Newsletter February 2012

With delightful screams and loud laughter the kids slid one after another downhill on a big blue plastic tarp. The staff from the Lighthouse (our community center in a large slum) had made the thrill even bigger by lathering it up with lots of soapy water. Certainly this will be an afternoon the kids will not easily forget. It was an extraordinary afternoon of pure fun, together with the staff of the Lighthouse!  Many of these kids come from harsh realities with broken families and have experiences of alcoholism, violent fights and all sorts of abuse. That afternoon they were able to play and just be kids for a carefree moment - it was wonderful!

There is no such thing as unwanted children!

Schools have started again after the Summer holidays in December and January, and so have the programs with the groups in our community centers like the Lighthouse. Tutoring, sports, arts and, of course, Bible classes where the kids can learn that they are wanted and loved by God and that He has a wonderful plan for their lives. They learn about a living relationship with their Heavenly Father.

Wisdom in leadership

Also in the Rock House, the House of the Sower and the Reborn Hope House, our other community centers, activities have resumed, while in our shelters, the Restoration House and the Recanto House, the boys and girls have returned from their holiday family visits and/or King’s Kids camps. And the Rescue House team resumed their visits to the streets and the juvenile prison, offering new opportunities to the kids. Please pray for Johan and myself for wisdom in giving leadership and guidance to all these different aspects of ministry on the base, in order for  good and growing efficiency in reaching children and teenagers and their families, so in need for the love of God. We know we cannot do this in our own strength!

Call2all

Johan and I are also part of a steering committee of the “Global Compassion Network” (GCN) which is part of the Call2All movement. From 16-19 April 2012 there will be a congress in Holland for Western European and international Christian organizations, but also for Christian leaders in different segments of society, like government, business, and education.

Over the last 3 years we have participated in several of these congresses, giving seminars about children at risk, and teaching strategies on how they can be reached with the love of God. We would really like to recommend this conference. It’s only three days, with plenary sessions and workshops given by very experienced speakers in their respective fields. There are great networking opportunities as the participants discuss and pray in roundtable sessions about how to apply the different messages.

Least, last, lost

We hope that the “Call2all Western-Europe Congress” will lead to new and deeper partnerships to reach the “least, last and lost” with the marvelous message of God’s love. Our own participation will be about reaching children and teenagers. Come and participate. You can sign up on the following website: www.call2allwe.org

Freedom Sunday

The last two months we have been busy preparing material for Freedom Sunday, the 26th of February. We hope that all over the world churches will bring modern slavery and human trafficking to people’s attention, so more praying and action will result from this.  Johan and our son-in-law, Jonathan, made a very clear 10-minute video clip for the churches in Brazil. We put it on our Portuguese blog and on YouTube and Vimeo. People can download it and use it during their church service. For ideas in English, please go to www.freedomsunday.org

Johan national coordinator for World Cup events

The next Soccer (football) World cup in 2014 and the next 2016 Olympics will both be in Brazil. As YWAM, we see this as a great opportunity for evangelism and reaching out to people from many different nations. We expect churches from all over the world to send teams to help. Johan has been asked by the national YWAM leadership to coordinate such efforts on a national level. During this time we would like to emphasize the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children, teenagers and vulnerable women. Please pray with us for the preparation of all these efforts.

Our emotions go up and down: Such great opportunities, but also: How to do this all? We need God’s constant guidance in all this, and we would like to express our gratefulness to all of you who partner with us and pray for us. For those of you who have given financially, we extend special thanks! We pray for all of you and wish you God’s richest blessings.