A Celebration for the parents

We like to organise parents meetings, but through experience we have learned that very few parents will come to a "meeting", so we organised a celebration. We started planning about a month before the date. When we had decided on the snack we wanted to offer (based on budget, numbers and what we have available), we asked the food bank (a place from which we receive regular donations) if they would be able to separate fruits for our celebration, so we could make fruit salad.We received 6 BIG boxes of fruits, and most of it was pretty good. So, at 9am we started preparing, mashing bananas for cake and then peeling and chopping a LOT of oranges. We had a team of 7 preparing the food (thankfully, as there was a lot to prepare)


This is the finished fruit salad, we made A LOT!!!
Also, the small court was prepared, and decorated with the childrens' artwork.
However, the clouds were building, and as our activities we wanted to do were based on being able to fully use our outdoor space, we were praying that the rain would come quickly and leave quickly too. It sure did rain a lot, so we all hoped that the afternoon would go according to plan A (dry plan).

Unfortunately, the weather couldn't decide what it was going to do, at 2pm, we had very few parents (probably because it was raining a bit). It seemed like nobody was going to come.
Eventually we almost filled the small court (about 120 people) and the first part of the programme began, including a preach, some hip hop dancing and presentations from the groups. All of this time we are wondering "plan A / plan B"? The rain started and stopped, then started again.....Plan B

Some of the children went with their parents to do puzzles and play games
Some did group games and songs.
At moments it felt like a disaster, it was POURING with rain, to the extent that families were almost trapped in their room, and nothing felt very organised. However, for those not organising it, they had fun.
Everyone was very happy at the end when it was time for the snack. This is the part that the children and their parents particularly enjoy. Some of the more hungry children were trying to sneak up to the table as often as possible. At last, we got to taste the delicious fruit salad that took all morning to prepare.

Today, I (Dave) went for a quick trip to the centre to buy a few things. I parked the car in the usual spot and walked the rest of the way. Part of the walk involves crossing a main road on a foot-bridge and on this occasion there was a beggar there asking for money. She is often there and it seems it is her regular spot. I gave her some money, had a quick chat and continued my walk into the centre. On return I saw her in great distress. She was handcuffed to the railings and some police were going through her things. I approached and heard her shouting that they were stealing her money, which they were. She had accumulated a lot of money - she had bags of it - and they were accusing her of stealing it from people and therefore confiscated it. It was a sad sight to see her in such distress and I felt helpless as this injustice went on right in front of me. It is normal for beggars to hoard the money they get from begging...they have no other means of looking after their money and a lot of the time they do not know what to do with it. They are easy targets for exploitation and, in this case corrupt justice. I prayed as I passed.....God is the God of justice.....but wondered if there was more I could have done.....

Just want to post a quick link to our friend's blog. They have written a post with photos about something Josiah did here.....but you will have to read it on their blog to find out what it was :-)
Click HERE to see it or, if you prefer to do it manually have a look at: http://www.thematiasfamily.blogspot.com/

Gideon had his first proper drum lesson last night.....it went really well.
Here's how it happened:
We went for a walk in a nice area of the city and decided to pop into a music shop. While we were there, Gideon convinced me to let him have a go on a kit in the shop and during his playing I asked the shop assistant if he knew a good drum teacher. He gave me the number of a guy called Jimmy.
We called this guy about a week later and managed to arrange the lesson. Turns out he is an American....and we found out on the internet that he is quite famous here in Brazil, even being endorsed by a drum company called Gretch. On top of all this, after a conversation with him at the end of the first lesson about what we do here in Brazil and how we are supported, he decided to give us a discount so that Gideon was able to have a lessen every week!! Also, we have been invited to hang out with him at his studio next time he has some folks round for a recording session. Gideon really enjoyed it too and it looks like this will continue.
It could not have gone better....Praise God.

I (Dave) am feeling sad. Today I received the news that my Grandma has died.
It is a strange thing living so far away from England at times like this, when I would really like to go to the funeral of this extraordinary lady but simply can't because of distance / money / time etc.
I have not seen her for many years as she has been in a nursing home and has had dementia for nearly the last 23 years but I have fond memories from my childhood of her.
She is the only person I ever knew that has lived through 3 centuries (yep...not kidding). She was born in 1899 and lived until 2010. She was 111 when she died. Now that is an innings!

Are you like me (Beckie)? I want to continually hear the confirmation of God in what I do, where I am etc. Many times I wonder if God has directed me in something else and I've failed to hear it. I seem to have a problem of a mid-year slump when I wonder if I'm doing what God wants me to do. That said, I'm not miserable or depressed, I just find myself questioning what I do and where I'm going. I also realise that sometimes, I put too much focus on 'doing' and not enough on 'being'.
I ask questions such as "is what I do able to make a difference?" "is what I do actually making a difference?" "will these children grow up to know who Jesus is?" "will the families be reached?" "is there another way?" "is the cost of being here worth it?". I get anxious to know that God is at work in the lives of these children and their families. I want to see more results.
I found myself telling God how I was feeling, that I needed Him to say to me again exactly what I should do, or to show me more results. I know I shouldn't demand God do things the way I want Him to, or respond when I want Him to, but I asked.
I have recently been reading the book of Isaiah, always fascinating (particularly as I'm trying to read in Portuguese), but many times I don't understand. At the weekend I read:

Isaiah 49:4 (New International Version)

But I said, "I have laboured to no purpose;
I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.
Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand,
and my reward is with my God."

It confirmed to me that many times we don't know how we are being used by God, many times we think it's about our own effort, many times we get frustrated (even Isaiah felt this), many times we won't see the fruit. Yet, I clearly felt God wanted me to be at peace with this, that the work I do (and the results I see) are in His hands.

A bit of a long post, I'm afraid, but maybe you too have wrestled with some of these thoughts.

My group has been learning about their 5 senses, I thought it would be fun to incorporate some activities using their senses. They had great fun playing with cornflour 'gloop', something that is quite common in nurseries in the UK, but not something any of these children had experienced before. They thought it was something magic.