Please note: We have many boys here that come from very dangerous situations, please help us protect them and their privacy by not posting this blog or any of their photos on any social media networks: facebook, twitter etc.....thank you!
Yesterday Three of our boys had birthdays, Valdiney, Josue and Lucas! We decided to have a big celebration in the cafeteria everyone together. It was lots of fun and many laughs shared, as some really enjoyed pictures and others just tried to escape the madness (poor Valdiney). We had to keep reminding Josue that it was HIS birthday too! :) Then after he finally caught on, he told everyone welcome to my party! It made our hearts so happy to see them really enjoy themselves. We had such a good time being able to celebrate three birthdays at once! It was such an honor to be a part of their day and make it special for them. To see the joy so evident on their faces makes it all worth it. Please pray with Bruno and I for these three. For Valdiney, that God would work a deep healing in his life for the hurts and trauma, that God would break open his shell and allow him to feel welcome around people and really be able to enjoy life. For Lucas, that he would adapt well transitioning into house 1, that he would feel loved and cared for enough to stay and not run away. For Josue, that God would help us prepare him for his future, learning to take care of himself and be responsible. That God would help him learn the basics of reading and writing at school, the he would enjoy learning. Also, that God would bring him healing, mentally, from the mental illnesses that run in his family.
Please note: We have many boys here that come from very dangerous situations, please help us protect them and their privacy by not posting this blog or any of their photos on any social media networks: facebook, twitter etc.....thank you!
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It has been such an honor and privilege for Bruno and I to watch Reginaldo grow and mature into the young man that he is. He is such a joy to have around, very respectful and always willing to help out. He is one of the boys here that you just know you can count on. It was such a gift to celebrate his 16th birthday and see the joy on his face! It was such a wonderful time to celebrate all God has done in Reginaldo's life! Please pray with Bruno and I for Reginaldo, that God would continue to move in his life and draw him closer to himself. That he would continue to heal the hurts from his past and give him new beginnings. Also, that Reginaldo would continue to do well in school and take advantage of the many opportunities coming his way. We are so blessed to be a part of his life through this season.
Please note: We have many boys here that come from very dangerous situations, please help us protect them and their privacy by not posting this blog or any of their photos on any social media networks: facebook, twitter etc.....thank you! Josue (Joshua in English) literally lights up my life! He is almost always smiling and asking everyone "beleza" How's it going? He is usually laughing and in high spirits and always wanting to hug you, unless he is having a particularly rough day. Josue surely knows how to put a smile on my face, if I'm feeling down all I have to do is spend some time with him. And every once and a while he is sure to remind me, "Tia, voce esta Linda" Auntie, you are beautiful. He truly is a blessing to my life! I had to share this picture because when Josue came here to the mountain, in October of 2011, he came with many fears, one of them was to go swimming, he was sure he was going to drown. But with some coaxing and help along the way, he has learned to really enjoy swimming, he is like a fish now. We don't know a lot about Josue's background, since much of his paperwork has gotten lost along the way. We have heard that where he was staying before here, he was kept in a cage, hunched over most of the day. So, when he arrived here he walked hunched over. It is hard for me to even begin to imagine the hurts he has been through and the things he has seen, as much of the time the things he talks about are very violent. We have also been told that some mental illnesses run in his family. It literally brings tears to my eyes as I think about how far he has come since he came to live here with us in 2011, God has truly done a beautiful work in Josue's life. It has been such an honor for Bruno and I to be able to be here and watch the transformation. His smile and laugh are so very contagious! You can truly see how much he enjoys life and being around others. Working with him takes lots of patience and love, but Josue is such a gift! Two of his favorite things are coloring and dancing. He literally "dances as if no one is watching" music speaks to him in a way we can't. He really becomes free when you turn on the music, and everyone enjoys watching him as well! Please join Bruno and I in prayer for Josue this week, that God would continue to heal those deep rooted hurts in his life, the abandonment of his family. That God would show him how deeply he loves and cherishes him. That Josue could see the love of a father and mother through our lives. Also, that his joy and excitement for life would to continue to grow.
You are worth more then many sparrows! Matthew 10:31 Please note: We have many boys here that come from very dangerous situations, please help us protect them and their privacy by not posting this blog or any of their photos on any social media networks: facebook, twitter etc.....thank you! Paul and Nancy are here for a week visiting, and it has been such a blessing to have them back. They blessed the boys with some gifts, and Us as well. They have such loving and giving hearts, they are such a gift to our lives. It's been great to have some 'girl time' with our second mom too! We had such a fun night on Thursday, we had a hot dog roast, and introduced the boys to their first S'more. It was such a good time! They couldn't get enough of them... Us either :) One of the fun things about being American, and here with the boys is being able to teach them some of our fun traditions, or childhood memories. This was surely a night that won't be soon forgotten, the smiles on their faces were priceless!
Bruno surprised me with a new camera for Christmas so I've been really enjoying learning how to use it.Taking pictures is something I really like to do, and hope to get better at. Some of my friends here have been gracious enough to be my models. Having a lot of fun learning here around the mountain. We are blessed with beautiful surroundings, a great place for pictures. Jannell and her boyfriend David recently got engaged and allowed me to take some of their pictures. It was a lot of fun, my first couple shoot! Capturing love is such a beautiful thing. Still a work in progress, but I'm having a lot of fun learning. Next project is to start taking pictures of each of the boys, to have new, current pictures. Thanks for taking the time to check out my new hobby! :)
Leandro is a lot of fun, he always has a way of bringing a smile to my face. We always joke together and he loves to color( I think it's to make up for the childhood memories he didn't have). Leandro has only been with us a couple months but he seems to be maturing and growing. Seeing all that he has come from it's a blessing to watch him enjoy life. Leandro comes from a very difficult background. He lost his father when he was only 2 years old and was then raised by his mother who has an alcohol problem. He basically started living on his own in the streets at the age of ten. He has moved many times and then got caught up in drug trafficking in his neighborhood. Please pray with us for Leandro, for encouragement and an extra portion of grace. He was just telling me the other day that he wants to leave. Please pray that he would see the opportunity he has been given and really take advantage of it. He asked for prayer for his family as well. Also, that God would go into the deepest parts of his heart and heal the rejection and neglect, and show him how much he really loves him.
Thank you for your prayers! Please note: We have many boys here that come from very dangerous situations, please help us protect them and their privacy by not posting this blog or any of their photos on any social media networks: facebook, twitter etc.....thank you! After two years and four months, I am super excited to announce that today... after all this paperwork and waiting waiting waiting, I finally have my permanent visa in my hands!! God is so good and so faithful! I couldn't be more excited for this moment to arrive! Thank you for all your faithful prayers as we walked through this process. You truly helped make this possible! After hearing most everyone that has gone through this process tell me that you have to renew your permanent visa after only two years, I truly see God's grace and favor when I look at my visa and it says it only expires in 2022. That means I am FREE from the fees and paperwork for a whole 8 years!! I am just floored! I am beyond grateful!! After it really sinks in, I look at Bruno and say "Let's Celebrate!!"
The Lord will fight for you. You only need to be still. Exodus 14:14 Bruno and I have had the privilege of celebrating three birthdays with Ronisson, it has been such an honor to watch him mature and grow into the young man he is today. Ronisson is such a joy to be around, full of life, lots of fun, and he has a unique laugh that is sure to put a smile on your face. It is hard to believe he is 17! This means soon he will be moving out of the house we take care of and into the "Republica", the house where he will learn to be independent, cooking for himself, washing his own clothes, and maintaining a steady job, before he actually faces the real world. Ronisson comes from a broken family, with an alcoholic mother. He was taken away from his mother and sent here because of his age, but his younger brothers and sisters were taken to another home. Thankfully he is able to spend time with his brothers and sisters at the other home on the weekends and holidays. It is a blessing for us to see his joy in the middle of all the difficulties he has come from. The joy on his face is priceless, makes it all worth it!! Please pray with us for Ronisson, that the Lord would continue to give him joy and strength in this new season of his life and the decisions that he will make.
"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." Job 5:9 Please note: We have many boys here that come from very dangerous situations, please help us protect them and their privacy by not posting this blog or any of their photos on any social media networks: facebook, twitter etc.....thank you! We would like to share an exciting opportunity on how you can become involved in the boys' lives here at Hope Mountain... Our local public schools here in Brasil are in neighborhoods where crime and drug trafficking are part of everyday life. Just like U.S. schools in similar neighborhoods, these facilities become places to sell drugs and recruit new users. As a result, the administrators and teachers lose control of their schools. Recently a private Christian school located near Hope Mountain, called Good Samaritan, agreed to accept our boys as students. This is an incredible opportunity for the boys, as they will receive an education that allows them to pass the Brasillian equivalent of our SAT. The boys will be prepared to pass the college entrance exam if they choose to go on to college. Fifteen of the twenty five boys here were able to start school at Good Samaritan, because of private donations, and with your help we hope to have as many as twenty boys attending in the second semester. Some of our boys have significant learning difficulties due to the traumas they have experienced in their lives. With special education assistance, many of these boys will be able to enter regular schools. As a social dad, Bruno, goes to teacher conferences and helps the boys with homework, as well as working with behavioral issues. Here are the monthly costs for the Hope Mountain Education Project:
Your donation is an investment in a young man's life and his future. 80% of adolescents who complete the program at Hope Unlimited, go on to be employed and have successful relationships. Without a program like Hope Mountain, the future of these boys most likely would be prison or death before age 25. To donate, you may use your credit card at http://www.hopeunlimited.org/donate.html or make your check payable to Hope Unlimited for Children, PO Box 100 Jefferson City, TN 37760 with Hope Mountain Education Project in the MEMO part of your check. Thank you for helping us change the future of our boys! Vinicius is 15 years old, he has been here at the Mountain for almost two years. His family didn't have the financial conditions to take care of him or his sister so they were both sent to a home. He stayed at a home, with his sister, in his home town until he was 12, then they sent him here to us in 2012.
Vinicius is a joy to have around, he is always laughing and joking around, almost always a smile on his face. He really enjoys playing sports. His favorite is soccer and his dream is to be a professional soccer player one day. Please pray together with us for Vinicius, that he would stay encouraged in school, and continue to do well. For God to heal his hurts of feeling abandoned by his family, and show him who he created him to be and his true identity in Christ. His hunger for God to deepen and he would see the unconditional love God has for him. Please pray for Vinicius and his sister, that God would comfort them and that they would trust that their future is in his hands. Thank you for your support through prayer, it makes such a difference. |
Bruno & LindseyNews and Updates of our lives here at Hope Mountain, Brasil Archives
November 2015
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