News from Nepo: Nepo Newsletter Update

The following was written for the Nepo Newsletter, but I thought I would also post it here for those of you who do not receive the newsletter emails.

Dear Friends,

Hello from Nepo! Monday marks the half-way point of my time in Brasil and as of last week, I am officially allowed to stay for another 3 months. Thank God for the successful renewal of my visa last Wednesday! The whole process was far easier than I anticipated and went so smoothly. Once again, I was reminded that our great God will supply every need of ours, praise His glorious Name!

At the beginning of the month, Jessica returned home to Canada. She is greatly missed here by everyone, but especially by me! It was such an absolute joy to have another short-termer to share this experience with and I thank the Lord for the blessing of her friendship and help during her time at Nepo. Viktoria also left with Jessica at the beginning of the month. She has been staying in Sao Paulo visiting friends and undergoing some necessary eye exams. Viktoria is also greatly missed here and we are so thankful that she will be returning at the end of the month. On the night that they left, Jessica had an ice cream sundae party for the boys which also served as a going-away party for her. The boys seemed to really enjoy being able to go up for seconds and thirds and in a couple of cases fifths and sixths J After they had eaten to their hearts’ content, the boys each took a turn saying goodbye to Jessica and sharing why they were thankful that she was here. It was so sweet and was such an encouragement to see that even though we can’t speak the same language as these boys and communicate with them like we want to, God can still use us to impact their lives.

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According to Webster’s dictionary, a “surprise” is defined as the following: “To strike with wonder or amazement especially because unexpected.” After this past week, I now have a greater appreciation for this definition as God has most certainly given us a fair share of surprises including two in one day J Last Tuesday seemed like any other typical day, I had watched the little ones in the morning and was starting to head over to the kitchen to help serve lunch when I saw that a police car was parked out front. Naturally, the boys were curious and I overheard them asking the police why they were here. I only understood one word in the officer’s response, “Jaimes,” but that one name was definitely enough to fully surprise me and I was completely struck with “wonder and amazement especially because unexpected.” So, why would one name cause such a response? Well, let me explain by taking you back two months to February 26. It was on this Sunday night, that we had returned home from church to find that our house had been broken into and many of our belongings were stolen including a lot of my support money, cell phones, flashlights, knives, food, etc. We soon realized that two of the boys from the orphanage had broken into our home and ran away and one of those boys was Jaimes. At the time, it was so difficult to process the fact that this boy who I had just been playing games with the night before could possibly do such a thing. I felt violated, but more than that, I felt utterly sad realizing that he was now living life on the streets and had chosen this option. My prayer then was that Jaimes would be safe and could be brought back here where we could show him that he is forgiven and still loved by us. And now, two months later, God has answered that prayer. My prayer now is still that Jaimes will know he is forgiven and loved by us, but more than that, I pray that this can be used to help him understand the forgiveness and love that can be found in Christ.

So that was Tuesday morning and little did I know that I would be in for yet another surprise that day, but unfortunately this equally unexpected event was not as enjoyable as the return of Jaimes. On Tuesday afternoon as we gathered for snack, a number of boys came running up to me and told me that Tata was gone. Thinking that I couldn’t possibly have understood this correctly, I asked them to repeat what they had said and unfortunately, I had understood them and Tata really had left. It was all so sudden and so unexpected that I could not quite comprehend that this boy, who was just showing me a magic trick not even 30 minutes before, was now gone for good. I came to find out later in the week that Tata was taken to another orphanage in the town where he is from since the city won’t have to pay for him there. It is still hard to come to grips with the fact that Tata is gone. I miss his smile, his hugs, his friendliness, his magic tricks, the list goes on and on, but I have to trust in God’s sovereignty. I know that His ways are not mine and so I pray that Tata is adjusting well at the other orphanage and I entrust him to the care of the One who loves him so much more than I ever could, cares for him far greater than I do, and knows the plans He has for him.

Well, as if that wasn’t enough surprises for one week, Friday held one more unexpected experience, but this one was a completely joyful event. As I was helping Marcela sort the boys’ clothes, I overheard someone say something about Jackson’s arrival. To say that I was surprised to hear this would be a very great understatement indeed and again I thought that I had misunderstood what I heard, but this time, I hoped that I had heard correctly. So, why would this be a surprise? Let’s go back once more to the end of February. Thursday, February 23 seemed like a pretty typical day, we watched the little kids in the morning and on my lunch break, I did some puzzles with Jackson, Bruno, and Tulio. I helped Marcela in the afternoon, and in the evening, I played Trouble with Jackson, Fabricio, Alan, and Jessica. Little did I know that it would be my last day with Jackson. The next day at lunch, Viktoria mentioned something about Jackson’s departure and I asked her what she was talking about. She then went on to explain that Jackson’s mother had called a few days earlier and after 7 years of him living here, his mom decided that she wanted him back. So, that morning she had come and picked him up. I had no clue he was leaving and initially was quite shocked to realize that he was gone for good. Jackson was one of the first boys that I met here at the orphanage. Unlike a lot of the teenage boys that I used to work with in the middle school where I taught, Jackson was an absolute sweetheart. Always the first to smile and offer a great big thumbs up every time I walked passed him, he spread joy wherever he went. When Jackson left back in February, I assumed that I would never see him again. Yet, God in His goodness did indeed bless us with Jackson’s return this weekend. It was so good to be able to see him again and watch his interactions with the boys and the workers here. With my limited Portuguese, I was able to have only very simple conversations with him, but it was great to be able to learn from those talks that he is doing well, going to church still, and liking his life in Lavras. When Jackson originally left in February, his departure taught me to expect anything and be grateful for everything, especially every single day that I have with these boys, because I just never quite know when it will be my last and they will be gone. I am still learning this lesson and have been reminded of it again with the departure of Tata this past week. While there have been many surprises this past week for me, I know that none of these things were a surprise to the Lord. As He says in Isaiah 14:24, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” So in both the good and bad surprises, I praise God and trust in His sovereignty. Please continue to keep these boys, the workers, and this ministry in your prayers.

In Him,

Katy Pavkov