Pray for Brazil on Sunday, February 13, 2011

Pray for Brazil on Sunday, February 13, 2011

Prayers for Brazil: Matthew
5:21-37

Lead us from the suffering of the
socio/economic injustice so prevalent in Brazil.

Lead us from the hypocrisy of
political promises only half fulfilled.

Lead us from empty words, rules
and regulations that are only forced on the poor who have no recourse, who
squalor in prisons while those criminals of the upper classes are never found
guilty.

Hear our prayer for equal school
systems for all children so that the poor will be prepared to compete in the
work world, removing them from the necessity of building their homes in slums
on inadequate land, where during the rainy season, mudslides cause loss of
lives and possessions of  those most in
need.

Hear our plea for a health system
that enables the poor to have the same excellence in treatment that the rich
have and be hospitalized with the same equipment, cleanliness and competent
care.

Pray with us that the judicial
and political system will be composed of dedicated people who will work for the
end of all types of injustices and most of all, will show the kind of love for
their people as was manifested in Christ. Amen

Mission Stewardship Moment from Brazil:

We, Marilene Sousa and Maria
Garcia, want to thank you for the opportunity so many donors gave us to make
our dream of becoming nurses a reality. Through Global Ministries giving,
our lives were transformed from cleaning women, living in a shanty town with
only 4 years of a grammar school education, to college graduates on January 23,
2011 from a university in Rio de
Janeiro. We now have a nursing degree and
are ready to serve our people in the profession we chose several years ago
when a Global Ministries missionary introduced us to the importance of health
education in a course she gave in our shanty town, a health training
course for community educators.

Her encouragement sent us on to
finish grammar school and then high school. Later with more of Global
Ministries donors, we were able to take a course enabling us to become nurses
assistants, all this time working in our shanty town family health clinic
administered by this missionary. But to go to college and become nurses was out
of our financial reach and then Global Ministries donations gave us another
chance. We are both grandmothers and are mostly responsible for the financial
welfare of our family. Today we are nurses with a more secure future but even
more, more and more determined to be the kind of professionals who consider
their work, God’s work to treat and educate our patients.

(Prayer
and Mission Moment written by Rev. Barb de Souza)

Global Ministries
International Partners in Brazil:

  • Instituto
    de Estudos de Religião, ISER     (Institute for Religions Studies) Involved in research and
    religious studies as they affect social/economic/racial/sexual policies.
    An ecumenical institution, which publishes books and articles about
    religion and religious issues, ISER is active in educational programs,
    such as health and sexuality, women’s programs, special school programs for
    adolescents and action for the betterment in all these categories.
  • Association of Community Health Educators (AECS)
    A non-profit (NGO) Association formed in 1996 by the Global Ministers
    Missionary, Barb de Souza, and students of the training course for
    Community Health Educators.  In 1999, the City Health Dept. of Rio de
    Janeiro, signed a contract (renewable every 2 years) for the financial
    support of the Family Health Program in the Shantytown of Canal do Anil
    where these women had been working as volunteers since the founding of the
    Association. The family health program promotes health education and basic
    health care in  economically poor areas.  The Association’s
    family health clinic at the present time, 2010, has 3 doctors, 3 nurses
    and 6 nurses’ assistants, 18 health educators, 1 dentist with 2
    assistants, and an administrative assistant..  The city has not
    yet approved financial support for the Association’s rehabilitation
    center, with the 2 physical therapists and a supervisor but it is still
    hoped that the value of this program as part of a basic health
    program, will be recognized in an area where there is no such treatment
    for lower income families. http://www:aecsprojetobrasil.com.br/  As of March of
    2010, the city decided to remove NGOs’ administration from many l of
    the  Family Health Clinic and thus now the clinic is being being
    administrated by a city appointed social organization and with the
    rent of the Association´s 3 buildings, the physical therapy program is
    being financed. The Association continues to administer and maintain
    a children’s program whose main objective is to keep the children
    away from the drugs and violence of shantytown living and the
    Association continues to maintain the training course for Community
    Health Educators, and the scholarship program for the health employes
    to finish high school or professional courses and even college.
  • Igreja Presbiteriana Unida do Brasil (United
    Presbyterian Church of Brazil)

For more info about Brazil, click
here: http://globalministries.org/lac/countries/brazil/

Global Ministries Missionary
in Brazil:

Rev. Barb de Souza is a
Global Ministries long-term volunteer with the Global Ministries and
the Brasilian Partner, ISER, Institute
of Relgious Studies,
serving as an advisor and teacher of popular education in the areas of
sexuality leading to women’s empowerment. She retired in 2002 after 16 years as
a health education missionary for Global Ministries and   became a
long term volunteer of the Global Minstries´ new international partner, the
Association of Community Health Educators. She is coordinator/director of the
Family Health Program, a city financed program in contract with the Association
of Community Educators which administers it in a 3 building clinic that
was built and is maintained by the Association. As of January of 2011, Barbara,
at age 80, really retiring and a new Board of Directors was formed, all
having worked with Barbara all these years, well preparing them to take over
the Associations projects as well as maintain vigilance over the 3 building
clinic and all the equipment which it contains. Barbara will remain on the
Board of Directors as Secretary, responsable for fund raising and translation
of the newsletters from Portgues to English.

Pray for Partners without
Global Ministries Mission Personnel: Paraguay

God, we lift up the different ministries of
the Disciples of Christ in Paraguay
and ask that you bless them. Amen

For more info about Paraguay, click here: http://globalministries.org/lac/countries/paraguay/