Day 1 of Camp!

  Prep - The weekend before:

   Preparation for camp!  There was so much to do and so little time!  But, when I look back to even cleaning and preparing, I get excited because God began working in our hearts (especially mine), even then.  Most of the staff were working or studying prior to camp, so we didn't have much time to prepare together, but in the little time that we did have, much was accomplished!
   On Friday, we did a whole lot of cleaning.  On Saturday, Mom and I bought groceries for approx. 60 people for 5 days!  That's a whole lot of food!!  While we were shopping, my brothers were competing in a wakeboarding competition, where Joshua got 2nd place in beginners!  Yay!  Unfortunately, I did not get to see him win on Sunday, because I was with the other staff, cleaning and putting together bunk-beds for camp.  Most of the staff arrived throughout the day on Sunday and helped with the rest of the cleaning.  Sunday night, I briefed the staff on how the week was going to look like.  Things were seeming to be going well so far!

  Monday - Day 1 of Camp!

   On Monday, the last few staff arrived and helped finish up most everything that was left to be done.  Kids would be arriving at the Project at 3 PM but the transportation could only pick them up at 4.  Two staff went there to wait with them.  At 2:30, Mom and I left to Aquiraz to pick up the 160 loaves of fresh bread we'd ordered for breakfast for the first two days.  We stopped at the project and picked up some of the kid's heavier suitcases and then left to pick up the ice cream in Eusebio.  On our way to Eusebio we stopped at the base (since it is in between Aquiraz and Eusebio) to drop off the bread and some other things we'd picked up.  When my mom started up the car again to go get the ice cream... nothing.  Just a few minutes ago, I had been telling my mom that we were way ahead of time and how happy I was because of that!  And now... well, all we could do was wait and pray.
   So here we are, stuck in the middle of the highway in the blazing hot sun (it was a particularly hot day) and I have so much to do still!  It took about 20 to 30 minutes to fix the car and we went to pick up the ice cream.  The car did die as we began our drive back home (that is, it died as we were driving, literally) but my dad got it to start back up before coming to a complete stop.  Not long after I got back, the kids arrived!
   Everyone was so excited!  But, like I'd said in my last post, when they realized that they were in rooms with other kids that they barely knew and maybe didn't even like... poof!  There went all of the joy and excitement for a few!  They begged me to let them change rooms but I didn't.  I did spread them out for a reason, you know.
   After dinner, we opened up the camp with some worship time (which was really good!)  and after that we played a few games.  To end, we discussed the schedule, rules and the theme of the camp:  Restoration and Renewal.  We got the scripture Isaiah 61 for the camp.  The whole chapter is amazing but here is an excerpt (Is 61:1-4) It's amazing now to read this scripture and see just how true it was for us in this time.

 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.


   Some kids had been wondering just how long they were going to last there with a tight schedule, work duties, class and sleeping in rooms with people they didn't like (plus, two girls had been fighting before they even got there).  So far, things were going well, but not so well at the same time.  I kept asking God to 'help me out here' because I honestly had no idea how we were going to deal with the conflicts.  With all of this stuff on my mind, I had never thought to discuss what to do in case of conflicts between other students.  But before the night ended, one of the girls (that had been fighting) told me that the other had come to her and asked for forgiveness.  This was just the beginning of The School of Renewal & Restoration.

Project Mão Amiga Camp 2011 - Summary

Leia em Português aqui.

  I will try to sum this last week up for you in 3 words:

 BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE!

  Okay, so that is a few more than 3 words, but you get the point. :)

   This week has left me very tired, worn out, emotional, happy, joyful, loved, proud, excited, passionate, visionary, blessed, honored, marveled at God and many, many more things.  This week I can say that God has really blessed my socks off.  As 29 kids (ages 11-18) arrived to the base for camp, many of them didn't even like each other.  As they realized that we had a set schedule, work duties, class (during vacations?!), and couldn't even choose who they were sleeping with, a lot of people began to complain.  Two girls came there already fighting.  A lot of them were wondering how long it would take them before they'd want to go home.  But as we began our programs they really began to enjoy it. We started out the first night with some worship and it was really good!  We played some games and had a lot of fun.  They were beginning to enjoy themselves.  Some kids got a little bored as we went over the schedule and the rules.
   But as the week went by, I can say that I am not the only person who will remember this week as the best week of their life.  I witnessed miracles happen this week: lives changed, hearts restored and purified, fears replaced with God's love and pains and wounds healed.  I never thought that God's presence would have been as strong in this place or during this time as it was!  This week was truly such a blessing for my life and I can't wait to share all about it with you!  Over the next week or so I will try to write about each day and I really hope you read it because I promise you will be blessed!!! 

   I want to thank everyone who has been praying for us, for the kids and for this camp and I'd like to thank everyone who gave time and finances to make this possible! Thank you for obeying God and making yourself available to be used by him!! You were a part of lives being forever changed and set free by Jesus! May God bless you!

Here are a few photos from the camp: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amelia_anns_photography

It's been a while, but here we are.

  It has been over a month since I last updated my blog (a month, Amelia? Really?!) and... I apologize. It has been a crazy month though, and what a great one it has been! So much has happened in the last 4 weeks and I've seen God move and begin to change the lives of the kids I'm working with in many ways.
  On last Friday, the 1st of July, we finished up the semester of school as kids began their month of vacation.

  Here is a little of what has happened since my last update:

Discipleship


  For the last several months in our discipleship classes, we have been teaching on relationships and all that ensues: friendship, dating, love, purity, marriage, family, abortion, self-value and the valuing of others... It's a long list of several great topics.
  We finished up talking about relationships with the teens in mid-June and to end the topic, we had them write letters to their future spouses. This was something they'd never done or ever thought of doing before. Several of them let Mana and I read the letters. They were beautiful.  Many wrote about wanting the perfect family, the way God had designed a family to be, the kind of family many of them do not have. I hope and pray that these letters will help them stay focused and be strong during tough times of waiting, because one day, when the time is right, God will bring their true love to them and they can have that perfect family: A loving husband, a loving wife and a loving God. This is something most definitely worth waiting for.

"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:12 

  Though many of them have, at times, complained that they've heard this subject on 'Love, Sex & Relationships' several times before, I encouraged them to be open to learning something new and it turned out that many of them learned so much more than they thought they would.
  As we had a time of feedback in our last class of the semester, a few of them shared stories of how they were noticing changes in themselves towards friends and family members. Many have been reading their Bibles and sharing with me all that they are learning. Whenever they share with me, I start smiling so big with my mouth, eyes and heart. It's been so encouraging and exciting to see them have a hunger to know Him and to learn and grow.

English


  We had a little party for our last English class, with a little game involving candy to make them only speak in English. They really liked it and it seemed to work, though it got a chaotic at times. haha. But we had a great group and I know that I am looking forward to working with them the next semester.

Dance/Drama


  To end the semester, my dance/drama class presented the skits and dance for all of the children for the project on the last day. They all did such a fantastic job! I am a proud teacher!

  I have enjoyed the last four months so much. God has taught me so much about working with kids and teenagers. I will be continuing on as staff at Project Mão Amiga for the next semester when classes start in August and I am so excited for what God has in store for me and them in this next period.

  Now, in about 2 weeks, we will be having a camp for all of the teens from the project. It will be a 5 day camp and we are expecting about 30 teens, from the ages of 11 to 18, to be there. The kids are all so excited about the camp, as are the 15 others who will be staffing the camp along with Mana (who co-leads discipleship with me) and myself. Mana and I will be co-leading the camp together. We are seriously so excited for what the Lord has for us all during this time. We've still got a lot to prepare though. Please keep us all in your prayers before, during and after the camp. We believe this camp will be a foundation for their lives, a building block in their walk with Christ. Pray that the Lord prepares their hearts for what he has for them during this time and that he might give us staff guidance and wisdom from the Lord.

  Thank you so much for reading! :)
  God bless!

You will seek me and find me...

...when you seek me with all your heart!

Jeremiah 29:13

Flavia, Ana Laura, Daniele and
Samara with their new Bibles.

  This past week has been a week of such blessing in my life! Last  Friday (May 20th) we were able to give Bibles to each of the teenagers in our discipleship class. All 26 of them! They were all so excited to get their very own Bible (a very cool one at that!) and many of them told me later on that their families liked the Bibles as well. Throughout the last week, several of them have come up to me, sharing all that they've read that week. I am more than overjoyed to see the hunger they are having to read their Bibles and seek God!

Wandrerlan and Yuri showing the inside cover
of the Bible: their names and a Bible verse.

  We also dedicated each Bible specifically to each one of them. We wrote their name in the front cover, each in a unique and artistic way, along with a Bible verse prayerfully chosen for them. It has been incredible to see that the verses we wrote in the Bibles were perfect for what many of them are going through right now.

Marimar and Mikaele

  Several of the teenagers are also volunteer teachers at the project. They teach math and Portuguese and so on to the younger children. It is also a requirement for those over 12 to be a part of the discipleship classes, especially if you are a teacher. One of the volunteers had been refusing to come to class. She always seemed to be either sick or busy every Friday (these were just excuses.) While I had been dedicatin the Bibles the day before, I noticed that there was an extra Bible. I saved it for her, hoping that she'd eventually join our class. Friday morning, one of the students said they tried to convince her to come but she didn't. We were surprised (but very happy!) when she walked into our classroom! And there was one Bible left, just for her! It's amazing how God was working this all out!

Nando and Joao Filho

  This week the discipleship class went very well. Everyone brought their Bibles and we studied about purity. They all seemed to respond well. On Saturday, I taught my dance and drama class and it also went very well. This is a very fun group to work with and I hope they are enjoying it as much as I am!
  One last story: I am always asking the kids what the time is to make sure that I am not going over time. One of the girls offered to give me a watch her mom had gave her that she'd never used. On Saturday, the girl gave me a wrapped birthday gift (since today is my birthday =D ) and told me she wasn't able to find her watch so she bought me a new one! She is so sweet! Now I have a way to know the time, all the time!

I am so blessed!!

Thanks to all that helped to make this all possible! May the Lord continue to bless you as you bless others!

THANK YOU!

Our wonderful afternoon class saying THANK YOU for their gifts!

(To see any of these pictures enlarged, just click on the thumbnail.)

Nothing Better

There's nothing better than receiving hug after hug from children you love

(even though your shoulders are badly sunburned.)

There's nothing better than tickling a child so much, that they stop crying.

There's nothing better than being affectionately called 'Tia.'

There's nothing better than sitting down in the grass with a child in your lap,

reading them a story about monkeys and scuba divers;

Or helping them build a fortress in the sand.

There's nothing better than getting flowers hand-picked especially for you.

There's nothing better than a little boy introducing you to their new friend, the little grasshopper

And spinning and twirling with the sweet little girls.

There's nothing better than a child wanting to stay in your class and do more homework,

Even though it is time to play outside.

There's nothing better than to hear the precious prayer of a 5 year old,

thanking God for every little thing: 

For their families, teachers, friends, animals, snacks, grasshoppers, flowers and candy.

There's nothing better than to see a child smile, laugh, dance and play with you.

It's the simple things like these that make my day.

Let your light shine: A note from one of my students

I received a note today from one of my students and thought to share it with all of you:

Amelia, 

You are a very special person. I like you a lot as a friend and as a teacher. 

There are no words to explain how special your friendship is to me as

well as to the others from the Project [Friendly Hand.] 

-Danielle

Though it is simple note, it definitely encouraged me and reminded me, once more, that investing in these kids' lives is most definitely worthwhile!

May we keep our little lights shining bright wherever we are and help others to let their's shine bright as well!

God bless,

Amelia

Do not awaken love until it so desires.

  In the last few weeks in discipleship class, we've been talking about love, relationships, purity, sex, and etc.  Last week we discussed romance with God.  This was something they'd never heard of and it was very difficult for them to grasp and process such a foreign idea of a God that wants to romance us and to be romanced.  But they loved the thought of it!  We encouraged them to read the Bible so that they can get to know this God that loves them so much and I shared a personal experience of romance with God when I was in a little village lying under the stars with Jesus in Mexico.

  This week we had a special guest share with the teens. My friend Melanie, who works with pregnant teenagers in the area, came to share about 'The Perfect Family.'  Some of the kids believed that perfect families do actually exist.  Others did not.  You might be wondering yourself what the perfect family is.  The perfect family is a husband, a wife and the love of God present.  Just the way God planned families to be. With God in the middle, you can't go wrong.  Your family is perfect.

  Melanie did such a great job addressing several issues that some of the teens are involved in, and that we are deeply concerned about.  Some of the young girls are involved with guys that are much older than them and some are also in abusive relationships.  We encouraged them to wait and let God bring them that perfect husband or wife, set apart just for them, instead of looking for them on their own.  One of the girls asked that if she was a child in the midst of an "imperfect" family, did that mean that she could not have the perfect family?  A family the way God had planned?  My heart rejoices when we can share with them the awesome plans that God has for them!  Plans to "prosper [them] and not to harm [them], plans to give [them] hope and a future." (Jer 29:11)  We can tell them of how God restores!  We can tell them that they don't have to be their parents or grandparents, their siblings or their friends.  They can have the future that God has planned for them!

  Please pray for these young boys and girls, who only know the reality that they've grown up with.  Pray that God's love would be so strong and so real to them and that it would change them.  Pray that they can take a stand and choose to be different, to be the exception.

Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

-Song of Solomon 8:4

Bunnies, Chocolate, Eggs and Jesus

Sharing the Easter story and passing
 out beads for the bracelets.

  Nowadays, when people think about Easter, all we ever see or hear about is the easter bunny, eggs, chocolate and marshmallow chicks. Here in Brazil, giant chocolate eggs is where it's at (and they're a bit pricey if I might add.) Last Wednesday, we had our Easter celebration at the project, since Thursday and Friday were holidays and I was privileged to share with the kids from the project what Easter is really all about. I shared the story of Jesus and what he came to this earth to do: die for us so that we may live and that he's alive again!

  Have you ever made a salvation bracelet before? In my [almost!] 19 years of life, I've made several of these things. The church I grew up in would make hundreds of bracelets and send them off with teams going on mission trips to Brazil. I made them in my DTS in Mexico as well. It was pretty fun to actually make them along with the kids I've been spending the last 6 weeks with. 

  Though it was quite a challenge to get everyone seated and quiet (I'm getting pretty used to that by now) overall it went very well. The story was shared, bracelets were made, beads were dropped and rolled away and a prayer, asking Jesus to give us a new, clean heart, was said by almost every child and teen in that room. It was a very joyful experience to hear, in that whole day, approximately 75 kids say that prayer along with me. Everyone got a good laugh when I jumped, shouted and danced around demonstrating what was going on in heaven after that moment.

  Afterwards, we all shared a special snack of chocolate milk with chocolate cake. We celebrated what Jesus did for us and we celebrated and enjoyed each other. It was wonderful to be able to give something so simple, yet so special to these kids: fun, food and Jesus.

A Lesson on Grace

  Grace. We sure do need it, don't we? Every day I am amazed, simply blown away, at the grace God extends to me each day. I also need his grace and mercy so much so that I can extend it to others, like my students. This week I really needed God's grace.

  My mom has been sick this week so I had to teach the two classes we do together by myself. On Tuesdays, the day activities begin at the project each week, we teach Portuguese class to about 10 kinder gardeners. It's slightly ironic because neither of us are Brazilian. But we are just teaching the ABC's. :)

Ana Dara practicing her spelling.

  The class went fairly well. I had two kids decide they didn't want to play Bingo anymore and escape the class room to play, so I had to go bring them back. One of the kids has tantrums, so I had to pay him a lot of attention so that there would be no problems; and the rest of the kids just don't know the meaning of "Please, be quiet and sit down." Instead, they'd say over and over again, "Tia, tia, tia, tia, tia, tia, tia....!" [teacher/auntie (literally that many times!)] "Can we have candy?" My throat was so sore afterwards because I had to speak louder than them (which, by the way, they were all yelling) just so they'd know I that was talking. Those who've seen me speak in public [without a mic!] know that I have a very quiet voice too.

Guilherme, one of the kinder gardeners.

  Okay, so the kids were a little out of control that day. But it was very interesting to teach a class by myself. I really did enjoy it. I taught the kids a song about frogs that I'd learned in Mexico at my DTS (dts folks: I translated the Sapo song from Spanish to Portuguese) and the kids all love it! We all played a game outside and had tons of fun together. They all got a prize for winning the ABC bingo game. And my throat recovered. But in the end, even though the kids may seem to drive me crazy at times, I still love them so much. I know that what I'm doing is important to their lives. And I learned something about God.

  All the time, God is asking me  "Amelia, be still... Amelia, listen to me..." and I keep babbling on, "But God... God... God... God..." Yet he continues to extend grace to me. He doesn't yell at me. He doesn't lose his temper. He continues to be patient, speaking softly to me, until I finally calm down and stop to hear what He has to say.

It's amazing the things we can learn from little kids. :)

Pink Flowers On My Wedding Day

    It has truly been such a blessing to be involved in what I am involved in.  I've been learning so much about teaching, working with young teens and kids and what I can do to help these kids grow.  But this week has been the the first time that I have realized just how serious all of this is and just how important it is to be doing what I am.  I had a glimpse, today, of the reality that these kids live in.  Many of them live in homes where several types of abuse are present and many are from broken families.  This project is a place where they receive safety, security, love, attention and care.

    I am seeing just how beautiful God has made these kids, just how beautiful their hearts are and how much they mean to God.  And it is so awesome to be a part of their beauty, to be a part of their blossoming.

    Last Friday, I helped out with the 7-10 year olds Portuguese grammar class.  As the kids are coloring pictures of birds and fishes and trying to spell the names of some of the many species, one boy (10 years) colored the one and only flower in the picture completely pink.  I've heard it's not very popular for males to appreciate pink in the area because of "machismo."  Machismo is somewhat the opposite of feminism.  One of the girls questioned why on earth he had colored the whole flower pink, of all colors!  She was even more astounded when he said that he liked pink flowers and wanted to have them at his wedding.  "I'll be the one paying for the wedding and I want pink flowers."

    You can't help but smile.  How many 10 year old boys say they want pink flowers at their wedding?  It really is a sweet, yet simple story.  But to me, I see something of beauty here.  God has given him a beautiful heart, and I could see it through something so simple.  The cool part of all of this is that these kids are like trees or flowers and we're here to sow and plant in their lives; to take their beauty and give them opportunities to cultivate it and become an even more beautiful person than they already are.

Give to a Cause

    It has been an amazing first week at the Friendly Hand project! Like I said in my last post, I've been helping in several different classes and it was a lot of fun to teach an English class with my mom. But as I've been working with the discipleship classes, I noticed that only one or two kids would bring a Bible. Some of the students have Bibles at home but most of them have a version much like the King James Version because it is more affordable. It is very hard for many of them to understand the scripture in this type of language. So God has put it on my heart to bless these students with a Young People's Study Bible and I would like to ask you to take part in investing in these teenager's lives. I've seen that they have so much potential and are very intelligent people, but they don't have all the right tools to reach their full potential. I believe a Bible that they can actually understand will be a pretty useful tool in their lives and a huge investment. I would like to buy Bibles for about 25 kids and it will cost a little around $450 to buy an adequate Bible for each of them.

   Be a part of the blessing! If you would like to send money to this cause, you can send me your email address (or if you have my facebook, you can message me) and I will send you information on how you can give! I (and the kids) appreciate any gift you give. Thank you for investing in their lives and being a part of the great things God has planned for these kids!

God bless!

-Amelia

É muito bom estar em casa! (It's very good to be home!)

  So I have been back in Brazil for 2 weeks now! Wow, I can't believe it! As I've told several people, I feel the Lord has called me to work with children and teens who are at risk, in need and in bad home situations. And now that I am here in Brazil (where there is a massive need in this area) I will be involved in this type of ministry!

 This week I began volunteering at a community development project called Mao Amiga (Friendly Hand.) This project is a part of YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and works to transform the community through tutoring, computer classes & jewelry classes, sports, discipleship and etc. This project is led by a couple, Samuel and Denise Kamiyama, who are an amazing man and woman of God and are very devoted and persevering in their job. God has been using them so much and I am so excited to be able to work with them after knowing them for 7+ years. I will be working there three times a week. I will be involved in several areas of the project. I will help Samuel in a computer class and help teach an English class. I will also assist the teens in creating a catalog for jewelry that they make and also take part in the discipleship classes, as well as helping out in any other way that is needed. 

  I was able to help in a couple of different classes last week, getting to know the project and kids better before I began working there. My favorite day was probably in the discipleship class. We spent time discussing the situation in Japan, being it the day after the earthquake, and prayed for the nation. It was interesting to see the kids response about the whole situation and it opened up the opportunity to share about God's character and how he is a caring God who feels our pain. I have enjoyed the project so far and am really looking forward to these next few months and all that God will teach me and see what he does in the kids life!