A Letter from Maria's Pastor

Like usual, I got a new child, looked up the pastor letter from her project, and now I'm sharing it with you. I love the insight into her life and community.  Here is what Maria's pastor has to say:

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Dear Sponsor,

Greetings from Ceará, Brazil.

My name is Paulo de Moraes Filho. I am the pastor at Igreja Betesda de Granja Portugal (Betesda Church at Granja Portugal), which ministers to your sponsored . I am grateful for your sponsorship, support, prayers and love dedicated to life of . May God bless you! 

I would like to present you with some data in order to help you understand more about the community where our children live, as well as the Compassion program they attend. Our program is causing a great impact in the children's lives. Currently we have 820 sponsored children, whereas 80 are registered but do not yet have a sponsor. 

Our children are happy attending the Espaço Vida Feliz (Happy Place Project), because they usually have to deal with many stressing needs at their homes and community. There is a high unemployment rate, and even the people who are employed depend on odd jobs. Usually these jobs do not pay enough to cover the family's basic needs.

Our children are exposed to the risk of being drawn to drug dealing, whether as a user or worker, because of all that the drugs can offer them. Our children go through the very delicate situation of violence - today they share the same community with gang members and are subject to joining them, too. 

The children live in very small houses, but with lots of people. There is no basic sanitation, and as a consequence many children suffer from breathing diseases, dengue fever and other kinds of illnesses. The children also have great spiritual needs. There are other Christians in our community as well, but together we are the minority. 

I am thankful to God for our employees and teachers at the center. for they are all Christians and dedicate themselves to the children. They really love these children and know them by their names. We teach the kids about personal hygiene, health and good behavior. We offer them tutoring classes, but most importantly, we teach them about Jesus. We pray for all of our children and teach them about the Bible. Nowadays, some families are part of the church as the result of the work we develop with children. 

My challenge is to serve the community in the name of our Lord and Savior by fighting the social injustice, violence and every kind of oppression. It is thrilling to see the children, teenagers and youth learning about Jesus here at Happy Place Project.

I would like you to know that your personal support as sponsor means a lot to our children. They need to feel loved and valued. We tell them their sponsor's name, and every time letters or pictures arrive they become very happy. That makes them feel special. 

Please pray for . And pray for us at Espaço Vida Feliz, as we work in favor of these children so that we can help them know Jesus and grow healthy and educated. Sometimes the journey is hard, but it is rewarding to know that we are sowing eternal values in the children's hearts. That is why we love teaching them. Thank you for being a partner in this ministry.

May God bless you,

Paulo Moraes Filho

Pastor