For Mother’s Day, the church had a special breakfast for the moms of the church. The moms of the church were asked to bring a friend so that they could share in the fun. There was a strong turnout and we were blessed to have Penny Meyer share God’s Word with the moms to encourage their faith, and draw some of the woman closer to God. We like having these events because it is good way to invite people to the church in a non-threatening way. Plus, we wanted to bless the moms who do not have much with something very special. We hope that in the end the love of Christ was expressed.
CDR had an outreach to the local schools and the message we came to give was about “safe touch”. We did this same talk a year ago at another school because of its importance. Sexual and physical abuse is a major problem here in Altamira, Brazil, and the whole world. The implications of abuse on a child’s life can be catastrophic. Child abuse and neglect can affect all domains of development - physical, psychological, cognitive, behavioral and social - which are often interrelated. It is our hope that we could make children aware of abuse, and give them a better understanding of what is abuse. We used different mediums to teach the children the rights and wrongs of appropriate touch. The CDR students played games with the kids, the teachers performed a theatrical play about safe touching, and then Elba taught the children about safe touching. We also opened the door for students that may have or are experiencing abuse to come and talk with us or to talk with their teachers. The director of the school was so appreciative of CDR for taking the time and effort to share about safe touching. It is our great hope that through this time of interaction these children will be in a better position to ask for help and recognize when they are being abused.
The girls got the opportunity to go fishing for the first time along the river when we went to Marabá. Thankfully the only thing they caught was a couple of little fish, and not an Anaconda. Bella did a great job teaching them to be patient and when to pull the line to snag the fish. Camilly was a little freaked out when she caught her first fish. I do not think fishing will be in her future anytime soon. Also pictured is Camilly and Alyssa dancing for Mother’s day.
Please continue to pray for us. We have all been sick this last week with infections, stomach pains, and fevers. Also, continue to pray for our spiritual, and emotional health.
Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa
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The Xingu Mission
P.O Box 340785
Columbus, Ohio 43234
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While we were in Marabá we went to go see Rio 2 to celebrate Camilly’s birthday. It was a big deal and lots of fun for the girls. Also, here is a family photo of us before we went to Christopher and Denise’s wedding.
