A letter from Virginia Gartrell in Brazil
May 29, 2007
Dear Friends,
Praise to our living God this morning for news that one of our “former children” has safely come through eight hours of surgery to remove a tumor that was growing in her brain. Roseane came to Bethel Children’s Home when she was 5 and was always a bright and active child. She has gone through several rough patches, including a failed adoption in which she was rejected by the family after a number of months. At 11 she was adopted by a childless couple, who is blessed by her and has doted on her. She is now 13, and I just spoke to her mother, Jeane, at the hospital, and Jeane says that by God’s mercy and grace Roseane had the surgery yesterday and after a quiet night in the ICU has been transferred to a regular room and is very much herself. After three very tense months for the family I could almost “hear” the smile on Jeane’s face. I quickly relayed the good news to the Children’s Home, and the secretary said, “I am running right upstairs to tell Rose [the housemother] because she has been thinking about them all constantly!”
When I meet weekly with the current housemothers to share concerns and blessings and to pray together for wisdom and strength, we always pray for those who have come through Bethel Home and have moved on—whether back to their own families, or out on their own, or through adoption. It is comforting to know we can still bless and reach out to those who are not with us daily, but we also know that some of these kids have little or no prayer support in their current situations (although certainly not the case with Roseane).
One big challenge at Bethel Children’s Home is covering the month-long yearly vacation that each employee is guaranteed by law. Some positions have to be filled by full-time temporary staff, and a few have to be covered by a little extra work from the ones who are there and from volunteers who can take over some tasks. Please pray with us during the next three months for some extra-efficient volunteers to share the load—everything from supervising kids’ homework, to helping in the laundry, to doing constant handyman jobs that sprout up in two busy households. There may be some staff changes in the next few months also, so please also pray for wisdom and guidance for those who interview and decide, and especially for qualified candidates.
We are having our first really cool spell in Sorocaba. It is about 57º at noon, and the sun is out, but in a couple of days we should be back to the 70s during the day.
The months of March and April were full of paperwork at the Bethel Association office, as we accounted for last year’s work to government agencies and departments on various levels. Since our job is to gather the data from each of the 16 Specific Project Units (SPUs), we depend on their cooperation and understanding of the process.
This month we are in the throes of planning and preparing a meeting for representatives from each SPU to come together for three days in a training workshop. We would like to have yearly gatherings, but last year that was not possible, so we are particularly grateful that with three new members on the governing board we have this possibility. Only one new board member has previous experience with Bethel Association, so they have much to learn about the ongoing ministries of the Association.
We ask each unit to send one person from their local council (that governs the project) and one from the actual administrative staff so we can better integrate the flow of information. This is an opportunity to share stories and concerns and to be sure that the mechanics of the projects reflect the philosophy of what they are doing and also meet the need they have identified. It is a special privilege to share times of worship and celebration with each other. These times together in the past have given refreshment and encouragement for the continuing daily tasks and challenges each SPU faces.
The workshop will occur here in Sorocaba June 21 – 23. Please pray for traveling mercies as folks come from various directions to participate. Pray also that this will be a great time of fellowship and learning that will have a positive impact on the ministry of Bethel Association as a whole and on each of the related programs.
Thank you so much for your encouragement and support. May our Lord Jesus bless you each with love and peace.
In Him,
Virginia
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 41
