Our Dream...Our Future

Hephzibah

No Longer Forsaken

"You shall no longer be termed  Forsaken... But you shall be called Hephzibah.... For the  Lord  delights in you..." Isa. 62:4

Imagine you're an 8-year-old child abandoned to the streets by your own family. You spend your days rummaging through garbage, stealing, and doing whatever you can to survive. If you're a girl, you will most likely have to sell your body. If you're a boy, you can sell drugs, turn to a life of thievery, or pimp out your own sister to be able to survive. The horrors of your life necessitate escape which can easily be found by sniffing glue. Your addiction perpetuates the situation and there is no end in sight, except for death. The middle and upper class people in your city consider street kids like you to be a nuisance; an eyesore. The only solution they have for the problem is eradication. Corrupt businessman pay off even more corrupt military police to go through shanties like yours and simply kill the street kids. They'll chalk it up to some drug bust gone awry. There will be no news reports. You won't be missed. There is no record of your existence. You're eight years old, and you've been completely forsaken.

Street Kids of Brazil

Though Brazil is experiencing an economic upswing in the last few years, the effects of decades of poverty are apparent.  Many people bring their families from the rural areas to the city to find work, but to no avail.  This economic crisis causes families to live in “favelas,” or slums, putting the women and children at high risk. The children are forced out of the home to work or to completely fend for themselves. Street kids are often subject to abuse, neglect, exploitation, or, in extreme cases, murder by "clean-up squads" that have been hired by local businesses or police.

“We sniff glue because we need to. We steal- watches, necklaces. We don’t have anywhere to eat, we don’t have anywhere to sleep, we don’t have anywhere to stay- that’s why we steal. I steal, I walk around, I sniff glue, and then I can’t do anything. I haven’t got a Dad- he died seven years ago. I have eight brothers and sisters and I can’t really stay at home, so I live on the street. That’s how I lead my life” (“Brazil: War on Children,” Dimenstein, 1991, p.22)

Some Stats: 

• Brazil has roughly 8 million street kids
• More than 800,000 child prostitutes
• Porto Alegre (pop. 4 mil.) is the 4th largest metropolitan region in Brazil, behind São Paulo, Rio, and Belo Horizonte, in that order.
• 10.3% of the pop. of PA earns less than $70 per month, roughly 411,000 people.
• 14% of the poor in PA are 0-5 yrs old, roughly 57,400 babies and toddlers in one city.
• PA currently has 65 listed orphanages, most of which have inadequate facilities and accountability.

Hephzibah - The Dream

Our desire is to reach the undesirables of Brazil with the reality that when all the world has forsaken them, the Lord delights in them.  The best way to do that is to create a context for them to encounter God in the House of Prayer.  We also want to inspire the Brazilian Church to reach out to the orphans, street kids, widows, single moms, and crisis pregnancy situations in their city.

About Us

Danny and I have five children. We’ve been missionaries since ’06 with an emphasis on prayer, beginning our work at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, USA.  There, Danny graduated a four year program at IHOPU while simultaneously working with the children of the community alongside Jessica.

In 2011, we moved to Canby Oregon to help start a kid-focused prayer ministry.  It was during this time the Lord started putting Danny’s parents’ home country of Brazil on his and Jessica’s hearts.  We firmly believe that the 1st commandment, to love the Lord with everything, releases the 2nd, to love your neighbor. Through the global prayer movement,  God is calling us to the nations.  

Hephzibah is our dream, the dream the Lord has given us.

How to get Involved

In order to give ourselves fully to this Kingdom work, we must be fully funded. Here are three ways you can co-labor with us:

1. JOIN US ON THE MISSION FIELD. Many who read this brochure actually have a calling to missions. When it's time to launch Hepzibah, pray and ask the Lord if you are to move to Brazil and help us launch.
2. FINANCIAL COLLABORATION. III John states that you become a co-laborer with the truth when you give in a manner that is worthy of God. Php. 4:17 promises that there are divine rewards for those who give to workers of the Gospel. Our lifelong desire is to expand the Kingdom with the help of Kingdom minded givers like you. To join our financial collaboration team please email danny@precursorinternational.org
3. PRAYER PARTNERSHIP.  If you're giving budget is maxed out, but you would still like to partner with us, you can do so by becoming an intentional prayer partner. First, commit to pray for us once a week. Next, "like" our Facebook page. Finally, let us know through our Facebook page every time you pray for us. We will make sure to keep our Facebook page updated with prayer requests and praise reports. 

Jessica Lima
Intercessory Missionary
Director of Jump In House of Prayer Canby, OR
Co-founder of Precursor International

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with the Lima family missionaries through your finances? For more info, please email me at danny@precursorinternational.com. If you'd like to make a donation today: Paypal (not tax exempt) -

 

Check (tax exempt) – write your check to:

Email me danny@precursorinternational.com and I'll give you mailing details.

Thank you for praying about it!