Brazil Trip Update 3 - Someone Stole My Step!
February 28, 2009
Last night we had a leadership meeting. About five minutes after we arrived I had to run down to the car to get something we forgot. I was told by a couple that not five minutes before our rental car had been broken into. Guess what they stole? My "step". Can you imagine why anyone would steal a "step"! Apparently there has been a rash of robberies involving "steps". I imagine by now you really want to know what I am talking about. A "step" is what Brazilians call a spare tire. Anyway a good part of today has been dedicated to dealing with police and car rental company bureaucracy about this issue.
Anyway, back to the leadership meeting. We have been discussing ways our churches can better help their communities improve their condition. We have decided to begin offering classes to help people acquire skills that will help them find a job and or help at the church. These classes will be open to church members and non believers alike and we expect that they will open doors for evangelism. We are still working out all the details so the finished program may look a little different but I thought I would share the basic idea.
We will begin offering 3 long term classes at the churches, computer classes, English, and music. The music classes will meet a need within the church while the other two will help give marketable skills to community residents. These classes will be supplemented by short term classes as opportunities present themselves. Currently, we are looking into partnering with local hotels for housekeeping and laundry training. We will be looking for sponsors to give scholarships to community residents to cover the cost of these classes.
In addition, we are putting together a venture capital program to help qualified church members start their own small business. This is money that will be we loaned to them for materials or equipment. Two good examples of what I am talking about are Bruna and Marcio. Bruna has completed a cooking program at a trade school, but can not find a job. With the proper oven and some basic supplies she could begin a business to provide for herself and siblings. Marcio is a brick mason and basic general builder. He does good work and has developed a good reputation in the community, however he can not afford to pay the fees to get a contractors license and is therefore only able to take on small (low paying) jobs. Both Bruna and Marcio are faithful members of Igreja Batista Viva.
We are meeting with a potential church planter about a new work on Monday. I would like to give some details but since this update is already pretty long I'll wait until after we tour the community. Thank you all for your prayers and support and please pray for these new programs. They will help the communities but they will also help move the churches to financial self-sufficiency.
Last night we had a leadership meeting. About five minutes after we arrived I had to run down to the car to get something we forgot. I was told by a couple that not five minutes before our rental car had been broken into. Guess what they stole? My "step". Can you imagine why anyone would steal a "step"! Apparently there has been a rash of robberies involving "steps". I imagine by now you really want to know what I am talking about. A "step" is what Brazilians call a spare tire. Anyway a good part of today has been dedicated to dealing with police and car rental company bureaucracy about this issue.
Anyway, back to the leadership meeting. We have been discussing ways our churches can better help their communities improve their condition. We have decided to begin offering classes to help people acquire skills that will help them find a job and or help at the church. These classes will be open to church members and non believers alike and we expect that they will open doors for evangelism. We are still working out all the details so the finished program may look a little different but I thought I would share the basic idea.
We will begin offering 3 long term classes at the churches, computer classes, English, and music. The music classes will meet a need within the church while the other two will help give marketable skills to community residents. These classes will be supplemented by short term classes as opportunities present themselves. Currently, we are looking into partnering with local hotels for housekeeping and laundry training. We will be looking for sponsors to give scholarships to community residents to cover the cost of these classes.
In addition, we are putting together a venture capital program to help qualified church members start their own small business. This is money that will be we loaned to them for materials or equipment. Two good examples of what I am talking about are Bruna and Marcio. Bruna has completed a cooking program at a trade school, but can not find a job. With the proper oven and some basic supplies she could begin a business to provide for herself and siblings. Marcio is a brick mason and basic general builder. He does good work and has developed a good reputation in the community, however he can not afford to pay the fees to get a contractors license and is therefore only able to take on small (low paying) jobs. Both Bruna and Marcio are faithful members of Igreja Batista Viva.
We are meeting with a potential church planter about a new work on Monday. I would like to give some details but since this update is already pretty long I'll wait until after we tour the community. Thank you all for your prayers and support and please pray for these new programs. They will help the communities but they will also help move the churches to financial self-sufficiency.
Comments