With the blessing of the National Baptist Convention of Brazil, Corenne and Phil minister to children who are part of a residential program that rescues homeless street children and youth ranging in age from 8 to 18. The program provides guidance, education, and training for future employment. All students have completed a paid internship and are employed before they leave the program. Corenne works mainly with the older children, working with them on life skills so that they can eventually transition way from a boarding school to independent living. Corenne also serves as a surrogate mother to many of the children, sharing with them the love of Jesus.

After experiencing day-to-day living in a safe, caring Christian environment, most of these children make decisions to follow Christ. Phil is the president and CEO of the residential program, Hope Unlimited for Children, which was founded in 1991. He is serving in Brazil in a joint appointment by International Ministries and Hope Unlimited International.

Phil writes: Let me tell you of Janaina. Her mother recently abandoned her and her 3-year old sister in front of a church. A family wants to adopt the little sister, but Janaina was sent to us, all alone in this world. Since she arrived on April 15, she has neither talked nor smiled.

Before I left the office one evening, after the girls had stopped by on their way to the park for me to take their pictures, I pulled up Janaina’s picture on the computer screen and together with the office staff we prayed that she would smile and talk that evening. During the course of the evening, at the video arcade, we passed a gumball machine with little colored rubber balls in it. Janaina could not take her eyes off that machine. She had no interest whatsoever in the games, she was just fascinated by those balls. A few minutes after we left she tugged on my arm. “Uncle Philip, can you buy me one of those rubber balls?” All the girls looked at her in amazement and shouted “She talked!”

I took Janaina by the hand, and we walked back toward the red vending machine. Usually I try to treat all our children equally. But I felt like buying the whole gumball machine for her. I stuck in a coin and the ball popped out the bottom. I wondered how long Janaina had dreamed about getting one of those tiny little rubber balls. I guess she had just been waiting to talk until she really needed to communicate something urgently enough. This, for her, was pretty urgent. When Janaina finally had that ball in her hand, her face lit up with a smile from ear to ear, that did not go away. Everything was going to be all right.

• Pray for Janaina and all the other street children that Phil and Corenne minister to in the name of Jesus.
• Praise the Lord that their daughter Isabella is doing well after having some serious health problems.