Tayná received a very special gift this Advent season - new eyes!  Tayná is a member of the “Coral do Rei” (The Kings’ Chorus), an outreach ministry of our church in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Igreja Batista Reviver.  Suzy, a member of the church’s Mission Mobilizer’s Team, leads the ministry and is passionate about reaching out to the kids and parents of the favela (slum) near our church.  She coordinated a team of dedicated church members, including a number of our young adults, to conduct a weekly program with the kids and train the Coral do Rei.  The team was touched by Tayná’s situation and began praying that God would provide a doctor who could help her. 

Praise God for the eye surgeon who graciously donated his services just this last week to remove congenital cataracts that had made it hard for Tayná to do normal kid things and go to school!

In mid-December, the kids from both the outreach ministry and our church put on a delightful Christmas cantata called O Sonho das Tres Árvores (The Dream of the 3 Trees).  The first tree was fashioned into a manger, the second into a small boat on the Sea of Galilee, and the third became the symbol of God’s great love for us.

Through this ministry, the kids, their parents, and the whole community are experiencing God’s love first-hand.  We are seeing lives transformed and hope renewed for the future.  Tayná and the other kids have also helped us to see our neighbors with God’s eyes.

Who do you see in your community when you look with God’s eyes?  May we all have new eyes to see Jesus in our midst this Advent season!

Glória a Deus nas alturas (Glory to God in the highest),

Ann, Bruce and Asa