Gustavo's Story - so far

By Jocelyn Moore

I’ve known Gustavo for half of his life – the better half - meeting him almost ten years ago on our first Master’s Commission missions trip to Brazil. We stayed in touch – visiting the Restoration House for ex-street boys where he lived and sending cards and letters. He has become very special to our family – having brother status - and is now an important part of our Brazilian team as a second year Master’s Commission student. Watching the growth in his life this year reminds me of why we are here and that all of the challenges we’ve faced and are still facing are completely worth it. I am so proud of Gustavo and want to introduce him to you through excerpts of his story that are part of a book project about the lives of our remarkable Brazilian Master’s Commission students who are not allowing the deprivation of their pasts to determine their future, but are being used by God to inspire and bring hope to others.

The city of Contagem, forty-five minutes west of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais, is the second most populated city in the state with over a half-million residents. It was in this city that Maria Aparecida gave birth to her first child, Gustavo Felipe Juventino, on April 19th, 1989, when she was just fourteen years old…. A few days after his birth, she took Gustavo to her mother’s house and left him there with his grandmother, Dona Laura, in a tiny three-room house with her nine brothers and sisters. Gustavo did not see his mother again until he was twelve.

Dona Laura’s house was an old brick structure that stood isolated near the borders of a favela. There was no front door, so they had an old couch that they stood on end against the doorway at night. There were no lights – no electricity at all – so the family spent their evenings in darkness. Gustavo slept in a tiny room with his grandmother while his aunts and uncles, all nine of them, shared another bedroom.

Gustavo - a year younger than his uncle Wanderson and almost ten years younger than the others - was Dona Laura’s favorite, a fact that caused jealousy among her children and led to them abuse him when she was absent. His grandmother protected Gustavo when she was at home, but as Dona Laura had to work for twelve hours a day and left her grandson in the care of his aunts and uncles, he experienced their jealousy through frequent beatings. What further escalated their rage was the effect of the drugs and alcohol that were constantly in the house.

Dona Laura worked as a zeladora or janitor at a Catholic school in Contagem. Feeding eleven on a zeladora’s salary was inadequate and the family was often hungry. Gustavo remembers a time that when there was nothing to eat for three days, so his uncles – knowing that young children are not viewed as a threat and can more easily gain compassion, sent him door-to-door to the homes of neighbors to ask for food…

… The most defining characteristic of the home Gustavo remembers as a young child was anger. Anger was the underlining attitude in every family transaction, ….The stress of poverty, blended with deprivation, drugs and alcohol was a recipe for conflicts that created misery - especially for those too young to fight back. Gustavo and Wanderson, in efforts to escape the small house where an annoyance from the younger boys stirred up the wrath of the older, spent their days running the streets of the neighborhood unsupervised…

… Life with his older relatives became increasingly difficult for Gustavo and his cousin Wanderson. Gustavo knew that he couldn’t take it anymore, the anger he experienced everyday had made residence in his heart and tormented him in a way that made life unbearable. When anyone looked at Gustavo, he was quick with a harsh remark. At seven years old, Gustavo and his eight-year-old uncle Wanderson made an impulsive decision. They took a bus, free for young children, and escaped to the bairro of Eldorado just 30 minutes away to begin their lives as meninos de rua – street kids.

Brazil has an estimated 10 million children, some as young as four-years-old, who make the streets their home. Like Gustavo and Wanderson, many are fleeing intolerable home situations and see a life on the streets as their only option to improve their lives. Others leave to escape the pressure and violence of the gangs in the slums that recruit young boys who are too young to be prosecuted. Children may even be seduced by the ideal of freedom from rules and curiosity of the larger world outside of a tiny barraco - home- in a favela. What these children in their desperation do not take into account are the dangers of street life and the many people who are quick to exploit unprotected children… (End of excerpt).

After three years on the street, Gustavo ended up at the YWAM Restoration House in Belo Horizonte where I met him and he immediately secured a special place in my heart.

It’s fun to watch Gustavo working with children in church settings and in outreaches. He is passionate in ministering through drama and is patient with teaching new team members. Gustavo’s English is good enough to help with translating and he has grown in areas of responsibility. As I write this, he is the team leader of our MC group who’ve been ministering at a church camp for the past few days. Gustavo has two dreams – to go to college to study physical education and to run a Restoration House for street kids. We are committed to setting up opportunities for our MC students to be stretched in situations that enlarge their world and help them gain valuable experiences that will prepare them for the call that God has for their lives.

We think that Gustavo is ready for an opportunity to increase his fluency in English and receive training in working with children and youth through a trip to the United States this summer. We would like to bring him with our family in June and have him attend some training conferences and camps while he is there. Richard is in the U.S. now and is working to secure some opportunities for Gustavo – and I’m looking for individuals or groups to help him get there. We need to raise about $2250 for his travel expenses for the summer – less if anyone wants to donate frequent flyer reward miles. We are still trusting God for the finances to bring our family to the U.S. this summer, but we want to believe for Gustavo too. If you would like to help with a donation of money or frequent flyer miles, we’d appreciate whatever God leads you to do. If you would like to hear more of Gustavo’s story and would like to invite him to share at your small group, church or youth group – please let me know so that we can set something up.

Even with the economic crisis, I have already seen God’s faithfulness and provision for our family and our team and I know it’s because His people trust His voice and respond. I pray that God is blessing you in your life, your family and your work and is using everything – even the challenges you’re facing – for His glory as you learn to more perfectly follow Him.

Deus e Fiel – sempre!
God is faithful – always!

Jocelyn

P.S. If you’d like to give a donation for Gustavo through Paypal – simply use the link on this page and leave a comment or email me to insure that it gets credited to his account. If you want to help with our trip (Richard, Jocelyn, Rebekah, Adriana, Sean or Chris) please indicate that too.
If you’d rather send a check – or you have miles to donate, please email me for our mailing address in the U.S.