2019

Prosa na Praia 2019 - Recap

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Our annual Beach Project has come to a close. Another “Prosa na Praia 2019” is in the books!

It was a good one. So many people we hoped would come did, and so many others, also. We were hoping for 60, we had over 70! Young students, learning to not only walk in their faith, but to lead, also. Staff growing in capacity and leadership. And so many other students at the crossroads of belief.

The hustle and bustle is now over, but the work continues. Please labor in prayer with us for these students. January is summer break in Brazil, but we will continue to track and connect with students.

Part 1: Family Front - 2019

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Elam family pic 08-2019 (edit).jpg

(This update is going to be split into 2 parts, to help summarize and paint a picture of the past 6 months. This part is an update on the Family Front, the other in an update on the Ministry Front.)

We spent February, March and April in the search for a new residence on the other side of town, close to the UFMG campus and close to the majority of the team I am now leading. The total distance between the two neighborhoods isn’t even 10 miles. However, it is an average 45-minute commute each way due to traffic. So, while we were searching and negotiating those 3 months we lived the logistically-heavy reality of going back and forth to take Isaac to school, get to meetings, be on campus, etc - while juggling our one-car schedule.

In May, we moved into our rental house, right smack in the middle of where we wanted to be! It’s walking distance to the UFMG campus, close to ministry office space, and close to the majority of our staff team. It was great for a few weeks. Then, we noticed a mold problem in the kids’ rooms, and negotiated with the owners to replace the moldy closets. However, the first contractor started well, then lagged, then disappeared. That was hard on us, especially Tathiana and the kids as they were in the house most of the day and sleeping in other cluttered rooms with all their stuff. There is a possibility of getting some money back because we used a third party payment system, but we are not sure. We hired another contractor to finish and he did a great job. Finally, the two-week job took over two months to finish between the two contractors.

Isaac’s transition to his new Elementary school went very well. He is a shy boy, but now, well into the school year (which started in February), he is doing very well socially and learning to read and write in 1st Grade. Funny point: his best grades are in English!

In June, Sara started going to Pre-school at Isaac’s school a few days a week. She is enjoying it - and Tathiana is enjoying a few afternoons a week to concentrate on other commitments: discipleship with a student, our church’s children’s ministry, and meeting with team members as we hoped we would be able to in this side of town.

More to come concerning the Ministry Front!

Current Role 2018 + New Role 2019

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Resource Team 2018 - CO Belo Horizonte (L to R: Luca Diorrane, Marquise Piton, Fabiana Vidal, Jon Elam, Pedro Albuquerque)

Since January 2011, I have been charged with the role and responsibility of being the Resource Director for our CO Belo Horizonte team. I started as the sole administrative staff at that time, transitioning from 9 years of fruitful experience as a campus staff. Today, I am very happy to have several co-laborers with me on the Resource Team (photo above) and to be able to pass the reins to Pedro Albuquerque, a young leader ready to work and serve.

Therefore, 2019 will usher in some changes for the Elam family.

Leadership Team 2018 - CO Belo Horizonte (L to R: Melanie Rogers, Demps Dempsey, Jon Elam, Priscila Albuquerque)

By means of days of prayer over the past 6 months, conversations with our Leadership Team (see photo) and current circumstances, I will be stepping into a an Area Director role for our team next year. This is a role that will have a direct connection to the campus ministries at UFMG and to our campus staff in a leadership, strategic execution and shepherding role.

My new Area Director role will not only mean change for me, but change for the whole family. Our office is currently located at our hub-church building on one side of the Belo Horizonte metropolis, and we have lived within walking distance of the office for my entire tenure as Resource Director. We will be moving across the city to be close to the campus teams at UFMG and, also, to the majority of our staff who live close to the campus. In terms of distance it is not even 10 miles, but in terms of commute and traffic, that’s anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Therefore, we will be making the move!

Isaac will be starting a new school, stepping into First Grade. Tathiana will be moving away from close proximity to her sister Fabiana (also on our Resource Team) for the first time. Fabiana and her husband Diego are an integral part of our family circle here in Belo Horizonte; every week our kids have several touches with their “tia & tio”. This might be one of the hardest changes we face. Also, Sara will start a preschool once we get settled.

We have prayerfully and consciously accepted this new role as part of what God has called us to with Campus Outreach. We are both apprehensive and excited about the changes on the horizon. Overall we believe this a good fit for us as a family and for our contribution to the ministry and mission for the next years. We want to be part of what God uses to build laborers in his harvest field NOW and FOR THE FUTURE (Matthew 9:37-38).

Please pray with us for a few specific things in light of this new role in 2019:

  1. To find a new apartment that fits our needs of being close to staff & campus and a family of 4 with small children. An apartment’s size, location, layout, neighbors and noise are things that can ADD a lot of daily stress or CREATE a restful home life.
  2. For Isaac’s transition to a new school and new social context (see Tathiana’s last update for more on Isaac).
  3. For Jon to be able to transition well from a Resource role that is mainly task-oriented and execution to a role that is mainly management, shepherding and people-oriented.
  4. For Tathiana to rest in God’s plan and to engage with our team now that our kids are a bit older, she has more free-time and we will be living close in close proximity to most of our team.
  5. For Sara as she will begin a preschool program 3 days a week at the same school at which Isaac will enroll.