Next Concert • January 30, 2011
Refuge Staff
This user hasn't shared any biographical information
Posts by Refuge Staff
Refuge Update: Brazil and Thailand
Dec 17th
Hello everyone! Can you believe Christmas is only 8 days away?!
Well, here at Refuge it’s not the only thing we’re counting down. It’s time for another Refuge concert! Our next concert will be held on Sunday, January 30, 2011. More information will be posted within the coming weeks, but in the meantime we’d like to update you on our most recent concert, Refuge | Brazil.
September’s concert for Hope Unlimited was such a huge success. We want to thank each of you that participated for all your hard work and generous giving. We set a goal of raising $25,000 for Hope Unlimited in Campinas, Brazil and your response was phenomenal. We raised a total of about $49,000!! Over $42,000 of which was raised the night of the concert alone. Our God definitely provides!
If you would like to check out some more information about Refuge | Brazil and view some of the photos our photographers took that night, we’ve updated our Previous Concerts section to include Refuge | Brazil.
We hope to see you all at Refuge | Thailand! We have some really exciting things planned!
Returning to the Girl’s Ranch
Aug 30th
Here’s a story from one of our Refuge team members.
As the car pulled up to Hope Ranch (Chacara Esperanza) in Campinas, Brazil, I wondered if the girls would remember me. Last August, I had the privilege of spending a week with them as part of a mission trip from Princeton Alliance Church. My trip to Hope Ranch and the City of Youth changed my life and I had been counting down the days until I could see the children again. Here I was, moments away, and the anticipation was making my hands sweaty. Suddenly, the large wooden gates swung open and immediately I realized that the girls had not forgotten me. As I stepped out of the car, girls wrapped their arms around me, squeezed me from all sides, and welcomed me back. My heart skipped a beat and tears formed in the corner of my eyes. I felt as though I had never left, that I belonged, and that I was loved.
The afternoon was spent giggling, painting nails, braiding hair, and experimenting with make-up. The girls took turns giving me beauty treatments and pampering me. After make-up, hair, and nails were complete, it was time to choose my outfit for that evening’s church service. I found myself at the center of a fashion show and I was the star. We laughed, danced, and laughed some more, but I couldn’t help wondering… How could anyone ever hurt these girls? How could anyone not love them? How could these girls ever overcome pasts full of abuse, poverty, neglect, and abandonment?
As the girls and I walked hand-in-hand to board the bus headed to church, I remembered that it’s because of our God broken hearts are mended.
My misunderstanding
Aug 27th
Here’s a really great story from a someone who visited Hope Unlimited this past April. Enjoy!
After a long day of work at the graduate chapel, we drove over the City of Youth to have dinner with the boys. I was exhausted and worried I wouldn’t have any energy to socialize with the kids, especially in my broken Portuguese. But once we sat down for dinner, I connected immediately with one boy – Roner. Luckily for me, he knew a little English and spoke Portuguese very slowly so I could understand. I found an easy to way to start a conversation was to ask, “What is your favorite [insert anything a kid would like here]?”
So I asked him, “What is your favorite movie?” and he replied, “Cheechaneek.”
“Chee… cha… neek..?”
“Si. Cheechaneek!” (as if I should know this movie).
“Is it from Brazil?”
“No! It’s American!”
I was racking my brain. I’ve watched a lot of movies. I consider myself a bit of a movie buff. But Cheechaneek? What on earth could that be?
Again, I repeated the word to him, slowly, “Chee…cha…NEEK…?”
Then Roner said something quickly and I caught the Portuguese word for “house” as he motioned for me to stay where I was. In a few minutes, he was back from his dorm with a DVD in his hand. He passed it to me so I could see for myself what this mysterious Cheechaneek movie was…
“TITANIC?! Oh, of course I know Titanic!”
“Si! Cheechaneek!”
It was then that I remembered that in this area of Brazil, people pronounce the letter T with a CH sound. And like the Spanish language, the I is pronounced like EE. So Ti-tan-ic became Chee-chan-eek.
For both of us, it was a really funny moment and we got a good laugh out of it. But the experience also reminded me that despite the awful situations from which these kids were rescued, they are still individuals with likes and dislikes, passions, dreams, and hobbies. Some liked movies and others liked music (although it’s safe to say all the boys love soccer). And as I got to know them individually, I realized that they didn’t need or want my pity as I’d originally thought. They wanted someone to take interest in them. They needed to be listened to as they talked about their passions, and encouraged as they talked about their dreams.
Hope Unlimited does the hard part; they teach, clothe, feed, counsel, and parent these kids all year round. I didn’t know how I could add to that, especially in only a week’s time. But my time with Roner taught me that even a ten minute conversation can be valuable. Roner may not remember my name or what I look like, but I hope he remembers that a stranger got on a plane from America to Brazil to be his friend, listen to him talk about his favorite movie, and share a laugh together.
Chloe’s trip to the Girls Ranch
Aug 26th
Here’s Chloe’s story about her visits to the Girls Ranch:
Our group from PAC decided we wanted to do an activity with the girls when we visited their ranch. We made cookies with them! Cookies were a new treat to them. The girls’ house where I was making cookies was busily mixing cookie dough, guessing at the temperature of the oven because it was missing the dial, and finally putting cookies in oven. The oven door kept falling open. Finally one girl decided to place a chair against the oven door. She sat down on the chair and “guarded” our cookies. They turned out great but my heart sank that that was the stove/oven that the girls had to put up with each and every day. I knew at Hope Unlimited that resources were extremely tight at that time and there are so many places that their funds needed to go but I prayed and prayed each day that some time there would be money enough to buy a new stove for that house. Fast forward several months: An answered prayer… We were visiting Hope Unlimited several months later and one of the first things I learned was that ALL the girls’ houses had received new stoves! Yea, God.
– Chloe Colgan, Hope Unlimited visitor 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005
Help us reach our goal of $25,000 so that the boy’s homes can be renovated as well!
You can donate online.
Refuge Coffee
Aug 25th
Did you know we sell Refuge Coffee? Small World Coffee in Princeton, NJ is roasting us our own Brazilian blend of Refuge Coffee! It’s $12 per 1 pound bag; whole bean. All proceeds go to Hope Unlimited!
There are 3 ways you can get your Refuge Coffee:
- Get a bag (or 2 or 3!) after one of the services this weekend at Princeton Alliance Church. We have a limited supply on hand, so if we run out you, place an order and we’ll get it to you.
- Place an order by emailing refuge@princetonalliance.org with your name and how many pounds you would like and we’ll contact you when your order comes in.
- Purchase at concert!
