This week at one of our larger stops
one of the men (who was the spokesperson for the rest) talked to Lori.
“We know that this is God at work, and if you have a church, or if you
start one we’ll be glad to attend”. Lori explained that it wasn’t
about looking for parishioners to fill a church building. God had sent
us because He had seen their need, loved them, and offered them
eternal life. “Well, if that’s the case,” he said, “then, can you give
us a little word right here, right now?” So they all gathered around,
and we were able to give them about a fifteen minute Gospel message. I
left there thinking, that again, God has proven that His formula
really works. Quietly do the work every week, and the moment will
come, when you will have earned an open door, and a willing spirit to
hear God’s message of life. We left that stop on one of those God
highs, and landed at the next, soon to be knocked off our perch.
I had my back turned getting the cooler out of the car, when I heard a
lot of yelling. Two of the boys we had just fed were screaming at each
other in the middle of an extremely busy traffic intersection. I saw
one wind up and throw his glass of milk in the other kid’s face,
soaking Lori who was behind him. At that point the gloves were off.
Squeegees, sunglasses, shirts, and our sandwiches, went flying, and
they were going at it in the middle of what was quickly becoming a
traffic jam. One of them was obviously high, and as a result of
flying, was viciously attacking the other kid. He was considerably
smaller, but he was a scrappy street fighter. I watched for a second,
and then ran out, and jumped into the middle of it to separate them.
There was a fair amount of rolling around on the street, but finally I
was able to get in between them and push one off. The kid full of
drugs wasn’t going to give up, so I stood between him and the little
guy, pushing him back into the street till he finally realized he
wasn’t going to get past me. He tried several times finally giving up
and going back to his window washing post on the other side of the
intersection. Lori took the smaller kid to the back of the car and
started to pray with him, hoping it would settle him down, while I
picked up the mess left in the street so the cars could start moving
again. The cops show up with guns drawn and lined them all up against
the wall. They frisked them, listened to their story, holstered their
guns, climbed back on their bikes, and left, never saying so much as a
word to Lori and me. We left that stop very clear that Satan has such
a hold on these kids. He made a valiant effort that day to discourage
us, and hopefully scare us away. Dennis was the kid flying high, and
Lori began to cry as we left the spot, remembering that last week when
we fed them all, he was there, but he wasn’t high. She said he was the
kindest, sweetest, most appreciating boy, thanking us more than once
for our helping them all. This week someone else had control of this
boy and it was pretty obvious that that someone didn’t want us around.
Please pray that God will save Dennis’ soul and free him from Satan’s
chains.

Two years ago while at home we were called to Framingham by a
Brazilian christian couple who wanted us to meet a friend who was
visiting from Brazil. His name was Eduardo, a missionary who had spent
the better part of his life working in the Amazon jungle. He went in
there as a young man traveling through the jungle with a guide. When
they reached the river, they dropped some trees and carved out canoes.
Reaching their spot, they beached the homemade boats, and headed back
into the jungle to meet up with an Indian tribe who had never been in
contact with another person outside of their own kind. He lived with
them for years, learning their language. From the language he created
an alphabet, and from the alphabet he taught them how to read. From
there he then translated the Bible into their language, and with that
was able to reach them with the Gospel. We spent the whole afternoon
with him, hearing his amazing stories of God’s miraculous work among
what many would call an uncivilized people. This past Saturday we were
at home when Lori picked up the phone to find him on the other end. It
seems he had come because he was invited to speak at a conference in
Natal on Saturday night and Sunday. The Christians where he was
staying were very good friends of ours. When he began to tell them of
a couple, that he had met while visiting Boston, who had a God given
desire to do a work in the area, they started asking questions. It
didn’t take too many of his details for them to realize it was us he
was describing. Our friends were shocked, “We know them, they’re now
living and working here and they live about an hour from here, call
them.” He was surprised, they were surprised, and we were surprised,
when we got the call. He came and spent Saturday with us, encouraging
us and also reminding us that along with the times of great rejoicing
there would be times of great sadness. “It’s all part of working for
God,” he said “but when it’s all said and done, and you’re finally
able to look back over your life, you’ll know with absolute clarity
that it was all God, and you would not have wanted it any other way.”
We stood , the three of us, arms around each other, and he prayed with
us and for us, and all that God has waiting for us as we move forward.

Along with Eduardo that day, these two other Christian women came, who
we had never met before. They had come in from the interior with the
intent of also attending this conference. They spent the Saturday with
us as well. They had never met an American before. Nor had they any
idea what life was like beyond their little Brazilian world. We began
to explain the four seasons to them, and I could tell by their
questions that this was all flying right over their head. I pulled up
some pictures on the computer, and showed them our house just after a
snow storm. I also had a picture of the house looking its best in the
prime of summer. “We know it’s the same house, but how can that be?
Does the grass just grow back? Weren’t these the trees that were bare
in the other picture? Where did the leaves come from? Did they just
grow back? How can there be ice and snow when the sun’s out? How can
you drive on the streets? How do you keep your house warm? Can you go
outside when there’s snow? What kind of clothes do you wear?” Eduardo
had been to Boston during a snow storm in January and tried to explain
the beauty of newly fallen snow. He tried to paint with words, that
tranquil scene that we are all too familiar with. It was fun trying to
get them to understand the world that exists beyond the boundaries of
their little and simple life. Beyond their little town there is a
whole, wide world, that experiences things they have never heard of.

I told you a while back about a woman named Simone who had an eye
condition caused by a hyper sensitivity to the strong sun here. Lori
has been helping to get her to and from all of her doctors’
appointments as they assessed her case and planned for surgery. Well,
finally it happened and she was able to have the surgery that would
correct her problem. It was a complete success, and after 15 days
recovery she should have all of her eyesight back. For the two weeks
she is recovering, we are making food for her, her husband and their
son, Lucas. Pray for her and her family, none of which is saved, that
this experience will be the means by which God reaches and saves them.

Baby Michel is still waiting for his heart surgery. Lori and I plan to
go into Aningas tomorrow morning to visit him and his family, and to
spend the day there doing some door to door work. The land purchase
for the orphanage is on hold for now. We really need to get our
permanent visa before we can continue to pursue that investment. The
property owner understands the situation, and is willing to wait until
that issue is resolved. The visa process is moving along nicely and we
also received the news that our goods should be released from the port
here in Natal within the next couple weeks, D. V.

The kids seem to be getting the hang of their new concept of school.
We changed the kids’ school hours to the evening because it’s much
cooler and, because it gets dark around 5:30, we’re home and there’s
not much to do. That freed up our days to keep up with the Sunday
School lessons in the elementary school in Aningas, the middle school
in Coqueiros (with 700 students, many of them bused from Aningas), the
orphanage, the door to door work, and the street work.
Today, same as every Sunday, we thought of all of you at home and
missed being at the morning meeting. It’s so good to hear from you and
to know that you’re praying for us.
I think at this point you’re all up to date, with the goings on here
in Natal. We continue to covet your prayers, for us as a family and
for the work God gave us to do. In turn, we promise to remember and
mention our Christian family at home while speaking to our God.

For now I say good night.

Love in Christ,
Mark, Lori, Caroline and William.

Filed Under: Street Work, Vá Livre Update Tagged With: aningas, Street Kids, street work, sunday school

August 23, 2009

February 25, 2010 By MarkP Leave a Comment

Hi guys! It’s me again.

I felt in a way the distance this week when I heard about uncle Rod. Called Ma and could hear it in her voice. She wanted her family around her and that just wasn’t possible. Often I find myself annoyed with her state of mind, but really felt for her and wanted for a moment to be at home.

We kinda had a slow week with a lot of running around and really not accomplishing much. Monday and Tuesday were trips to the airport, and believe it of not by the time your done the day is pretty much shot. Lori’s folks, Steph and Hedi are all gone, we still have Lindsey.Wed and Thurs was spent with the shipping company finding out the needed documents to release the container. Thurs a young girl from the company actually went with us to the government building to help us get the info needed, and get the documents notarized as required by law. Before they will release the goods we have to prove that we have applied for a permanent visa. I guess a number is issued once you have applied and the port will accept that number as evidence that your staying.

Thurs morning we got up at 5 A.M. and headed out to the city streets again to feed the homeless. What we found out this time is that these folks live close to their jobs. At many of the main intersection where the traffic lights are long, there will be a group of men, woman, and children either begging or offering some kind of service for your pocket change. Somewhere close to that light is where they make there home. They protect that information and won’t offer it when you ask. We went to one of those intersections and began to look for what might constitute a shelter, and un-knowingly drove by it more than once. Than I saw this little girl running across the street to one of the vender’s and could tell by her looks that she would be our contact. Lori got out and went over to talk to her and soon convinced her that we were there only to help. She looked over and gave me the follow me sigh and we were all brought to this vacant lot. We yelled out that we had come with breakfast, food and milk, and out they all came. They emerged out of what they called home, a make shift shelter that you wouldn’t allow your dog to sleep in. One of the young men recognised Lori from a earlier encounter when he washed her windows and received a new testament. He said in his language, wow this is so cool! On a side note, we are able to get these paper back bibles for about 80 cents each, so have bought them in bulk, and have been giving those out instead of tracts. There must have been about fifteen people living in this lot, from the old matriarch mother to three or four year old kids. We fed then all, sandwiches and milk, gave them anything we had left over, promised them we would be back, and then had to leave when the skies opened up and dumped on us. Friday I went back to the orphanage with Lindsey and William. I built them a big cabinet full of cubbys to hold tons of their shoes that were presently piled in a closet. After going through them all we found close to half of them were for the one legged children that I guess don’t live there any more. I also built some shelf’s in the kitchen to accommodate the pile of pots and pans. These events speak for the week, sorry I don’t have more to report, but I’ll end with my thought for the day. I was reading that passage in gen where God called Abraham to act in obedience and follow with out a clear explanation, or with out more than instruction needed for the moment. I have no doubt that God saw that he get mentioned in the great chapter of hero’s in Hebrews because of that moment when without question he leaves his home and family and follows God. In that same chapter Abraham finds himself facing a famine and instead of trusting the God who called him, he takes matters into his own hands, and goes down to Egypt for food. Looks at his beautiful wife and says your to good looking to be my wife, from now on your my sister. It’s very clear that he knew exactly what he was doing. He was putting his wife on the block because his stomach was more important than his relationship. Pharaoh takes her as his wife, which is what Abraham expected would happen, and I’m assuming she became his wife as any wife would become with all the wifefy implications. Abraham benefited greatly from this and as a result became a very wealthy man. He actually seemed to like this arrangement and wasn’t in any real hurry to change things. If It wasn’t for God stepping in and making everybody in the palace sick, it probably would have gone on. I thought of that verse that promises us that our sins and iniquity he will remember no more. We are linked with a God who immediately latches on tightly to those moments in our life when we put him first, when we are willing to step out in faith, when we are willing to entrust the need of our well being to him. God documents and commits these moments to memory and is so fast to give us undeserved credit. The sin part he is also fast to respond to, and that response is forgiveness [if you confess he is obligated to forgive]. His only request is that we own up to our wrong doing so it can be done away with. He deliberately chooses to not remember, which is so much more than being willing to forget. He’s not keeping track of our failure, these acts are not tarnishing in any way the Little deed that was sincerely done for him. We are not in anyway less effective in his eyes, and can now only be used as the dull chisel saved to open up the paint can. The good deed is documented and rewarded, the sin is gone and will never come up again. No need to come to him embarrassed and timid just cause you remember, he doesn’t know what your even talking about. Funny, isn’t it, how we read that chapter of hero’s and immediately our minds go to events in their lives’s that in our estimation disqualifies them from Honorable mention. And then there is God who only remembers that act of faithfulness and says by all means they deserve that place in my book. I can’t speak for you all, but that thought fires up my jets, and when I get the tap on my shoulder, no matter how big or small the job might be, I know in my Gods eyes I’m as qualified as the next person and I’m ready to go. Sorry if my thought was more than my up date, just enjoyed thinking about it today. Bet you all thought you had finely escaped my preaching, sorry just don’t want to get to rusty. Feel free to pass over my little sermons if you like.

Well thats all I have to say for now. Once again I love you all very much and pray for you and your family’s. God bless you all good night.

Love Markie!

Filed Under: Vá Livre Update Tagged With: Christian living, hungry, orphanage, Street Kids

September 14, 2009

February 25, 2010 By MarkP Leave a Comment

I read last week’s report and thought, “I really have to cut this down. I’m getting out of hand with these up dates.” You all know that I’m really not a big talker, right? Anyway, it’s time for another one of those: “this is what happened” reports.

I was reminded yesterday that God preserves us sometimes when we act very stupidly. Inacia and Lori have been washing all our clothes by hand since we arrived. I would feel guilty every time I put my pants in the laundry. I found myself wearing underwear longer than I should. I saw what was involved and felt so bad. Not so bad that I helped her, but bad enough to finally buy her a washing machine. The laundry room is made up of a sink and marble counter suspended off the floor, following the back wall, and attached to a wall at each end. The machine came on Friday so I decided Saturday would be a good install day. I was so anxious to get it in place, that I went to work first thing in the morning without dressing properly for the job. I got out my skill saw with the diamond blade, and began cutting out a section of marble, 27″x 24″, to slide the machine in. I made both cuts as far as possible with the saw, but those of you who know, realize that it leaves you a good 3″ from the back wall. To finish the cut, all I had was my sawzall with several metal blades, and so I began to tackle it with those. I got one side cut to the back wall and went to work the other. I must have been leaning on the top as I was cutting because in a split second, the whole piece broke off and fell to the floor, smashing into a million pieces. I looked down at my bare feet and quickly counted all my toes. One was bleeding, but they were still attached. As I stood there it began to dawn on me what had just happened. God was the only reason I wasn’t collecting my bloody toes in a jar and getting rushed to the hospital. Those of you who know how heavy granite or marble is, know that it’s only God’s kindness that I’m still walking around with just a scratch. A moment of absolute stupidity could have left me handicapped and useless to do the work I’ve been called here to do.

The kids started school this week, so all our days are now cut in half. They start at 8:30 am and we finish at 12:00 pm. I decided to sit in on their first class with Lori and realised that I needed this as much as they did. I really did poorly in school with no interest in learning. My real education began after Dad died and I was forced to take over the business. At 12:00 we have lunch and then head off to do whatever is planned for the day. Monday, I finished the food pantry in Aningas, so it’s ready now to be stocked. Tuesday, we went into the city to buy school supplies for the kids, and to make a car payment on our rental. Wed., we picked up some more stock that I needed and went into Aningas just to check up on everyone and see how they all were doing. Thurs., we were off to feed the street people, and three more stops got added to our route. I realise now how easy it would be, almost natural, to keep these souls at arms’ length, because of how fast you get sucked into their lives of problems when you show them you care. Very quickly, you can become consumed and overwhelmed, wanting so bad to help and feeling so helpless. There’s a vacant lot in the city, that was a part of our route ,where a whole family lived. We would often shop especially for them and bring them a bag of food. We arrived with a bag full of sandwiches, along with rice and beans that they had requested, just to find them all gone. One young man about 19 was still there, and he told us that Sat. night, into Sun. morning, while sleeping, they were attacked, beaten up; and whatever they had of value was stolen. So, the family left to go find another street corner that they could make their home. We asked about another young man, who last week we bought meds for; he was also missing. When we asked we found out that he was in jail. He was so hungry the other night that he chanced stealing some food from the local food store, and was hauled off by the police. I had to leave this meeting to help Caroline find a bathroom. I returned to see that Lori was still deep in conversation. She had her hand on a young man who stood listening with his head hung. She was speaking to him with tears in her eyes, which is my cue to get back and involved in the conversation. She looked at me as I walked up and said, “I don’t know what to do. He’s begging us to get him out of here, He wants to get clean, but rehabs. here cost money. He’s telling me of a Christian rehab. south of the city that cost about $200 a month. We’re his only hope and he’s begging us to help him. Drugs are his escape and without help he’ll wind up in jail or, most likely, dead, and he knows it.” How can you hand the kid a sandwich and walk away, when you know that there is more you can do? Every day we pray that God will lead us where He wants us to go, so we must believe that each person, whose path we cross, has been hand picked by God as one we need to help. This makes all our decisions very simple. Believe and Obey. So, we promised to go back on Monday to pick him up and go find out about this place of rehab.. I guess our only concern is that, while there, he’ll hear a clear Gospel and not get any bad teaching. Please pray for him; his name is Jose Mateus, nicknamed “Bruno”.

Maria is another young girl we have gotten to know. Every time we were with her in the past, she was wearing this plastic, baggy, cape like thing. Thurs. was really hot so when we found her, she was sitting on a wall in shorts and a kinda of halter top. She saw us pull up and stood to come over to the car. As soon as she stood, we realised she is pregnant. Six months pregnant in fact, and about to bring a child into the world with little or no hope of healthy life. She hadn’t seen a doctor yet, and none of the typical medical things had been taken care of. Why? Because she didn’t have any money for the bus. We gave her bus money so she could go get her ultrasound and check-up. We left her, knowing that we will have to keep an eye on her, as well. Please pray for Maria and the unborn baby.

Next, we came across a young fellow who was limping down the street. I called to him and he came over to the car window for some food. He was on my side and I could see while he ate that he had lost all his front teeth. He told us when asked that he was fourteen and held out his open palm to show us three coins he had successfully begged that day. I knew he was showing us with hopes that we would contribute to his fund, which, in time, would allow him to buy some antiseptic and bandages. When asked why, he held up his right foot to show us a raw open sore along the side, full of dirt and still bleeding. Lori asked him where the closest drug store was and found out it was just around the corner. She got out and the two of them went to buy what he needed, to at least clean and wrap his foot. Time and again, we have to keep telling ourselves that we can’t fix all the problems in Natal. We’ve come to help, as guided by God, with the hope that the work opens, first their ears, and then their hearts, to God’s Gospel. Please pray that God Himself directs the steps we take each day.

Last year I had made new tables and benches for the school in Aningas, so the kids could have a lunch area. Well, by the looks of them, I have to believe that since we left they’ve been sitting in a pool of water. I know the school has leaks everywhere, but I was still not pleased to see all the legs delaminating, to the point where they can no longer be used. So, Friday Will and I went to the village, with the intention of cutting off the bad plywood and replacing the leg bottoms with solid stock and setting them up on plastic pads. It’s so much easier to build new then to fix damaged stuff, but we got started and at least got one completed.

Lori’s been helping a young woman in her thirties get medical help for a medical condition in her eyes. She was told by the doctor that many here have this problem because of the strong sun and lack of eye protection. The way it works with the public health is that you show up, get in line, and wait. You may be seen, you may not be seen; when time is up, they close the doors and you will just have to come again another day. So Lori was up at five on Friday morning and had the girl at the clinic by seven. There were already fifteen people ahead of her but they did get seen by the doctor. So, that process has begun and it’s one more thing that Lori will have to see through.
Well, Family those are the note worthy experiences of the week, and once again I was unsuccessful in cutting this down. I feel like Mr Obama with his one hour speech on how to fix your health insurance problems. It’s kinda funny, but as I watched it the other night I had this feeling of being closer to home. There’s something about a live broadcast that makes you realise that what you’re watching is the same thing everyone else, at home, is watching and at the same time, too. That’s the one good thing I was able to get out of Obama’s speech.
Well that’s my missionary report for the week. Good night to most.

NOW! In the words of my dear uncle Fred ( who will always hold a very dear place in my heart and who I will never forget): Those of you with small children who need to be in bed, and those who need to be up early for school or work tomorrow, are free to leave the meeting at this juncture. Have you ever seen anyone actually get up and leave?) Those who can stay would be greatly appreciated, our brother has a short word of devotion he would like to share with us now. Ha! ha!
I’ve been reading in Exodus and thinking about that great moment in the history of God’s people when He brought them out of Egypt, and did it in a way they could never forget.

As a result, God expected to be given that place of honor in their hearts; that place where there’s only room for one. He knew what humanity’s estimation of Him would be. He himself determined it at the foot of Mount Sinai. When giving Moses specific instructions so he could judge fairly and rule His people, God told him that the value of a slave was thirty pieces of silver. Imagine giving that information to Moses knowing that a day would come when humanity would use that very value of a slave to show God what they thought of His only begotten ( only one of its kind ) Son. That’s how the world would respond to God’s mercy and grace but He expected more from His chosen.
( Exodus 19:3-36) “You have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to me. If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep my covenant, out of all people you’ll be my special treasure. The whole earth is mine to chose from, but you’re special, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. In other words, God showed them how special and how precious they were to Him, and the great lengths He went to to call them, and He only asked in return that He would be the only God in their heart. I thought of the countless times that He provided proof of His unique love for them and the special place they held in His heart. He only asked that the feeling would be mutual. He wasn’t asking for a place that He hadn’t earned. He asked them to remember their thirst and the bitter waters of Marah; to remember how He stepped in to make those waters sweet; to remember in Rephidim when Moses acting under His instructions would strike the rock of Horeb, water gushed out to once again quench their thirst; to remember that great battle with Amalek, He knew the day would come when the memory of Amalek would be wiped off the face of the earth. But He instructed Joshua to document that victory as evidence of their God’s power. He told them to carry that proof with them and to never forget. And that jar they carried, did they know what that’s all about? See that white stuff preserved all these years? That’s God given food from heaven provided by a Father who will always meet the need of the children He loves and cares for so much. On and on the list would go, as God would give evidence to His people that He had earned that preeminent place of honor and worship in their hearts. Pass the stories on, tell your children, don’t let the generations forget the great things I did, for a people that were so special to me. Oh, there were times when they were quick to give Him that first place. They stood in reverent awe and Godly fear at the banks of the Red Sea. They watched the waves spit up those powerful Egyptian warriors, as if they were helpless driftwood rolling up on the beach. They would say from their hearts, (ch 15-8): God is my strength ( His presence in the cloud before me, leading me through the walled waters of this great sea); God is my song ( the occupation of my heart in worship); God is my salvation (His presence in the cloud behind, that stood between His loved ones and their Egyptian enemies.) This is the kind of God I have, and I’m telling the world.

(15:10-15). Who compares with you among gods, O God? Who compares with you in power, in holy majesty, in awesome praise, wonder working God?Salvation and strength, they had seen both that day. It had produced a song of worship as they stood on the river bank in reverent awe of their God, who had chosen them, out of the whole world that belonged to Him. Was He asking too much of them when He declared, (20:3) No other Gods, only me. ?

God declared that they should have: (20:4-6) No carved gods of any size, shape or form, ( helpless man made idols); or anything whatsoever, whether things that fly, things that walk, or things that swim. (making creation your idol rather than the creator ); don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them, because I am God your God, and I am a most jealous God. I am unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.

God did so much for them, only asking for one thing in return. Israel only failed at one thing, but it was the only thing that mattered to God. He left them captives to Babylon, He turned a deaf ear to their cry, His heart was broken. What a disappointment, what a failure; they were no longer effective as God’s representation to lost humanity. He had never failed to come through for them. Constantly, in very tangible ways, He showed them He cared, protected them, gave them the best, made them a people that the nations of the world feared. How could they allow this God to be displaced? What could possibly have deserved that place of worship in their heart more than this God?

This is my burden. I believe God has given it to me. These things were written for our learning. God has seen fit to document these stories so that we learn from others’ failures and don’t make the same mistakes.

Make a list of all of our concerns at home: weak assemblies; young people leaving our assemblies; a lack of seeing God’s power among us; lack of great blessing in salvation; our lack of interest in God’s things; our feeling of staleness, coldness, lack of life; and our closing of platforms because we think that will ultimately solve the problem of poorly attended conferences.The list seems to be growing every day. I’ve watched well meaning men run around doing their best to address each problem. The frantic running from issue to issue to plug the holes of what seems to be a sinking ship has to stop. We can’t fix it, only God can. We need to look to Him for help.

God told Samuel to tell the people what He expected of them if they truly wanted Him back:
1. Clean house ( get rid of all your idols)
2. Put God back on the throne of your heart ( that place where there is only room for one)
3. Promise Him undying devotion and loyalty.

I would like all who are reading this to give thought to this verse. ( Exodus 20:22-26) DON’T MAKE gods OF SILVER AND GOLD AND SIT THEM ALONGSIDE ME.

Now my question to you and me: Have we asked a jealous God to share His seat with things that we also think deserve a place of prominence? There’s only room for one. We defend ourselves by saying that God is very much a part of our lives, but have we heeded the God given warnings? Or have we created a God of convenience? Are we are paying the price because of this? After all God did for us, and we all gave great thought to that today, is He asking too much to be number one in our heart. The moment we agree with Gods assessment and confess our sin, He will forgive us and we will see His great power among us again.

I don’t know how many are receiving this email. It started with just my family, but I heard it’s being forwarded to others. Some of you who may not know me very well, may read this and find it hard to take. This has become my great burden for our assemblies. Those of you who know me know about this burden because you’ve heard this all before. I would only ask of others that, before God, you give it prayerful thought. Ask God, from your heart, to show you if there’s any basis to the message. Is this really the sin that has caused what feels like a dormant God among us?

Though I may not know you please know that I pray for God’s people and I love you all in Christ.
Good night from Brazil.
Mark!

Filed Under: Street Work, Vá Livre Update Tagged With: aningas, Christian living, poverty, Street Kids, street work

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February 6, 2010

December 7, 2009 – Jeremy and Katie Lusk

October 25, 2009

October 18, 2009

August 23, 2009

September 14, 2009

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