UP, UP AND AWAY… Made it to Brazil!

Finally . . . Familiar sights

(Some nicer than others.)

 

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Not a favorite sight… Traffic in a city of 1.75 million residents is c-r-a-z-y.

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Could it be my love of vintage linens on that line that makes me reach for my camera every time I see a colorful clothes line?

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Gorgeous terrazzo marble-inlaid sidewalks are common in Brazil.

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LOVE these arms stretching skyward.

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Eyes to the world…

 

After a smooth (though delayed) overnight flight, we arrived in São Paulo, Brazil and rode almost two hours to the city of Campinas—and straight to the City of Youth where we were welcomed by children, staff, and board members of Hope Unlimited for Children. It’s been two years since I was last here, and it’s been a nice day of seeing campus improvements, familiar faces, and new faces of children who now have life-transforming hope.

 

The U.S. board and the Brazilian board met together this evening; joint efforts on behalf of children once abused, abandoned and neglected, often by the very ones who should have cared for them: their parents.

 

Arriving a day later than planned has caused us to miss one of the things I most enjoy—eating in a home with some of the children. I’ve told you before… That’s the Very BEST Tablescape Ever. The board got to do that last night, although they said torrential rain on the roof made it hard to hear conversation around the table.

 

But now it’s late, and tomorrow starts early with a flight to Vitoria, so I’ll leave you with these thoughts and prayer requests . . .

 

Renaissance Man and I have the pleasure of serving orphans and vulnerable children alongside some of the most amazing men and women. Their hearts (and sometimes their pocketbooks) are so very  generous, and I’m constantly aware of how much more I have to learn about serving “the least of these” with a love like Christ’s.

 

If you pray, please ask God to bless the children of Hope as they learn to trust him for healing of the deep scars—some visible, some not—that no child should ever experience. Pray for our friends here, especially Denise (who recently lost her brother) and Clovis (who lost his wife); both deaths were sudden and without warning.

 

Thanks for stopping by. I’ll post again tomorrow night if possible… I the meantime, hope you have a wonderful Friday!