Thanks, Sam!

A huge thank you to Sam Petruc for thinking of all of us!  Your generosity made it possible to have TWO pizza parties (that's lunch AND dinner times two!) You are a blessing and we can't wait to see you again! (I'll send more pictures next week when we have the second one!)

Happy Birthday, Marciano!

Marciano turned 13 on Sunday and it was a joy to see his excitement as he opened his presents!  He is a precious young man with a beautiful smile and a gentle spirit.  He and his brother have been with us since the end of May and need your prayers for their future.  

Talent Show

New Shoes

Good tennis shoes are very expensive here so we were very blessed to find out that the First Friends team brought new shoes for each of the kids!  Kevin and Carol Nisly attend First Friends and Mike and I were their youth pastors when they were in high school.  When they heard about the team coming down, they told Levi Swegheimer that they wanted to help. Thank you for reaching out to our children here in Brazil! 

Puzzle Race

The puzzles the First Friends team brought down for us made for a great activity one afternoon when we were waiting for snack to be served!  Each group raced to put their hundred pieces together...and even though Pastor Chris and Janelle's team won and Pastor Stan, Chris, Levi, Donei, and Mikhail's team came in last--everyone had a blast! :) 

SAND VOLLEYBALL!

Huge thank you to the First Friends team for all their help with the sand for our new volleyball court!  After a few hours of some hard work moving sand, the team pulled out a new net they had brought and immediately started playing volleyball with the kids.  It has been a huge hit for the older kids, as well as the younger kids who are enjoying their new sandbox! :)

First Friends Youth In Turvo!

It was absolutely wonderful to have people from our church here with us and God used each one in a mighty way to bless the children, as well as the staff. They arrived with literally a ton of donations to enhance our ministry: clothes, medicines, computers, games, birthday presents, sports equipment...and of course, chocolate chips and peanut butter! They did a VBS program each morning, games in the afternoon, and another fun activity in the evening. In between, they showered our kids with the Father's agape love. One of the highlights of the week was a time of prayer and worship in English for us and Kristin.  One night, glow-in-the-dark soccer was a huge hit, followed by a bonfire with lots of s'mores and worship. We visited Entre Rios for a trip to the waterfall and to meet the children there. Please pray for God to use this trip to stir hearts of future missionaries!

SURPRISE!

Last Friday, we were all surprised to discover that Bella wasn't fat when she arrived...she was pregnant!  It has been a joy to watch mother and child together.  We still aren't totally for sure if the baby is a horse or a mule but love him just the same. :) Pray for continued health for all of our animals and that they will be a benefit to our ministry with the children.

Goodbye to Fabricio!

We had a hearing scheduled with the judge to talk about Fabricio's future on June 21st. Usually these meetings are just with Kevin, the social worker, and one of us but Fabricio's mother had travelled from her home in another state to plead for her son. After the judge heard the mother's story, she decided that Fabricio would leave with her immediately! It was a shock for us to have things move so quickly but we were excited that Fabricio would be rejoining his family after only being with us for such a short time. Please pray that the seeds that were planted here will take root and Jesus's amazing love will shine through his life.

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Bo and Bela

The trade has been made and we now have two horses and three less cows wandering around the farm.  They are both very gentle and don't like to run--perfect for teaching young children!  Bela (with Mike) is quite a bit smaller than Bo (with Ben) and will follow you all day if you have corn in your pocket.

Riding a horse can give a child a sense of independence that boosts confidence and self-esteem.  Many forms of equine therapy, however, do not involve getting on the horse at all.  Simply having a child groom, feed, and care for the horse can help establish an emotional connection.  Please pray that God will multiply these benefits in our kids.

Goodbye to Sam!

Sam just returned to the U.S. after another 6 months at Entre Rios.  He blessed us with several visits during his time there and we were thankful for the love he shared with all the kids, as well as his expertise around the house.  He finished our fireplace upstairs, built a covering for our pool filter, and started a sidewalk down to the soccer field.  We are looking forward to his return to Brazil next year.  Please pray for God's direction for Sam's future in ministry.

One More Addition!

We have one more addition to the Turvo family...a horse! One of our neighbors has offered to trade us two horses for three of our cows. The kids are so excited about being able to ride and we know it will be a wonderful experience for them to learn to care for a horse. We are interested in doing equine therapy and we are looking for any material or information you might have about the subject. If you know of anything, let us know. Thanks!

Josicleiton and Mayara

Late Friday night, Josecleiton (12) and his sister, Mayara (8) came to live with us. Their story is heartwrenching and we ask for your fervent prayers for the Holy Spirit to begin healing their emotional scars. Cleiton has severe abdominal issues and has been scheduled for a surgery on June 6th. Mayara cried herself to sleep the first few nights.  They both seem to be adjusting well and are basking in the hugs and individual attention they are receiving from our staff.

Marciel and Marciano

 

Marciel (15) and his brother, Marciano (12) arrived on Monday after being removed from their home.  Marciel had dropped out of school two years ago, and has been living on the streets. He shared with us that he can't hear out of his right ear, nor see very well with his right eye.  They are both absolutely delightful boys who have captured our hearts.  Please pray for their quick adjustment and that they feel safe and secure with us. Also, pray that we can quickly meet Marciel's medical needs.

Mother's Day, 2012

We had a beautiful Mother's Day celebration and are thankful to everyone who helped to make it such a special day.  Elle and Kristin helped the kids make cards and a video and Mike bought each of us flowers and prepared a delicious lunch and cake.  Our family celebrated the day before with our annual photo shoot and I loved it!  (I'm understanding now why my parents didn't have many pictures of us growing up! :0)  Thank you for praying for each of our families (Mike, Mary, Lindsay, Jenna, Ben/Jake, Amanda, Noah/Adriel, Elaine, Helisa, Hellen), as well as for each of the CLM children who are waiting for a new mom.