Collective Surprise Birthday Party

Let me first as I begin this post give credit to the Terrys for taking the pictures and posting this event on their blog. Last week we had a collective surprise birthday party for the men at the chácara. This was largely the idea of our Brazilian sister Leni. She made hot dogs, Jennifer Terry made chocolate cakes, and Leni bought mini-Bibles to give to each man (20 in all). A lot of these guys don't get visitors and hardly ever commemorate their birthdays. So needless to say, this was an occasion for lots of joy and some tears...Happy Birthday to the chacara guys!

I think we were all surpised, weren't we?

Habitat for Humanity in Porto Alegre

This is somewhat of an "interlude" to my postings on the chacara, I post this here because it's in a similar vain of volunteer/social work in the Kingdom. I have recently become involved with Habitat for Humanity Brazil as an occasional volunteer for their projects here in the greater Porto Alegre area. In February and March, Habitat sponsored a "40 Houses in 40 Days" build during Lent in São Leopoldo, a suburb of POA. Waleska & I helped out on a couple of occasions with translation and work. Last month, a delegation from Habitat International came and I spent two days translating some meetings between them and local community leaders. From l-r, Habitat Int'l and Brazil staff: Antonio, Elves, Jose Luis, Garry Hansen (with the Lutheran church in Michigan) and Raafat. I have enjoyed this experience and hope to continue helping in the future! Habitat is hoping to launch a large-scale project next year in POA in one of our city's most needy neighborhoods. Stay tuned...

Construction Report

This is a view inside the reformed reception area. A wall was knocked out to make the area larger, two couches were donated, the interior & exterior walls repainted, and new wiring put in. All that remains now is to put in some new flooring. A much more receptive space!

These are some pics of inside the new bedrooms and bathrooms in the dormitory. As you can see, the walls are finished; what remains to be done is to put down the tiling on the floors, put up the ceiling, and paint the walls. It is exciting to see how this work has progressed to this point! We have had to slow down a bit in recent weeks because of lack of funding, but hopefully we will have everything finished by the end of November.

This is the inside of the new cafeteria area. As I've
explained in previous posts, the cafeteria was formerly uncovered, with no doors. It was pretty cold to eat there during the winter! Thanks to the new reforms, the cafeteria has been roofed over, the walls have been repainted, a door has been placed on one side, and a small window has been opened between the kitchen and cafeteria to allow the men to get their food directly through the window, without having to go out and around. Much more sanitary and practical!

We covet your prayers for this work! This is a picture of the group of men at the end of last month. Some have moved on, some have stayed; we lament those who don't stick it out, but we celebrate those who do, and hope that all will take away something from their experience, whether they stay for weeks, months, or the year. We are working for God and we ask God to give the victory to these men and their families!

Video Update

Here is a link to a recent video that Sascha Terry and I made to visually demonstrate what is taking place at the halfway house. We hope you enjoy it and we thank you for your support! I wasn't able to upload the video (still learning how to use this blogger stuff), so just cut and paste this link into a new browser window and watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXjGPHqnsxs

A Life Transformed

In this post I'm going to tell you about another victorious servant of God, Alexandre. This guy is 18 years old and has a story to tell. He got involved in drugs early on as a teenager. He has a Christian cousin who always showed love to him, prayed for him & assured him that when he wanted to get clean, she would help him. This stuck in his mind. One night he & some friends went out to make trouble and robbed an old man, stole his cell phone & tried to sell it. They happened on a party and when they tried to sell the phone, some guys recognized the phone as belonging to their uncle. The hoods beat Alexandre up really bad, almost to the point of death. That moment was the turning point. He realized he needed help, so he went back to his mom’s house and sought out his cousin. She led him to the chácara. That was more than a year ago - he has come a long way!

Three months ago, Alexandre got a job working for a building supply store about a mile from the chácara. He works there six days a week as a counter attendant and stockboy. He started as a paid intern, but he has done so well that the owner has now hired him full-time! Alexandre continues to live at the chácara while working in this job, but he hopes to save enough money so he can move out and rent his own place, fully re-start his life in society as an industrial painter. He has a contagious smile, almost always has an encouraging word of Scripture for the brothers, and is full of joy. He is one of the great testimonies of how God is transforming lives at the halfway house. Praise God for Alexandre's changes and pray that he persists in being an ambassador of the Good News, and that he can fully re-establish himself in society!

Dynamic Duo

In this post I will tell you about (l-r) Cris and Marcio, the "dynamic duo." These two guys have been at the chácara for almost eight months. They are well on their way to recovery from substance abuse. Now they are serving as the two primary "obreiros" - assistants to Isaias, the director. They orient newcomers, give instructions, and help keep everyone on track in following the daily schedule. They bring to Isaias' attention any interpersonal problems that need to be resolved. They work very well together - in fact, sometimes they seem to me like long-lost brothers separated at birth!

Cris and Marcio are both in their early 20s. Cris worked as a day laborer, and Marcio has a mechanic's certification. Both are intelligent guys; Cris taught himself to speak English, and Marcio has studied things as diverse as philosophy and botany. Both made similar mistakes of getting involved with the wrong crowd (i.e prostiution, drug pushers) and literally fell into the gutter. Their families brought them here in January as a last-chance effort. They had never met before coming here, yet their friendship seems as if they've known each other all their life. They were baptized and are learning more and more of the Bible with each passing week. They are winning back the confidence of their families and have earned the respect of the other men with their right conduct and leadership.

Marcio and Cris have begun a new life in Christ, and they want to finish what they have started. Once they have passed the nine month mark, they will begin looking for jobs and transition out of the chácara and back into society. They would continue to live at the chácara at night and work during the day. Pray that they will stay firm in their faith, that doors of employment opportunity will open for them soon, and they will continue to be good examples for the rest of the brothers. Thank God for these two changed lives!

Construction - Men at Work!

There is a lot of physical transformation taking place at the halfway house, work that is partnering in the spiritual transformation of these men! We are currently building a new dormitory, and reforming the existing cafeteria and reception area.

These are the existing dormitories. They are cramped to say the least: 10 men live in each room, all in bunk beds with armoires and narrow space between each set of beds. They only have one bathroom and one shower to share. It is not ideal living conditions, but they manage well. Isaias' goal is to transform these spaces into a classroom and a recreation room, to give the guys more creative space to work on handcraft projets, watch a movie, or study in groups.

This is the new dormitory, halfway finished (18 meters by 4 meters). The foundation was laid in May by local volunteers. In June, a group from Texas A&M University came and spent several days helping lay bricks. This stimulated the men to get it in gear and keep the job going. The roof was put on last week. The next steps are to lay down the flooring, finish the walls, and install the doors & windows, then do the electric work, plumbing & bathrooms, and painting. There is still much to be done, but it is amazing how much has already been accomplished! When the dormitory is finished, it will house 20 men in five different room of two bunk beds. These conditions will definitely be more sanitary and allow for more privacy among the men as well.

Below is the reformed cafeteria. Before this, it was not closed in by walls. The walls have been put up and finished; what remains is to finish the floor, put in walls & doors, and redo the electrick work. Here you can see three of the guys, Rafael, Gutenberg and Gelson, proudly showing off their craftsmanship.

Below is the reformed reception area. Before this, it was open where the walls have been put up, and was smaller inside. The inner wall has been knocked down, and furniture has been donated by some ladies from a local church to refurbish the area. It will be a nice place to receive families of the interns and visitors, and will also serve as Isaias' office.

I have noticed over the past month that these construction projects have injected a sense of teamwork and perseverence in the men. In the past month, only one person has left the halfway house; the current guys are staying together, forming bonds as they work side by side. The physical labor and gradual completion of the projects seems to be playing a significant part in their spiritual evolution. Overall, the men seem more thankful, more humble, more firm in their convictions to follow Christ. I sense a growing spirit of excitement and hope among them as they participate in these projects. These buildings will be tools for a better future, both now and after they leave this place.

One of the most impressive things to me is that most of the funding for these projects has come from Brazilians. To date, our house churches have contributed over U$2000 for the dormitory. The mother of one of the men has also agreed to pay for some of the reforms. Isaias is paying for the cafeteria and reception reforms entirely out of his own means. I would like to thank North Beckley Church of Christ for their generous donation of U$900 that will go towards purchasing the doors and windows for the dormitory!

We are still lacking approximately U$2000 to finish the dormitory. If you are interested in contributing financially to this cause, please contact me at matt.rehbein@familyatfourth.org

Thank you!