Pavement Project: Stories of hope

Gabriel's story

Gabriel is an orphan from a village near Sao Paulo, where he got caught up with drugs, eventually becoming the local dealer. He was arrested, charged, and put in prison.

Whilst in prison, he was befriended by George, one of the Christian prison visitors, and became a Christian himself. Subsequently, George took Gabriel through the Pavement Project counselling process.

When asked what he compared himself to, Gabriel responded, A donkey. People assume a donkey is stupid, but he is not stupid. And a donkey carries a heavy weight.

By the end of the session, Gabriel had come to understand that he was valued and welcomed into God's family. He compared himself to a bird, flying free of burdens, who could go where he pleased. He has since been released from prison, and is living at a rehabilitation home.

Luane's story

Luane is a 12-year-old girl recently helped by one of the trained Pavement Project workers in Brazil.

The Green Bag resources helped them talk through what had happened to her before she came to their shelter for street children.

When she was 11 years old, Luane was abused by her stepfather who took her to the woods and raped her. In order to keep her quiet, he promised to give her a pretty doll. He didn't keep his word. She was very upset, and to make things worse, she discovered she was pregnant.

Luane told the worker that she was afraid of being sent back to her stepfather. She compared herself to a bird, because birds are free and can fly far away.

The worker told Luane the story of Jesus welcoming children, and the story of the lost sheep. Luane wrote, After hearing this beautiful story about Jesus, I became even happier because it talks about a sheep and this sheep, I believe, can be me. I'm in Jesus' hands, kept forever because I am his, and may no one stop my life because I am kept in the Lord's hands.