Luizinho Graduated!

Luiz Andrade, known to everyone as "Luizinho," graduated from Bible college this December. We are excited to see him grow in his ministry with Glory Sports, running the program in Guadalajara, and assisting in Lagoa de Itaenga.

They finished up the year with a special going away celebration for Cassie Hlebovy, who helps out with Living Stones in both Guadalajara and Lagoa as well. The two are dating, and sad to say goodbye as Cassie heads home to the USA for Christmas.

Let's keep them both in our prayers, as God prepares the best for their futures!

2013 in Review

Look what God has done:

Children's Day Fun

October 12th is Children's Day, but Brazilians celebrate it all week (month) long. This week Living Stones had special competitions, prizes, and Disney fun at Guadalajara and Lagoa.

After a trip to Disney World, I (Rachel) wanted to share the experience with the kids, and made a video that I then shared with each of the Living Stones programs

The video includes different Disney princesses attempting to speak in Portuguese for the children, and wearing our birthday glasses:)

At Disney, my mother secured a map of the Magic Kingdom for every child (over 150) in Portugese--so we had a "treasure hunt," finding different places on the map and then in the video.

Lastly, each of the children took time to think about their own future dreams and write it down on our special Disney paper:

Thank you for helping us celebrate children!

Tournament

Saturday, October 5th Carpina, Guadalajara, and some teams from Recife got together and had a tournament:

Women's Basketball Team

The team that came from California put together this neat video of their time in Brazil:

Re-Open!

We are so happy to announce that through generous giving, we were able to re-open the Guadalajara ministry in September!

Thank you for giving to Luizinho! If you would like to join his ministry support team, go to https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift2/?giftid=12F6A5779EF947E

Luizinho

The ministry in Guadalajara is on hold until the leader, Luizinho, can raise support: help us re-open soon!

In 2006, Luizinho met Jesus through the ministry of community churches in Brazil. Since then, he has been working and serving different churches, working with the youth through sports ministries.  In 2012, he began an incredible ministry to over 80 children in Guadalajara, working with and through World Renewal Brazil, Althletes in Action, Glory Sports, and Living Stones.

Luizinho has been working on a minimal budget that cannot continue: he doesn’t even have enough for public transportation to the church. The leadership has put the program at Guadalajara on hold until resources can be raised to meet Luizinho’s basic needs: $250 a month. Donate at https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift2/?giftid=12F6A5779EF947E

If it were up to Luizinho, he would walk to the church and continue no matter what. It was one of the hardest things he’s done to tell 80 children that the program could only re-open when finances were met. Let us come along side our brother to help him continue this amazing ministry to the children. You can see Luizinho’s blog here: http://luizinhoandrade.blogspot.com.br/. 

Infographic Guadalajara

Valentine's Day in Brazil

June 12 is Valentine's day in Brazil, but it is called dia dos namorados (literally, Boyfriend/girlfriend day). Living Stones shared with the children that it doesn't need to be a day where they have to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but rather a day to show love to the many wonderful people in their lives already: namely their parents, siblings, and friends.

We passed out little Winnie-the-Pooh valentines, bought on sale after USA's Valentine's day, and the children were enchanted. The confusing part to them was the envelopes. "We really have to lick it? Isn't that weird?" You glue envelopes closed in Brazil. They kept looking at each other to see who would lick it first, and questioned if it was sanitary. I had never thought about that. Perhaps it isn't.

And of course, what is Valentine's day without heart-shaped cookies? Spread the love.

Building Living Stones: Word of Life 2013

Building Living Stones: Word of Life 2013: Word of Life invited Living Stones (and Athletes in Action and Massa Humana) to bring around 200 children to a day camp: transportation, foo...

Thanks Mike!

Special thanks to Mike Westlake, who served with Glory Sports ministries the last six months. He did a wonderful job and will be sorely missed!

If you are a basketball or soccer player, or just enjoy working (actively) with children, please pray about volunteering to work with Glory Sports and Living Stones in Northeast Brazil and write to amobrasil99@hotmail.com for more information.

Building Living Stones: Guadalajara: Living Stones #4

Building Living Stones: Guadalajara: Living Stones #4: Living Stones Guadalajara has now began, working alongside the Glory Sports ministry to reach out to this poor community favela on the outs...

Introducing Living Stones

This blog is to keep you updated with what is going on with the Living Stones program in Guadalajara, Northeast Brazil.  If this is your first time hearing about Living Stones, or you would like a quick refresh, here is a quick look at the program:

Living Stones serves impoverished children.

We work with many street children (a term used for both market children--who work in the streets and live with their families--and homeless street children--who work, live and sleep in the streets, often lacking contact with their families: Casa Alianza, Worldwide Statistics, Sept. 2000) and at-risk children who apply for help and welfare assistance in the urban context, and generally impoverished children in rural context.

Each child is individual, as well as their story and needs, whether they are temporarily or permanently in need. For most of these children, the meal they receive at Living Stones is the only hot meal they will have all day. We help them scholastically and nutritionally, enabling them to go to school instead of spending that time begging/working for food.

 

Living Stones is located in Northeast Brazil with World Renewal Brazil.

Working under the ministry of World Renewal Brazil (http://www.wribrazil.com/), Living Stones is a program individually connected with and under its respective church to serve the children in their community.

 

Living Stones is a community outreach and church planting ministry.

We work with churches who desire to either 1. Begin a new church plant, or 2. Expand their church ministry within their community. We come alongside our brothers and sisters in Brazil to help train them and give them the resources to make a lasting difference in their community.

Through the week = Living Stones

On Sundays = A new church plant, or community outreach

 

Living Stones LENDs: enabling churches to provide Love, Education, Nutrition, and Direction

Each Living Stone program is set up to help their community in the best way possible. Some are full-time programs, serving two groups per day, in conjunction with the school system. One group goes to school in the morning, 1:00-4:00pm Living Stones (lunch and classes), and the other group comes 8-11am Living Stones (classes and then lunch), and goes to school in the afternoon. Some Living Stones are half-day programs,  some are in conjunctions with Glory Sports ministries, and some are on the weekends.

 

You can help Living Stones LEND by giving a HAND

Have a HEART for the ministry, investing a part of yourself. ASSISTANCE by coming to Brazil yourself is always welcome and needed (opportunities at http://www.wribrazil.com) . Please take the NEEDS of the ministry before the Lord (find out more at www.buildinglivingstones.blogspot.com) , who supplies abundantly, and lastly, DONATIONS are always a blessing (at www.wribrazil.com/livingstones.html).  

The cost of the Living Stones program is approximately $1 a day per child. Please pray about supporting a child with a monthly donation of $30 (www.wribrazil.com/foundationbuilder) Once 60 people are committed, we can begin to plant a new Living Stones program and church in a community.