In August of 2008, Mac Lawton, Patty Lawton, Brandon O’Shields, and Owen Robertson traveled to Campinas, Brazil, to explore the possibilities of EFBC partnering with Hope Unlimited. After witnessing the kingdom work that Hope is doing with children who are deemed by the courts to be in mortal danger, Easley First Baptist has entered a three-year partnership with Hope Unlimited.

 The partnership will take the following initial format:

1. Send 200+ Christmas Shoeboxes to the children of Hope

2. Sunday School Classes or other small groups adopt a group house

This would include providing for birthday celebrations, occasional household outings, and monthly toiletry and school supplies. A house consists of 16 boys or 8 girls.

3. conduct a one-week Discipleship & Arts (or Sports) camp in Summer 2009

This would include renting a facility for the camp, food for the campers and staff, transporting the campers to the camp site, and any special equipment needed for the camp. EFBC Mission Volunteers would be limited to 10-15 people.

You can access more information about the children of Hope and the work that Hope Unlimited is doing by going to: www.hopeunlimited.org.

Brazil Journal

August 21 – Day 2

At age three, Joseph’s mother gave him to the local witchdoctor. He was kept in a small closet and was let out on two occasions: to ingest the blood of sacrificial animals and to be bled for his pure blood. Joseph was used as a conduit. He wasn’t given an education. He wasn’t given love. He was used as a thing. He lived a life without hope – until a neighbor finally reported the moans and screams.

The authorities took Joseph out of the darkness and brought him to Hope. His mother had no concept that what she had done to Joseph was wrong – it simply was the way things were. It’s what had been done to her by her parents. It’s what had been done to her parents by her grandparents. It brought her an elevated status in the community.

Joseph’s older brother came to take his brother back home – back to the suffering. But when he witnessed Hope, when he saw the love and education and hope that young Joseph was given, he only had one question: “Why wasn’t there someone to hear my cries and intervene on my behalf?”

As we stood around Joseph’s bed, my mind raced with the connections of Joseph to Joseph.  Both were abused and mistreated by family. Both were sold into slavery. Neither escaped the notice of God. One brought hope to future generations. Our prayers were that this Joseph would do the same. We prayed that what some intended for harm, God would use for good – to bring blessing and hope. We stood with our hands on Joseph’s bed, on his pillow, under his sheets.  We prayed that God would hold Joseph in the dark; that the bed sheets would be the very arms and presence of God wrapped lovingly around young Joseph to still the nightmares and bring restful, peaceful sleep. We prayed for good dreams.

We prayed at each bed in the house, calling each boy by name – sixteen in this house. We prayed for the house parent and his family. Each bed had a name. Each bed had a face. Each bed had a story. And each one of them gave Hope.

If there’s one thing that I would have changed about our trip to Hope Unlimited in Campinas, Brazil, we would have prayed around 207 beds – not just 16.

This past Monday morning, we started a men’s Bible Study on the book of James – one of the shortest, most challenging books in the Bible. Chapter 1 ends with these words: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

One of the beds in the picture below belongs to Joseph. You can’t tell which one. It looks like an ordinary bed – until you kneel down and call his name in prayer.

I hope that you’ll have the opportunity to do just that.