PNP2017 Recap

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Recap video of the PNP with English subtitles

For the last four years, we have organized a week-long beach project with students called Prosa na Praia (PNP). Full of fun, deep conversation and discussion groups, we try to create the same atmosphere of our monthly coffeehouse discussion event called Café com Prosa. We combine the beach, summer vacation, discussion and profoundly relevant issues into a package and add lots of fun!

Our Theme: Skepticism
University students are part of the “generation of skeptics”. But, what is skepticism? In general, skepticism is characterized by a posture that doubts or is untrusting of accepted concepts. Yet, one wonders, is it possible to be absolutely skeptical? The obvious answer is NO! It is not possible to be completely untrusting. The most skeptical person will trust in, at the very least, his or her own skepticism. Therefore, if on one side we have the skeptical generation, and, on the other, the fact that everyone trusts in something, we raise this question: “Skeptics, in what do you trust?” This was our theme for our last Café com Prosa discussion groups of 2016. During those discussion groups, we asked the “If everyone trusts in something, why not trust in God?”

Jesus in the Age of Skepticism
We decided to have a PNP theme that would continue with the same idea as “Skeptics”. Our aim was to present the same idea, yet through the perspective of Jesus himself. How would Jesus answer the above question? Would Jesus say that God is trustworthy?

In stark contrast to our skepticism, Jesus was a man of great convictions. He strongly affirmed absolutes concerning God, human beings and the origin of so much skepticism - sin. While we have doubts, Jesus has assurance. While we have a hard time trusting, Jesus trusted unwaveringly. Given these considerations, we asked the PNP participants to consider “Jesus in the age of skepticism”. Our aim for PNP 2017 was to survey the gospel by observing Jesus’ convictions about these four points: 1) God’s character, 2) Man’s problem, 3) God’s solution and 4) Man’s response.

It was a challenge unpackaging the gospel to students who were in such different points of their consideration of Jesus. Of those on the PNP, there were Christians, non-Christians open to talking about Jesus, non-Christians closed-off to the idea of Jesus and those who had never shared their opinions about spirituality with us. However, we were extremely encouraged to see the power of God before our own eyes: many left the PNP stating a desire to have a relationship with God.

Fun!
Beyond the amazing and deep conversations that took place, the PNP sought to deepen our community through shared experiences. To achieve that, we had many informal moments at the beach, pool, sports and especially through dividing up into teams and facing off in a multi-faceted competition. It was fun way to create intentional contact and camaraderie to get to know everyone even more. It became one of the most talked about memories of the PNP.

Equipping Leaders
One of the most exciting objectives of this year’s PNP brought was an opportunity for young Christians to lead and learn through being room leaders. Our aim was for them to be intentional with their time with others in their room and to lead the discussion groups. The hope was that this new experience would fuel in them a desire to multiply their lives. Our evaluation and the feedback we received was very positive. This was an important step in seeing God provide momentum toward laborers being raised up for His harvest field.

Partnership with the Local Church
This year we invited some young professionals from our local church to the PNP. Having them with us provided the students from the campus the opportunity to see and hear from other people in different phases of life. Also, it provided quality contact with the Body of Christ. Unexpected benefits of having church members with us were the support they provided by serving, prayer throughout the PNP and, also, via encouragement they gave us by being reminded of what God is doing through Campus Outreach.

Testimonies:
Below are two short testimonies of PNP participants.

PEDRO: a non-Christian student who has participated in our events and been involved in an investigative Bible-study. Pedro has been attending our church since returning to BH from the PNP. 

Through the PNP I had an opportunity to delve even deeper into my thoughts about Christianity and Jesus, and I still felt amazingly comfortable to share my ideas and doubts about it all. I believe that opportunities like these, in an environment where everyone is relaxed, should be valued because through such experiênces  we can build friendships, new understandings and grow personally and spiritually.

CRISTINA: a local church member that only recently came to have personal contact with our ministry. 

Participating in the PNP was an encouraging experience because it showed me a beautiful vision of the infinite love of Christ. Being there brought me an immense gratitude for the staff that live a calling to this love. I only recently joined our church, so I had never seen up-close the work of Campus Outreach. So, after seeing a glimpse of their lives, I see how what they do is only possible by being full of the Spirit and compelled by the love of God! It was obvious that they needed to depend on God in many moments, especially in their weaknesses. To wrap it all up, it was an amazing experience in which I could experience the love of Jesus and see an example how we can glorify God in our own lives.

Please Pray For:
* God to open the spiritual yes of students who heard the gospel at the PNP
* New Bible studies to help these students to repent and believe in Jesus.
* Wisdom and perseverance for our team as we lead these students.

Summer Project 2017: #pnp2017

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Our annual Summer Project (in Portuguese: Prosa na Praia) for 2017 is almost here! Our team will spend January 24-31 with a group of students and recent graduates. We are returning to Cabo Frio beach in the state of Rio de Janeiro for the third year.

For this year's edition we made a decision to invest in a better option for housing to facilitate a project that is attractive to students and, also, provides an environment conducive to building community and a shared experience for the students who will attend. Since most Brazilian universities do not have campus housing, time with students is always a challenge, and our Summer Project allows for us to create a unique experience that we rarely get throughout the year with students. Our project is 8 days and involves talks, discussion groups, bible studies and a leadership training option for room leaders. Our project has a more evangelistic scope, continuing with relationships built over the previous year, or even years! For that reason the “greenhouse” effect of relationships and gospel conversations makes this project a great tool for our ministry.

As a team, we made the decision to cover the ensuing deficit that we knew would be incurred with available funds and staff participation. However, an added challenge to the 2017 Project began in October of 2016. Our main campus focus, UFMG, had classes suspended because of a student occupation in protest of a change in Legislation to the Ministry of Education, that was followed by a professor strike. Both these events have severely limited our recruitment for lack of contact with students on campus, and we do not expect to reach the contractual minimum of spots at the hotel.

I ask for prayer for our Summer Project for the following requests:

  • For this project to facilitate a momentum for 2017 as we have been tracking with a number of students who are investigating Jesus.
  • For young and new Christians to grow in their knowledge and relationship with God.
  • For the financial challenges to be minimized by participation from students, graduates and others who are considering joining us.

If anyone would like to consider making a donation specifically to the Project or to help a student attend the Project, please follow this LINK to donate online through the Campus Outreach giving site, with the Brazilian Summer Project already selected. 

Sara is here!

Sara Isabel Elam, born Oct 26th, 2016

The fact that this is month late in announcing tells a lot about how the transition from 1 child to 2 has gone for mom and dad. But no matter how many non-quality-rest nights and how hectic running around a busy big city with two small ones gets, we are so very happy and excited to welcome the newest Elam baby to the world and to our craziness that we call life!

Sara Isabel Elam arrived at 8:07am on October 26th, healthy and quiet. She was 6 lbs, 2 oz (2.660 kg) and 18 in (46 cm). Mom and baby girl had a non-eventful stay at the hospital, and we all went home in a a few days.

Isaac is getting used to the idea of "Baby Sara" and is already asking to hold her and help when she cries. He's going to be a great big brother. 

At some point in 2017 we will likely make a trip to the US and then you all can see that she's the cutest baby ever. Until then, please pray for our little girl, her growth and health and for mom and dad to get some rest!

Isaac's Journey [ENGLISH]

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Para PORTUGUÊS clique AQUI

This has been a post that I've put off for a while, because I don't really know how to write it. It may come out like a journal entry - but here we go.

Isaac is our first-born; he's almost 4. This year he's had a bit of a journey, and has taken Tathiana and I along for the ride. It began when his pre-school, which we think is great, suggested that their school psychologist observe Isaac a bit. We agreed and she proceeded to spend several hours over the course of several weeks observing. Afterward, Tathiana and I sat down with her and proceeded to hear that it might be worth consulting with a clinical child psychologist because Isaac does present some signs of potential risk toward a learning disorder, or an even more severe issue like Autism or Asperger's. As you can imagine, that was not easy to hear. We knew he likes to be alone sometimes and is a bit rigid, but hearing from some professionals who seem to really have genuine desire for Isaac's best interests motivated us to seek some help.

We began weekly therapy with a very well-recommended child psychiatrist/psychologist who specializes in early intervention here in Belo Horizonte. We have enjoyed her interaction with Isaac, her interest in helping us find other means of intervention, her instruction to Tathiana and me in how to interact with Isaac, and her explanations to us in parent conferences about what she is observing. We feel very confident with her and in her desire to help Isaac develop.

These weekly sessions have been ongoing for 6 months now. There are good times and bad times for us as we wade through the haze of just what God is doing and how Isaac is developing as a little person. We have received some second opinions and, also, involved Isaac in complementary group sessions and speech therapy.

To sum it all up, if Isaac does present a learning disability or other issue, we are calmed by the fact that he has been responding well to therapy and the consensus is his signs are mild at most. Everyone has commented on how intelligent Isaac is, and how he is sensitive to others - so there no real concern for any lack of mental capacity. We have appreciated that the professionals aiding him have been hesitant to give an official diagnosis due to his young age and mild signs. We have decided to establish only 1 language at home, Portuguese, to help him gain some independence in his language skills in preparation for actual school (which he will start in Feb of 2017 per Brazilian law). Lastly, God has given us some unexpected opportunities for Isaac to interact with more children, and time away from our apartment to be free to run, play and even argue with other kids. He is still using diapers, so there's still some things to work through - even if in our own hearts.

This has all been an exhausting journey both emotionally and financially. But as any parent will say, we'll sacrifice anything for the good of our baby boy. We have made it this far with a positive perspective for our little boy and his future. Kids are resilient, parents not so much! These next 6 months will be interesting as we welcome another baby into our home, and as Isaac likely begins school. We appreciate any and all prayers now for the next season that awaits the Elam's in Brazil.

A Jornada do Isaac [PORTUGUÊS]

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For English click HERE

Este post demorou para sair, e, honestamente, é porque eu não sabia como escrevê-lo.

Nosso primogênito, Isaac, tem quase 4 anos. Este ano, ele embarcou em uma jornada, e eu e Tathiana pegamos carona junto com ele. Tudo começou quando a coordenadora do maternal de sua escolinha, que achamos ser um amor de pessoa e respeitamos sua opinião, sugeriu que a psicóloga da escola observasse o Isaac. Estando nós de acordo, a psicóloga passou a observo-lo na sua interação com outras crianças ao longo de algumas semanas. Passado esse período, eu e Tathiana nos encontramos com ela. Recebemos a opinião de que valeria a pena consultar com um profissional clínico especialista em crianças. Em sua opinião, Isaac apresentava alguns sinais de risco potencialmente ligados a um transtorno ou algo ainda como autismo ou Asperger. Como poderia imaginar, não foi nada fácil ouvir isso. Já havíamos percebido que Isaac gosta, às vezes, de ficar sozinho e que, para certos comportamentos, é um pouco rígido. Porém, ouvir tal orientação de profissionais que parecem ter um desejo genuíno pelo bem do Isaac, nos motivou a buscar ajuda para nosso filho.

Desde então, Isaac começou sessões de terapia semanais com uma psicóloga /psiquiatra recomendadíssima em Belo Horizonte, especialista em intervenção precoce. Temos apreciado sua interação com ele, seu interesse em nos ajudar a achar outros meios de auxílio e sua instrução para mim e Tathiana sobre como interagir com Isaac. Temos nos sentido muito confiantes a seu respeito e sobre seu desejo de ajudar o Isaac a se desenvolver.

Em resumo, se Isaac realmente tiver algum atraso de aprendizado ou qualquer outra questão mais severa, temos nos acalmado pelo fato de que ele tem respondido bem à terapia e de que o consenso profissional é que seus sinais são leves. Todos comentam sobre como Isaac é inteligente (o que ele realmente é!), e sobre a sensibilidade que ele tem aos outros. Portanto, não há preocupações maiores sobre sua capacidade mental. Estamos agradecidos pelo fato de que os profissionais que atendem Isaac hesitam em definir um diagnóstico devido à sua tão jovem idade e sinais leves. Decidimos estabelecer apenas o português como idioma em casa, a fim de auxiliá-lo a ganhar mais independência na fala em preparo para o começo das aulas em 2017. E, por fim, Deus tem provido oportunidades inesperadas para que isaac interaja com outras crianças e tenha tempo fora do ambiente fechado de um apartamento correndo, brincando e até brigando com outras crianças. Ele continua usando fralda, portanto ainda há algumas coisas a serem trabalhadas, mesmo que seja questões a serem trabalhadas em nossos próprios corações, como pais.

Esta jornada já nos trouxe um grande desgaste tanto emotivo quanto financeiro. Entretanto, como qualquer pai faria, sacrificaremos qualquer coisa para o bem do nosso filho amado. Chegamos até aqui com uma perspectiva positiva para Isaac e seu futuro. Essa meninada de hoje geralmente superam as coisas facilmente, já os pais... não muito! Estes próximos 6 meses serão no mínimo interessantes, porque receberemos nossa nova filha aqui em casa e porque Isaac iniciará um ritmo escolar mais intenso. Desde já, agradecemos a todos pelas orações, desde já, pela próxima etapa de vida dos Elam aqui no Brasil.

Leadership Team 2016

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A big change in my role this year has been participation in a newly formed Leadership Team for CO Belo Horizonte. It is a small group of veteran staff, each with an Area of Responsibility seeking to maintain and direct the Vision, to Shepherd our team and to be primarily Executive in our decisions. 

In July of this year (2016), our Director, Demps Dempsey, and his family began a 1 year Sabbatical. Leading up to this, there was much discussion about how to fill the leadership gap during his absence, but also in how to move towards sustainability in our Brazilian context looking towards the future. The idea of a specific leadership team collective, rather than a top-down single Director was discussed as something that might be an option for our reality. So this current Leadership Team is our first trial run. Then, when Demps returns, the goal is for him to be freed-up to focus on coaching, shepherding and vison-casting for the future and expansion with the Leadership team functioning to guide the grassroots ministry and infrastructure. 

So, this next year is sure to be the busiest ever, with retaining my Resource Director responsibilities, Leadership Team, participation in church leadership as an elder, and still leading myself and my family with a new baby arriving in October. It's a lot, but I am trying very hard to remember what the Lord said to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Please pray with me that I may have the same response as Paul did, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

My Dream Team

This is my team, my specialized squad within our greater CO Belo Horizonte team: Fabiana Vidal in the middle, and Pedro Albuquerque to the right. We are referred to as the Resource Team. We do a multitude of things, but our greatest goal is support the front-line campus staff and their ministry.

Five years ago I stepped into the role of Resource Director. It was a bit nebulous as to what I would do, but I knew that my temperament, gifts, habilites and commitment to the vision of Campus Outreach would serve me well in this administrative role. The idea of supporting the ministry and being a "RESOURCE" to our team and organization really excited me. I had lots of help from some people before me who paved some of the roads, lots of help around me from our church administrator in conjunction with other Resource Staff in the US and help alongside me from some of our staff who were serving dual roles on the campus and resource teams.

However, sadly, I grinded away for the first few years doing a lot on my own. I am a doer by nature; so, I did... and did a lot. But there was always more than I could handle, or projects that were beyond my ability to resolve. By God's grace, he began to work through my Director, Demps Dempsey, and others to help bring a team around me. Not just warm bodies, but a team! A team composed of people who are darn good at what they do and equally committed to the vision of "building laborers on the campus for lost world" here in Brazil.

Fabiana is my sister-in-law. We go way back. I've been Fabiana's friend, family, campus director, roommate and now Resource Director. She concentrates on Event Planning and Assisting our Director, Demps. Pedro is a privilege to have beside me. I met him as a high-schooler, saw him give his life to Christ, discipled him throughout college, walked with him during his dating relationship and recent marriage, recruited him, hired him to work with me and one day believe he take over my job as Resource Director.

I've wanted to write this post for a while, but, recently, I have been humbled by their work ethic and excellence in serving our team in their roles and gifting. I thank God for allowing me to lead them, and desire to be used to develop them for a life of impact in His harvest field.