From Canada to Brazil: Wonderful connections made while putting on a roof

A team of 3 Canadians spent the beginning of March putting on a much-needed new roof on a building in São Paulo, Brazil. APRISCO (the Association for the Promotion of Childhood and Youth), needed 1 of its roofs replaced and from March 1-8 newlyweds Austin & Brooklynn Douglas and Patrick Pembele from Manitoba stepped up to help. This was an excellent combination of skills, since Austin owns a construction company (which donated tools and materials) and Patrick is a roofer by trade.

Patrick was originally born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and then came to Canada as a child. He just got his Canadian citizenship and the trip to Brazil was the first on his new Canadian passport.

He was pleasantly surprised to meet up with people from the DRC while in Brazil. Turns out the DRC is 1 of the top countries being given refugee status in Brazil. Between 2010 and 2014, successful claims from the DRC rose 70% in Brazil. This group has also faced challenges with integration into Brazilian culture. Patrick was actually able to stay on for an extra week and completed his trip March 16^th.

The team was able to connect in meaningful ways with the local people. From Canada to Brazil, God is making His name and His love known to the nations.