Possible Partnership

One of the blessings of being involved with our local Rotary club is the possiblity of forming international partnerships with clubs from other countries for the purpose of developing community service projects. Through Rotary's Matching Grants program, funds can be obtained from Rotary's international foundation to aid in community development projects. We may be on the way to forming such a partnership with a group from Holland...who recently visited the chacara and saw firsthand what good can be done when community service groups join forces!

We are in the "talking stage" right now about developing a greenhouse project that will allow the chacara to grow plants, vegetables, flower bulbs, herbs and spices to sell to the community, and use the profit to cover operating expenses so it can become a self-sustaining entity! Now let's put the dream into action...

Another Victory

This is Jeferson Pereira. He is the most recent graduate of the recovery center 9-month program! He comes from a large Italian family in Viamao, a suburb between Porto Alegre and Alvorada. He has moved in with his older sister and has obtained a job as a machine operator at Mu-Mu, a company that produces jellies and sweets. Praise God for Jeferson's victory and pray for him to persevere in his new life!

Hip-Hop City

One Saturday last month, I went to Alvorada to visit another therapeutic community and took a friend with me - Jefferson Braga, one of our recent chacara graduates. A simple stop at his brother's bait and tackle shop led to an invitation to go to a radio studio and participate in a live broadcast of gospel hip-hop in Rio Grande do Sul!This is Vinicius, the host of the show. It comes on every Saturday at 5pm on the station SaraBrasil. Vinicius interviews local and regional gospel hip-hop artists, plays their music, reads Scripture, and serves as a call center for folks who need help finding a drug or alcohol rehab center. This show reaches people who might otherwise never be interested in hearing the gospel!

On the left is my buddy Jefferson, and on the right is Di-Mc, or Elder, one of the members of the hip-hop group G.A.P. that I've helped in the past (David, Jeff's brother who works at the bait and tackle shop, is the other member of G.A.P. who couldn't be on the broadcast because he was working). With Elder are his wife Elisangela and his son Eminem (yeah you read that right!) We all shared a bit of our faith story on the radio, and Elder got to publicize their CD.

I thank God that a Saturday can begin ordinary and end extraordinary!