34 years since our last autumn, Johan in S-Africa, and 60 years!

The sun shines on trees that are decorated in the most vivid yellow, orange and red autumn colors, in stark contrast against the dramatic dark gray sky—we are enjoying a wonderful autumn in Holland!

We just calculated that is has been 34 years since we spent an autumn in Holland! All these colors call our attention to God’s beautiful creation.

I guess it helps that I am doing a little photography course—only five classes—but it seems that it has sharpened my attention for all I see around me. I enjoy this very much!

Temporary move to Holland

We have moved our “office” (read: two laptops) from Brazil to Holland for a few months and are working for a while from Ermelo, Holland. One of the reasons is that our youngest son, Davi, had to undergo a serious operation in October to receive a urinary stoma. And of course we wanted to be in Holland for that occasion. The surgery was done at the University Hospital in the city of Utrecht.

Davi had his surgery

It went well, but a big hurdle was that it took a long time for his intestines to start functioning again. At a certain point he even said: “Maybe I should never have done this”. But there wasn´t really any other option. 

His kidney function had deteriorated badly two years ago, and he ran the risk of needing hemodialysis. For nine days after the surgery, he couldn´t keep even a sip of water in his stomach. That was tough for him. But after that ninth day and lots of prayers, suddenly everything changed for the better. His intestines started working again and his kidney function improved. Now he is at home and recovering quickly.

The first Children at Risk School in South Africa

Johan went on a trip from Holland to South Africa for two weeks at the end of October / beginning of November, to teach in the Children at Risk School in Cape Town. We started this school 25 years ago in Belo Horizonte, Brazil to train our own staff. 

Since then, we have run the school every year, and Johan has taught in every single school--hasn´t missed a single one—quite an accomplishment! In addition, we have started this school in many other cities of Brazil and in other countries.  It is a very good and practical school that helps students immensely if they want to start a new project with children in need or improve an existing one.

Andrew from India

Some years ago we lead a Children at Risk School in Kolkata, India. One of the students, Andrew, was a very gifted Indian young man. A year later he came to Brazil to co-lead a school in Belo Horizonte (and happened to meet his future wife, Eliane, but that is another story!)

.At the wedding of Andrew and Eliane

Multiplication of the school in Africa

Since then he has lead the school in different Indian cities, and we have been there various times to teach. Last time in Mumbai, we also spoke at an international conference, where we met Toby and Aukje Brouwer, a wonderful couple from Holland who started a project for children affected by HIV/AIDS 20 years ago in Cape Town, South Africa. 

They wanted to bring the school to South Africa to train African young people and see projects for children multiplied on the continent of Africa. We couldn´t go this time to lead the school for three months, but Andrew and Eliane were available.

So they are leading the school, and Johan went to teach for two weeks. It is wonderful to be able to invest in young people, passing on different principles and encouraging them in their dreams to minister to children.  Toby and Aukje plan to lead the next school then start multiplying them into the continent of Africa.

Next year: the first Children at Risk School in the Amazon region.

Andrew and Eliane are going to Brazil next year to lead a school in Porto Velho (Eliane’s home city), which in the Amazon region. Here the children of the ribeirinhos (people from communities along the big rivers) are seriously at risk. Afterwards they plan to return to India and start a work with children in one of India’s poorest regions.

Every year

In the meantime the school in Belo Horizonte continues under the leadership of Oseias who is the King’s Kids leader on the YWAM base. In Curitiba, a city in southern Brazil, there is a school led by Regina, and in Recife in the northeast region, there is a school led by Mati and Julie (he is from Samoa and she´s from Canada). In Perth, Australia there is a school with a focus on Thailand and other countries in Asia, led by Cloe (from Kenya). Enough to confuse you.

Who wants to go to Rio?

In each of these schools, we teach whenever possible. New schools are being planned, like the one in Rio de Janeiro during the Olympic Games in 2016. Wonderful! A great reason to spend a couple months in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and reach out to the kids on the streets and in the slums. As one of our sons-in-law mentioned, “Who doesn´t want to go to Rio?”

A picture taken in a special mirror!

Sharing

We are enjoying this new beautiful and natural phase of our lives. After having started various projects, ministries, shelters and community centers for children in need in Belo Horizonte, having helped start various other projects around Brazil, and having lead the YWAM base in Belo Horizonte for so many years, now is the time to share with the next generation about our experiences—the mistakes we made, the goodness of God, the things that worked well and all the lessons learned.

A gift

Johan is a wonderful teacher and enjoys teaching. The students will listen for hours at a time to his stories and classes. This is a real God-given gift, which is still developing.

So much suffering of children

Now that we are not leading the YWAM base in Belo Horizonte anymore, we are able to focus more and more on teaching, as well as multiplying the Children at Risk School and seeing projects for children opened in many more locations. There is a huge need for this.  When we read in our daily newspapers about the suffering of children in the Middle East and other parts of the world, we want to see more schools and projects happening everywhere.

Writing a book

Together we are compiling a book of lessons we have learned through the years, which we can use in future schools. It is quite a job!

60^th birthday!

Last week we celebrated Johan´s sixtieth birthday. We are thankful for good health and for all the family members and friends who were able to attend the party. So much to thank our faithful heavenly Father for!

Thank you so much!

We are also grateful for all our friends who have stood with us through gifts, carried us in prayer, encouraged us with emails and cards, shared a coffee with us, listened to us, laughed and cried with us and reached out to us in many different ways. 

Thank you so much! We pray that during this holiday season of Christmas and New Year, your eyes, ears and hearts may be open to the love of Jesus who came for all the world, so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. Glory to God in the highest!

We wish you God’s richest blessings!