Before Colombia vs Greece Match...

Some of our photos from the outreach on last Saturday in Belo Horizonte!

If you want to see more, take a look here: https://www.facebook.com/ywamkickoff/photos_albums

Photo impressions of some Kickoff moments in Cuiaba

Alex e Janaina, two great Ywamers at Pantanal, Cuiaba, shared with us some of the World Cup´s Kickoff moments...

4 Churches from different denominations and a sports ministry gathered together for evangelizing in the streets around the World Cup´s opening Fan Fest in Cuiaba, a city in the south west of Brazil, where they had an audience of more than 17.000 people.

They repeated the same actions for the Australia vs Chile´s game and God opened lots of hearts during these outreaches. He is GOOD!!!!! Here are some great pics!



Free Hugs followed by one to one evangelism. Posters in 3 languages: Portuguese, Spanish & English.



Welcome posters, and tourist information points.

Capoeira (Brazilian dance)

Capoeira (Brazilian dance)

Intercessory Prayer

Kids face painting

One to one evangelism

Playing soccer with the prostitutes on the street in Belo Horizonte, protected by the police!

During the World Cup in downtown Belo Horizonte the Prostitutes Association of Minas Gerais (Aprosmig) organized this Saturday a street football/soccer match in the middle of famous Guaicurus street. The police arrived in full gear, prepared for riots and then held back the cars in the close by main square, as others quickly painted football/soccer filed on the street....then they were all set.

Jenny Jack, aged 35, came with a team from the USA for a couple months to work with our YWAM base in Belo Horizonte - which has a ministry fighting against human traffic – during The World Cup in Brazil.

"Our idea is to give these girls love without judging them. If they want to pray, we pray. If they want to talk, we talk. We are here to give them hope and show them their value", she told some journalists who came to cover the story. “So we have decided to help the girls from the brothels and play on their team!"

We asked Jenny to write a part of her story for us:

Yesterday has been one of the most memorable and powerful days of my life. Playing football with the gals from the brothels, serving them tea in the IHOP Prayer Room and visiting them last night, WOW!

YWAM missionary rejoices with a goal of their team

   

We have been loving, sharing, talking, praying, hugging and listening to women who on an hourly basis are regarded as objects without feelings, souls, fears and hurts. It has been so humbling for me, so heart wrenching and so marvelous all at the same time. And even though I do not speak Portuguese, I can see in their eyes and feel in my heart that they believe me when I say, "Jesus loves you, He values you, I value you, you have immeasurable worth."

Here in Belo Horizonte the 2014 World Cup has already started!

Here in Belo Horizonte the 2014 World Cup has already started!

Last night, June 9th, we had our opening celebration with representatives of numerous churches and organizations coming together in unity.

We had a great time of worship in Portuguese and English, along with various cultural dances, and some deeply touching dramas that demonstrated strongly the heart of God towards those who are rejected in Brazilian society. 

It highlighted the immense inequality that still exists today and I believe it was a strong wake up call for the Brazilian Church.
 

We also presented the agenda for all of the different evangelism and justice activities that we will have in our city, and highlighted some of the available strategies to increase their effectiveness. Are you with a team in Belo, click here to review the agenda.

Then God used a famous Brazilian soccer player, Ze Roberto, who became a household name playing with the Brazilian team in 2006; to give a strong exhortation to us. 

He emphasized that we don`t need more idols, like famous soccer players, but good, strong role models. He shared a moving testimony of how his mother had been his best role model. 

He also focused on the story of the Good Samaritan and he asked God to pour out an anointing like that of the Good Samaritan over the Brazilian Church. It was a great and exciting start to our outreach ministries!

On Thursday, we will have our first evangelism and justice outreach times, focused against sexual exploitation. These will take place during the opening match of Brazil vs. Croatia. These outreach times will be repeated in all 12 of the host cities for The World Cup. We encourage you to participate through prayer and action!

Challenges of preparing for the World Cup

Screaming desperately, she ran through the multitude of people crossing one of the busiest intersections of the city, downtown Belo Horizonte. Dozens of shocked people watched as a big aggressive guy grabbed her and dragged her to the middle of the road. 

She screamed and kicked, but he was much too strong for her. He put his big filthy hand over her mouth and muffled her screams. As he held her tightly, he looked menacingly towards the drivers who had just stopped for the red traffic light and watched the scene with horror. Most of the pedestrians passed quickly and turned to watch from a safe distance.

One man, however, decided to intervene and help. He pulled a revolver he had hidden on his back behind his belt, and started walking towards them….

Drama

Oh my, something was going terribly wrong! Rodolpho, one of the YWAM staff who was filming the scene, ran towards him, shouting: “No, no, this is not really happening--it’s just a drama!”

Irritated and still uncertain, the man looked at him.

“Seriously,” Rodolpho said, “we are drawing people’s attention to the fact that we shouldn’t ignore violence and abuse, but we should report it.”

The man still was not wholly convinced until he saw the shock on the faces of our two actors. Slowly he lowered his gun and put it away.

Behind the man and girl, a big banner was now held up, saying: “If you don’t report it, it won’t stop! Call 100!”

Where is Wally? :)

This happened last Saturday morning, when over 200 people from YWAM and various local churches were at the central city square to evangelize and to alert people about sexual exploitation. There was even a team from Holland. Johan and I were there together. How wonderful to be able to talk openly about the love of our heavenly Father and see how open people here in Brazil are to talk about God and faith!

Can I have the Good News too?

There were various other groups who performed dance and drama, and many people stopped to watch. We were able to pray for a number of people, and it was so encouraging to see that people would even come up to ask us for the tracts and literature we were handing out.

During these last months before the World Cup, we have organized various evangelistic events, to get really prepared for the big events during the World Cup. At each subsequent event, the number of young people from different churches who have joined us has increased, through their contagious enthusiasm.

We saw, however, that we have to be careful with some of the dramas--this one was almost too realistic, as the guy who was acting the part of the aggressor was almost killed by someone who was just passing by… Oh my! Of course, in the end it is a funny story, because it had a happy ending. But please be in prayer for the teams and people who will join us for the World Cup, that God will protect us and keep us safe.

Protests

During the World Cup there is a real possibility that there will be many demonstrations and protests. A large percentage of the Brazilian population is not very happy with the current government.  They believe that all the money spent on stadiums should have been spent on education and health care.

In the latest polls, the president, Dilma Rousseff, had only 37% approval. There will be presidential elections in October and she would like to be reelected for her second term, but she will need more than 37%. So she announced last week that she would raise the “Bolsa Familia,” a monthly benefit for the poorest families (36 million people), 3 dollars a month. But it remains doubtful if this will sway enough voters.

During the World Cup the eyes of the world will be on Brazil, and many people want to use this media attention to put pressure on the government through big organized protest marches on the streets. Unfortunately those marches often lead to violence and vandalism. Please pray for peace and against aggression and fighting.

Assaults

Brazil has such a high violence and crime rate that foreign embassies and governments have published materials to educate tourists how to react when they suffer an assault in Brazil...

We would like to see the churches go in great numbers to the streets during the World Cup, because the presence of the people of God will cause the rates of crime and violence to decrease significantly. The devil doesn’t like us to go to the streets to evangelize and have people commit their lives to Jesus. So please pray with us that many churches will mobilize their people to go out.

Prayer for 32 Nations

Speaking of prayer, our team prepared a presentation with prayer points from each of the 32 nations that will participate in the World Cup. The focus is to pray against human trafficking and injustice in those countries. The presentation is already translated from English into Portuguese, Spanish and Korean. Thousands of people around the world are using it.  We would like to see it go viral and have thousands of churches and teams praying during the World Cup. Please download it and start using it too: www.slideshare.net/JeannetteLukasse/presentations

Weekly News on the Kickoff Blog!

We just created two blogs, in Portuguese and English, to help churches and teams in each of the 12 host cities of the World Cup. On those blogs you can find all kinds of suggestions for activities teams can do during the outreach. There is a page with downloads for printing tracts and materials to bring to the outreach.  Another page shows how to download portions of the Bible and the “Jesus” film on mobile phones. We will have a schedule of activities in Belo Horizonte and the other 11 cities. Other pages contain photos, videos and prayer needs.  We will post frequent updates during the World Cup.  Have a look at: www.ywamkickoff2014.blogspot.com.br

State government

Last week, Johan and one of our staff were invited to speak about human trafficking to the state government. They were able to describe everything we have been doing over the last few years against human trafficking and also about what still needs to be done, especially in preparing for the World Cup. It was all transmitted live on cable TV and on the internet. It went very well--Johan even had time to clarify that our programs are based on biblical values and to explain some key Scriptures. Those are great opportunities. We have also been able to give TV interviews, share on documentaries, and write for magazines. All these things help to bring the plight of human trafficking victims to the attention of an ever-widening public.

Praying in the Red Light Districts

In each of the 12 host cities for the World Cup, Exodus Cry has been able to rent a prayer room for 24/7 (twenty four hours a day, seven days a week) prayer in the downtown prostitution area. Churches and teams can sign up to participate. Exodus Cry is the organization that produced the documentary  “Nefarious,” a shocking account of the worldwide trade of women and children for sexual exploitation. This movie is a “must watch” for those who want to know more and be involved in combatting this crime. They recently produced another documentary on human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Brazil. We have been working closely together with Exodus Cry over the last few years.

Not Alone

Just a few more weeks and the World Cup will be upon us. This is a big task for us, as we are the National Coordinators for teams that will come through YWAM to participate in the outreaches in Brazil. Luckily we don’t have to do it on our own. We have a great team here in Belo Horizonte, and in the other 11 cities, there are additional YWAM coordinators/teams. And we know that many of you will participate in the army of prayer warriors. But above all, we know that God is with us and will guide and help us in everything.

Davi ‘s Dream

Davi, our youngest son with special needs, lives in Holland. He is a great soccer fan and has the opportunity to travel with a team from Holland to be with us for two-and-a-half weeks during the World Cup.  His kidney function has improved a lot; it is now around 50%, against all the expectations of the specialists--a real miracle! His doctors have released him to travel. This is fantastic, as his big dream is to be in Brazil during the World Cup. We are looking forward to having him with us for awhile.

Holland

In September we plan to go to Holland. Davi will have another surgery, and we want to be close to him during that time. Also, we plan to write a second book!

We want to thank all of you who have been involved with us in any way over the last months. We wish you all God’s blessings,

Johan and Jeannette Lukasse

How to pray for the 32 nations that will come to the World Cup 2014 in Brazil

32 nations of the World Cup to pray for from JeannetteLukasse

Highway to hell and freedom for all.

Dear friends,

“Hi Auntie…” with a deep frown she took me in, “I hope you’ve done this before?” Without waiting for an answer though, she stretched her leg on the bench at the busstop, and pointing at the dirty plastic bag around her foot and up to her knee, she said in a high trembling voice, “but I’ll remove the bandages myself, okay?

Josie, on the run from the police

Johan had met her during his daily run. She caught his attention, a teenager obviously living on the streets, with a huge infected wound below her knee and walking with crutches. He stopped to chat with her. She said her name was Josie and explained she had broken her leg at various points when hit by a bus two months previous. After eight weeks in the hospital she had finally run away out of fear that the police would pick her up for some crimes committed on the streets months before. So here she was on the streets again…

Gathering courage…

Armed with a first aid kit full of bandages and antiseptic fluids, I went with Johan to check it out and see how I could help her. Johan had promised Josie he would get me as I am a registered nurse. She was waiting for us at the same spot where he had left her. She made it quite clear that she wouldn’t go back to a hospital, afraid as she was of the police. She had tried to go to a medical post, but because it was a national holiday, all medical posts were closed.

Carefully we helped her untie the plastic bag around the bandages.

“I put those around it because of all the flies”, she explained.

Under the plastic, her whole leg was covered with greenish bandages, deeply stuck to the horrendous wound. I swallowed hard, took a deep breath and gathered my courage. If this wasn’t taken care of properly, she could lose that leg.

Carefully I poured sterile fluid on the bandages as Josie herself pulled to loosen them. Soon her brow was covered with big beads of perspiration. Luckily I had brought disposable gloves, plenty of fluids, medical sprays and bandages.

“Oh, thank you, uncle and auntie,” she finally sighed. She happily looked at us and then at the clean white bandages around her wound.

12 years old and totally stoned

Josie and her brother both live on the streets and were already known by the Rescue House team. But she was not yet ready to give up on her life in the streets. “Tomorrow I will go to the medical post,” she assured us. A street boy, totally stoned and who appeared to be no older than 12 years old had come slowly up to us, and putting his arm around Josie’s shoulder, asked her with a slurring voice if she already had a boyfriend. She pushed him away aggressively, shouting: “Stop it Alex, you’re much too young.” He looked at her confusedly, as if not really understanding, and then dejectedly shuffled away.

Gone

The next day we went to pay her a visit on the street where she used to hang out. We found her quickly, and with a beautiful and happy smile, she assured us that she was much better. But by the next day, she had disappeared. The Rescue House team finally informed us that she was now living with one of her boyfriends in a slum.

Street kids

There are a lot less children on the streets now than 15-20 years ago. But still they have not totally disappeared. Every now and then, the police round them up and put them in juvenile detention centers, in order to clean up the city for a big event. So on occasions, it looks as if there are no street children anymore, but the team from the Rescue House is still very busy reaching out to them. Please pray for kids like Josie and Alex and for the Rescue House team.

“Highway to Hell”

Girls like Josie often get boyfriends who abuse them. We hear all the time about the sexual abuse these girls suffer and how they become victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation.  One of the areas that we are very concerned about is the notorious highway which runs all the way from Fortaleza in the north of Brazil, to Rio de Janeiro in the south. It is nicknamed, “Highway to Hell’ and covers 4,385 kilometers or almost 3,000 miles. Along this highway thousands of girls, often as young as 10 or 11 years old, are being forced to sell their bodies. Studies show that on an average of every 16 kilometers or 10 miles, there is an area of sexual exploitation along that highway.

Teaching freedom

Some of our staff produced an information packet for schools, to teach teenagers from 11 to 17 years old about the dangers of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The packet contains a letter of presentation to the school director, various classes, a power point presentation, 3 short mime dramas posted on YouTube, a flash drive with the music that accompanies the dramas, as well as some posters and leaflets.

God seems to be opening doors

During the months of March and April we plan to reach 10,000 teenagers with this program through our local YWAM base in Belo Horizonte. But the potential is much bigger. Other organizations are also showing interest in this program, including some organizations that work along the notorious “Highway to Hell”. And all throughout Brazil, in the twelve host cities for the World Cup, we have Kickoff coordinators interested in using this material. Amazing how God seems to be opening many doors!

Libertodos

This program for schools is called “Libertodos”: liberdade = freedom, todos = every one, all. So literally: freedom for all. Please pray for this program.

Come to Brazil during the World Cup

We’ve made a special website, inviting teams from all over the world to sign up to come to Brazil and help with the outreach during the football/soccer World Cup in June and July this year: www.ywamkickoff2014.com. It is expected that 600,000 foreign tourists, in addition to another 3 million Brazilian tourists, will come to the twelve host cities for a very special holiday.

At the same time we plan for hundreds of teams to come and, alongside Brazilians from local churches, share the Good News with these tourists. They can share the Bible and the Jesus film in many different languages through Bluetooth on their mobile phones, go to groups of teenagers and share the “Libertodos” program, participate with a 24/7 prayer room in a red-light district, or join in with many other types of outreach.

Free download

If you access the website, www.ywamkickoff2014.com and click on “resources”, you can download a free and beautiful match schedule, so you can keep track of which teams play in which cities at what times during the month-long tournament.

I personally am excited about the fact that Iran will play in Belo Horizonte. I will certainly download an online Bible and the Jesus movie in Farsi and hope to share it with someone from Iran on the day of that game.

Give a donation?

If you would like to help pay the costs of the Kickoff outreach or the production of the Libertodos program, please make your gift available as indicated on this link of our donations and contact info.  Please make sure to add that it is designated for “Kickoff” and/or “Libertodos”.

Unity

One of the things we are very happy about is that so many churches and organizations are joining together around the World Cup and starting to work together. This is also what Jesus prayed for, that we would be one. Together preparing and praying, together proclaiming the message of God’s Kingdom and fighting against the evil of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. . .

A year in Rio de Janeiro

We are praying about living for a year in Rio de Janeiro during 2016, when the Olympics come to Brazil. We would like to offer a training program that combines a “Discipleship Training School” and a “Children at Risk (C@R) School” to a group of up to 150 young people. Imagine the many opportunities that the city of Rio offers to practice what you learn during a training program like that! Who wouldn’t like to spend a year in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro? We will keep you posted on developments.

Kids

What a blessing our children and grandchildren have been to us. We are so thankful.

Our daughter Dilma, who is deaf, came for a month on holiday to Brazil. It was amazing to see how well she can communicate in the Dutch sign language already. She told many funny stories of her life in Holland, and we are happy to see how well she has already adapted to this new culture.

The health of our son Davi is fairly stable, but his kidneys continue to be a point of concern. He is being monitored regularly by a good team of doctors.

Our oldest son and his wife just had their third child, a beautiful daughter. Her sister is really enjoying having a little sister, but the 4-year-old brother wanted to know if it wouldn’t be better to exchange her for some useful toy…

We would like to thank all of you who have stood so faithfully with us in prayer and support over the past months. We pray God’s richest blessings upon you!

Love, Johan and Jeannette

Prayer points

• Thank God for the Rescue House team and the variety of ways they use to reach the street kids. Pray that teenagers like Josie will take the opportunity to leave the streets.
• Give thanks for the many opportunities we have to share about the dangers of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in schools. Pray for the thousands of children and adolescents who are being sold along the “Highway to Hell”.
• Thank God for the cooperation and unity among many churches and organizations. Pray that many more teams will sign up to come to Brazil and that we will see dramatic change so that this World Cup will be known for its all-time low in cases of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.