A Reason For Hope

Thank you! Before we bring you any news we first and foremost want to thank all of you for your faithful support. We have been on this ride for ten years and some of you have been there since the very beginning and we are incredibly grateful for all the ways you have blessed us, in prayer, financial support, meals when in Canada and just knowing we are not alone!             2012                            TEN YEARS IN BRAZIL!              2022      A Reason For Hope   For those of you who watched our documentary “Always Forward-A Love Story’ you will remember one of the women who spoke about their lack of choices and tearfully explained that they are not on the streets because they want to be but out of necessity.    (If you haven’t seen our documentary you can watch an identity-protected version below)   She has been married to a man for eight years who didn’t know how she was helping their family make ends meet since he was unable to find work. We had explained to her over the years that her husband would one day discover what she had been doing in secret to sustain their family.   That day came a number of months ago. At first, he was understandably angry and hurt and left her.  But, incredibly he has returned and told her he will do whatever he has to so she never has to return to that life.   They are now expecting a baby in February.   Recently, she came to Hope Center with her husband, children, and aunt in tow.  She wanted to show them the house that gave her peace in some of her darkest days.     As we sat and visited and ate some coffee cake and she said to her family, ‘Do you feel it?  Do you feel the peace that lives in this house?’ They all agreed. 'Every time I came here, I felt the presence of God.'   There are days when we wonder if what we are doing is making any difference or if our hope is just too big for their realities.    Some days we open the house and one woman will come.     Some days we wonder-is the expense of renting this house is too much in relation to how many women we are serving.   We are human-and we have days full of doubt.   And then we have days like that and we realize that it isn’t just that one woman-it’s her kids, her extended family, and the generations after her that will hopefully know a loving God who meets them right where they are, in the darkest of dark places where they felt invisible and despised by society.   So we continue to love them where they are, to meet them in those places, and trust that He knows the whole plan.   We won’t always get to see what happened to them like we did that day.  In fact, there are many women we used to see daily who are no longer on the streets.  We don’t know if they have moved on to another area of the city or if they have left that life.  But we keep praying for them and seeking out the ones that are still there in that dark place.     Join Our Team-Donate Here Coffee Start Up Starting a business is a lot of work.  Starting a business in Brazil adds a whole other layer of bureaucracy. But we have started the process!   Here are the highlights of what we have done so far: We identified a coffee producers association led by women for women in Minas Gerais   In June we travelled to visit some of the producers and coffee farms to see how they produce, how their workers are treated and understand more about the coffee production process   We had several  meetings with our marketing team and they have created a brand for our coffee that we love!   We have chosen our coffee supplier.   We are working on the logistics of packaging and shipping and all the costs involved.   We are investigating the possibility of exporting to Canada.   It is a labor of love and we are taking tiny steps towards what we hope will one day be a great source of funds and employment here.   Stay tuned! Quieter Streets   The street we have been walking for the past five years has changed.  In those early days, we would encounter up to 30 women or more in a day. Some days we see as few as two.   In some cases, there are women we used to see and don’t know where life has taken them.  But others we have been able to walk alongside and have been able to witness as their lives have made slow changes until they are no longer working on the streets. We continue to walk with these women, as support and encouragement. Currently we know of at least eight women who have made or are making the transition off the streets. One of those women said as she sat at Hope Center with us last week, “you know, I drove down that street today and thought why did I work there?” Her life is changing and we will bring you more news of that in our next update. Once a week we are bringing a hot meal to the streets and also to the house for anyone who wants to take a break. We often found in the past that when we came to the streets to pray they were asking for prayer to at least make enough money to buy food.  This is a tangible way we can help fill an immediate need. Another day of the week we open Hope Center for our free store, a snack and an opportunity to receive prayer.   We continue to bring the good news to the women we love and that Jesus loves so dearly. New Area As we mentioned, the street where we started has fewer and fewer women. We will not stop going to that area. But as we have prayed we feel that familiar nudge to start something new. There is an area in the downtown of João Pessoa where many women work. There are also 'bars' that function as brothels surrounding that area. As we prayed for direction, we felt that it was time to start to prepare spiritually to go into that area. We have started walking the area and praying over it in preparation for the day we feel released to start reaching out to these women. This area is known for being even 'darker' than where we currently work. In the brothels the women have pimps and madams-there could be more resistance to our presence than we have previously encountered.  Will you join us in prayer for this new place? Pray for favour, pray for soft hearts ready to hear the gospel, pray for open doors that the light might enter into those dark places. Once again we are terricited for this new step!   The Snell Kids Many have asked, "So, is Luke coming back to Canada? What are your kids plans?" Luke and Faith ready for Supercon-Faith wearing a costume she made herself (without any formal instruction!) In September, Luke turned 18 and due to several factors, he is still working towards finishing his high school diploma. His plan was to head back to Canada for University once he finished but that has changed recently. When he is finished his high school diploma, Luke plans to seek a degree in psychology but ultimately working towards being accepted on the police force. He has a heart to contribute to society and to do something with his life that helps and makes a difference in the lives of others. Faith is still working through high school and focusing on her love of creating. She hopes to study fashion and design in Canada when she is ready for that next step. Please keep our kids in your prayers as they navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood. This transition is challenging for anyone but there is another layer when you are a 'third culture kid'.