Laura in Brazil - 2004 / 2005
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
(1 John 3:16-18)
My name is Laura Jackson and I have been a member of Downs Baptist Church for a number of years. Over the past year I have been really thinking and praying about God's purpose for my life. The verses above really spoke to me and I knew I had to make some changes to live out these verses and to fulfill God's purposes for my life.
So I gave up my job as a primary school teacher and looked into various different Christian organizations working around the world. I was accepted to work as a volunteer with the
Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) and was offered a number of placements abroad but none of them seemed right. When I prayed about the situation, I was encouraged by Psalm 27: 14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
At the end of July I was offered a split placement with BMS which I accepted. It involves spending six months in Fortaleza, Northeast Brazil, followed by a further six months in Peru – supporting and training teachers who are involved in the Pre-School Education Project (PEPE).
"In Brazil, 36 per cent of poor children from the favelas stay in school for less than a year. A further 27 per cent stay for less than four years. Imagine how your life might have been if you'd dropped out of school aged seven..."
- www.bmsworldmission.org -
Inspired by BMS workers Stuart and Georgie Christine, the project reaches children in the favelas of Brazil and the shanty towns of Angola and Mozambique - and it's expanding. Run by the local church, PEPE not only enables children to do well in school and give them a head start in life but also places the church at the centre of the community.
It was worth waiting for this placement. The bible says that each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others (1 Peter 4: 10). I believe this is something God wants me to be a part of so that I can serve others and serve Him. I leave at the end of October 2004, feeling a little apprehensive, as I could not possibly do this alone, but secure in the knowledge that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength (Phil 4: 13).