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!

Isaiah - A True Servant

In this post, I want to tell you a bit about Isaias (Isaiah in English), the guy who runs the day-to-day operations of the chácara. He has become a ministry partner and a good friend of mine!

Isaias has spent much of his life involved with recovery centers for chemical dependents. His father Alvaro, and mother Luci, ran a halfway house/recovery clinic (Isaias and his family lived on the grounds of the clinic) for many years in Alvorada, a Porto Alegre suburb. In 1995, Alvaro began a shelter for homeless men at the chácara's current location, and over time, this location evolved into a second halfway house. Alavro passed away in 1998, but his wife Luci continued the work at the first location, while a local pastor took over the work at the chácara. The work went well for a time, but unfortunately, it turns out this pastor was stealing money that was coming into the chácara's common fund. In 2004, this guy left (he even dismanted the house he had built on the property) and took almost all the men living at the chácara with him to another location. The chácara had to be closed for some time, fearing that it would never reopen.

This is when Isaias stepped in. In 2005, after much prayer and pondering, he decided to reopen the chácara, working as a volunteer. Isaias works the night shift as a security guard for the city of Gravataí, another Porto Alegre suburb. He spends as much time as he can during the day at the chácara, helping the men resolve their problems, teaching Bible lessons, building walls...the guy is a real handyman; he seemingly can do it all! The men call him "pastor" and that's what he is; a shepherd who is steering them away from the harm of substance abuse and steering them towards the gospel of Jesus. And he does all of this as a volunteer...he does not receive one centavo for his work. In fact, he uses some of his own salary here and there to buy supplies for the chácara when they run out.

I am amazed at how balanced and centered of a man Isaias is. He doesn't get stressed easily; he remains calm and patient while dealing with problems between the men. He maintains a hopeful and humble outlook on circumstances; he is quick to give credit to God for the good things that happen in his life and to the chácara. I have learned much from Isaias about how to listen to and encourage people with problems; how to love people yet not put hope in people, but in God; how to affirm the good that God is doing while being patient when it seems that God's work is stuck in neutral or going backwards. I greatly admire his sacrificial spirit; I don't know many people who would do what he does, with the intensity that he does it, without receiving a dime. His treasures are in the right place - he is investing in the kingdom of God that comes daily and will come in its fullness one day.

Isaias is married to Claudia and they have two kids: Evelyn, age 7, and Jonatas, 8 months. Remember this family in your prayers!

In my last post I introduced you to the chácara. Now I'm going to share how I became involved in this ministry. Back in January, I decided to take a three-day retreat of prayer and solitude. It was the first time in several years I had done such a retreat, and it came at the right moment, for I was needing a time of re-encounter with God. I was still in the throes of depression, and I was desperately seeking some direction for myself. What was God really calling me to do in my life at this moment? I was feeling useless in my vocation as a missionary. How could I take the talents and opportunities I had been given and use them in the service of the kingdom?

During the course of this retreat, through prayer, meditation, reading, and observing nature, I perceived God revealing three directives for me. One was to go back to school and continue my education, so in April I started my master's degree in psychology through a distance-learning institution. Two was to use the English language in some kind of professional manner, so I've begun translating scientific articles here and there from Portuguese to English - fantastic brain exercise and extra money. Three was to begin going to the chácara once a week and making myself available to them to serve in whatever way I could. So every Wednesday, since the beginning of February, I have been working at the chácara.

I do a number of different things; no Wednesday is alike. One of the most important things I do is informal counseling with the men in recovery. I listen to their story, ask questions, offer consolation, check on how they are doing, pray with them, try to befriend them. I have built significant relationships with several of the men through this ministry. I also help purchase their monthly food supplies - as you might imagine, 20 men can eat several horses in a month's time! Our church is currently helping to build a new dormitory at the chácara, so I am helping coordinate that project. And I've had several meetings with folks in the community to try and bring in outside resources to help the halfway house become a self-sustaining entity.

What makes this all worthwhile is seeing lives transformed, like these seven guys here (left to right: Rafael, Everton, Dilamar, Alessandro, Daniel, Salvador, and Claudemir).

These seven guys gave their lives to Christ in baptism on June 24. Praise God!! They are all walking firmly in the light.

I work closely with Isaias, a Brazilian volunteer who runs most of the day-to-day operations of the halfway house. Next time I'll tell you about this extraordinary man and our friendship.

Introduction to the "Farm"

So what is the chacara, you're asking? It is a halfway house for recovering drug and alcohol addicts. The official name of the place is the Young People's Recovery Center, but it is more commonly known as the "chacara," a Portuguese word meaning "farm." The chacara is located on 1 1/2 hectares of farmland in Alvorada, one of the poorer and more violent suburbs in greater Porto Alegre. It is a spiritual oasis for men seeking freedom from chemical dependencies. The chacara is run by an independent, non-denominational church. The men follow a disciplined routine that includes early rising, prayer, Bible study, manual labor, and more prayer & Bible study! The time of internation is one year; though many leave before this time, some do stick it out, and their lives are changed forever.

The chacara consists of a reception area, a multi-purpose building that serves as a chapel, kitchen and cafeteria, two dormitories that can house up to 25 men, storage units, a pond, and several plantation areas where various vegetables are grown for consumption. Right now our church is currently helping the chacara build a new dormitory - an exciting project that I'll elaborate on in posts forthcoming.

How did we get involved with the chacara? It's a God story. Eight years ago, when I came to Porto Alegre to do Let's Start Talking, I met a man named Paulo Renato Barbosa. He and I became friends, and Paulo was eventually baptized and began attending church. But he was hiding a problem - an addiction to alcohol that he had struggled with for nearly 20 years. In 2001, he decided to check himself into the chacara, and God changed his life. When I moved to POA in June of 2002, I got in contact with Paulo and rekindled our friendship. We invited him to come work for our church in May of 2004, and he has been with us ever since. Through his relationships with our congregation, we began visiting the chacara and taking donations to the men. Our involvement has increased dramatically in recent months, as I'll share later.

Here is a photo of the men currently housed at the chacara. In my next post, I'll tell you why working with these men has become one of the highlights of my week!