Our area is experiencing its worst flood in history, displacing tens of thousands of people. Here's how you can help...

Our area is experiencing its worst flood in history, displacing tens of thousands of people. Here's how you can help...
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** Flooding in Brazil- How You Can Help
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** May 10, 2024
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A week ago Sunday the skies opened and started downpouring buckets of rain, which continued for three entire days. Our state received four month's worth of rain in just four days, and all of that water poured through our region on its long journey to the Atlantic Ocean, creating the worst flood in our region's history.

In all, over a million people here have been affected. Over 230,000 people have been displaced from their homes. Around 70,000 of them are sheltering in our area, taking with them just the clothes on their backs. Right now 53 children are in shelters in our area who do not know if their parents are dead or alive.

Behind each of these numbers are precious people made in God's image. They have names, like Sandra, our secretary for our seminary, who spent last Saturday night in the top floor of her home in rising waters, wondering if she would be rescued before it would be too late. Thankfully, a team on jetskis arrived Sunday morning at daybreak to take her and her family to safety. Or there is Ricardo and his family, who left everything behind as the flood reached their street to find shelter. You can read more about his family and their story at a special page we have setup: www.nabinbrazil.org/floods.

Among those who are sheltering are several others of our seminary students and staff, partnering pastors, and church family. The floods here have engulfed entire neighborhoods with the waters rising above the first story of buildings all the way to the rooftops. I could not begin to describe the scale of this flood to you as it stretches for miles and miles without end.

Only one highway in our area is functioning and the international airport is under water. Instead of planes, rescue helicopters constantly buzz above our house as hundreds of people are working together to rescue people who are stranded in their homes. This is just the first phase of what will be a months-long recovery.

When catastrophes happen, I think of Mr. Rogers who would instruct children to look for the people who are helping. And it warms my heart to see so many people here helping in ways they can: donating supplies, giving to shelters, using their personal boats and jetskis to rescue others, volunteering their time to prepare food and sort donations.

Our mission has also been involved, channeling funds to various churches, pastors, and shelters, while also coordinating people to get needed medications and even infant formula for one shelter. Every day there are new needs, but God has also been gracious in providing new means.

That's where you come in, please continue to pray for all the people here: those who are in need of rescue, those who are rescuing, and those who are helping. The North American Baptists have already setup a relief fund that we have been using to procure water, food, and supplies to those sheltering. When the flood waters recede we will also use this fund to help churches, pastors, and church planters restore their lives and livelihoods.

For more about the floods and how you can give, we have setup a special page: www.nabinbrazil.org/floods. There is a video you can share there as well as direct links to give to the relief fund in US or Canadian dollars. Please share this page with those in your networks as the need here will be overwhelming, but nothing is too big for our God.

Thanks for your prayer and partnership,
Brandon and Marci Jones
North American Baptist Missionaries to Brazil
www. (https://teachingbeyondborders.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5ef84c08b75f17d711977b43a&id=3da087dbed&e=eca138017c) N (https://teachingbeyondborders.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5ef84c08b75f17d711977b43a&id=dd53ef619e&e=eca138017c) ABinBrazil.org(https://teachingbeyondborders.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5ef84c08b75f17d711977b43a&id=b5137657b7&e=eca138017c)


** You get to share in God's work across the world
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God is at work in southern Brazil and you are part of that work already.
Discover more about our mission by visiting our website, www.NABinBrazil.org (https://teachingbeyondborders.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5ef84c08b75f17d711977b43a&id=334975677c&e=eca138017c) .
If God is leading you, join our financial support team now by clicking here (https://teachingbeyondborders.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5ef84c08b75f17d711977b43a&id=c3a53a2b8c&e=eca138017c) .

Brandon and Marci Jones
Brazil
pastorbcjones@gmail.com

Brandon was raised in Kansas, graduated from Baptist Bible College, Springfield, Missouri. Marci born and raised in Eldoret, Kenya to career Missionary parents. One of their supporting churches was where Brandon’s family attended. They met in 2002 and married in 2003, After spending two weeks in Brazil in 2016 they discerned God’s call to the field and are serving Him there.
They have 3 children, Daniel, Monica and Olivia

Laci and Eszter Darozi-Csuhai, Ron and Jeannie Seck
ronseck@gmail.com
Hungary
Missionaries to the Roma/Gypsy people of Hungary

They are master trainers teaching Community Health Evangelism (CHE) known as MEK in Hungary) to CHE leaders and workers in Hungarian speaking areas. Eszter is overseeing children and women’s programs for CHE.  Laci has extensive background in farming and construction and serves as the team specialist in agriculture, husbandry, technical and mechanical development. He is currently overseeing the startup of MEK’s biomass fuel-for-the-poor program.
They have two sons, Simeon and Jonatan.

Ron and Jeannie Seck
jeanseck@gmail.com
Founders of CHE Hungary focused on empowering people with the tools, skills, training and know-how to bring about opportunity to live a better, healthier, more prosperous life through Jesus Christ, our Creator.
Missionaries to the Roma people of Central Europe/ Hungary, working with Laci and Eszter.

Cal and Susie Hohn
calandsusie.hohn@gmail.com
Cameroon - have left service in this country due to health concerns for Cal

Goran and Beth Tomic
gbtomic@gmail.com
Ambassadors Football serving in various countries and traveling with Ambassadors
Strong ties and history with Olympic View.
3 children - Anna, Katie, Kelly

Wendell Garrison and Richard Page
SOAR Ministries
richard@soarinternational.org
wgarrison@soarinternational.org

SOAR Ministries, Inc. (“SOAR”) is a Georgia non-profit organization whose purpose is to help promote, facilitate and lead short term mission trips.  OVBC supports their Christmas Stuff-A-Stocking ministry to children in Russia 

Jim Adkins
Global Poultry Initiative
jim@spnusa.com

Jim and his wife Melissa live in West Virginia.
Currently working primarily in Africa equipping, encouraging and empowering indigenous farmers teaching and demonstrating about sustainable poultry production.