Project at the dump in Brasilia, Sept.22, 2007

Here is the front of the church which was our "headquarters" for the local Project at the dump in Brasilia. Once again, I need to get more pictures of the neighborhood and of the actual dump. I was told I could get them off the Asas website, but I haven't been able to do that yet. I'll be sure to post them once I get them! Anyway, we were a little worried because the city decided to do a project of their own on the very same day in the same neighborhood. The city was offering legal services, medical attention, vaccinations, and fun things like trampolines for the kids to play on. But God showed us that He had plans for us that day and the city's plans did not hinder it.

There was no room at the church to have a children's program, but we were able to use a daycare that was just a few blocks away. The actual building had just one room and was very hot in the afternoon, but the yard was huge and had two wonderful trees that gave us lots of shade. We had about 75 kids come to the children's program in the morning and 85 in the afternoon. We sang songs, had a magic show (with Biblical applications!), and then divided up into small groups to hear God's plan for humanity. We also used the bracelets with the colors of the wordless book in the small groups.

I was busy telling the story, so I didn't get a picture of the tool we use to teach children God's plan for humanity. It is a white erase board divided into 4 sections. Each section is partially completed and as you tell the story, you complete the section by drawing designs, people, etc. The first section is about heaven. The second is about creation and how sin entered the world. The third section is about Jesus paying the price for our sins. And the fourth section is about the Book of Life and our decision to have Jesus in our heart or outside of our heart. I'll get a picture of it and post it later. We used a slightly different approach for the older kids (9-12 yr olds) that uses paint and poster board instead of the markers and the white erase board.