South America B

Oi friends and family!

today was an amazing day! we started off the morning with reading our bibles, journaling, and eating breakfast at the hotel. South American breakfast here consists of eggs, hotdog sausage, cheese bread, and a ton of pastries (and obviously multiple cups of coffee!). On the way to Hope Mountain we pick up Anthony (our translator) who is adored by our team. He allows us to communicate with the kids and is such a joy to be around.

When we got to campus we first fueled up on more coffee and practiced our Portuguese as we are learning to become “true South Americans”. Next Philip (our field worker) told us some pretty incredible stories and testimonies of some of the kids and the fieldworkers at Hope. There is so much brokenness, sin, and pain surrounding each of the boys and yet each of their stories are extremely powerful. We are blessed to be able to learn about such a small part of their lives.

Next on the days agenda was Pine Box Derby assembly. We have a bunch of wooden boxes and cars that need to be built and decorated before Saturday where we will race the cars with all of the kids. Sadly we could not finish them today as we needed a specific saw to cut the wood so hopefully we will be able to finish them tomorrow. Next we spent most of the afternoon playing and spending time with the kids. We showed them how to play Ninja, make bracelets, and say phrases in English. They also got to show us how to get coconuts from the trees on Hope’s property. The whole team got to drink fresh coconut water which was very refreshing. It was so fun to watch the kids get excited about showing us how to drink and eat the coconuts as they got to share part of their home with us.

Next we got our hands dirty with some good old manual labor. Hope’s vision is to build a preschool so that the workers can have free childcare for their kids while they work. We cleared out an old storage room where the preschool will be located and tomorrow we will paint the room. Our team loved being able to give back and serve the ministry in such a tangible way.

Lastly, we finished off the day with a massive pool party and dinner in the boys homes. What an amazing experience these past two days have been. These kids are such lights regardless of their traumatic pasts and current life circumstances. It’s so encouraging to be around them as it reveals Gods goodness and faithfulness for all of his people.

Please continue to pray for rest and strength for our team (as we have a busy next couple of days) and for continued opportunities to share Gospel and the love of Jesus.

Thank you all for your prayers! Tchau!
~ Taylor

We arrived at Hope Mountain today; the location of the first part of our ministry. Hope Mountain is located in a beautiful area. It is in a very hilly area. There is a beautiful mountain that overlooks the entrance.
We had the opportunity to meet with the kids, both the boys who live here, and those who come here for school. We were able to play with the kids and connect with them. We played games including ping-pong, soccer and volleyball.
We also heard the amazing story of how Hope Unlimited was started here in Brazil. Phil Smith, our host, came here in the 1990s with his Dad in response to the killing of kids who lived on the streets. They have been blessed by God and so many people. They have multiple facilities around Brazil where they take in kids as well as teach them. They teach them about God as well as practical skills that they can use to get a job.
We got to have lunch and dinner with the boys who live here. While eating, we listened to there stories.
We had a “meeting” with a room full of kids. We got to sing worship songs together.
We feel so privileged to get to be here serving the kids. We had a lot of fun today! We look forward to continuing to build the relationships and get to know the kids in the next three days.

~Christina

Oi! (Hello!)

Wow today was so amazing and full and exceeded every possible expectation but let me do a quick recap of yesterday.

We arrived late last night in South America and we ate probably the best steak I have ever had in my life!!! Seriously the best ever! We then headed to hotel around 12am and everyone was exhausted from traveling and had full bellies so going to sleep wasn’t hard!

We woke up this morning and got to hear the most beautiful testimony from a graduate of Hope while we ate breakfast at the hotel. (Side note, best hotel breakfast ever.) His story was both inspiring and also eye opening to the situations of lots of the children here in South America. I am reminded of how God can truly turn any situation for His good!

We then went to a drug rehab center. This was something that I am so thankful I was able to experience. Our team experienced lots of different realizations during this time. It’s crazy how much sin and hope are intertwined at this center. To see the devastation of drugs on the streets of South America in one look and then to turn and see the hope of Jesus and how He transforms lives in the next. The staff at Christ Landia were amazing! We fed meals to the people on the streets and got to have great conversations with them. We worshiped with both people in the rehab and also people that just walked in off of the streets. So beautiful! After this we danced with the staff and said chao!

We then went to the Cathedral and it was so beautiful! Our fieldworker then ordered us these amazing juices and smoothies! We also got samples of lots of local authentic dishes (so good!) After this we headed to the airport and headed to our next destination!

We are now at our new home for the week and the team is so beyond excited to meet everyone tomorrow!

Please be praying for good rest tonight and healthy bodies for the trip! We also are asking for prayers that God will open doors for us to share the gospel!

Thank you all for supporting us, we wouldn’t be here without you! Chao!!

The South America B team has arrived safely in their destination! They are ready to get settled and get serving!
Join us in praying for them to get good rest and to continue to press into all that the Lord has for them in the coming days and weeks. The team will update again after their first full day of ministry!

The eighth Global Outreach team of the summer has officially departed the US and will arrive in South America after a couple solid flights! We are so excited for this team so join us in prayer for them— for their safety and health, for them to embrace the culture and ministry with open hearts and minds, and for the Lord to do amazing things through them over the next two weeks. We’ll update again when they arrive safely!