Our hosts, Alex and Dyanni

FOPC team singing in Portuguese!

This is our last posting for the trip as we leave for Sacramento this evening and are scheduled to arrive back in Sacramento on Monday.  So we'll end our stories by showing some of our efforts. You may have been wondering about photos of the children.  Well, we have plenty, but are restricted from posting them as many are in protective custody so posting their pictures could place them in jeopardy.  You'll have to settle for more team photos!

In a nutshell, we've been painting bedrooms, installing curtain rods in living rooms and installing cabinets in kitchens.  But there has also been time for musical ministry and a little English teaching. We also visited a preschool and are including some photos of those little ones as they are from the surrounding community.  Interestingly, the school is funded fully by the City of Campinas, but is run by Hope Unlimited.  It is a public school with a long waiting list of parents who want to send their children there. 

Tape, paint and peel design

We had lunch with the City of Youth children each day through Saturday and spent some time playing with them after lunch before resuming work.  We completed the work projects Friday so after Saturday lunch we visited the "boys home," temporary housing for the graduates.  These boys have jobs and are transitioning to a complete return to Brazilian society. Today we will visit the girls home of graduates which obviously is the gender counterpart. Each FOPC team member will have stories to share about what they experienced, but for now let the photos speak.


 

Mary and prep on the cabinet wall

Artistry with the cross

Joyce on the recorder, she gave 30 to the kids

Doreen and Kevin on paint duty

FOPC at boys home

Suzi and Doreen at boys home

David and Earl on the cabinets

Curtain rod crew

Delany leg, Alice and Sharon

 

Those cute preschoolers!

Kevin sanding

Two chicks!

Pete and Dale blu-ing the walls

Tuesday we returned to the City of Youth in Campinas, toured the facility and learned more about what Hope Unlimited has been doing there.  We listened to stories about some of the children there who have been severely abused.  Their histories are so traumatic that it can make you fill ill inside. We split up into groups of three and had lunch with them for the first time.  These kids are amazingly resilient and happy to have visitors from America at their table.  They range in age from 8 to 18.

Entrance to City of Youth

 

Despite all the progress you see in Brazil, poverty conditions are still seen throughout the places we drove through.  This was taken along the road on the way to the City of Youth.

"Launch" table setting in one of the casas on the campus.

One of Hope's Thrift stores where we purchased a few items to help decorate rooms