Dear beloved,
We have been in the US for about a month now and are really enjoying our time here. We've already been blessed to have seen, spent time and talked with so many of you already. And we can't wait to do the same with the rest of you! Of course, everyone is more than excited to meet and play with our little Anna! She'll be coming to a town near you soon! J
This month we want to introduce you to a friend. Her name is Dora and she has been a friend and partner in ministry with us in Brasil for the past 2 years. Dora was one of the first Brasilians that Rich and I met when we moved to Rio in 2004. Upon visiting her home that she has opened up to the children of Rio and called Projeto Vidinha (Project Little Life), we quickly came to love her and the many children that live under her roof. Dora has devoted her life to caring for children. Many of the kids in her home are from slum communities, have been abandoned by their parents and/or are at risk for being forced to survive on the streets of the city. Her children are beautiful and her care and sacrifice are one of the most beautiful expressions of the Lord's love that we have witnessed.
As you may have heard, we have been teaching a free English open to community children and teens in her home for the past two years. Through this we have developed relationships with the children in her home as well as kids from the community. From relationships developed in this Rich was able to do a six week discipleship study with two teens. It was a safe place for Rich to share the basics of the gospel and for our friends to ask questions about Christ, whose image has been so distorted in their minds.
We have also enjoyed spending time with the children in her home. Currently 12 kids live in the home, a majority of which are boys. We enjoy spending time playing, coloring, doing art projects and going to the park with them. One of our favorite outings was to the Floresta da Tijuca. We played a memorable game that involved the kids driving their heads into a bucket of flour and pulling out candy with their teeth. It was such a hit that when all the candy was gone, we played again just to cover our faces with flour once again!
We have recently decided to expand our involvement with Projeto Vidinha by financially partnering with them. We hope this might be an excellent opportunity for some of you to open yourselves to supporting the life of one of God's children. Please see attached letter and prayerfully consider this opportunity. We are continually thankful for your prayers for us and for this project.
Love,
Rich, Rebecca, & Anna
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
Rua General Roca #402 is a very busy place. This little house on a shady, tree-lined street, doesn't look like much from the outside. Appearances are deceiving: this house is home to over a dozen children, and a part-time shelter or after-school house for many others. The children come from families that cannot or will not care for and protect them. Children from abusive situations. Children whose parents have abandoned them. Children from families forced to live on the streets. Inside these walls, these children find love, kindness, and an extended family like no other. Welcome to Rua General Roca #402. Welcome to Projeto Vidinha!
In Portuguese, Projeto Vidinha means “Little Life Project.” Projeto Vidinha (PV), is a Christian non-profit organization whose goal is to care for the social, physical, educational, and spiritual well-being of at-risk children. Word Made Flesh has been working alongside PV and investing in the lives of their children since 2003. It is beautiful to see the difference that PV is making in these young lives.
After much prayer and discussion, Word Made Flesh Brazil and Projeto Vidinha have decided to partner together to form a child sponsorship program. The goals of this program are to create healthy cross-cultural relationships between the sponsors and the children, to offer financial assistance to PV in caring for the needs of the children, and to remove some of the financial burden off of the volunteers and staff members of the organization. Projeto Vidinha is almost completely supported by the individual contributions of the staff there, who give sacrificially to this ministry.
We would like to invite you to be part of one of these young lives through our child sponsorship program. Through your prayers, letters, and financial gifts, you will be assisting the loving home that is helping these children grow up in a Christian environment. We are looking for families and individuals who would commit to support these children through a monthly gift of US $25.00, starting this July. Your financial aid will provide needed funds for schooling, healthcare, and life expenses. But just as importantly, your investment in their lives can be a source of mutual excitement, encouragement, and growth for you and the children.
If you are interested in supporting Projeto Vidinha, please fill out and send the enclosed form with your tax-deductible gift. After receiving your information, we will contact you with details and basic guidelines for the sponsorship program, biographical information on the organization and the children, and a photograph. Your gifts will be deposited in the WMF Brazil Field Ministry account. We will convert the funds into local currency and oversee the distribution of the sponsorship monies to Projeto Vidinha. Quarterly updates will be emailed to all sponsors.
Regardless of whether you feel led to give or not, please pray for us and for Projeto Vidinha, as we work together to bring the Kingdom of God to the city of Rio and to these young lives. Thank you and may God bless you and your family!
Projeto Vidinha Child Sponsorship Program
Sponsor Information Sheet
Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Names and ages of your children (if any):
Brief description of why you desire to be a sponsor:
Questions you have about the program:
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WMF Brazil/Projeto Vidinha Child Sponsorship Program
Yes! I/We would like to be a sponsor at $25 a month. I/We would like to send a one-time gift of ___________.
Name:
Contact Information:
Please make checks out to Word Made Flesh, P.O. Box 70, Omaha, NE 68101.