Brazil 2008 Day 3

Welcome to day 3... thanks for your posts, we love reading them in the evening!

Here's the blog team at work last night...
We did a Bible/Pastor Tom written skit of the 10 Lepers (Luke 17:11-19 ), it was academy award winning and the church children liked it. Here's handsome David with a bad case of leprosy.

Here's Michael playing his lead role as Jesus. He was an incredible healer.

Here's Tanya and Lori making it happen with the whitewash in our future theater for the kids... cool.

The kids at church VBS singing along.

Here are a few VBS kids enjoying an incredible lunch.

Lori and Alex working in the former storage area soon to be theater.

Wow! Look at the after of Pastor Nimbu's house... awesome!

Here's the concrete mixing team. Right in the street, try doing that in Boca Raton.

Check out all of this construction debris, the pile is large...

Here you go Mike, you asked for a photo... Yes, that's a nose hair.

Photo of Pastor Heber (left) and Mathias... Please read the story below;

Pastor Heber and his wife Izabel... meet heroes of the faith

We would like to share a story of heroes for the faith from Sao Paulo, Pastor Heber and his wife Izabel. They've been working in the Lutheran church for 8 months ministering to several needy communities;

• Jardim Evana: a favela (slum) where kids are very poor and left by themselves since parents work all day. Their living conditions are very challenging as you'll see in the photos tomorrow (amanha).
• Piracoama: families of low income gather in a community center to hear Gos word.
• Valo Velho: one family makes their house available for worship and Bible study for neighbors, friends and family members.
• Juquitiba: a ranch provided by one christian man complete with chapel, a swimming pool, sports area where local people come to worship and have fellowship. This is a very poor area.
• Taboao da Serra is a new area of ministry that Pastor Heber wishes to bring God's word, we should pray for open doors.

Pastor Heber works at the main Ebenezer facility as youth pastor, preaches every other Sunday, teaches new member class, marriage preparation class and confirmation class. In addition he spends three days a week traveling into each favela doing home visits, conducting worship, Bible study, vacation Bible school and generally ministering to many needy folks. He even spent one morning this week taking a boy from the favela to the hospital to determine surgical options for his eyes. Pastor Heber also teaches teenagers to minister throughout the community. Talk about doing what God asks us to do, in the dictionary is Pastor Heber's picture under the definition for the Great Commission.

When Pastor Heber and Izabel were asked what could be done to really make an impact in the favela, he responded that education is a lasting gift for these children. He cited that many children haven't been taught to brush their teeth at age 12. He and Izabel believe that knowledge provides the power for these kids to have opportunity to get out of the favela; "knowledge cannot be taken away from you, material things can". Without reading, these children cannot even experience the word of God.

Izabel felt Pastor Heber's greatest victory is a Bible study that he started in the favela with two attendees that has grown to standing room only. With tears in his eyes Pastor Heber said that what they do is nothing compared to what is needed for the people they minister to.