NLCS vision for Brazil includes...

1. bringing Brazilian students to NLCS to study and earn their high school diplomas and hopefully attend college in the United States

2. sending NLCS students to Brazil every other year (at least) to work at orphanages and help Christian missionaries

Bringing Brazilian Students to the United States...It has been a passion for NLCS since its inception to provide access to high-quality Christian K-12 education to families who could not typically afford it.  This passion extends beyond Cattaraugus and Allegany counties all the way to northeast Brazil.  It is the desire of the NLCS family to bring as many Brazilian students here to Olean, NY, as possible.

Daniel (center) recently became the first Brazilian student to graduate from New Life Christian School.  He arrived in the United States January 2005 from Joao Pessoa, Brazil.  He excelled both in the classroom and on the basketball court and is a talented musician.  He will take his many gifts and talents to Houghton College (Houghton, NY) this Fall.  Pictured with Daniel are the rest of NLCS's class of 2008. 

The Brazil trips...New Life Christian School students travel to the northeastern coast of Brazil at least every other year to help various Christian ministries. The first NLCS group traveled to Brazil in 1997.  This group of students and alumni were eager to assist missionaries who, despite limited resources, devote their lives to helping orphans and others in need.  This first trip allowed us to meet many wonderful people and helped us establish many relationships that have grown deep over the years.  NLCS groups returned to Brazil for month-long missions trips in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007.  The group is busy preparing for another trip this August.  
 

The NLCS community continues to have a tremendous love for the people of Brazil.  NLCS students work diligently for a year and a half to raise the money needed for the trip.  The NLCS group typically stays at orphanages, serving as a support team for the missionary staff and creating life-long friendships with both the orphans and the staff. Students have always been impressed with the sacrifice orphanage staff members make by working hard year-round with little financial reward. Their focus is on helping raise up quality, productive, citizens who love Jesus with all their heart.

Some of the work NLCS students perform while in Brazil include cooking, cleaning, painting, building, and playing with the children.  We strive to lighten the heavy burdens of the staff and to bless the orphanages and the children who live there.

Brazil trip 2005                                           NLCS group teaching children in dump

While in Brazil we also strive to help the surrounding community in anyway possible. During our 4 week stay in Brazil it has been a marvelous tradition for us to travel several times each week to a local garbage dump where several thousand live in abject poverty. For many survival comes through the collection of cardboard, plastic and metal. The conditions are terrible.  NLCS students find this as both a heart wrenching and awesome experience.  NLCS graduate Keli Fancher, observes, “Every single person who has traveled to Brazil with our group can say, without a doubt, that the sheer joy on the children’s faces when we feed them, tell them Bible stories, sing with them and give them both gifts and attention is a life-long memory worth more than any dollars can buy.”

Buildings painted December 2005                  Playing with children at a dump