Crianca Feliz/Happy Child Ministry in Brazil

Praise God for His love that goes on forever and ever to all generations, blooming like flowers all over the earth! An early morning devotional with the children in Casa De Irmaus (House of the Brothers and Sisters) with Crianca Feliz/ Happy Child Ministry Brazil, is a special time to spend as a new family. I have loved teaching the children new songs and stories.

Very, very busy this past two weeks with Crianca Feliz...This ministry is a restoring ministry with 8 houses of refuge and emergency love for children coming from horrific home environments, many right from the streets here in Belo Horizonte. These are actual pictures of real live darlings who have been literally scooped up RIGHT fresh out of extremely scary, life threatening, and some deeply demonic situations. Please continue on with me, praying in the spirit as you read.

Praise God for Crianca Feliz for their functioning ministry homes, complete with devotionals in the morning, activities in the day, and prayers before breakfast, lunch (albolce...HUGE dinners really), and dinner, not to mention chores, help in the kitchen, and good ol´fashioned rules for the family.

This newest home where I have been spending my days helping to jumpstart, has just opened at the beginning of the month so everything is brand new; the staff, the children, the chef, the actual house, and, that means the entire routine (as well as starting it) too. Thus: the task to implement. Since it only has been operating since two weeks before I came on to help innovate an expressive/creative arts and Bible study curricula there, it feels even more like a little family personally to me!

A good thing takes a good team to start. Here are some of the workers and intercessors responsible for birthing the newest house for the brothers and sisters in same families finding refuge from the hardships together, and not split up during this crucial time in their lives.

The man in the middle of this picture is the pai (dad) Pastor/Director of Crianca Feliz- Brazil, and just blesses me with his child-like zeal for the Lord! He is perfect in his position here, and I adore him. Please pray for more, more, more in the Holy Spirit flowing like living waters over him. His name is Amore! What a beautiful and fitting name! This means LOVE.

Here is the immediate staff of the house: Sula, Sam (my English translator from England), Allessandra, and Cesár. The only one not here is Mapé, who was gone that day.

God is not crazy, Amen? He never ceases to amaze me wherever I find myself with Him. Christelle, the children always love my birthday pearl from you...I hide a sparkling heart of Jesus inside and they all are after it around my neck...ALL THE TIME! (hahahahaa)

My cutie tutie house: Republica Masculina, behind the main office of Crianca Feliz. So pretty right? I have been staying here for these first 2 weeks, not in the Casa De Meninas (the girls home) because I have been more urgently needed in the newest home (Casa de Irmaús), which I transport to in the mornings.

Nubia, Warrly, and Paulo.

My view from outside: Belo Horizonte.

This is a community home where all the kids from the streets and favela situations that have been rescued through this program... the ones who have been a part of Crianca Feliz ministry for more than three to five years... live. These are older kids getting ready to live on their own. It has been a great time to hang out with them and share language. They crack up at me and my broken Portuguese, as well as my joy; God is so good. We have had some very beautiful moments together. Nubia is the only girl in the house; she is 21 and dear to me.

My time in Casa de Irmaús has been sweet. We have already finished three projects and I will be leaving them with about a month´s worth more for their own use with the children.

Beautiful to me! How did I get so blessed to get to love them so? How could they have come from somewhere without any love at all, Jesus? Just look at them! Precious! Made perfect for a Dad like You.

(Allessandra, Sula, and me in the downstairs "furnace room" just before our power prayer hour together for the house and workers.)

We have also started a power prayer hour there for the staff who have (some) just started in a work like this. The first day we prayed together the coordinator was literally caught in Daddy´s arms! These times have been fun together to encourage one another and lift up the 15 children living in the home. If we think power prayer hours are important before going out into the ministry feilds for Paradise Found The Streets team where we are only doing the hardcore ministry for three hours in San Francisco, CA, then how much more important for this small ministry home full of little cuties that have just been all ripped up by their original home situations now placed in our care?!

This is a picture of Irlane, the coordinator of Casa de Irmaus. God bless this precious one, who is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Sam is my translator here. He is out of this world, and the children love him. Please keep him in your prayers fro strength and energy for these cuties, as I am going to be working in the other homes now (all 6 more) also helping to bring in the expressive and creative arts through Biblical and social and behavioral principles. I see this brother as such a servant and man of God! He translated the Paradise Found The Streets ministry model into Portuguese for me and is absolutely precious. He has just started working with the children in this type of environment and I am so proud of him. One of my days at work, a mother of one of the groups of brothers and sisters came over to visit. She brought them all video games. I asked her if I could take her picture with her kids, and she smiled and said yes. I know the children are a bit uncomfortable when they see their birth parents because they know that everything is all screwed up at this time, but Happy Child mission really tries to help reunite families as well as treat the problems through accurate therapy sessions, temporary (sometimes long term) home placements, and the powerful Christian emphasis.

Here is Fabia (the one pointing to the KING OF KINGS). She is one from this family who has given her life to the Lord while I have been staying in the home during the days with the children. I have bonded with her, and held her in my arms a bunch of times as she has cried. She is a truly set free life bomb for Jesus; I love her!

Sweet, sweet love.
An amazing missionary, overseer of Happy Child, UK, and now dear friend of mine, Carolina had a sit with me while she visited the homes here in Brazil for a week; we talked 'garlic' together very intimately at first, and then.....YIKES! Everybody piled in!

Ericke and me. This little one has stolen my heart forever! Severely emotionally disturbed, but a priceless jewel in the Father´s crown. Please pray for him as he needs peace in his heart so tremendously. Getting him to smile is rare, as he is always so preoccupied in his mind and needs so much physical touch.
From me and all the Brasillian cuties loved by Crianca Feliz to you: Jesus Te amo!

God is sending angels this very moment concerning all His loved ones across the earth. He is nourishing us with good things to eat right from His Holy Spirit, He is being greatest of all providers, and He is loving to spoil us with surprises!

If you can, beloved, please spend some time in the end of Mark this week (just a few scriptures) and get back to that POWERFUL reality that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is alive and actually working WITH you to perform great and mighty deeds in him as you dwell on this earth. He is always with us! Mark 16:9-20...He only asks for Peter style faith as we move along.

I love each of you and will write up some more with some more photos soon. Please pray for me that the schedule for me will be supernaturally easy here, as well as all of my new relations with the children in different homes. I had to say a very uncomfortable goodbye yesterday to the children at beloved Casa De Irmaús becuase I will now be moving into the next home for a week to bring in the creative arts expression curricula. This will be how things go the rest of my stay here, a different house each week, as well as work in Contagem, a different city. I like it this way, but ask for strength from on high to move accordingly with Papa in every single move.

Thanks and miss you all tons. Send big hugs!

Oh! If anyone had it on their heart to donate financially, please get in touch with me via email and I will connect you to my mama, or address here . Those in San Francisco can talk to Megan Patry with Paradise Found The Streets ministry. Thanks so much and God bless you!

I am praying for you and with you always. LOVE!

Yours in Christ,

Jeanne Gergis