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This month, we have been celebrating many exciting things, small and large! We have received three very cute new babies at Vila Betania. It is such a blessing to be part of their journey of being united with their adoptive families. Furthermore, we also had the opportunity to fellowship and gather as a staff, with social distancing of course, for our weekly bible study. Our missionaries have been growing so much individually and as a team. COVID has been difficult for many people, including some on our staff who suffered from it. As we haven’t been able to do some of our normal outreaches, it has allowed us to further deepen our hearts in the Lord, pray about the decisions we are making and appreciate the life we are living. We are so greatly privileged to be continuously serving, listening, and caring for the people around us. Our staff was also so grateful for being served by our amazing Café team during our bible study. Our café team has been working diligently to get ready at our new location. Meetings, menus, and new team members are being pulled together. So much has changed and so many new projects are underway but it has been such a blessing to see it all come together.
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At the beginning of this month, we celebrated the birthdays of two of our amazing girls at Vila Betania. They decided to celebrate their 15th birthday together. Despite being so different, each with their own personality and tastes, they are learning to be friends and to live as a family. This is our heart: to share with them about family, about celebrating one another and appreciating each other’s differences so this was a very special moment for us when they asked to have a joint party. Birthdays are special to us at Vila Betania. Many of the girls have such difficult histories that damage their identities but we want to honor them for who they are and who God made them to be: beautiful young women, daughters of our living God, and worthy to be celebrated.
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We have a wonderful team in Rio de Janeiro. We haven’t shared much about them yet but we are so excited to share some of the testimonies of what God is doing there!
In April 2019, one of our [Rio] staff members decided to celebrate his birthday with our friends from Street Church! It was as if the word of the Lord came alive in the square as we gathered from so many backgrounds in one place. We felt the unity of the Spirit working right there in our midst creating a union between us.
We have had such remarkable nights on the street in Rio with our Father’s Love team. On one particular night, we stopped for one person, little did we know that God had appointed this meeting with this specific person.
She always introduced herself as Angela* when we saw her on the streets. This particular night was no different. On this night, we spoke with her for an hour straight even though she had already booked a client! During the conversation, she revealed childhood secrets, desires, dreams, psychological abuse, betrayal, etc. Much of her story was connected to the church she had attended. It was such an intimate conversation with sincere questions and answers. A conversation where she felt the freedom to say what she thought.
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Then, it happened. Angela* decided to reveal her real name, Edison*. We stopped the conversation to acknowledge the moment, “Edison*, we are so honored and happy that you have revealed your real name to us!” This was such a highlight to the night. We understood that the Holy Spirit was touching Edison’s* true identity! We continued our conversation and at the end, we prayed together, hand in hand and the Lord’s presence came over us.
When we finished praying, we hugged him to say goodbye and he started to cry. That night we all cried. We shared God’s truths about him: you are a beloved son, you have a destiny and a purpose, Jesus loves you very much, what they did to you in the name of God does not come from the heart of the Father, he loves you a lot and us too! After this, we let go and left, but we had the absolute certainty that our Father’s love reached him that night.
*All names are adjusted to protect the identity of the person in question.
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This pandemic has tested the world and surely has tested us. This month, let’s take a moment to pray for those who have been struck during this pandemic especially hard. Let’s pray for the mental health of those who feel alone or are stressed about paying their bills. Let’s pray for those who have gotten sick or for those dealing with family members who are sick. Let’s pray for those on the streets who have not been receiving the help they need. Let’s pray for those who are addicted and do not see a way out. Let’s stand together and pray about how we can be a light for everyone around us! And pray for us that we may be effective in reaching those that God has called us to with His light and His good news.
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If you would like to be more involved in everything that is going on at Shores of Grace, try checking out our Instagram and Facebook page!
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Please note:For USA Donors, the CARES ACT provides for Charitable Contribution Deductions.
For those who do not itemize:
$300 Universal Charitable Deduction permits individuals to deduct up to $300 of cash contributions to most charities in 2020 for those who do not itemize their deductions.
For those who do itemize:
Changes to limitations on charitable contribution suspends the limitation on deductions for cash contributions to most charities for individuals who itemize. Increases the limitation on deductions for similar contributions by corporations from 10% to 25% of taxable income. It also increases the limitation on deductions from 15% to 25% for contributions of food inventory.
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