| HOPE’s Short Term Mission Opportunity
A little over a year ago a group formed to begin plans for a trip to Uganda and serve the HUMBLE orphanage outside Kampala. For over a year we’ve been planning and praying for this to take place. During our plans and prayers, we’ve seen an economic downturn and experienced frustration trying to plan a trip several thousand miles away. So while we will continue to support the HUMBLE orphanage, our planned trip to Uganda has been consistently put on hold.
The team believes God has called them to serve in whatever capacity and to whomever God chooses. And we have trusted God with these plans. And with that attitude, we began researching other venues to serve. We’ve been meeting, praying together, and preparing to go wherever God leads us.
This prayerful search has led us to Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Twenty miles outside the city of Belo Horizonte, there is a Youth for Christ camp that has been in existence for several decades. The camp is growing, but the facilities have not been able to keep up with this growth. Although the camp hosts 300 kids every week, the current dining facilities can only accommodate 100. This is an ongoing project and it’s where we have been asked to serve – to repair and expand the dining hall and kitchen. Our project leader will be Jim Green. Many of you may know Jim, he’s been a guest preacher at HOPE and he’s led our previous youth mission trips to Biloxi.
While in Belo Horizonte we’ll also meet Gordon & Teca Greathouse. They are career United Methodist missionaries in Brazil. They direct the Shade & Fresh Water Project, a United Methodist ministry project and a national network to support children and teenagers all over Brazil.
Many children in Brazil face harsh realities:
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Millions have little contact with their parents who work long hours, are working away from home or have abandoned their children
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Brazil has the second largest number of children involved in prostitution in the world
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Several years ago, death squads were killing hundreds of street children
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Children from broken families or from families where the parents are out of the house for most of the day, often go to the streets and are involved with people who lead them into crime, drugs and prostitution.
Given this context, the Shade & Fresh Water Project is an exciting alternative to respond to children’s needs by offering programs that protect and encourage their development. Gordon & Teca Greathouse lead 13 local Shade & Fresh Water Projects in small churches around Belo Horizonte. We’ll spend one day with the Greathouses as they give us a “tour” of their ministries and introduce us to the many opportunities HOPE may be able to support and serve in the future.
Our 1st Brazil team will have two purposes:
Some FAQs about this missionary trip …
What are the trip dates?
November 14-21, 2009
Our flight will leave from Philadelphia International Airport, November 14th. We arrive in Belo Horizonte early Sunday morning, November 15th. We travel home on Friday evening, November 20th and arrive in Philadelphia early Saturday morning, November 21st.
How much will this trip cost?
Project costs - $ 650
Air travel - $ 820
Travel visa - $ 130
TOTAL $1,600
We are currently in negotiations with a missionary travel agency, as well as, preparing to apply for travel visas to Brazil. If you’d like to join us on this trip, please contact Rick Court – rick@meethope.org for more information and an application.
July 30th is the deadline to join this team.
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