Several people have requested information on how to write to the children we minister to. We have created a list of children and teens with whom we have daily contact. There are many others who are not included in this list because we don’t see and meet with them on a regular basis. We hope to include their names one day.
The ones listed have requested and shown interest in corresponding in their limited way. We ask that the letters be written with a commitment to pray for these young people. The best type of letter is a short one. Keeping in mind that we translate all the letters into Portuguese, long letters can be a challenge to the attention span of these young ones.
Here’s what the first letter should consist of:
- A brief description of yourself. For example, you can say that you are a grandmother, grandfather, father or mother, and so on—some sort of relationship to help establish how they can relate to you.
- Share what led you to write to them. This is the most important part.
- Share briefly about your interests or animals you like and even something about where you live.
- The first letter is just to let them know their name is held up in prayer by people from a distant land and that all this happens because of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the most powerful part in this endeavor.
- Finally, ask something about them, such as their interests.
You will see from the descriptions that most of the children and teens are boys. Some may wonder why we have not included names of the girls, except for Gigi. Many of the girls are in a different location right now, and we do not see them on a regular basis. They will eventually come to the place where we minister. For the time being, we have only sporadic contact with them. We hope to include them in the list soon.
All letters may be sent to our address and the envelopes addressed to us:
Stephen Dass
Rua Major Sertório, 557
Ap. 5B, Vila Buarque
CEP: 01222-001
São Paulo-SP
Brazil
If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail:
Fr.StephenDass@gmail.com.
Introducing Our Family in the Streets
Ruan, 13 years old. We have known him since he came to the streets about three years ago. He used to take care of his stepfather, who is a paraplegic, but he does not know we have this information. (Someone from a social agency told us.) He is a kind-hearted young man with a very hot temper. He gets into fights and trouble easily and then feels intense remorse over his actions. He is learning to write, and he is the first one in the group who has written a response. He likes to know about animals and is especially fascinated with alligators and crocodiles.
Felipe
Felipe, 19 years old, is about six feet tall. He has been in the streets the longest, since he was 10 or younger. He is very considerate and respectful, the moral pillar of the group. Children and teens who don’t want to be involved in any criminal activity usually stay with Felipe. He loves to read the Bible, and his favorite stories are from the Old Testament. He lost his dog, Ursula, at the beginning of this year. She died giving birth to a litter of puppies. Felipe found Ursula when she was a puppy, abandoned in the streets, and she was his constant companion for four years. He was devastated by her death and still cries whenever he sees her picture. Felipe likes anime and manga and is a fan of the Naruto series.
Father Dass and Gigi
Gigi, 20 years old. We have had contact with her for about two years, but never anything profound or strong until recently. She started meeting us at the steps of the cathedral every day and, consequently, our friendship has grown tremendously. She loves to color, and even though she is an adult, she talks and reasons like a child. She is illiterate and has never been exposed to books or anything educational. She is one of the young people who were severely neglected as children. She loves to color Scooby Doo. She was never seen without her dog, Estrella (Star); but, sadly, the dog was killed in a car accident last week.
Bruno, 19 years old, is perhaps the smartest in the group, but the street life is most ingrained in him. He often shares his past with us, but it is hard to decipher fantasy from reality. We do know he was left in an orphanage at a very young age. He has no contact with his family and has been in the streets for a long time. He does not engage in criminal activities but uses cocaine regularly. He begs for food and money. He usually sits outside a restaurant and waits until someone buys him some food. He is the only one in the group who likes to read. He asked for a dictionary for his birthday, which falls on December 14. He has a wide range of interests, and on top of this list are movies (especially anything that has received an Oscar nomination) and learning English. When he sees anything written in English, he tries to translate it.
Luigi, 20 years old. He is new to us and used to stay in a different section of the center. Very open, he is someone we meet every day. Even though he is 20, he acts and behaves like a young teen or preteen. He is interested in interacting with us, but I sense he does not know how. I believe if someone were to correspond with him, it would be very beneficial to his self-esteem.
Gabriel, 14 years old. I haven’t written about this young teen before, but he is one of the children we have known for a long time. Our relationship with him grew gradually. He comes from a complicated family, most of whom are involved in criminal activity. He has an older brother who is in and out of reform centers. Gabriel refrains from any criminal activity, and this may be why he is in the streets. He loves to spend time with us and has a mischievous but charming nature. Gabriel is a very private person. He does not like to share anything about his family unless it is necessary. However, he is also a very open person, always willing to put aside anything he is doing to spend time with us.
Alex, 15 years old. I have written extensively about Alex on my blog. To those interested in contacting him, I can send links to the posts I wrote about him. We have known him since he came to the streets about three years ago with his young brother when they had just lost their mother. They both have suffered serious neglect. Consequently, Alex does not know how to interact appropriately with adults. We are working to teach him how to have relationships with people. It is quite sad to see the extent of neglect this young child has suffered. He loves stories from the Bible and likes to color. He has the reasoning capacity of a 10-year-old.
Wanderson, 15 years old, the comedian of the group, is a very witty and charming young man. We have known him for more than two years. His parents live on the outskirts of the city. His story about his family is a hodgepodge of fantasy and reality. He uses his humor to hide his true self. He loves to play checkers and Uno with us and enjoys being close to adults.
Guilherme (William), 13 years old. I have written about this child in my newsletters. He speaks very well and appears to have come from an organized household. Unfortunately, this is just an appearance. A social worker visited his home and said it was a wonder that Guilherme could have even stayed there for one day. He did not go into details. Guilherme likes to paint and color.
Sandro, 21 years old, has lived most of his life between orphanages and the streets and has very little contact with his family. His mother made an appeal to him through Facebook to keep in touch once in a while. Sandro never speaks of his family. He changes the subject whenever we bring them up. He loves to draw cars and airplanes and is especially obsessed with the latter. He would love to correspond with people from abroad. The orphanage where he stayed was run by a foreign missionary group.
If you are interested in writing to any of our children, please let us know, and we can get started right away. Thanks for your kindness toward these wonderful children.