Princess....

Like we have been writing before it has been very hectic lately. Right now we have 70 children living with us and 4 more coming. Lately we have been receiving more teen-agers. One of those teenagers is a 14 year old girl. Like always we do not mentioned names, so let's call her Princess. Her mother has several kids from different men and none of them are living at home. When Princess was 12 years old she already went through an abortion. She lived together with a guy in his forties and now after many battles with her mother is living at Lar Feliz. As you can imagine it will take some adjustment on her part to live in a place where there is structure and where there are rules to live by. We have had quiet some problems and fight with her already, but deep down we see the willingness to change. So pray with us that Princess will become a real princess.

last day of the Dutch festival in Holambra

Yesterday was the last day of the Dutch festival in Holambra. Paul’s parents decided to come out one last time, amidst the huge crowds of people, to see their grandchildren dance. Words cannot describe the wonderful feeling that came to us as they saw the old fashioned done by children of all ages, including teens. It was the meeting of two heritages, the younger generation bringing back what was once a lost and forgotten tradition in the Netherlands. All of this was happening, across the seas, in a little village in Sao Paulo, Brazil. All of our hearts were filled with a new joy and understanding that bridged the gap of time past.

busy busy busy

We have had a busy few last couple of weeks. We are in the final stages of the new babyhouse. The grand opening will be on the 17th of October. It is looking really nice. We have 75 kids living at Lar Feliz right now and we have room for 65. On top of that the social services are asking for 6 more beds. So... you can imagine that it is very hectic. Three kids came back to us who had left us to go back with their mother last December. So those moments are always sad. knowing that somthing we worked so hard for, didn't work out.

wow what a day!!

Wow sometimes there are days that you would like to erase and act like it never happened. Yesterday was one of those days. Like you know it started of with my car being stolen. I spent 4 hours trying to sort everything out, and now we will have to rent a car until it is solved. Then I had to be on the phone for at least 2 hours to resolve problems with the company of our mobile phones. They have been charging us hundreds of dollars to much and even agree to that, but keep cutting of our lines.
Then there were also some problems with some of our teens. It was like it didn't stop. When I got home and laid down on the couch I fell asleep and Elisa said it looked like I was dead.
Today I woke up and the mobile phones of the project are again not working. The regular phone line is working, but you cannot hear nothing but of a terrible noise due to a post that fell over down the road. But then I watched this little video on you-tube and I felled the Lord stirring within me and the desire to just look to my Heavenly Father and be like Him and expect it from Him. So I guess yesterday was good day after all!! The video is a bit strong at times, but at the same time it helps us to reflect!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHeN9PTZTTA

MY LITTLE RED CAR IS GONE...

This morning I had a surprise waiting for me. I (Paul) always park my little red car on the street. Two cars in the garage is a bit tight so it was just easier that way. This morning at 6;45 am I took the kids to school in Jill's car and came home again. Later on Jill went for a walk with Charlie our Golden retriever and when she came back she was surprised that I was upstairs getting ready. "I thought you were already gone since your car is not there" I couldn't believe and went to have a look; Car gone!! I called the office just to see if I did not borrowed it to someone and forgot about it (even though I had the key in my hand!) but no, somebody had stolen my little red car. I lost almost the whole day filing a police report, letting the insurance know and many other things. What will come out of this? I don't know! Can we learn something from it? No clue yet, but I will keep you updated!!

tears and prayers...

Yesterday night. like every Saturday night we took the kids of the project to church. It was a nice service, with a special worship time. I had two kids on each side. A brother and sister. They both were holding on to me so tight and suddenly I noticed that they both had tears running down their cheeks. when I asked them what was going on they both said they were missing their mother. Ever since they and another brother and sister came to the project about 3 months ago, their mother had not visited them. They feel abandoned and don't know why. Again i was reminded why Lar Feliz (Happy home) was started. Together we prayed for their mother right there and then and I was happy I could remind them again of their Heavenly Father who will always be there.

new baby house and a meeting...

Yesterday afternoon we had a meeting with the staff of our baby house. In those meetings we talk about how everything is going. we see if there are any problems and we also tell everything we feel is going well or things that need to be improved. Jill had bought them all a nail polish. all different colors, just like all of them are different people. We used that to explain that even though we are all different, we can work as one as long as we communicate. share our feelings, happiness and frustration.
we also took them in the new baby house and gave them the grand tour. It will not be long now before we will move. The opening date is scheduled for october 17th. How exciting!! Here is a picture of our baby house staff in front of the new baby house!!

USING THE INTERNET....

At Lar Feliz we have a little computer room where we were able to hook up internet just recently. Last Sunday I opened it up and all the teens, or those who have good behavior, were allowed 30 minutes on the computer. It really is amazing how excited they get about using the internet. When we think about our daily lives, internet has become a tool we cannot do without. It keeps us in touch with friends and family and it tells us what is going on in the world. Often we take it all for granted and complain when it is not fast enough.

Well last Sunday I was sitting there and I noticed that 2 brothers, sitting back to back, kept looking back every once in a while. When I went over I noticed that they were using MSN messenger to talk to each other. It made me think a bit, even being in the same room, they included each other while using the computer. I bet that is what God wants of us, to be include in everything we do....

FLYING ANTS AND A PLANTS THAT CUTS FLESH....

Yesterday morning, we had a short time with some sun, and I and the babies and the two monitors set off on a morning walk. We decided to walk on the path the leads to the top of the hill at the greenhouse. Once we reached it, we entered in, and it was a fascinating sight for all of the babies to see. Suddenly, the two monitors cried out after being stung by some huge flying ants. We looked up and to our dismay, above the doorway where we entered, was a huge nest of the attacking flying ants. We quickly whisked the babies out of the greenhouse, and on the way back down the hill, I saw what I thought was some nice long blades of green grass. I picked some for each of the babies as they always enjoy touching flowers and plants, and was trying to use one as a whistle when I noticed that my lips where bleeding. My monitor laughed and told me that it was not grass but was in fact another plant that cuts flesh. We quickly took the blades out of the babies’ hands and went back to the baby house, and we laughed all the way home. What we thought would be a quiet morning walk turned out to be an adventure.

MANY NATIONS AND CULTURES WILL WORSHIP HIM BEFORE HIS THRONE

Today in Brazil, we also had a holiday, the Brazilian day of Independence. While I was at the Expo-Flora watching my kids do the Dutch dancing, there was a pause in the program when the national anthem was played for all to hear. In Holambra, the Dutch village where we live in Brazil, we have many Dutch friends who have immigrated to Brazil from their home countries. Just before the playing of the national anthem, one of those Dutch immigrants made a speech with a strong Dutch accent about how Brazil had embraced them and helped them when they first came. He told how he was very grateful for Brazil and Brazilians and that he had chosen to become Brazilian. As Christians we are members of a new unshakable kingdom including many cultures and languages. Each one reflects the beauty of His heart, and we are embraced and welcome when we enter His kingdom

a jar filled with chewing gum...

Many of you who have been to Lar Feliz know that often it is not easy to change the life and behavior of the teens. We say many times that if a 10 year old child comes comes in, we need about 10 years to undo all the wrong teaching and influences. Last week we had again something happed...
4 boys decided that they would take the school bus but that instead of going to school they would go around to ask people for money and food and then use that money to go to a town about 40 minutes away and find a place to live.
They left on a Thursday and were found the next day. When asked why, they have no clear answer. One boy said that he is just so restless. You have to feel bad for the kids. Their parents often don't do anything to change their lives and that leads to the child having to stay longer at Lar Feliz. Even though we try to do anything we can to make it as comfortable as possible, we can never replace a family. So when the 4 boys came back, and the only thing carrying with them was a jar of chewing gum, I had to get mad and give them a discipline. But I had to keep in the back of my mind that time when I was about 11 and, together with a girl from class, had gathered some apples, a little Barbie frying pan and some matches. one day instead of going to school we decided to run away and go to Belgium. we didn't get very far though and I remember sitting on my mother's lap promising I would never do it again.
Pray for our kids, pray for us for wisdom, love and understanding. But above all pray that our teens will have this real encounter with their Heavenly Father. He can and wants to fill up all those empty places in their lives.

This week........

This week we have had some wonderful weather, and we were able to have some very fun times with the babies. We did our weekly horseback riding and visit to see the animals, and yesterday for the first time this year, we took them swimming. In the pool was a ledge where they all could stand and splatter around in the water. It was fun to see the different reactions. Some of them dove in head first and needing to be rescued and one little boy to our surprise would not even put one toy in the water. In our Christian life, when the Holy Spirit is moving, some throw all caution away and dive in like a child does, while others keep a distance, and still others do not enter in at all.