We went with Thomas today to walk in the downtown area and look for street kids. He or someone on his staff does this twice a week. They build relationships with the kids and begin to earn their trust. The kids aren’t hard to find – there are hundreds that live on the streets with no place to go. In the plaza, they were sleeping on the grass, the stairs, the sidewalk – everywhere.
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Working with ABBA (the street kid outreach) opened our eyes to the underlying problems for the plight of the poor here in Sao Paulo. Obviously poverty is a complex issue with many facets,  but being here with this established outreach allowed us the opportunity to understand the various players working there and which ones are finding success and those that are perpetuating the problem.
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We are currently in Sao Paolo, Brazil – the world´s 3rd largest city. We are working with Abba – a ministry that takes street kids off the streets and offers them a home and a new life. There is  a boy´s house and a girls´s house and it is really a place of transition for each child. First, the missionaries find the kids on the streets and offer them a day to play at a great place – with a swimming pool, barbecue, basketball and much more.
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Our time in Belo Horizante was an astounding success. It was probably the most well-rounded experience we´ve encountered thus far. We lived among the poor, visited various outreach programs to the poor neighborhoods, sat across the desk from a Federal Congressman, embraced by a State Representative, visited a microfinance project, experienced co-ops, spent time at a drug rehabilitation center, and even found time to preach in very unorthodox settings…
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In Peru, we spent one day jumping in and out of taxi’s with World Vision’s credit officers. We were able to see how they relate to the entrepreneurs who have received loans from them and how they work through any problems that may arise. World Vision has had to create a separate entity called "Credivision" in Peru because to many people associate WV’s work with free food. It’s important that they separate their credit program so that it is understood that it is not a handout.
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