Nepo Newsletter

The following is another update I wrote for the Nepo Newsletter and am posting here for those of you who do not receive the newsletter:

Dear Friends,

Hello again!  Well the month of May has already arrived and with it the cold weather has come.  It amazes me how it can be so freezing in the mornings and evenings and yet hot enough in the afternoons that you can still get a sunburn.  J   Along with the cooler temperatures, the beginning of May also brought a change to our typical routine for a few days.  The boys did not have school for the first two days in May because of a Brasilian holiday and we were able to enjoy having a relaxed schedule and special activities with them.  One of these was a five day event in the town of Nepomuceno.  Several of the churches in town organized a soccer tournament which began on Friday and ended on Tuesday.  The tournament was held in the center of town and along with enjoying watching and playing soccer, there were trampolines, games, snacks, and a variety of other activities the boys enjoyed participating in.  Because it was organized by the churches, the event also had several worship services after the games which included singing and sermons.  It was such a blessing to see so many people from so many different churches gathering to corporately worship our God and fellowship together.  Along with this, it was also really neat to see the boys interacting with their friends outside of the orphanage and to see them in a different context.  As I watched their interactions, I realized that these boys who have so many heart-breaking background stories of abuse and neglect and the scars and emotions they deal with because of that are also just like other “typical” teenage boys who have to deal with peer pressure from friends in regards to girls, looking cool, fitting in, etc.  And as I came to this realization, I was again reminded of the absolute need to cover these boys in prayer.  Pray that they will make wise choices and not give in to peer pressure.  Pray that they will realize that ultimately nothing will satisfy them the way only the presence of Christ in their life can.  Thank you for your prayers and support! 

In Him,

Katy Pavkov