We spent a good part of the day Tuesday with the people who lost everything. Despite encountering a mob of police and people at the entrance of the favela (residents had rolled over two cars to block the entrance so the police could not go in for fear of eviction) we were able to easily walk through with our backpacks loaded with donations and supplies.

We cleaned out the water filters which were VERY dirty (goes to show you how “clean” the city tap water is!); Young girls from our team went from one little makeshift tent to another doing activities and crafts with the little kids; Another woman from our church had made two large blankets out of scraps of fabric and delivered them to those in need; Pete and I visited, listened, and made note of needs; Others from our team gathered small groups of kids and told bible stories and played games and, of course, people were evangelized.

We were slightly amused to find out that “someone” (most likely the sanitation department) was suspicious of the water filters ability to clean the water so they took samples, at least on two separate days, for analysis (funny how they never bothered to do that when the people were drinking filthy water before….!). But, guess what? The results came back as “very clean” water!! [Thank you Texas Baptist Men!]

Thank you for your prayers and your support which allows us to be here on the mission field.

Pete & Jodi

I love watching the children and youth of OHM grow up, discover their true potential, and emerge as leaders.  This summer, OHM will hire 2 of our high school graduates to be our summer camp directors!  Martin  has been a part of the OHM family since his elementary years, participating in summer camp and after-school programs. As a youth, Martin’s faith became very real to him, and he began serving as a student leader.  For the past 3 years, Martin has been a trusted mentor and friend to the children of OHM. Martin’s co-director this summer is  Oso.  A friend invited Oso to OHM three years ago.  Although we have only know Oso for a few years, he has proven himself to be a great role model, coach, tutor and worship leader.  Oso worships God exuberantly and encourages those around him to also connect with God! Please pray for these young men as they begin to prepare for their leadership role this summer and begin their college careers this Fall! – Wanda Ashworth, Director

…and challenging everyone by the truth that – WE ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING:

The youth of OHM are familiar with mission teams.  Many of them grew up in summer camps staffed by friendly folks from our partner churches.  Last Fall, we started looking at mission teams in a new way!  The youth from OHM wanted to bless our partner churches back.  Since they travel to us in the summer and work alongside our community to provide a safe haven for our children,  we decided to travel to them in the Fall and work alongside them in their communities.  In November, we visited our friends at Central Baptist Church in Daytona to help with their homeless ministry.  In December, we traveled to Jacksonville to work alongside our friends from Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church as they supported the Christmas Store from their new church start, The Well at Springfield. We are blessed to be a blessing, and the youth at OHM have learned this well!

And here are some specific ways you can pray for Open House and their ministry:

• PRAISE REPORT -  The graduation rate of Homestead has increased from 50% to 77%.  Thank God for all the community assets that have impacted our academic success!

• CAMP OASIS – Please pray for youth attending Spring Break – Camp Oasis!  We hope to take 20 – 25 youth away from our neighborhood during Spring Break.  Camp Oasis allows youth to focus on God for 3 days.  Camp Oasis has been a life-changing experience for many of our youth.  (You can sponsor a youth for $100)

• WE WORSHIP! – Pray for our Sunday night service that is reaching between 12 – 20 people each week.  OHM wants to minister to adults in our community too!

• ALIVE AGAIN – Pray that our 12-step recovery program will also reach adults in our neighborhood struggling with addiction issues!  Twenty-seven (27) youth are enrolled in this program – we would like to be a resource for parents, neighbors and family members as well.

• ZAMBIA WELL:  The children and youth of OHM have raised about $400 for a well in Zambia.  Pray that God will bless their nickels, dimes and quarters and connect us with matching donors.  The cost of a well is about $2,000.  Many children along the Zambezi river lose their lives to crocodiles while collecting water for their families.  Thank God that the young people of OHM have compassion for those children and want to do something to help!

• DREAMERS – Pray for all the young people who were carried across our borders as small children and now have no pathway to citizenship.  Pray for compassionate immigration reform.

• FARAWAY FRIENDS – Pray for the students who have moved away from our area and our programming.  Pray that God will plant them in another family of faith!

If you are interested in doing more with Open House:

1. Sign-up for their newsletter » Subscribe Here
2. Mark your calendar & consider joining UBC for our week long summer camp at Open House, June 18th-22nd » Email missions@ubcmiami.org for more information

In 2011-UBC showed up like never before all across this city

Together …all ages, all abilities, all colors, all nationalities — you rolled up your sleeves, got out there and showed the love of Christ. With  hundreds of hours and thousands of tithed dollars you painted and landscaped two neighborhood houses and a public school in Coconut Grove, you built two houses in Liberty city and a missionary’s house in Nicaragua, you fixed 300 chairs, painted and decorated 10 rooms in a women’s recovery facility and decorated 12 more rooms in an orphanage, you built fences and picnic tables,  hosted inner city family fun days with hot dogs, bounce house, arts and crafts–you spread the dirt, laid the lumber, built and and planted four neighborhood raised gardens, repaired a huge roof, painted the exterior of three buildings, hosted bible study every Monday, all year without fail, at the South Florida Jail and gave every inmate who listened – a bible,  you donated tools, computers, hundreds of pounds of shoes clothing, and furniture, you bought three cars for families in desperate need, fed hundreds of people through our neighborhood food pantry, we collected 35,000 lbs of food for distribution all over this City, prepared over 100 meals for delivery for Thanksgiving in Miami and hundreds more under our roof, in Overtown we provided full stockings for dozens of children and hundreds of Christmas presents for the neighborhood, worked with a school for disabled children where our children played with theirs and wheelchairs and deafness did not set the limit on fun, we sent 30 kids to camp would have otherwise never been able to go, we landscaped and beautified a teen orphanage, at a Medicaid assisted living facility our youth burst into spontaneous carols and hugged the elderly while their parents pressure cleaned patios, planted landscape – a place where no church had ever done before, We supported after school literacy programs and hosted week long  camps in the poorest zip codes of Miami, we gave hope to UBC families who were hit very hard in these trying times, many of who recovered and continue to give back.

You supported seven 7 international full time UBC missionaries in Ecuador, Brazil, the Bahamas, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan. You built a church in Haiti that was an answer to a decade of prayer from the village. You sent three who have been set aside by Christ to seminary, 104 planned and executed worldwide missions, we trained pastors in Cuba, taught VBC in the Dominican, sent families to serve families and youth to serve youth in Nicaragua, in the favelas of Brazil we  handed out water filters, administered church, taught daily bible camp. You sent three teams to Bahamas to finish a missions house for dozens of teams to come. They built showers, installed electric, built 20 bunk beds and the raised beds on the farm to finish what will be the largest feeding program the island of Grand Bahama has ever seen.  You gave the Christ story to hundreds who listened for the first time in our city and beyond, you prayed with those who had no hope each week.

This takes time, this takes talent, this takes treasure.

It’s called BENEVOLENCE.
Its’ called doing unto others as you would want done unto you.
It’s called UBC

Many of you have seen the above video about the agricultural project UBC is working on in the Bahamas with our partner, Karazim ministry. We have an awesome update for you. Our family missions team which traveled to Grand Bahama Island  in December was able to witness the FIRST vegetables picked from the farm [see photo below].

A group of teens will be going to the Bahamas in March and we have space available on an adult team in June to the Bahamas. For more information email missions@ubcmiami.org

Dear prayer partners,
We want to thank everyone for the great responses we have received about the fire in Favela Moinho in Sao Paulo. Many of the favela people have lost everything and have been displaced. Fortunately the city and some individuals have stepped in and are helping in whatever ways they can. We have been filling in where the others cannot with water filters, donations, clothing, food, diapers, blankets, shampoo, laundry detergent etc.
We are grateful for your prayers and for your financial help for these people. This letter is to let everyone know that, as of right now, we have sufficient funds to help where needed in this situation. If the Lord is still placing on your hearts to give to the ministry please feel free to do so and we will use the funds where they are most needed in the work. **Note: we now have an option on our website for PayPal donations.

We covet your prayers and are so blessed to be a part of the family of God with you!

Pete & Jodi Brennan
www.feedmysheepbrazil.com

Update:
a
New Year’s Day the city imploded the abandoned building at the center of the favela- partially. The idea was to completely tear it down as it was a huge safety hazard for everyone. Calculations must’ve been off as only part of the building collapsed.

Where the fire was stopped the huts were half way burnt. Some residents continue to make repairs to their huts. Those who lost their homes are struggling on the streets waiting to see what the city’s plans are for their future. Rain has been a BIG obstacle in keeping their things dry. As far as food and basic clothing goes they are okay at the present time. When we were there two days ago one of the leaders was telling me that, of the things most needed, pans for cooking, undergarments, feminine hygiene items, eating utensils, and very basic school supplies (for classes starting very soon) were most needed. We are attempting to go after some of these items. With every visit back to the favela we are encouraged to see or hear about families with whom we had relationships with knowing that they are okay, at least for the moment, in the sense that they are grateful for their lives.

Thank You so much for your prayers!
Pete & Jodi

In case you didn’t get the chance to see this video at Christmas, here are our partners – Open Hearts Ministry in Managua wishing UBC a Merry Christmas!