DAY FOUR: CAMPINAS!

There is a lot of construction work to be done at the Campinas favela ministry center! Holes to dig, stakes to place, cement to mix and pour, walls to build, bricks to lay...and much much more!
Some of the kids were out at school, but when they did see us they came running over screaming "oi Tia/Tio!" They all wanted to help us out, so there were some grabbing bricks to help build the walls, some shoveling dirt, others working with huge pliers to cut different lengths of wire..they were all so eager and excited to have us there to help them!
In the spirit of construction, it was funny to see that one of the neighbors even took our example and basically rebuilt his entire home.
In the afternoon we taught the older kids to weave bracelets and decorative key chains in the hopes that not only would they love to wear them but also that they would be able to use it as a trade in order to keep them from falling into the business of prostitution or drug dealing with is soooo common amongst even the small ones!
It was painful to watch as girls as young as eleven and twelve walked around in short skirts, their faces covered in make up by their mothers, like advertisements to the men. It made you want to just hug them forever to protect them from what they could become. To hide them from eager eyes and just take them into the shelter of genuine love. But all we could do was try and show them what real love felt like and explain to them that in the eyes of Jesus they were worth so much more!