Gabriel the Argentine "Angel"

This is Gabriel Angel (his last name, not his profession :). He is a native of Argentina and has been living at the chacara for about three years now. He has recently begun serving as the assistant director of the work at the chacara. Gabriel's story would make an interesting movie. In his former life, he was a successful lawyer in Buenos Aires, quite wealthy, nice family. Unfortuately, he got involved with some clients who were doing the dirty business of drug running. He ended up having to flee Argentina because a price was put on his head after he shared some sensitive information to the justice department regarding drug dealings. Gabriel himself claimes to have only been addicted to nicotine through the years, but as we know, this drug can be as addictive as any. Through a series of what I could only call miraculous events, Gabriel ended up in Alvorada and the halfway house. He gave his life to Christ and stayed on after the formal treatment program ended to continue helping with the work. We have seen Gabriel take some great strides in maturity this year. In the past, he was more relucant to step up and take charge, but now he is willingly assuming more responsibility for organizing the work and helping the monitors to do their jobs more efficiently. Gabriel can be counted on to take care of things when Isaias needs to be absent. One of his habits is to read the Bible out loud, every day, while walking in nature or sitting at his desk. It is clear that this man's life has been transformed by the Lord Jesus.

Praise God for the testimony that is Gabriel's life, and may he continue to work tirelessly as a servant in the Lord's vineyard!

New Monitors Course

Can you imagine trying to keep 25 guys under control who are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions? One man is not enough; you need guys who can set an example for the other students and toe the line. That's why at the chacara we have monitors. They are current students in the recovery program who undergo a special two-month course to equip them with Biblical fundamentals and practical tools to monitor the conduct of the students, impose discipline if there are rule infractions, and counsel those who are looking for advice. I am helping to teach the current monitors course. There are four participants, as I will describe briefly (l-r photo). Anderson was a change collector on the Alvorada bus line and has a wife & kid. He almost lost everything because of drugs, but now he is in his 7th month of the program and is making a great comeback. Ezekiel is a preacher's son who became the prodigal son, he went down the path of vice, but has recently "come home" to his heavenly Father. Josimar spent time in prison for assault and battery, pursuing a life of crime as his father has done; he is also now in his 7th month in the program and was recently baptized! David comes from a Christian family but never gave his life to Christ until recently, and though his 3 months at the chacara have been turbulent, they are changing his life.

These four guys have two more weeks to complete the monitors course. If they finish successfully, they will be taking a giant step towards fulfilling the mission of the Youth Recovery Center as stated on this sign: Drug Addicts Transformed in Men Useful to God and to Society. This course is a great preparation for success in the rest of their lives! Pray for their success!

New Reception Area

This is the newly remodeled reception area we have been working on this year. We started remodeling it last year, doubling its size, but didn't get all the final touches done until now. We put in flooring, new paint inside and out, a new door and window, and roofing to regulate the interior temperature. It looks fantastic!

This building serves a variety of purposes. It is an office for Isaias & Gabriel, the director and assistant director pictured here. It is a place where the guys can come and talk privately with either one of these men. Potential interns and their families are interviewed here to determine if they should be admitted to the program. Also,the families of those currently interned can visit with Isaias & Gabriel about how their relatives are progressing. Thanks God for this much-improved administrative space!

A New Generation of Runners!

Since the beginning of the year, one of my goals in working at the chácara has been to form a running team. I have experiencd firsthand how running gives me an incredible high and is a natural form of "therapy" to help build physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual toughness. It started very naturally with just a few of the guys and me running together on Wednesday afternoons, at the conclusion of my weekly visit with them. The idea began taking on a life larger than its own, and I perceived that God was leading me to help these guys come together to compete, and learn about setting goals & perseverance in the process. The more we ran together, the more guys joined up, and I sensed that they were taking their recovery and their relationships more seriously. They were beginning to realize that anything is possible!Last Sunday this "dream" became a reality, as we formed an eight-man team and each one ran 5.25K in the Porto Alegre Marathon Relay! You can run the whole 42K marathon alone, as I've done before, or you can run the race in teams of 2, 4, or 8 people. The team was composed of myself, Kevin Blume, Marcio (the young man I featured earlier in the month) and current students Wilson, Rodrigo, Eduardo, Fabio, and Christian. Anderson and Josimar came along as the auxiliary unit. We finished in 4th place out of 13 teams in our category!! What an amazing accomplishment for these young men! Who would ever think that a group of ex-chemical dependents could form a running team and finish a race at an average of 13k per hour?

This is Wilson, who was our fastest runner of the day: 21.40, he beat out the coach! (I ran 23.10 still recovering from strep throat the week before). Wilson has been at the chácara for two months and is determined to beat the odds and finish his treatment. He has made amazing progress to this point and the sky is the limit for him as it is for all these guys!

These two guys are Eduardo and Rodrigo; they are brothers. They have been at the chacara for seven months now. They are both monitors; the have certain responsibilities within the halfway house in terms of looking out for the other guys and enforcing the rules. They are winning the victory in Jesus and burning up the track!



Pictured here are Christian and Fabio. Both of these guys are on their second stay at the halfway house; Christian stayed for nine months the first time, while Fabio stayed for four months. This time, they are both taking their recovery to a new level, one that was missing the first time. They are great examples of guys who got a second, a third chance and are making the most of it!
As amazing at it sounds, the best of Sunday was yet to come! After the race was over, we went to Sogipa for our monthly celebration worship service. And believe me it was a celebration! Christian, representing the guys, spoke about what this race meant in the context of the larger race of Christian faith that the apostle Paul spoke of in various instances. The church was really enthused by the interaction with these young men and the powerful testimony they shared of the lessons learned through their race today.


Praise God for working in the lives of these young men through the world of sport! Who knows what these guys are capable of? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That's our motto!

Consruction Continues - New Classroom

We built a new dormitory last year at the chacara, but we're not stopping with that! This year we are making several major structural upgrades. This is one of the old dormitories. It is a space of about 22 sq meters that housed 10 guys - pretty crowded. As you can see, it is not in the best of shape. Our idea was to turn this space into a classroom: a library/media center, a space for the guys to read, use the computer, watch videos, learn about God and gain knowledge and skills that will prepare them to re-enter society as useful, competent citizens. This is the reformed structure from the outside. We gave it a dynamic new paint job, new windows and doors, tile flooring, and new lighting. It is all ready to go! When we finish reforming the reception building, and obtain the equipment we want for the classroom, I will post about the new reception area and also the inside of the classroom (right now it is serving as the temporary reception/office area). The guys love it! Next week I will be telling you more about some of their stories and new directions in life!

A Testimony of Perseverance

The guy pictured with me here is named Marcio. He is one of many examples of victory that we are seeing with our work at the Youth Recovery Center. Marcio entered the center in January of last year and sucessfully completed the nine-month treatment program. He even became a monitor, one who is trained and given responsibility to help the other guys in the program stay in line and stay encouraged. Marico went back to live with his family in September last year and got his old job back as a certified mechanic - even though he is only 20, he already has an impressive knowledge and practice of how to fix any motor you can imagine! He is also faithfully attending a church and recently began dating a young lady! Praise God for the power that is transforming Marcio's life and pray for his perseverance!

Deutsch Land Visitors

Last week we had the privilege of receiving some young people from Germany at the chacara! I've become friends with Gerald and Nicole, who are German missionaries working in Porto Alegre. They recently received a group of German young people on campaign, and wanted to show them a Christian social work going on in our city. So we invited them to come experience the chacara, and the Germans loved it! We had a great day of fellowship, lunch, testimonies, and forming new friendships. It was a truly international day - English, Spanish, Portuguese and German were flying around left and right. Paulo Renato directed an awesome devotional and gave his testimony, which is always a real emotional moment for him. The guys really get pumped up for visitors and gave the Germans a warm and loving reception! It was a shame the day passed so quickly.

Who knows - maybe God will call some of these folks to return to Brazil one day as missionaries, or be missionaries in their own backyard? Thank you Lord for these young people, and continue to work in their lives in powerful ways!