Three small children......

Three small children were brought to us from a town nearby. For weeks they were all very quiet and didn’t say hardly a word, but later we discovered many different behaviour patterns that were somewhat strange. After looking into their backgrounds, we discovered that at one time they were all happy with their Mom though they don’t know their father (or fathers). Then one day, she had a new lover who didn’t want her little children. She brought them to the courthouse to give them away, when this was refused, she decided to start abusing and neglecting them so that the children would be taken away from her. She locked them out of her house, she let them go without food, until finally, and the three were taken away and given to children’s services and taken to Lar Feliz. During the time that they have been with us the past year, she never came to visit or showed the least bit of interest. Then a few months ago, we discovered that the mother had been murdered. She was stabbed in the heart by her lover, the man who she gave up her children for.

Family...

Yesterday, Elisa and I went to Sao Paulo to pick up three volunteers arriving from Holland who will be working with Lar Feliz. One very special person who came to work with us is our niece Evelien, together with her two friends and colleagues from school. What a blessing it was to receive her, and what a fine young woman she has become. Sometimes the hardest thing for us here is to be away from family, but God sometimes surprises us by sending our family to us.

Smiling Faces...

Al. and his sister went home! Some of you may remember the story of the little boy who when he first came to Lar Feliz, he couldn’t stop crying. When Al. first came to us at four years old, we noticed from the first the types of abuse that he had suffered. Sometimes it seemed that the only way to calm him down was to take his hand and walk around the farm with him. At this time his grandmother began to be involved and visited both the children on a regular basis. These visits really helped the two children to adjust, and finally they began to go to her home on the weekends and holidays. We saw a lot of change in both of the children as they grew and learned with us for about a year. Last week, after a visit to the grandmother’s house from the social worker, the judge was able to give guardianship to the grandmother. With lots of hugs for all and smiling faces, it was a happy day for both of the children when they were able to go home.

Waiting on the rain...

The call came on our free day that Lar Feliz was out of water. It is one thing when a small family is without water for a day, but it is quite something else when a family of 64 children and many workers are without any water. Water , water that is needed to cook, to give baths to the babies, to brush teeth, water that is needed to clean the floor, wash clothes as well as water to drink. It has been 50 days since the last rain, and there is not a cloud in the sky. The water well has run dry. We need the rain. For now, we must call the mayors of two different towns and ask them to bring us some water. One of the songs that the Brazilians love to sing is “faz chuver” meaning “let it rain”. Let in rain, Lord, let it rain!

Love....

It has been a while since we have written the blogs, but we are starting again. The stories of these children need to be heard. It was a simple birthday party with only one present for each of the twins and a chocolate cake. They had just turned three, and were standing on their chairs with excitement as everyone sang, including Pastor Paul. R. and R. came to us when they were only three months old, and abandoned by their mother, no knowledge of their father. The time has passed quickly by, and we have watched them grow for three years. We pray that soon the door will open for them to have the love of a family and to be adopted by special people chosen by God. Until that time, we love them with the love that God has placed in our hearts.