ROMEU
&
MICHELE
Igor with his friend.
Eva's heart.
Michele on the streets.
MISSION GIVEN,
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
About a year ago, we had some projects and proposals for 2022 aimed at improving the experiences of the children that come to the Lamalma camps. We are glad it was possible to successfully implement them, with the ropes circuit being the most significant, as it guarantees more options for interacting with the children. Another successful proposal was the realization of two mega camps, in partnership with Global Equip, with four social projects at the same time and also the return of day camps with teens from the juvenile prisional system.
A new approach.
First big test on the rope course.
The Word among four different projects.
NEWS IN 2023
For 2023, a greater challenge has been put on the table, and the plan is to hold 4 mega camps, exponentially expanding the number of children served. The dates for conventional Lamalma camps, focusing on relationships, introspection and contemplation, are also set.
We will have 13 camps! And with these events in view, we have already acquired the necessary material to build two more cooperative activities. It is in these group challenges that we can observe and discuss our impressions with the children, encourage them in what they perform with excellence and motivate them to improve in what they need. It is very interesting to see how different gifts and talents are highlighted with these activities and it offer us the opportunity to really boost the self-esteem of each child and teenager.
ON THE RADAR
We are in contact with some new and small social projects, one of which we have already visited and we will certainly set apart dates to serve them in 2023. They are very material limited ministries, located in the heart of the favelas, heroically maintained by Christians detached from everything and faithful to Jesus and the Gospel.
Another news is the possibility of a new front of action. Since before the beginning of Lamalma, Michele had collaborated with a ministry that aimed to impact the lives of women in the Guaicurus region, the red-light district area in Belo Horizonte. We always hoped to work on this front again. We depended on God for movements that were beyond our reach.
But on an unexpected visit in August, on the week before Michele's hip surgery, we got a sign that that vision might be maturing. A pioneer in working with the girls of Guaicurus knocked on our door: Tio Pedro, a YWAM reference in terms of evangelism and urban missions. He brought an invitation for Michele to join a work being carried out in favor of those women in a house close to where we live. Naturally, Michele would first need to undergo surgery, then recover in order to finally contribute whatever was needed in this ministry of mercy with women who are so exploited. Could you pray for this?
THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
The campaign for Lamalma to buy a new car is still going on, as we don't have the full amount needed yet, but we know that at the right time we will be able to buy this much needed vehicle. The cost of a good car here is 24,000 Euro. We already have €8,000, so still need €16,000. If you want to contribute to this don’t hesitate to get in contact with us.
FAMILY
For a precious period of just over a month we have Johan and Jeannette Lukasse with us who, between appointments and meetings, are enjoying family and dear friends. How good it is to have them close by! Before heading with them to a big YWAM-Brazil conference, there was even time for Johan to build, together with Eva and Michele, a beautiful house in the backyard for the mischievous rabbit Catarina, Eva’s pet.
Igor is getting ready to move up the ranks in his black belt on Taekwondo and has already set the title of Brazilian youth taekwondo champion as a goal for 2023. Eva celebrates the arrival of a new equipment at the training center, which will greatly facilitate the execution of her jumps and pirouettes in artistic gymnastics. Michele is now fully recovered from the surgery she had on her hip, and is working on realigning her posture and investing in restoring her muscle mass. She has already been able to participate in two camps, obviously respecting her limitations, and next year she will be ready to face the challenges without pain or discomfort. The Lord has been very generous to us.
CHRISTMAS
We use a lot of words, a lot of action, and have a lot of plans and expectations. But if there is no love, all this is worthless. And because God so loved the world, Jesus became the ultimate expression of that love. That frail baby born of a woman, laying in the dry straw of a manger, is the means and the end of all these things. Wow, there is no better news for mankind! Glory to God and Merry Christmas, dear ones!
Romeu de Almeida
09/12/22
THE EXTREME OF FEELINGS
The situation of vulnerable families does not offer an easy solution. It is the biggest challenge of the Brazilian government. Dysfunctional families beget dysfunctional children; the connexion is too obvious for us to try to find other reasons and justifications for such social maladjustment. The reflection of this is an estimate of around 22 thousand minors imprisoned in Brazil, according to the National Council of Justice.
In addition to what the State can offer, we believe that only the authentic Gospel is capable of transforming the lives of these teenagers for the better – who are not little angels, but were certainly thrown into a real school of crime. And it was precisely with that in mind that Lamalma once again promoted (after more than two years, due to the pandemic) a day camp for teenagers in the juvenile prison system.
Just to get a boy released for a day out of prison, a huge bureaucracy is imposed on social agents. The missionaries from Casa Resgate (YWAM-BH) also played an important role in this process by finishing with a few hardworking boys a basic English course whose graduation would take place at the end of the camp afternoon, after a program by Lamalma. It's hard to imagine a greater contrast of feelings than stepping out of a cloistered environment for an experience of extreme freedom with waterfall water falling on your shoulders. “This way I'll end up forgetting that I'm in prison” was what we heard from one of them. Other day camps like this will come later this year.
RETIRING OUR VALIANT OLD CAR
Lamalma has always had a 2001 Palio Weekend with hundreds of thousands of kilometers covered. It's an excellent car, but one that we know is not ideal for the type of activity we do, and already claims for its retirement. Lamalma would be better served with a compatible utility car to transport both our personnel and the cargo in the boxes, crates and backpacks we take to the camps. If you would like to participate in this acquisition for the project, please contact us. We know this will be a multi-handed achievement, as well as everything Lamalma has already achieved.
A NEW ADVENTURE TO OFFER
It was an old dream of mine to build a rope circuit and some cooperative activities to offer children more options during a LAMALMA camp. Conversations between us and Global Equip culminated in an action plan on February 25th of this year, 2022. Since then, we have dedicated ourselves – in parallel with the camps – to planning, calculations, terrain markings, risk management, fixing of posts, acquisition of material (ropes, cables, clips, turnbuckles, tires, wood, etc.), assembly, construction and fine adjustments. It's a lot more work than we initially imagined, considering that an additional factor will be included in the challenge: the slope of the terrain. We are in the final stages of assembly and testing to take advantage of this structure in our first mega camp involving four different social projects at the same time. It's a lot of work that we hope will be rewarded with lots of smiles from our little warriors.
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MORE SURGERIES
Michele continues with hip pain, which led her to consult a specialist who, after analyzing the many tests requested, came to the conclusion that the best solution would be surgery to correct the problem. Basically, Michele's right hip will be completely replaced by a prosthesis. This would make it possible for her to walk normally again and even play sports of relative impact – something impossible right now in her current condition. It is a large procedure, but crucial for a better quality of life for Michele, who lives daily – to a greater or lesser degree – with constant pain. We count on your prayers for her health and success in this surgery.
At the other end of the health spectrum, Igor became the third best youth taekwondist in Brazil, winning bronze in the 2022 National Championship. A big win! Similarly, Eva has already started preparations to return to artistic gymnastics competitions in August, with new ground choreography and crazy pirouettes. She loves to see the world upside down!
OUR PARENTS
We spent practically the entire month of May enjoying the presence of Johan and Jeannette Lukasse here in Belo Horizonte. Lots of conversations, food, stories, fun with the children after more than two years apart due to the pandemic that devastated the planet. There was still a little time left for Johan to help set up the first rope activity of our new circuit: the “dreaded” Spider's Web. And, even better, the plans are that at the end of this year they will return to Brazil, and the party will continue.
On the 1st of this month of July we saw the Lord take my dear mother to himself, which for us meant an indescribable and unexpected pain. The support of family, friends and brothers, and above all the sweet consolation of the Holy Spirit, have surprised us in this moment of prostration. We call on our loved ones to support, above all, my broken father in this difficult time.
We give glory to God for victories in the ministerial field as well as in the personal sphere. We know that the Lord will follow with us to the end, regardless of pain, obstacles or impediments. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, for the old order has passed away." Thus, everything else becomes secondary, and in the end only the glory of the Eternal will prevail. God is good, always!
PRAYER POINTS
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For the preparations and the mega camp. May God prepare the hearts of the children and adolescents we will receive;
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For a new car for Lamalma;
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For Michele's impending surgery and her recovery;
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For the comfort of the Holy Spirit on our family.
Romeu de Almeida
02/08/22
RAIN, PLANS AND WORK
After the beginning of the wettest season in the last thirty years in the central region of Minas Gerais, where we live, during which several families were displaced, we started to organize meetings in order to establish goals for this 2022, taking in consideration almost two years of limited work on the projects in the slums because of the pandemic, added recently to the tragedy resulting from the rains.
“I was created to glorify God, auntie!
In fact, in one of these meetings we received enormous encouragement from one of the leaders of Casa Rocha (YWAM-BH) when she told us that some children still remembered and commented on who they were and the purpose of each one of them in God. “I was created to glorify God, Auntie!”, said one of the little girls during an activity at Casa Rocha. This is long after Michele preached the Word on the topic of Identity, Purpose, or Creation (among so many conversations, it's impossible for me to remember exactly!) by the campfire during a Lamalma camp.
Meeting with Casa Rocha (YWAM-BH) leaders.
The conclusion we draw from this is that we easily run the risk of falling into the operational mechanism of what for us can mean more of the same, something repetitive and exhausting. But the novelty of an experience proposed by Lamalma is not meant – and has never been – for us, but for those whom the Lord took care to bring to us.
MEGA IDEAS
We don’t have enough dates to meet so many eligible projects for Lamalma camps, but we are trying to optimize the possibilities as much as possible. Among the novelties is the plan to hold two megacamps in July this year, which would make it possible to encompass, at once, five social projects in each meeting, totaling approximately 120 children benefited during these two megacamps alone.
The idea came from the partner organization Global Equip and will have Lamalma coordinating the events. To do so, we need to build a structure to satisfy all groups. The planning phase has already been completed and now the challenge will be to get down to business and sweat hard to be able to complete the tasks in time to offer them to children and teens. At the same time, Lamalma will continue to fulfill its camping schedule, which has been closed since the end of last year, having a total of 14 camps in 2022.
The mess that precedes the ordering of ideas.
With Paul Perry at the RPV workshop.
LAMALMA:
THE STORY TOLD
A project that began in the second half of 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, took shape in February 2022: the story told in a book of how the Lord forged Lamalma Aventuras Outdoor. Almost a year and a half later, December and January were months of finalization, layout, review, cover making and content review. Intense, but which yielded an excellent result, which made us very happy. February was the month to check the result with the first book in hand and purchase the first batch of copies. We have no doubt that whoever reads this story will be greatly encouraged in their faith, for nothing there escapes the sovereign and infallible will of God.
For now, the book is available only in Brazilian Portuguese.
ENJOYING THE FAMILY
In little more than a month, Michele's parents, Johan and Jeannette Lukasse, will arrive from Holland, and we are very excited to welcome them here. It will be the first time since their permanent move to Holland, in 2019, that they will come to Brazil. It will be great to spend some time with them and see Igor and Eva enjoying up close opa and oma, who will divide their time between family and seminars on how to work with children at risk.
With the start of the camping season it's time to turn the switch back to “adventure” mode and rush into to blessings that aare already waiting for us.
In Christ,
Romeu de Almeida
23/03/22
HIGH SPEED
With Lamalma's activities starting a little later due to the crisis generated by the Coronavirus, we had a remarkably busy end of this semester regarding the camps. The last camp took place in November, at the start of the rainy season (the rain was more constant than heavy), which did not lower the excitement of the girls from Casa Luzeiro (YWAM-BH). If it were up to them, we would have visited all the waterfalls in the region, no matter if it was a short or long walk.
In all, we managed to run thirteen camps in 2021, in our view an incredible victory in view of so many difficulties imposed by the restrictions resulting from the pandemic. With the rainy season inaugurated, our work is now focused on working on texts, translations, revisions, visits, and planning meetings.
One of last camps of the year.
Process of translating the Source View Bible introductions to Portuguese.
MUD ON THE HORIZON
With About the expectations for 2022, the new dates for the camps have already been agreed on and we have already sat down with the Global Equip board to plan new programming formats. We are excited about the plans to build a new low rope course in the trees mixed with an ultra-fun mud circuit, which will certainly yield good laughs and incredible photos that will live up to the name of the Project LAMALMA - LAMA means mud. Therefore, we are anticipating the need to provide children with clothing for war! :) Two huge hammocks and two braided ladders have already been purchased for the new circuit. But quite a lot of work awaits us until this vision is completed, as we will be the ones to build this little piece of adventure and joy for the children served by Lamalma.
WORK-OUT FOR FREE
The 2021 camps are over but the work on the ranch continues. Where before I coordinated the camps with Michele and was Wagner the photographer, now he and I have been working on the maintenance to keep the grass low, the gutters clean, the wires free, to paint the buildings, etc. The idea is to make this little piece of heaven always ready to welcome all visitors. But while doing this upkeep we had to deal with angry wasp stings, found frogs bigger than my hand, and exposed unsuspecting snakes from their hiding places. We did a lot of arduous work. As our friend Benet Castro, who also joined us for one day said, “...we clean up the place and have a work-out for free".
LAMALMA'S BOOK
The extra time we had during the pandemic, was put to good use, to write our book telling the unlikely story of Lamalma. In fact, the miracles, blessings, provisions, and lessons learned over the years ahead of this project are fully tied up in my personal testimony and, by extension, that of my family. The writing is complete, now it must be reviewed and adjusted for some dates and details may have escaped my flickering memory. We believe that, more than just telling a story, this book offers testimonies that can encourage the reader to take a firm hold on the Lord's hand and take steps of faith.
ATHLET KIDS
In November Eva and Igor filled us with pride as they reaped with excellence the fruits of their dedication to the sport activities they chose to burn their energy. Eva, with all the joy and vivacity that are peculiar to her, had no less than five medals (3 gold and 2 silver) in an internal gymnastics’ tournament. She has considerably improved her performance even after more than a year away from the gyms. In Rio de Janeiro, Igor was the third best taekwondo athlete in Brazil in his category (up to 14 years old) in the Poomsae modality.
Both Igor and Eva are aware that they are simply giving back to God what they received from Him. With the return of in-person classes and the excitement provided by the sport, they are doing well after an apprehensive period of social isolation. Great is our pride in the children the Lord has given us. And great is our responsibility too.
Michele has recovered very well from the surgery which she underwent in July, and the pain in her hip has decreased a lot.
ALL THAT MATTERS
The greatest love came to us in a humble stable, and divided History. Divided our story. My story. It brought meaning to the search for hope once lost, here, so close to us. Incomparable Jesus. “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1Cor13:1-3). Hallelujah! We surrender to Love in that blessed manger. Merry Christmas!
Romeu de Almeida
20/12/21
THE COMING BACK
"Hello Mom, guess what we're doing now... Eating roasted marshmallows!" This conversation took place during a call from one of the mothers to her daughter Saturday night, right after a conversation about being found by God, the Good Shepherd, who gives his life for the sheep, at the campfire. Just before that, we had a dynamic with the children - the sheep – learning to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.
While waiting for the city hall to authorize the reopening of schools (seems like the last priority of our local government, supported in part, by a frightened population), social projects took action and got their hands dirty, returning fundamental activities for proper monitoring to children and teenagers at risk. We were finally able to start camps too, and we witnessed groups of children literally relearning how to relate eye to eye within an environment of order and freedom, asserting an ineluctable human quality: aggregation. The primary environment that should attend to these children are schools, but they simply could not open their doors. The difference, now more than ever, were the activities and workshops proposed by social projects in the favelas and, by extension, the program offered by Lamalma. And, by God's mercy, we have had already five extremely successful camps this year.
Lamalma is now very well stocked with shoes for those who have nothing to wear on the hiking trails, as well as new tents. We also purchased several Bibles, to donate to those children and teenagers who show an interest in the Word, either during a campfire chat or after a devotional. And when we receive the forms in advance with the names and ages of the young people, we will make them available in our church group so that anyone can prayerfully “adopt” a child, as well as write them a message, send audio or video message, passed on personally to each of them. Our first experience in this regard was a tremendous and touching success!
FAMILY
July was a very busy month for our family, starting already in June with a series of preparations for an operation that Michele had to undergo due to the pain in her hip. The procedure took place without any setbacks, and the recovery has been excellent, but it will take a little time for her routine to be normalized. Having to rest a lot during the first two weeks of recovery Michele was able to enjoy a rich one-to-one time with Eva, our daughter, during her vacation. That's because we had sent Igor to his first School of Missions in Rio de Janeiro for two weeks. With a grateful heart, we commissioned, as a family, our son for an incredible, rich, and life-giving experience time with the Lord.
GRATEFUL HEARTS
We would like to thank many faithful friends who are mobilizing in favor of getting more support for our personal support as a family. We have been struggling lately to keep our heads above water. These are people who have made use of their contacts in order to intercede for us. If you are interested in finding out more about how to walk hand in hand with us as supporting partners, get in touch! Missions we do together! We will be delighted to, if possible, sit down for a cup coffee – even if it is virtual – and clarify any doubts about our work inside and outside the camps, as well as apart from Lamalma.
Prayers for Michele's recovery are very welcome, as well as for each child that the Lord has already set aside to enjoy unique moments at the camps with Lamalma.
In Christ,
Romeu and Michele
11/08/21
FROM BAD TO WORSE
We arrived from Holland encouraged and with great expectations for 2021, believing that this year would be different than the previous one, because of the world wide pandemic. However, Brazil plunged into a health crisis and political clashes that resulted in a new lockdown in our city, now with extremely high restrictions on the circulation and operation of non-essential services. Thus, social projects were forced to cancel their activities, because of the risk of being denounced and having to close their doors.
The first two dates for Lamalma camps this year needed to be canceled and we are experiencing the anguish of knowing that what we offer is the safest and healthiest program that any child could have now, however, we are not able to put it into practice. With 100% of outdoor activities; breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner outdoors; storytelling and sharing the gospel outdoor; each child sleeping in their own tent - outdoors; outdoor devotionals, outdoor freedom ... all of it outdoors. If we consider that ALL of these children have stopped enjoying this to be huddled in unhealthy cubicles in the favelas, at the mercy of depression and exposed even more to all types of domestic violence, there is no way to be happy with it. In addition, the mental health and lack of social contact of these children has been categorically neglected by local authorities and by many in the Church itself, which saddens us a lot. We understand that there are different opinions to ours, but, for us at Lamalma, the urgency of evangelization and care for our children precedes the fear of a virus - dangerous, yes, there is no denial here, but the urgency of the situation should prevail in this case we believe.
The third scheduled date, on the 24th and 25th of April finally happened, and we were able to witness an explosion of joy in the group of teenagers we received to enjoy relationships and share the Word of God. It was a fabulous success!! (pictures soon!!)
We continue with the agenda for the year, praying that there will be an improvement in the contagion rates and a consequent easing of the restrictive measures. We are ready to work with the children the Lord sends us.
CAMPS AND FOOD KITS
Until our departure for Holland, November 2020, we were able to distribute many food kits and cleaning items to families in need with part of the funds that came to Lamalma. The last family we attended, in the neighboring city of Vespasiano, opened their fridge to store some donated items and we saw nothing else but a jar of water. However, with the expectation of the return of the school year and activities, we reduced the distribution of the food kits to concentrate resources to the camps.
SHOES AND TENTS
We are happy to announce that the two campaigns for (1) purchasing shoes for the less privileged children to enjoy greater comfort and safety on the trails and (2) buying new tents to replace the old ones were very successful! Many people have made their contribution, and several children will be able to enjoy with even more pleasure and security the moments that God has in store for them. The shoes and tents purchased are already on the way !! Our big thanks to you who left a mark in the lives of these little ones.
Blessings,
Romeu and Michele
16/04/21
Donated shoes. In addition to these, another 16 new pairs are already on their way to Lamalma, purchased with funds also donated.
RESET & RESTART
This letter follows from the Netherlands to inform about the latest actions we made during this unusual period. 2020 was the weirdest year we have been through. Many plans and expectations have been frustrated or postponed and, on our part, we work with the hope that life will return to normal as soon as possible, without trampling. We´ve pushed practically Lamalma’s entire 2020 schedule to next year, in the hope that government will have the wisdom to deal responsibly and considering all the aspects that permeate this pandemic.
With the schedule of social projects hostage to the school schedule - without classes, projects are also limited in actions – Lamalma was also compromised. However, the loyalty of many supporters have helped us to purchase and distribute basic food baskets and personal hygiene and cleaning items to various families since May. That was the case until November 20, our last day before leaving for Holland, in order to meet with family, friends and brothers from the church of Ermelo, for a celebration period and some meetings with the missions department and projects, to promote and develop actions in the mission field. We brought with us a reasonable amount of promotional material without knowing, however, how the issue of face-to-face meetings would take place, even though the Netherlands was dealing with the situation more serenely than Brazil, but still with pertinent and necessary restrictions.
END OF QUARANTINE
December 1st, our quarantine has ended since we arrived in Holland, and we can then leave the house. Igor and Eva were already free to go to school (children don't need to be quarantined here), leaving home sometimes with -3oC, and raining. They were thrilled with the many rides with Opa and Oma Lukasse. In those days of confinement, I took the opportunity to give that last improvement in my Dutch (which means practically nothing!) and work on the book that tells our improbable trajectory until the creation of Lamalma. If you, in one way or another, walked this path with us, it may be that your name is there, and you will be thrown into stardom!!
Social distancing in Brazil was good for us in some ways, as I was able to concentrate efforts to finish translating a book telling the story of foreign missionaries friends of ours in Brazil. In fact, it is on their farm that we have our Lamalma camps. Also at the end of the dry season there, we spent a few days with another couple, who is our partner at Lamalma, cleaning the firebreak to prevent the fires that surrounded the area from reaching the facilities of the place. Michele even started a Community Development Course, promoted by YWAM-BH, but she had to abandon it to dedicate time to a cousin of mine, who is experiencing health difficulties, and for whom we ask for prayer. Michele stayed with her until the last moment before coming to the Netherlands, leaving her now with a loving and responsible caregiver.
LET US REJOICE!
We wish that the real meaning of Christmas floods the hearts of everyone who allows themselves to be touched by the warmth of Jesus' presence. A presence that transforms, and makes us all better people not only in December, but throughout the year, and for our entire lives!
Let us rejoice! Because a child was born to us, a child was given to us. Hallelujah!
Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Love and blessings,
Romeu e Michele
01/12/20
REALIGNMENT
Since March, with almost all activities paralyzed, LAMALMA also had to adapt to the safety measures imposed by the government due to the Covid-19. Social projects have their schedule linked to the schools, and as these have been shut down for the time being. So, the main activity of LAMALMA, giving children from these projects an opportunity for an adventure camp in nature, has been compromised. We love providing these encounters and personal care for these kids. We had to restrain our anxiety and restlessness as we are going through a totally unusual situation.
However, donations were still coming in for LAMALMA, and the best way to honor the faithfulness and generosity of the people giving and the trust put in us was to mobilize ourselves to use part of these resources to buy food packs and cleaning supplies to families in need. Many other projects also received donations for this purpose, so we as LAMALMA were happy to aim our resources to help needy families close to us, and it fills us with joy to be able to participate in spreading the love of God in such a tangible way.
BEARING FRUITS OF THE COMMITMENT OF MANY
As a result of fundraising campaigns, one in Brazil and one in Holland (via Waves), we were able to buy shoes for children who have none to enter the woods and trails, and also got resources to buy at least 8 new tents to replace some of our original brave ones. These resources will be extremely useful when we get back to our activities – we cannot wait!!!
For our family also, it meant adapting to the “new normal”. Home Schooling has been a big challenge – for us and for the children – but they seem, as always, to be adapting faster to the new routine. The priority of our ministry activities switched temporarily to more translations and reviews of handouts, missionary newsletters, and a book. Writing our own story is also on the agenda, but it will have to wait a little more.
We are doing our best to make the most of our time at home - and we are incredibly grateful to God for the excellent space we have here - to invest in quality time with our children. Games, crafts, gardening, films and drawings, lots of reading, devotionals, online meetings with the family - both in Brazil and in Holland - and we can say that our family is getting bigger: the children have adopted a very cute puppy that has been brightening up the children's day (and sometimes my nights! ...). And, if you consider the baby hamsters that were born, we can consider the house full!
PLEASE STAND WITH US IN PRAYER
Michele had a partial tear of the tendon of the right shoulder, damage that can be reduced with physiotherapy, but fully resolved only with surgery. As the pain is constant and sometimes disabling, she has been trying to use more her left arm. Another prayer request is for our 10-year-old daughter. Eva will have a surgery to remove as tonsils and adenoids, this is accompanied by hypertrophy, which may affect her hearing and is impairing her sleep. The surgery is scheduled for July 13. Your prayers are much appreciated.
May the Lord continue to strengthen you all in these times of uncertainty, for in Him lies our strongest confidence.
Love and blessings!
Romeu and Michele
07/07/20
SHOES FOR ADVENTURE
2020 started and our plans continue to offer the best possible experience to the children God has put in our hands.
We are now launching a campaign Shoes For Adventure so we can have resources to buy appropriate shoes for those children who don’t have much more than a pair of flip flops to go hiking and enjoy the activities in the forest. They are the minority, but for safety reasons and comfort, we want all of them to have proper footwear. To participate you just need to reach out to us in one of two ways: 1) Donate any amount of money you can and want; 2) Donate shoes in good state that will serve the purpose: to put shoes on the feet of those who don´t have a pair of shoes to go into the forest and participate in the activities. We will then have a little stock of shoes and socks that will be kept at the ranch to be available for the little (and not so little anymore) explorers who might need it. Do you have questions? Let us know!
We already have confirmed 14 camps for 2020! Many children, who didn´t have the opportunity to participate in the LAMALMA program yet, will be able to experience the adventure of intimacy with God through the wonder of creation and deep relationships. Please pray for that!
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TO ALL THE EARTH
We got an irrecusably invitation from my parents in law, Johan and Jeannette Lukasse, to participate in the YWAM-Brazil family gathering in Caldas Novas.
Warm swimming pools, the best food ever (I’ve never eaten so much in my life!) and the best of the party: a conference with speeches, interviews, interactions, all about one theme: To All The Earth. We heard several testimonies of missionaries who work in frontier missions. It was an inspiring and motivating experience to all our family!
During these meetings we got in contact with various people who are involved in translation of the Bible and missionary newsletters about what God is doing at the ends of the Earths. We are now integrated in a team of translators and excited to be part of it.
KING’S KIDS
In January Michele, Igor and Eva left for almost 2 weeks to work with King’s Kids, a YWAM ministry that has the vision to take children, teenagers and youth to know God and make Him known through evangelism and strategies compatible to our modern days. Michele went as staff and our children as participants, and the experience exceeded all of our expectations! We started ‘’very well’’, the car broke on the way to where we had to go (and soon after the motor of our fridge broke too…). But it ended superb with a gala presentation at the Third Presbyterian Church in our city, after having already spent time evangelizing in many needy neighborhoods during the days of the campaign. We are very proud with our young missionaries! Plans are to send them more times, and for that we count on everybody’s help!
ABOUT US
We are full time missionaries working in different areas, the main ones are: adventure camps for children at risk; translating and editing missionary material in partnership with organizations and people who are eager to take the gospel to the ends of the earths; organize retreats for missionaries to offer them rest, renewal and promote vision, organize debates and equip those who are already on the field.
For our work we are supported through donations and gifts and we count on prayers and actions from all of you so we can guarantee this work keeps on going. God bless you!
Lots of Love,
Romeu and Michele Lukasse de Almeida
05/02/20
THE NEED IS URGENT
“I never will leave this place! This is the best spot in the world!” the boy yelled, with the water coming down the mountain, massaging his back. The same kid that was now taking this waterfall shower, spilled out a couple of minutes before, that not watching porn would be the same as to die a virgin. These two opposite moments show so well what lacks in the lives of these children and many others living in the Brazilian slums: they lack almost everything! From a simple track in the woods, to good references, to a healthy sexual understanding.
FIRE IN OUR CLASSROOM
The second semester of this year we have dedicated our camps exclusively to the children and teenagers from a community center “Reconstruir”, having in total 6 camps with them to be able to spend quality time with all the kids, approximately 70 people. It was a success and great pleasure for us to work with this community center, which is sustained by our church in Belo Horizonte, with extremely dedicated volunteers and staff. For some of these camps, Julia and Wagner, our own staff, couldn’t go with us. But God provided, for he sent two other angels our way, Benet and Fran, to help us out with the camps and with whatever we needed.
LAMALMA’s schedule is programmed specifically to have more camps during the dry season. The rains here start in September, become a bit harsher in October, but get for real in November. This year however it was unexpectedly dry. The woods were so dry, that in our state we faced the biggest surge of fires since 2010. So, the last camp, we even had to cancel for safety reasons. The water supply in the region was compromised and the smoke was so heavy it was hard to breathe. The effort of the fireman and volunteers to contain the fire and protect the buildings at the ranch was huge. Praise the Lord, for now it is pouring rain!
YWAM FRONTIER MISSIONS
Me and Michele are now part of a group of translators, and our goal is to increase the testimonies in Portuguese of missionary teams from YWAM International, who are working with unreached people groups throughout the world. If you also feel challenged to help with the translation and spreading of the word of what is happening in the frontiers, please get in contact with us! For more information about Frontier Missions, click here: https://www.ywamfm.org/
In October we also helped promote one more missionary retreat, the third this year, in partnership with Global Equip. These retreats have the goal to let missionaries rest and interact with other missionaries who may or may not work in the same region and have the same or different focus. We provide excellent food, and the Word of God is taught with strategy and encouragement. Those retreats are both for single missionaries, or missionaries who are married and/or have a family. For 2020 we have more of these retreats planned.
OUR CHILDREN
We are very proud parents! Igor and Eva are doing very well at school and in their chosen sport. Igor trains Taekwondo 3 times a week, and this year he participated in 2 state championships, and won gold both times! Eva trains gymnastics... very hard! She trains 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. It takes a lot of her time. She participated in 4 championships this year, and accumulated lots of medals, gold, silver and bronze.
BRIEF VISIT TO HOLLAND
Michele is going to Holland from November 18th until December 1st. There she will have the opportunity to visit family, friends and promote our ministry. If you are near or live in Ermelo, that’s where she will be staying. If you want to have a chat over a cup of tea, write us an email and we will arrange something! Coming back, she will accompany her sister Dilma to Brazil.
We thank each and every one of you who have kept us in your prayers, who contributed financially and participated with us in this adventure. We love what we do, and we love doing it together with you!
Lots of love!
Romeu and Michele
15/11/19
A WINDOW TO FREEDOM
One day with boys from a teen detention center
Getting closer without saying a word, a staff of our team got to hear a young boy who was sitting on a bench looking up to the mountains: “There where we stay is really bad!”. By many factors, since a bad family and community environment, horrible personal references to a culture of violence and idleness, many minors end up in detention centers, as consequence of dealing drugs, robbery, murder, rape, etc. From a talk initiated in between classes of the Children at Risk course, at Heidebeek, in Holland 2018, LAMALMA finally received for one day of adventure and recreation (it wasn’t allowed the boys to sleep out of the prison) a group of 5 teenagers accompanied by two agents and two more staff from YWAM, who have been working with this group for a while. We didn’t know exactly what to expect of that encounter, it was something completely new for us. And the day begun with suspicious looks ended with smiles and a backpack full of good memories and life lessons.
SUASE - Subsecretaria de Atendimento Socioeducativo
The very next week we came upon one of the agents who accompanied the boys on that Saturday. From her we heard that transformation was upcoming, that day had marked the hearts of those boys, who now were encouraging others who couldn’t go because of their bad behavior. To family while visiting hours there was no other subject then the day camp, the adventures and lessons learned from it. The agent invited us to visit the boys, at any hour of the day and if during the day wasn’t possible we could still visit them at night. What a satisfying feeling! Praise God for the fruits, many times invisible, and for the lesson that we are very quick to judge others, but we don’t know what is going on within; (only the One that probe our hearts knows what is the intention of the spirit.)
NEXT STEPS
Because of the exceptional experience we had, we were asked for one more day camp like that, this time with girls from another detention center. That new adventure we will share in our next letter. Something else that happened because of that first day camp is that I was invited to share some words on the graduation of the English course, of one of the boys, that YWAM ministers in the detention center. A great honor and responsibility, don’t you think?
GOLDEN ATHLETES
Great has been the effort of Igor and Eva to conciliate study and sports. Recently Eva (9 years old), who trains gymnastics 20 hours a week, participated of the National Tournament of Gymnastics in Rio de Janeiro, where she had the honor to meet some of the great athletes of the National Team, some who are already World Champion in their categories. And Igor (11 years old) goes on from one belt to another at Taekwondo, and a few weeks back got the second-last belt, red with a
black end. Just one more year and he will be black belt. Our kids fill us with pride and joy, and make our hearts beat stronger with their competitions and challenges.
Lots of love,
Romeu and Michele Lukasse de Almeida
04/07/19
THE HORROR
A little over three years ago, I met Nô Alves, in the city of Barra Longa, for the first time. This town had been badly affected by the collapse of an iron ore tailings dam. The residents' desolation was reflected in their perplexed stares at the sea of mud cutting off the small town. Nô himself was a portrait of despondency as he staggered and slurred under the influence of cachaça. After losing everything that he had gained from his hard work, he was, however, lucid enough to give thanks that his family's lives had been spared. There was not much I could do for their collective hangover except listen, listen and listen some more. Still today I exchange short messages with him and I can say that I gained a friend in him.
In February of this year, it was Michele's turn to hug adults and children affected by another dam collapse. This time her feet were fully surrounded by mud in Brumadinho, the same city where we hold Lamalma camps. A tragedy of biblical proportions – the video showing the moment when it collapsed is truly shocking. A human and environmental disaster. Once again, the wisest thing to do was listen, listen and listen some more. And Michele was also able to offer a little more. With a little creativity, we can work with some of the children affected directly or indirectly by the disaster. A way of reducing the suffering and pain of those little ones who lost, aside from family and friends, many dreams which were buried in the mud.
“(…)For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones” Is 49:13
2019 AND BEYOND...
Lamalma is almost fully booked up for 2019 and we have already been talking about future plans including reaching children from further afield, covering a radius of 200km around Belo Horizonte. The other aim is to attract smaller projects working inland in the state where it is more difficult for them to access resources to do activities like the ones we have here. It would be fantastic! Pray for this!
We were recently approached by a project based in the forest zone of the Minas Gerais state which also reaches children and teenagers from slums in Rio de Janeiro. They wanted to talk together and share experiences and would like to replicate some of the activities that we offer in their facilities in the east of the state. We are honoured to be able to contribute in this way.
Soon, we will send out information on the camps which start at the end of February. Right now, we are making our last contacts and ticking off last minute jobs so we can finally get stuck into another year of adventures with the Lord!
May God bless you!
Romeu de Almeida
01/03/2019
A SPECIAL PROJECT
With marks from ticks still visible on our skin from the weekend before, we headed off for a day of leisure activities with around 40 children and young people from Project Rebuild (Projeto Reconstruir) at the Living Stones Ranch. It was both intense and touching as this social project is sponsored by our church, which is doing its best to keep its doors open to the young people it reaches. They so need the care, family structure and good role models it provides. We want to ask you to start praying already that we can offer weekend camps to the children they serve in 2019. We want to provide 6 weekends so we can include all the children and cover the transport as this project would not be able to afford these expenses. Now that we have shared this challenge with you, we hope that we will be able to provide more details in our newsletters next year and be able to tell you of its fruit.
BEFORE AND AFTER
Sometimes God graces us with the blessing of seeing the fruit of our labour. In October, shortly after a camp with young people from Jeriel Mission, we paid a visit to the group which is now led by a younger generation that grew up through the project. To my great surprise, a few minutes before the meeting started, I saw a young woman coming in with her percussion, getting ready to worship. "I think I know you", I said, trying to bring to the front of my mind the girl's name. With a big smile on her face, she took out her mobile and after scrolling through many pictures, showed me one from at least eight years ago. She was attached to a safety cable ready to fly down the zipline and I was waiting to push her over the lake at New Destiny Adventure Centre, where we started working with adventure activities for disadvantaged children. Imagine how happy I was to hear her say "I'm really pleased to see you again! I'm really grateful to you. You had a big influence on me becoming the person that I am today. I learnt a lot when I was a child". Pure grace to experience such cool moments like these!
2018 started a bit later for us due to our trip to Holland and some health problems that needed sorting in the first term. And so, we tried to compensate for this by intensifying our camps in the second term and during this busy period we had a special weekend with deaf young people and their parents. As our aim to strengthen family links was so important, we decided to leave them with a lasting memory of these moments and gave the young people large-scale photographs with their parents. Our photographer friend, Wagner Flores, took the images and can get a smile out of any father or mother.
UNCERTAINTIES AND
URGENT NEEDS
Without a doubt, 2018 has been an amazing year for Lamalma as we have signed agreements that guarantee unforgettable weekends for disadvantaged children and young people.
However, in our personal lives, we feel apprehensive about urgent financial needs that we have and the uncertainty around what we can do about it. Since the middle of 2017, we have noticed a big drop in our personal income which has made planning for our family difficult and has had a knock on effect on the ministry plans. We are praying and letting you know about these needs in an attempt to guarantee that the work can continue. It is about much more than a weekend - it includes planning, social accompaniment, operational developments, communication and let us not forget, spiritual opposition (to even keep Lamalma going). 'Challenge' is a word that we like to use during the camps and it is the word that we would like to highlight to you in this letter. We want to challenge you to pray about this matter and if you feel so led, please become a financial supporter for our family. It would certainly bring us great satisfaction and be such a relief.
We have no problem at all asking for support and financial help for Lamalma and its specific requirements. But when we need personal support, it is a bit trickier. Be sure that even putting this into words for this newsletter has been a challenge for us.
We hope that you pray with us about it and consider the possibility of helping. We must also thank our loyal friends who have been hugely supportive with finances and prayer. You have been a miracle that we bear testimony to every day. Thank you very much!
IT WILL ALWAYS BE CHRISTMAS!
Despite all our doubts and fears, natural as they are to us creatures, the wonderful certainty is that the Son who was given to us, who is known as Wonderful, Councillor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) comes full of unwavering hope. In the God child we find our victory. Glory be to the eternal One for the powerful love embodied in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. It's Chirstmas! Let Peace reign in your heart, beloved!
Much love! May God bless you!
Romeu de Almeida - 13/12/2018
POSTPONED DUE TO THE RAIN
It was Friday night and everyone was ready to go, all supplies had been bought and the place was sorted... when suddenly, down came torrential rain and wind, bringing with them doubt and unrest. Our fears were confirmed early on Saturday when we received the message that some of the mothers would prefer not to send their children on the camp. We had never experienced a cancellation until this July and now, in August, this was our second cancellation in a row due to situations out of our control. We were highly frustrated - even more so, when after Saturday morning, not one drop of rain fell from the sky and the sun shone brightly. Yet, we know that God is in control and that nothing escapes his attention. I don't know if we will be able to find another date for those 7 - 12 year olds but we were praying for them in the run up to the camp and it will all be used for their good. If not this year, then in 2019 we will make sure they get a breathtaking weekend that they will never forget!
LIVING PICTURE
Seeing tents lit up under a starry sky means more than a living picture could portray. For us, it bears testimony to a dream made reality. Even before we purchased the tents and equipment that we use in the camps today, we had in mind the idea of using torches and Bibles in the tents as a way of stimulating reading and adding to the spirit of adventure. All this required time, contacts and financial resources until in June 2018, we used our Bibles and torches for the first time. I must admit, it was a moment which made my eyes fill with tears. So immense was the joy of seeing those tents lit up under the stars, silhouettes which awoke in us curiosity as to which part of the universe those children were travelling to at that moment and where their hearts were. Who knows? maybe like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they were accompanied by another figure similar to the Son of God in the warmth of that little tent.
MEETINGS AND TRAINING
August was the month for the Lamalma general meeting when the board of directors, committee and those interested in knowing more about the work of Lamalma met. We all worked together to create thoughtful proposals that would contribute to growing excellence in our work. These proposals would extend how far our message would reach. We also discussed how to promote the project. It was an incredible moment in the lifespan of the project, topped off with a fun moment of Lamalma style fellowship: BBQ!!
Michele participated in a training course for teachers of children and young teens at the Belo Horizonte Eighth Presbyterian Church with excellent teaching on how to prioritise and perfect strategies to focus teaching on the kingdom of God and how to help children and teens understand it. It was another tool to add to our toolbox to better equip us and help us in our work.
The next few months will be intense. Please pray for the next few camps. The probability of rain will increase each month but this adventure can't be stopped! Big hugs!
Romeu de Almeida - 03/09/2018
AN EXAMPLE OF PERSEVERANCE
"During the trail and activities, I could have chosen another route, a shortcut, an easier way... But I chose to stay with the group. I needed help and I learnt from this." An American volunteer shared her experience of following the trail which led to various challenges. She will spend 3 months helping out at the Sower House (YWAM-BH) which serves young deaf people. Aside from being deaf, she also suffers from a degenerative disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. This means that she has no peripheral vision and sees in the same way that others look through a telescope. Lots of stumbling and falls when she was little has made her into a beacon of perseverance and a real example to the young people and their mothers who camped with Lamalma.
The aim of the camp was to deepen family bonds and forge closer relationships with the Sower House, overcoming potential resistance - as much among the mothers as their children, with the theme: "God of the Generations". And there is no better way to deal with this topic than in a laidback atmosphere with adventurous challenges in the middle of nature. This alone was freeing as these kinds of camps reveal much about God's power. But it was also freeing due to everything that happened due to the run-up...
After spending 3 months sharing about the project, our first date had to be changed due to a surgery that Michele needed. So, we moved on to focus on the second set of days we had booked in but then I needed surgery. It was a simple surgery but a delicate post-op. We were already feeling a little weighed down with the anxiety when a truckers' strike was called and the country suffered from a serious shortage of goods and services. Would we have to cancel for a third time? Not this time! We were able to mobilize and run a wonderful camp with help from Marcelo and Andrea from our local Church. All the tension that I felt only disappeared on the Monday after, collapsing from tiredness and awaking with a sense of joy and relief thanks to all that I could testify to from that weekend.
Despite all the difficulties, in the run-up to the camp, we worked - and are still working - on translating books (Michele on one and me another) in addition to establishing new contacts with projects, children's homes and orphanages which may be interested in offering adventure camps to their children and teens. We are continuing to prepare camps and look at where we still need funds and equipment to maintain levels of excellence in our bid to display Jesus through the power of creation and healthy relationships.
PRAYER IS WELCOME
Along the same lines, here are some specific prayer requests. Our first need is for a large vehicle for the exclusive use of Lamalma - which could even be our own car which is not currently the best fit for our family. We are also hoping for (and need!) a smaller, cheaper vehicle for our day to day needs. We are also working on fixing some tents and equipment but will soon need to buy some new tents and a large canvas for rainy days. Some help has arrived and we are grateful for it. Thank God with us for those who have considered helping Lamalma and our family. We will have more news shortly when we hope to engage the farm and carry on!
Deus os abençoe ricamente!
May God bless you!
Romeu de Almeida - 04/06/2018
ON OUR WAY BACK
From Ermelo to Amsterdam by car. From Amsterdam to Paris by bus. From France to Morocco; onwards to São Paulo; before finally landing in Belo Horizonte. All this while carrying lots of suitcases, hand luggage, laptop bags, tablets (14 in total!!!), two children and a unicorn (it's not a myth!). This is the way we came back to Brazil after two and a half months in Holland: our first opportunity to share about Lamalma, our flagship project in missions. The days were intense and filled with events, visits, presentations, meetings and even an interview with a well known Christian magazine from there! We did everything within our power to get more support during this first opportunity to share about this organisation outside Brazil. We made lots of contacts and we believe that they will bear good fruit.
REASONS TO GIVE THANKS AND PRAY
• We are really grateful for all who helped make this trip possible before, during and after. My heart is full of joy when I remember the massive effort that Michele's family, especially Johan and Jeannette, put into preparing the house where we would stay and all the help that we received there right up until the last moment when we boarded the bus for Paris. Thanks also to my family and friends here in Brazil for the support and warm welcome that we received on our return;
• We are also grateful for the donations, both to us personally and to Lamalma from so many people who showed interest and reached out to us, committing themselves to lift us up in prayer;
• Thank you to Evangelie Gemeente Ermelo, Rancho da Pedras Vivas, the Lighhouse project and countless friends and family who are involved in this mission with us;
• An important prayer request: we urgently need a car for Lamalma. Our personal car is old and isn't as reliable as it once was;
• In Holland, Michele went to see a doctor due to some reoccurring wounds on her skin but the results which came back were not very clear. Back in Brazil, more in-depth tests were done and the carcinoma reoccurrence mentioned earlier was confirmed. Please pray for complete healing of this problem.
We are looking for more contacts! We are hoping to build more and more bridges!
God bless you!
Romeu de Almeida
07/03/2018
The situation, as of today, is that we have enough resources to buy food for the next few camps in 2018. We still need a car for the project, as well as ropes and custom-made tarpaulin so that we will have quiet (and dry) nights during the rainy season which continues until the middle of April in Minas.
So we continue to pray that all this will come in at the right time. In the meantime, we are making contacts for the next few camps where we will debut our much dreamed about triad: Tent + Bible + Flashlight. The flashlights were bought to complete the combination with money from a specific gift. Now we just have to polish up the photos of the tents at night to make the adventure nights sparkle. Our plan was to start with a camp on 17th March but we have just found out that Michele needs to have another surgery to remove a carcinoma (type of skin cancer). It's the same type that she had on her nose but this time is on her back. Nothing too complicated but worrying that it has come back. Please pray about this.
FAMILY AND ITS CHALLENGES
Another beautiful part of this trip was the time we spent with friends and family. It was intense and really enjoyable! Six birthdays, end of the year parties, Sinterklaas, fabulous get-togethers, Christmas concerts, ice skating and even a wheelchair basketball competition with Michele's brother, Davi (photo). Unforgettable experiences! As the school calendar is different to Brazil, Igor and Eva could go to school there (as it was holidays in Brazil) and experience a custom which isn't very common among school friends here: enjoy playdates with classmates in different houses every afternoon. This was a great way for them to acclimatise and improve their Dutch. As Brazilians who hate the heat, it was such a delight to enjoy minus temperatures, experience a snowstorm that brought the country to a standstill and be afraid of the strong winds that blew over the dutch lowlands.
STRENGTHENED LINKS
In September, we ran another camp with the beautiful children that attend the YWAM Casa Semear (the Sower's House) in Belo Horizonte. Some of them had recently started attending the house for deaf young people; one of the ten least reached people groups in Brazil. It was a uniquely special opportunity for the Sower's House workers to deepen their relationships with these girls, earn their trust and build many unforgettable stories and memories.
THE CHALLENGE TO KEEP GOING
In September, we ran another camp with the beautiful children that attend the YWAM Casa Semear (the Sower's House) in Belo Horizonte. Some of them had recently started attending the house for deaf young people; one of the ten least reached people groups in Brazil. It was a uniquely special opportunity for the Sower's House workers to deepen their relationships with these girls, earn their trust and build many unforgettable stories and memories.
Meanwhile, time and effort is being invested into making promotional material for the project. With our tickets to Holland confirmed, we will go promote the project and build new connections for Lamalma and our family. We've made some really cool Lamalma t-shirts which are available for purchase with all profits going to the project. We are also working on folders to share information in Portuguese and Dutch, business cards and other material to promote the project. A new promotional video is also ready to be launched. Click here to watch the trailer:
2018: LAMALMA 2.0!
We also have lots of reasons to celebrate! We recently acquired 18 new inflatable pillows which we can use in the tents and the Editora Vida Nova publishing company blessed us with a donation of 20 Manga Bibles and 200 magazines to read in the tents!! We just needed flashlights so that this material could be used in the tents at night. And, once again, through a donation, we were given enough to buy them. We are now praying for tailored canvasses and a slackline. 2018 promises to be a turbo-charged Lamalma with lots of children receiving love, attention, fun and adventure, leaving dirty footprints in the mud...
TRIP TO HOLLAND
As we said above, we have bought tickets to go to Holland and make contacts with people, churches, small groups and cells that are interested in hearing a little about what we have been doing and what our future challenges are. To those reading this letter, especially Dutch readers, feel free to get in touch and set up a meeting. We will be there from 26th November until the middle of February. It's going to be very cool to build these connections together. We will see you soon!
CHRISTMAS
We will spend Christmas in a slightly colder climate than we are used to but our feelings regarding the compassion that our Father had in sending His own son remains the same. We hope that Christmas helps you all reflect on the meaning of this unconditional love and find Peace. God bless you!
Romeu de Almeida
21/11/2017
ARE CAMPS REALLY WORTHWHILE?
Welcoming deaf teenagers from the Sower House (YWAM-BH) to an engaging camp is a powerful way of showing how God's hand and favour is on these young people; who make up the seventh least reached people group in Brazil. After some major problems, the Sower House now has some new workers and teenagers. The formula was simple: new workers and new young people require new relationships. A weekend of being together, sharing moments, praying and having a lot of fun together is an infallible way of bringing people together, generating empathy and joy as well as bringing them into the presence of God.
"The teenage years is a time that demands a lot of attention and this is even more true for deaf teenagers. The camp that LAMALMA put on for us last month provided a highly conducive environment for relaxation, fun and quality time. In some respects we got the impression that we rediscovered some of the young people who were lost within our program. We returned from the camp very grateful for the precious moments that we spent together. LAMALMA is fabulous!" - Davidson Estanislao, leader of the Sower House.
We also welcomed some precious girls, aged 8 to 12 years, from the same community, Pedreira Prado Lopes, through the Rock House (YWAM-BH). We threw them into challenges to build faith and trust. A weekend of firsts. For many of the girls, this was the first night in a tent, the first time they bathed under a waterfall, the first descent on a zip line, the first time they heard a story from the Bible around a campfire and ate marshmallows. They already knew the story about the lost sheep, but around the campfire everything is more exciting. While Michele was telling the story, the children's eyes, which shone in the light of the fire, showed how much they were anticipating the ending. When at the end, Michele picked up one of the children and put her on her back, just as the pastor had done with the sheep, they were able to understand that they all were the lost sheep who lacked the goodness and grace of the Good Shepherd. The appeal was made, and we could clearly hear several children praying, asking forgiveness for their sins and mistakes of the past and wanting help for their future which is full of uncertainties. Is there any doubt that this will stay fixed in their memories?
MORE THAN TENTS AND WATERFALLS
LAMALMA has much to thank Paul and Ashley Perry, for the support they have given and for making it possible to welcome underprivileged children and teenagers onto their property. We also need to thank the Lighthouse community centre and Adullam's Cave, our church, who mobilize themselves so spectacularly to ensure there is enough room and fun for these young people. These are key pillars of LAMALMA's work today. But there is a more complicated reality behind the scenes which we would like to make clear. LAMALMA is basically myself, Michele and Wagner, our friend and partner since the late 80s. Of course, like any beginner project, it is difficult to separate what is personal from what is ministry. But this is very important, in terms of order, transparency and institutional independence. We have worked on this, but the truth is that our family still needs further financial support, not to speak of LAMALMA which basically exists at the expense of our resources (except when we receive specific gifts to purchase equipment or supplies for the camps). Therefore, we want to emit confidence in what we are doing to those who are currently supporting us.
LAMALMA AND ITS CHALLENGES
We are praying for funds to open an account solely for the project, as well as conditions to pay a bookkeeper. And now that Lamalma has become an NGO, it has fees to pay and also needs a vehicle (our own private one is currently being used) and a million other things that make me freak out... Practically speaking, we have a target of getting enough sponsors to be able to buy 18 inflatable pillows (approximately R$270.00) and 18 head torches (R$270.00). If you would like to become a partner of LAMALMA please contact us!
US AND OUR CHALLENGES
With a view to the raise awareness of the project and visit family and friends, we have plans to go to Holland in the months of December and January. Well, it is nothing new for our family to witness miracles that lead veeeeery far from anywhere we could imagine, and we believe this can happen, even with Brazil in crisis, the dollar (and Euro) expensive and so many other things that need to be sorted at this end. We are counting on ALL your prayers please!
If you want to give monthly or sporadic financial support to our family so this ministry can continue, get in touch with us, it will be our pleasure to see you partner in this work that God is doing through our family.
VISITS AND FILMING
And one more piece of exciting news is the arrival in BH of Jonathan and Johanneke with their family in July for the mid-year holidays. Time to see the de Jongs again and for the cousins to play together, see each other after a long awaited time, catch up and surprise....work on a new promotional or institutional video (who knows, maybe both!) for LAMALMA. Stay tuned!
Big hugs!!!
Romeu de Almeida
25/07/2017
The forecast predicted rain. And in fact, it rained a lot that evening. It soaked our firewood. We considered using the bedroom to sleep in that night. But it didn't exactly fit in with the sense of adventure required and the children preferred to set up camp and so the Word was preached by the light of the campfire - the firewood responded to our efforts to light it and our desire to enjoy some melted marshmallows. Above us, a picturesque sky exploded with bright colourful bolts of lightening, reminding us that the storm was lurking close by. We were confident that despite the forecast and the ever-present reminders glaring above our heads, the downpour wouldn't fall on our tents. Fat chance! This story ends with me shaking each tent, waking our little explorers and instructing them to run to the bedroom with their sleeping bags. The moment I realised there was no alternative was when the sound of the rain got louder than Eva's snores in our tent! Frustrated? Maybe I was, but for the children it was just another new and fun experience which guaranteed an unforgettable end to the week for these boys aged 9-12 who are looked after by the Rock House (YWAM-BH).
Soaked tents
In partnership with the Living Stones Ranch, the Lighthouse Institute and dedicated volunteers, LAMALMA has agreed to run another 5 camps before July of this year. And the schedule is open… Bureaucratically, an important victory was registering the project with the public authorities. We are now duly registered as an NGO. Great victory! Now, for example, we can open an account to make transactions with the cash that we haven't YET received!...
In the summer, (the rainy season here), camps are not really recommended. And, in fact, the first camp of the year took place in March. Therefore, before this we were involved in planning a big evangelistic event which would take place in July in partnership with several churches and ministries who have journeyed with us. We are also very much involved with the deaconry and Sunday School for the young people in our church as well as being responsive to the needs and challenges that arise within the community.
Focusing in on challenges within the home, we are excited to tell you that Eva is going through a series of tests which seem to guarantee her a place in the artistic gymnastics team for the Minas Tennis Club, one of the biggest training centres in Brazil (!). This has meant that we have had to change her school hours. Now, Igor goes in the morning and Eva in the afternoon - a logistical nightmare! Especially when your car stops working and needs to spend a long (and expensive) stay in the garage! And all this while Michele is fighting serious inflammation in her shoulder which makes it impossible for her to move her left arm.
With treatment and physiotherapy over, life goes on and she is managing to flap her wings.
Hectic months but we are confident that 2017 will provide a good harvest and smiles among our children!!!
Romeu de Almeida
18/05/2017
A communal effort
The army fights in an open field, doing everything to beat its opponent. The fight drags on, to the same extent that its strength is running out. At this point, the enemy, which seems to be growing ever stronger and deadlier, is struck from different sides by allied troops, carrying our banner, heavily armed and riding with Spartan strength. The feeling of relief and provision recovered makes your arms lift its swords higher. This was more or less how we felt when, one sunny Saturday, we worked collectively to get permission to use a beautiful space to hold camps for underprivileged children. For me, the support that arrived that afternoon made the big task seem much smaller than it had appeared that morning. It was invigorating and, without exaggeration, such a blessing to see people willing to help out with a mission that is not ours, but God's. Working together, we managed to secure two camps in a very nice place for the children.
Camp
One of them took place on 19th-20th November, with adolescents from the Pedreira Prado Lopes area, who attend the Casa Rocha community centre, which is part of YWAM-BH. There had been two weeks when the rain had not stopped, but a window of sunshine opened up for that weekend - only for the rain to return in the following days! During that break, the young people dived into adventures that they had never imagined. With incredible jungle survival courses and open air workshop experiences, the Farol Project (Lighthouse Project) , led by Roberto Gomes, pushed the boys' confidence and determination to its limit - taking them from depending only on themselves to screaming "Pull me back, teacher!" as they hung swinging on a platform!!
Outdoor activities, hiking trails, conversations around the campfire, devotionals and prayer with the boys marked precious moments in the lives of all those present. For more pictures, click here .
At the end of the camp, the teenagers were asked a question: "What have you learned here that you will use for the rest of your life?". The response made the heart cry for joy when one of them said: "I need to choose my friendships better, as Jesus would do." Sense of mission accomplished and all glory goes to God.
We have many reasons to thank staff from the Rancho das Pedras Vivas (Living Stones Ranch), the Projeto Farol and Casa Rocha as well as those who gave their muscles and those who donated money and time to pray so that all this could happen. Thank you very much! And the journey continues!
Lamalma official registration
Another issue we are working on is in registering the project. We could say that we already have a board - but we haven't quite yet. A productive meeting was held in September, and people already involved and aware of how all this work is carried out discussed its regulation and were elected to draw up a framework for Lamalma Outdoor Adventures . The meeting was productive and dynamic, unlike Brazilian bureaucracy, which is costly and slows down any initiative that depends on stamps of approval. It is a swamp that we will have to go through. An adventure, but one that consists of tables and counters... Prayers very welcome!
Other projects
The Project LAMALMA has been our main endeavour, however, our journey has come upon the occasional opportunity to share strategies for evangelising children and teenagers, preaching and translating the Bible, as happened in July in Rio de Janeiro as part of the YWAM Children at Risk school. We are involved in several activities at our church, Adullam's Cave, as deacons, in the worship team, Sunday School, as well as in our link to the Projeto Reconstruir (Rebuild Project), giving weekly lessons in the area of sexual education and health for teenagers in the favela where the project is located.
Our family's monthly suport
We are very grateful to those who have supported us financially and with prayer. These resources have allowed us to remain full time in the call that we have received. It is good and essential that the Church of Christ is part of that. As we do not have a fixed income, there are many monthly personal financial challenges that we have faced. For next year, we do not have a network of supporters yet that would ensure we have enough to cover our monthly family budget (School for Igor and Eva: €370,00; bills: €120.00; household expenses and food: €260.00; car: €150.00; health insurance: €130). If you want to partner with our family - with as much or as little as you can -, we encourage you to pray about it, and if you feel that God has guided you in this way, please contact us. Get involved.
A Christmas centered in Jesus
There is a lot of talking about action and being in movement. But truly, like the apostle Pal said, if there were no love, we’d gain nothing. Let the love flourish in our hearts, especially in this period when we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. For this is the love that transforms, redeems and put us in motion. May we allow our future actions to be fruit of the contagious and irresistible love of Jesus. We wish you all a Christmas centered in Jesus and a 2017 full of grace and peace. God bless you!
Romeu de Almeida
17/12/2016
Water on the head
In June it doesn’t rain. Not in the central region of Minas Gerais. It hasn't rained when it was meant to rain, in the summer, why would it rain now? This explains my outrage with the downpour that fell one day before our camp right in the middle of Autumn (we are in the southern hemisphere). I kept checking the forecast every minute which continued to say the same thing -. rain, rain and more rain - and I kept putting off putting up the tents as the sky looked like it might clear. I didn't want to set the tents up inside. I wanted to see the children camp out in the cold open air with the sound of crickets and wake up to see the clouds on the mountains and listen to the birds. We decided to get the CECORE project children ready to ask them if they wanted to run the risk. Guess what they decided? In true Lamalma style, they unanimously voted for "Outside!". But I spent the night pleading with God to let the children have a unique experience.
I don't know if it was down to my prayers or if the forecast was wrong but not one drop of rain fell. Saturday was full of trails and adventure and Sunday provided a beautiful waterfall. "I've died and gone to heaven", "Best day of my life" were some of the comments overheard around the pool and while enjoying a BBQ with Guaraná. For more photos click here.
It wasn't an easy camp. Because of a clash of dates we didn't have any volunteers around to help. We were strained and we had to spend a bit too much time on operational matters which took us away from spending more quality time with the children. Yet, everything went well and we are sure that the memories will stay with these precious children for a long time. We are already working hard on planning a new camp and would appreciate your prayers and support in this. Much love!
Romeu and Michele
Romeu de Almeida
27/06/2016
Back on track
With legs in a V shape at a 90° angle to the rock face and hands correctly positioned on the rope that was holding them, the young people could no longer say anything – if not with their eyes or facial expressions - but rather overcame the butterflies in their stomach to enjoy the abseiling descent. This adventure was available to deaf teenagers and young people who attend YWAM Belo Horizonte's Casa Semear.
The weekend of the 2nd and 3rd April 2016 marked the start of a new phase in theLAMALMA project. Since we came back from Holland and Indonesia in the second half of last year, our prayers and efforts have been focussed on planning camps and developing a mobile logistical plan (for more details, click here). At the same time last year we started (in faith) to visit farms with the aim of purchasing a piece of land where we could develop a project. We didn't have a single penny - perhaps with the same feeling that Noah had when he built the ark without any sign of rain from the sky. But, knowing that everything would happen at the right time, we dived into the challenge of organising camps as if it was possible right now. This meant forging partnerships with various people during different stages of the process. And so, our church, Cave of Adullam, did a wonderful job of organising 16 people to use their muscles to work on a farm in exchange for us renting their incredible ranch located in the middle of a mountainous area. In other words, where we lacked cash, we paid in sweat! Always thinking of the missionary task. It's always touching to see the church involved in that which really matters, its call, its mission.
After putting all the logistics together, working out the availability of the farm, the group that we invited etc., details of what to take, raising financial resources to buy food, planning the programme, building partnerships with people who could volunteer to look after specific activities etc. It was like conducting an orchestra, but to be honest at the end it was God who orchestrated this fairly improbable symphony.
The result turned out better than we had requested. We were able to get a really cool area for the campfire safe enough away from the tents, and the following day we followed a challenging track that led us to a beautiful waterfall. With volunteers from a jungle survival project, we made the abseil carefully and safely, giving the young people experiences like the one told at the beginning of this text. Swimming pool, Word of God, good food (with a traditional Brazilian BBQ of course!) and, most importantly the young people and teenagers from Casa Semear who loved it, whose joy and affection we loved seeing and who all this work is for. A really special group. For more great pictures click here.
THE NEXT STEP
Due to the high number of volunteers who went to work on the farm, we earned the right to enjoy the ranch's installations for not just one weekend, but two! Our efforts now will be focussed on getting together enough money to buy food for the second group - almost certainly kids between the ages of 8 and 12 who come from an under-privileged area. It's an excellent opportunity to participate with us in this investment in people, who are what really matter. The amount isn't anything earth shattering - about R$700 Brazlian Reais per camp (US$250) - but the strength that comes from people contributing is essential. Join us in this adventure! Click here and get in touch with us.
MICHELE'S OPPORTUNITIES
In March, Michele was invited by her sister, Johanneke, to go to São Paulo to minister on the subject of Confronting Human Trafficking in the Discipleship Training School (DTS). It was also an opportunity to see the Jong family again, the first time visiting where they moved to at the beginning of last year. Michele is also volunteering in the Reconstruct Project, run by our church. The idea is that once a week she will hold meetings on the subject of health, her area of training.
THANKS
The start of this phase of the project included the launch of a promotional video produced by Jonathan de Jong, from the Design School at YWAM-Piratininga, in São Paulo. He managed to transmit the heart and soul of the project even though he'd only had a little time to record moments in one camp and take testimonies from people involved in coming up with the idea. We also need to thank the award-winning photographer Wagner Flores, who joined the LAMALMA team and adds a lot to the work, making memories eternal by capturing moments and smiles that will take your breath away.
Dear friends and family,
After five months of intensive training in Holland and Indonesia, we are back in Brazil. It was a time of renewal in our lives and we learnt a lot, witnessed miracles, overcame battles, lived through many highs, cried through lows and miss many things that we will forever hold dear. We were able to grow in many ways - as a family, spiritually, emotionally and ministerially. In this newsletter we would like to share with you what we are going to do from now going forward.
Even before we travelled to Holland, and after Indonesia, we already had a very strong sense that we would go back to our work with the camps and take them to another level. When we talk about "another level" we mean that it will be more structured and defined. Last year we started to establish kids camps on a mobile basis with LAMALMA.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We are ready to go with the next camp - we just need funds to buy the food. Please pray for this. We also haven't lost sight of the clear need to acquire space where we can move in, adapt, renovate and thus be able to bless an infinitely bigger number of children and teenagers. Join in with us!
May God bless you richly!
Romeu e Michele
Romeu de Almeida
05/04/2016
It was a success and we could continue in this way. However, this trip brought about an unshakeable conviction that finding a fixed place to develop a structure for this cause would be ideal. And this is what we are doing. We are prepared to move again to a place where this dream could come true. We have put together a written proposal, visited grounds and farms that are on sale, prayed about it and tried to listen to God's guidance. Pray, if it is He who is working in us to will it and to make it happen, then it will be done according to His perfect will. We do not have money, but we are workers called to the field, and there are doors that have to be opened by Him. We walk by faith. In the same way, we are visiting missionary projects based in rural areas in order to start making partnerships.
THE CHALLENGE OF RETURNING
Right from the day that we set our feet back in Belo Horizonte, we have felt intense challenges, both emotionally (me, Romeu) and physically (Michele), as well as the massive effort required to get the children back into the rhythm of Brazilian school (both had disrupted school years and it has been a particularly difficult struggle for Igor to catch up. After Eva's two experiences of strong culture shock, she needs special attention regarding her behaviour).
We travelled to Holland with Michele's nose wound, which was diagnosed as a type of skin cancer which needed to be removed as soon as possible, but would have to be done when we got back to Brazil due to the necessary monitoring post-surgery. The surgery took place and they needed to make a deep cut but the recuperation seems to be going well.
As you can see, in this paragraph there are a number of prayer points and we would be grateful if those who pray contemplated them.
DREAMING YES, BUT WITH EYES OPEN AND BUSY HANDS
We know what our calling is, what our priority is and we have planned steps to get closer to that vision. LAMALMA needs a fixed location so it can develop. This means moving from Phase 1 (mobile) to Phase 2 (permanent).
However, whilst we still don't (yet) have a place and resources to make the project grow, we have worked hard on other missionary projects that are having a major impact on peoples' lives and projects which have always been on our radar. Simple works which focus on people, God's focus. Whether it's carrying bricks to build a wall in the Reconstruct Project, or making flyers to advertise a hair removal course for women from Guaicurus Street (an area of prostitution in Belo).
Whether it's translating into Portuguese the workbooks used in Iraq to train young people and serve child victims of tragedies caused either by natural causes or human ones, or by supporting and organising marriage preparation for a woman who used to visit the infamous Guaicurus Street, rescued by Jesus and given a new life, thanks to the love of selfless missionary colleagues who head up the Rahab Project at YWAM-Belo. Below is a testimony from Michele, who was with this project one weekend in September:
“One very hot Saturday morning, we climbed the stairs with its sticky handrails and oppressive atmosphere. Lights flickered and girls were stood in front of small rooms, half-naked, waiting for their clients, watching us with interest. We went from door to door to invite them to a coffee that we would offer later that day. And based on relationships we already had, we were able to chat and make the invite. One woman in particular caught my eye. Carina* was dark and tall with a big smile. We started talking and I invited her to the coffee but she felt uncomfortable due to her lack of clothing and asked if we would wait while she put her underwear on. We carried on talking and she told us that she had got into prostitution when she was 11 years old because of abuses that she had suffered. For her it was an escape and now at 42 years old she couldn't get out of it, even though she had a good job, husband and two children (who didn't suspect what she did there). As Carina herself said, prostitution is a disease to the soul and is very difficult to be healed of. I asked her if I could pray for her and she accpeted. She got properly dressed (feeling shame from the Holy Spirit according to her), took her Bible out of her bag and prayed heartfelt prayers with me. I asked her if she wanted to come to church with me and she gave me her telephone number to arrange a place where I could pick her up the next day. We said goodbye and she went back to her 'job', promising to try to come to the coffee that afternoon to chat more. She didn't turn up but others did. We had lots of conversations, we cried, we laughed, we prayed and started to get to know these women. More than 60 women came to chat to us and we had a really nice afternoon where God was present and we were able to show his love and grace. The following morning, at the arranged time, I picked up my phone and called Carina. 'The number you have dialed has not been recognised'. I hung up, not believing that this was happening. I called again and again until the penny dropped and I realised that it was useless trying again and that the only thing I could do now was pray for her.
A lot of stories end like this, but not all. And this is where Giovana's* story comes in. Through these relationships she met God, a God who doesn't hold her sinful past against her, but in His great mercy and grace accepts us and gives us a new future with Him. And this is how, after a few months away from prostitution and after giving her life to Jesus, she met up with an old boyfriend and told him her story. He accepted her and asked her to marry him. 8th November 2015 was a day not to be forgotten. She got married in a beautiful ceremony. Everything that a bride dreams of was given to her, and when I say everything, I mean everything! Her make-up, the decorations, her nails, the dress, the cake, the hair, the photos and much more! We are really happy to see what God has done in Giovana's life, and we know that He isn't going to stop there. We continue to walk in obedience and with thankful hearts."
(* names changed to protect identity)
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Fresh news from Holland
NEED OR OPPORTUNITY
As opposed to in 2013 and 2014, since we went to Holland, and after to Indonesia, we have been back involved in full time missions. The Lord has provided for our family in an incredible way through dear friends, siblings and family. However, with respects to what we are hoping to do next year, we are far from having our basic needs met. It's our duty to say in the clearest possible way that we need financial support and prayer support. If you are looking for a way to participate in building the kingdom of God and don't know how to, pray about this and consider the opportunity of doing it together with us. It's been said before but it's worth remembering that mission is done by those whose feet go, those whose hands donate and those whose knees bow to pray.
Well, we won't send any more updates before the end of this year so we will take this opportunity to wish you a Christ centered Christmas full of grace. Thank you for reading this letter.
Best Wishes!
Romeu, Michele, Igor and Eva
Romeu de Almeida
23/11/2015
Dear friends and family,
A new and important stage in our lives began on 1st April when we arrived in Holland to do the Generation DTS course on the YWAM base in Heidebeek. It's a basic YWAM course run especially for families, with an impressive set up available to the students as well as staff who are really sensitive to the specific needs of families with children. If one word could sum up our arrival here it would be 'welcoming'. After those first precious days with family and friends, we moved to the base to start a week of adaptation, especially for the children. So with all settled and raring to go, we eagerly gathered pen and paper ready to begin.
Four kilometres seperate the place where we have classes from where we are living. Naturally, the journey is done on bike, being the local way, which for me is a daily testament to the miracle of spring gazing at woodlands in bloom and an explosion of life which surrounds us and envelopes us to the point of feeling that whilst we pedal we are being filled with the grace and power of our Creator.
Very inspirational. It's a feeling which I imagine can be compared to a foreigner sitting in the shade of a palm tree on the Brazilian northeast coast drinking coconut water and noticing the breeze on his skin whilst feeling the sand under his feet. Creation exhales God.
Idyllic comparisons aside, the work here is hard. For all of us, including the children, the timetable is busy, but for me specifically, reluctant and hesitant as I was to come, the story is very interesting. In the beginning I rationalised a lot, with the simple argument that not far away we would have the cash to pay for something this big. I thought about the future - especially the children, innocent in this whole story - and of my fear of losing perspective again, as happened before (yet – I’m stubborn and keep forgetting that – God has NEVER forsaken us). After rationalising, deep down I knew that I would be broken, that my fears and phobias would be surrendered as I know well that God, Perfect Love, casts out all fear. Our first weeks in Heidebeek were just that: getting to know a little more the character of the One who looks to have a perfect relationship with His creation. Therefore Michele and I are being really blessed in this time here. We still don't know what tomorrow will look like but we have peace knowing that now it is enough to seat at Heaven's door and listen to and breathe in God.
The classes that we are having are packed with interesting experiences outside of the four walls mostly regarding the practical two months that we will have in July and August. The team has been divided into two, as one will go to South Africa and ours to Indonesia. Perhaps it wasn't the most intelligent thing in the world to tell my mum this the same week that a Brazilian was executed there! But the truth is that the people are friendly and it is population with a high level of material and spiritual need. As part of this preparation, in the first week of May we went with the 'Indonesia' group to Enschede on the border with Germany to join in with an evangelism programme under the worldwide umbrella of Gateway. We spent five days there, meeting, discussing and evangelising in the streets.
PRAYER POINTS
We have some prayer needs to tell you and one of these is in respect to the children's adaptation. Igor and Eva are both going to school here and needed to adapt to a different routine and different content to that which they were used to. Igor found it easier as he has been around the Dutch language for longer than Eva. The lack of security in not being able to communicate brought some discomfort and stress to her and she started to wet the bed each night and even suffered with urinary incontinence during the day. The sensitivity of the base workers was really noted and they gave her lots of attention helping the problem to improve considerably. We ask for prayer, however, for this process to continue, so that shortly the change will be radical.
Another prayer point is the issue of our finances and the amount that we still need in order to honour our commitments here until the end of August. We know that the resources will come. After all, this is God's way with us, so we trust in Him and we count on the prayers of those who are in this adventure with us. For those who don't know the whole story, below this newsletter you can see previous news about our journey.
Finally, is a medical issue. Michele has a wound on her nose that won't heal and it appears, from her first visit to the doctors here in Holland, that we can rule out the first hypothesis of an infection by an opportunist bacteria. Most probably she will return to the doctor to maybe proceed with removing the tissue
to do a biopsy on it. We are asking you to pray that it disappearsat once and that we can get back to focussing on the school.
More news will follow with greater details on the school and our preparations for our trip to Indonesia. Big hugs to you all!
Romeu & Michele
Romeu de Almeida
23/05/2015
Dear friends and family,
At the end of 2012, after an enriching experience that lasted more than seven years, we left the work that we were involved in, at the New Destiny Activity Centre in Itabirito and returned to Belo Horizonte. For me and Romeu it was a very difficult transition. After all, everything that we knew how to do best, was involved in serving in missions and this is impregnanted in our DNA. Then we found jobs, me as an English teacher in a school very close to our new house, and Romeu in the Institute for Human Rights, also very close to our home. The children started their new school and time flew by!
Over these two years we've had quite a bit of time to think about the future, and one thing never left our hearts: the desire to return to serve in missions! From our experience in Itabirito we feel really at ease organising camps for children from vulnerable backgrounds and through our church, a great opportunity fell onto our lap. In May 2014 the childrens' coordinator for Project Rebuild, linked to The Cave of Adullam, our church, came to ask us if we would like to hold a camp for the project's children. For us it was as if heaven had opened!
Back to the newsletters
After lots of planning, prayer, faith, headache and team work we were able to buy 18 kits with
tents, mats and sleeping bags. That was all we needed to offer a relatively interesting camp!
Then, at the end of November we welcomed 12 twelve girls from the project to a church friend's
farm. The camp was an adventure complete with a storn in the early hours of the morning and flooded tents. Wild!!! At the beginning of December it was the boys' turn! The camps were fantastic! We had a great time with the pool, sun and rain, toasting marshmallows on a fire, having productive conversations, making links, playing games, holding barbecues, worshipping and sharing the word of God and lots of love! This experience made us sure of what we want to do! Serve God by serving children!.
These camps confirmed our missionary call once again and so we asked God for a miracle: that he would allow us to be reinstated in full-time missions, in the area that we understand to be our vocation. And God heard us. It is with great joy that we are now taking our next step! We have left our jobs (or better said, the jobs have left us), we've filled in all the forms, consulted our church leadership, booked our flights and on 1st April we will set off on our adventure: A Discipleship Training School (DTS) in YWAM focussed on the family at the Heidebeek base in Holland (interestingly the same base where my parents, Johan and Jeannette received their call to go to Brazil 35 years ago). It is a five month course, with the first three being spent in theoretical classes in Holland and the remaining two being practical application, probably in Southeast Asia.
Action against sexual exploitation and human trafficking
On Saturday I had the opportunity to be a part of YWAM Kickoff before the Brazil V Chile game near Mineirão. Through face painting, we shed light on the problem of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
The strategy we used to raise awareness on these issues was to push conversations on the topics of trafficking and exploitation whilst we were painting funny things on their faces. Through this I realised that many supported our cause but they didn't have the slightest idea what to do about it. Many didn't know how to report people or even the number to call to do that (#100), others blamed foreigners who are here for the World Cup or simply the government. But the truth is that a large part of the blame is on us! Brazil is our country and we should all be interested in what happens here!
We also had some answers about how to combat this problem. Denounce, raise awareness, educate and punish were some of them. But two responses that I had been waiting for all morning only came with the last two people that I asked: Stop the consumption and pray.
Every person who buys a pornographic magazine, looks at a pornographic website or pays for sexual services is encouraging and contributing to sexual exploitation. If the demand is reduced, the offer will also diminish! And this is in our hands, within our reach! When we understand the truth that people aren't - or shouldn't be - on sale, our eyes will be opened and our attitudes will change!
And prayer, my and your weapon that is effective against all evil! Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities in the heavenlies. We have a relational God who is always on our side. He is our biggest ally and the one who is most interested in ending evil. In prayer, we share victories, cry over losses, support each other, give support to those in the field, we connect with the creator of all and we receive strategies.
We pray that God converts the hearts of the traffickers, destroys consumption by opening the eyes of the consumers, protects and rescues the victims and restores families!
Today we have been able to paint the faces and speak to more than 500 people. I could see issues, but I could also see the body of Christ working together to bring joy to God's heart.
I returned home with a happy and satisfied heart.
Michele Lukasse
30/06/2014
A rich experience
I had the privilege of being one of the people involved in what is today probably the only adventure centre in Brazil for the exclusive and free use of needy children and teenagers. The New Destiny Adventure Centre - CAND (www.ndaventura.org) was opened in 2005, and for almost 8 years, I, with the help of my wife, Michele, participated in all areas of the project's work with a team of pioneer missionaries. We both learnt a lot there and had close, contact in a healthy environment with the children who visited the centre. In 2012 CAND began to focus more on becoming a Community Centre and continued to bless the lives of dozens of children from the local community enormously. During this time we realised that this wasn't our call and we returned to Belo Horizonte in December of the same year. Today, after a two year break, the waters appear to be flowing again resulting in an overseas adventure for us.
Romeu de Almeida
06/02/2015
Obviously this big life change brings with it many challenges. Our oldest child, Igor who is 7, is at an age where it is obligatory for him to be enrolled in school. Even though we have already got consent to take him out of the school system in Brazil and have enrolled him in school in Holland, there is the challenge of the Dutch langugae and we also need to make sure that he keeps his Portuguese for when he returns to Brazil. Eva, who is nearly 5, is also enrolled in the same school as Igor and will also need to get her head around Dutch.
Another worry is about how long we will be in Holland. The children and I have Dutch passports but Romeu doesn't and this means that he can only stay in the Schengen area (EU and other European signatory countries) for a maximum of 90 days. By our calculations we will be right at the limit of this! Another thing is that we will also be challenged with the language. The course will be taught in Dutch and English and although I know both languages and Romeu is fluent in English, it's not our first language and this makes us feel a little insecure.
However, without a doubt our biggest worry is finance! We will have the costs of the DTS itself, which despite the fact that we have been given a really good discount, will still cost more than we currently have. We also need to pay for travel insurance for the whole family and flights to and from Holland. The quotes we have are in dollars. And if we were now to look at the exchange for the Euro and especially that from the dollar, we almost enter into shock!!! :o
Even with these challenges, we know that the time is now. God is faithful and He is sending us. In this time we will be able to discover a little more of His plans for our lives.
And if you would like to be a part of this as well, we have some suggestions:
- You can pray for our family and our challenges. We believe that one of the pillars in missions is the prayers of others and the protection this brings from the Church. In this field, without spiritual covering, obtaining the material is practically impossible;
- You can help to share our newsletter with your personal contacts;
- You can also accept the request to become one of our supporters. This can be a monthly commitment or with occasional contributions. The course and work that we are going to do is full- time and on a voluntary basis, which doesn't leave us the option to work alongside it to help sustain ourselves. We believe that God, through people like you, will sustain us. Be assured that whatever amount is welcomed and God will do miracles wherever He is. to contribute.
We are really grateful to the Lord for having given us the opportunity to follow His call. Our upmost thanks go to our family, who have always instructed us and supported us in the ways of the Lord. To our Church, who have sent us out and supported us. To our friends, in whom we trust and have been completely supported.
In our last newsletter of December 2012, we finished with a passage which I would like to quote again here, taken from the book of Joshua Chapter 1: "Be strong and courageous: I will always be with you. I will never leave you." That is what we want today, for ourselves and for all of you.
A big hug,
Michele, Romeu, Igor and Eva
Michele Lukasse
24/03/2015