Shine Desenvolvimento Comunitaria Oitão Preto Fortaleza

Chocolate Course: making Easter Eggs
Curso de Choclate: Ovos de Páscoa

We have long realised the truth in the old Chinese proverb “don’t give someone a fish if you can give them a fishing rod”, and that is what we have aimed to do in much of our work. We realise each person has talents and abilities that often just need to be awaken and unlocked for them to rise up and live a full life.

This is especially true in Oitão Preto (the poor community) where we work, where the main economy is based on drugs and prostitution. Those who receive Jesus and leave that lifestyle need a viable alternative to make a living.

The most recent course we ran was teaching how to make soap. On the course we had the wives of the main drug dealers; people who have come off drugs or out of prison and become Christians, and other people who are needy who have no fixed income to support their families.

One such lady came to me in the late afternoon one day asking if I could give her 30p to buy some soup for her mother who was 90 years old and hadn’t eaten all day. I went to visit her and found a bare house with lots of hungry people inside. So I brought some soup for her and invited her to come participate in the soap course that started the following week. She did and she now has a way to support her family without having to rely on us every day to bring food. Her self-esteem has shot up and she has hope back in her life.

Another guy who has benefited from this enterprise is a guy who used to be involved in lots of armed assaults, and had been in prison for a long time. He now lives with his wife and 5 children in a hut about 3 by 5 meters. He has become a strong Christian, a gentle giant compared to the guy he used to be. One night he too had nothing to eat for his family and so he sat them down and prayed that God would provide. Just as he finished praying someone came knocking at the door with an envelope containing money saying God had told him to give it to them. God does provide in special ways, but He has also given us hands and intelligence to do things ourselves. Now this man collects old coconut shells that he cleans, polishes and varnishes and then sells them to us so we can use them for the coconut soap we sell.

At ”SHINE” the work continues. The last months we have seen several courses run especially for the women of the community; we have done some in the culinary field and we also recently just finished a course in making fruit soap. It is vital that the women of the community learn skills and can support their families. Many of the women have been involved in drugs and prostitution, and now need another way to get an income. Others have husbands who have turned away from drug trafficking and other illegal means of earning money, and these women can now be a part of providing for their families in an honest and dignified way.

The various team that have come to help us out in the community have been a great blessing to us! Apart from the practical help they have given, it always blesses us when people come and receive the love and heart of God for the people of Oitão Preto.

We are also seeing the Christians in the community come together. It was amazing to see one of the meetings we had where the traditional Assemblies of God brothers sat side by side with the tatooed surfers for Christ. This is part of what it’ll be like in heaven! And unity of the body of Christ is the key to anointing!

There is still a long way to go…in the recent months we’ve seen people very dear to our heart die as a consequence of the lives they have been living. But we believe that we have the answer and we know that Jesus’ heart is to see a transformation of this community! You are part of that! Keep interceding for us!

The past few months we’ve seen many ups and downs. We’ve rejoiced at the victories both in Oitão Preto and on the farm. We’ve cried over lives lost. We thank those of you who have stood with us in prayer! Without God there truly is no hope, but with Him miracles happen!

”Shine”

Finally being able to work out from a house located in the community is a great victory! We have had services and prayer meetings there, as well as working with different groups in the community. SENAC (a private non-profit organisation focused on offering courses to all of society) also held a 3-week course in the house on how to make sweet and savoury snacks for parties which went really well.

We do, however, realize that we are in a spiritual battle. What we need more then anything is to see more intercession and worship come forth from the house.

We choose to keep remembering the victories in the lives of the boys at the farm, the house in the community, and the story of Graziela (a teenager from the community with severe eyeproblems) getting free treatment for her eyeproblems and doing a course.

Stand with us in prayer: