More Homes of Hope Needed!

I just got off the phone with Kay Charlotte. Normally, that’s not much of a headline, but today it was totally unexpected to get a call from her—see she’s in the middle of the Amazon rainforest in Brasil—not the place you usually make a phone call from. She’s visiting our partners at Youth With A Mission Porto Velho. She’s there for a week to teach in their Discipleship Training School and to meet with our Mission Adventures leaders there. (Shout out to Genim and Helaine!)

Kay Charlotte is in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. 

Kay Charlotte called to give me an update of the situation in Porto Velho. The 2014 rainy season has been devastating for the people who live along the Madeira river. Seasonal rains regularly cause the river to overflow its banks, so people build their homes on stilts. But this year’s flooding set records and has left many poor families homeless and destitute. The local government estimates that as many as 5,000 families have been affected. The Youth With A Mission property adjacent to the river has also received damage from flooding. The river side portion of the property is covered in slick mud. At least one building was completely flooded and has several feet of mud inside. In response to the crisis, the local YWAMers closed their primary school in order to take in 7 families who have lost everything. Please join with Kay Charlotte and I in praying for those that have lost their homes. 

YWAM Porto Velho has built several houses as part of our Homes of Hope initiative. Back in 2011, Kay Charlotte and I were able to visit a family who received one of these homes. But, as you can imagine, now more than ever, there is a desperate need for more Homes of Hope. Again, join us in prayer for strategies, resources, and teams to be able to provide housing for those who’ve been devastated by this disaster.