Casa Semear means “the Sower House” in Portuguese. 

Casa Semear is a place where the seeds of God’s love and truth are continually being sowed into the lives of the at-risk children who attend the ministry’s programs.

Q & A with ACTION missionaries Robert Meikle

1. What are some ministry tasks that you want the intern to accomplish while serving with you?

The intern will be working directly with underprivileged kids who live in Sao Paulo’s urban slums.  Interns can expect to serve by assisting missionaries as they teach Bible lessons, provide educational support, and lead various activities during the daily program offered at Casa Semear.

Interns have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of children and teens through spending quality time with them, playing games, doing art and crafts activities, teaching English and/or a musical instrument, aiding in leading and/or participating in sports ministry (including soccer, ping-pong, foosball, etc), and helping during various activities, special events and camping retreats.

The intern can also serve the ministry through completing practical tasks such as house maintenance, painting, and organizing the library and classroom areas.

The intern will be living relatively near a slum area, and should be a good neighbor to the kids and families.

The ministry program runs during the weekdays. Two Saturdays a month there is a worship service or a special event for the families and children living in the community.

There are several missionaries who speak English and Portuguese who can help facilitate the interns work (translation).

2. What are some key lessons from your ministry and walk with the Lord that you want to impart to the interns to help them as they consider their own individual call to missions or vocational ministry?

• Studying the Bible and practical application in everyday life and ministry

• Faithfulness in ministry rather than event orientation – speaking the truth in love day by day rather than depending on immediate results

• Harmonious living with cross-cultural missionary personnel: living and serving with missionaries from various countries

• Cultural adaptation and child evangelism and discipleship

• Prayer and trusting God for financial support

3. What criteria do you use to measure the effectiveness of an intern serving with you?

• Positive, healthy relationships with the children and with the team

• Long-term involvement with missions as prayer support, giving or return visits

• An attitude of service toward the local leadership

4. Please list specific skills an intern may expect to develop by the time the internship is completed.

• Experience in how to develop and strengthen cross-cultural friendships

• Less in child education and discipline

• Basic Portuguese language skills and the ability to communicate with Brazilians who know limited English

• Brazilian cultural awareness

• A deeper sense of humor

• Growth in their faith

The ministry is open and attending kids during the weekdays.

Here is a look at a typical day:

Breakfast - The kids arrive hungry and ready to eat a Brazilian breakfast which consists of a buttered French bread roll and coffee.

Activity Time - After breakfast, the kids are divided into groups based on their ages.  Each group goes to a classroom space where age-appropriate activities and Bible teachings are led by the missionaries who serve at Casa Semear.

Free Time - After the activity time (depending on the person leading the activity), there is a little time for free play and open conversation.  This is a time where the kids can complete follow-up activities, play educational games, read books, color, create art, chat with one another or with a missionary about whatever is on their minds.

At the end of the morning session, the kids return home for lunch and attend school in the afternoon.

An afternoon at Casa Semear runs almost exactly the same as the morning.  A different group of children, who have spent all morning at school, come to participate at Casa Semear in the afternoons.  They follow the same kind of schedule, but instead of eating breakfast upon arrival, they enjoy a hearty snack at the end of the ministry session.

Our days at Casa Semear also include praying with and for the kids, creatively dealing with challenging behaviors, spontaneous teachable moments, funny stories, interesting conversations with the kids, and lots of laughter, words of affirmation, and hugs!  Many of the children attending Casa Semear come from troubled home and life situations.  We take every advantage to share the message of Christ with them along with love, encouragement, and positive attention.

Contact a member of our Mobilization Team for more info.