David, hi!
I am back to Belo after 4 day-trip to Valadares and Jequitinhonha Valley. The trip was very pleasant. Pastor Geraldo is a great companion and friend. We visited two towns in the Valley; one is called ITAOBIM and the other ITINGA, which is better known as "the town of the widows whose husbands are alive". The men leave their homes to work in the South and some never come back. A very poor place where we visited some families (please see the pictures enclosed).
In Itinga there is a day care run by Christian volunteers which really touched my heart. The place is running down. When it rains they have to send the children home because the water gets inside. They need all sorts of things from school material to toys, mattress, beddings, kitchen apparatus, table cloth, white board. But the greatest need is to restore the roof and the floor as well as painting the walls.
In Itinga we also met Dona Maria, a lady whose husband died and left her with one son. Dona Maria is a church member. Her house is in a complete mess. She lacks everything. The house looks like it is going to fall over at any time. Sadness and sorrow is shown through her face.
There we also heard of a lady whose husband is in jail and left her with 6 children. We went to her house but she wasn’t in. They live in extreme poverty without any place to go. They lack basic things.
Itaobim, the other town, where the team is going to be based, Pastor Bras and his wife, Rita are our ESCALE contacts. They have been in the Valley for many years. Rita has a ministry to train ladies to saw and make clothes. They have a ministry which produces hundreds of clothes to give to the poor at Christmas. Last year they gave out more than 500 pieces of clothes. They collect pieces of cloth (textiles) from the factories in different towns and with it they make beautiful colorful clothes. We gave them the two sowing machines you brought last time as Pastor Geraldo agreed they need them much more than in Valadares. Pastor Bras has a team of volunteers to help to rebuilt houses and his team will join yours to try to restore the houses and the Day Care in Itinga. Pastors Bras is a grassroots pastor whom ESCALE helped to train and now has gathered other local pastors for the training, most of whom have planted new churches in the region.
Concerning things the team can collect and bring:
For the Day Care: children's clothes and shoes; school material for day care (white board pens, pencils, glitter, glue, rubber, brush and paints, scissors, sticker tapes, etc.), mattress, beddings, towels, toothbrush, trimmers, kitchen apparatus, pans, plates, cups, pressure pan; footballs, volleyballs, different sorts of children's games, coloring books, candy.
For Dona Maria: All sorts of things for home (kitchen equipment and apparatus, beddings, etc.).
For the lady with 6 children: All sorts of things for home as well as children’s clothes and shoes, toys, school material, school bags, etc.
For churches: Teaching material (pens, pencils, glitters, glue etc.).
Note: Please bring anything you feel would be useful for the churches, homes, and children. Please do thank CWCC both in Bristol and Kenosha for their generous giving, especially for helping all of you to come.
Hope this information is clear. Please do tell me if you have any doubt.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Please give our love to all,
In His wonderful name,
Nelson Salviano.
