Green Olive Tree Ministries (GOTM) was founded in November 1992 by Brother Brent and Sister Debbie Freeman. The mission is located in the eastern central part of Brazil, about one hour west of Recife near the town of Pombos. GOTM is administered by Brent and Debbie who have twenty children, sixteen of which are adopted and/or foster children from Brazil.

In 1998, the Freemans felt led by the Lord to start a primary school for children from disadvantaged homes in the surrounding area. Most of the people who live in Pombos are very poor and illiterate.

In their sixth year of being in Brazil, the Freemans’ five acre lot became the location for both the mission home and mission school named ‘Escola Missao Oliveira Verde’.

The school started as one or two classes where the Freemans would teach based on Biblical principles. Presently, the school has four grades; one class for each grade. There are seventy-two students. Ninety per cent of the families have no financial ability to assist with payment of school. Therefore, careful selection of students is done as space is limited.

Escola Missao Oliveira Verde has implemented a point system that rewards students for good behavior,

attendance, etc. Once a certain amount of points is attained, the students receive food packages to take home to the family.

The Freemans believe that the Scriptures place the bulk of the responsibility for rearing and educating children on the parents. Therefore, the school seeks to equip the parents of these children to take on more of their God-given responsibilities. Most of the families attending the school are not Christians, so

 in order to instill knowledge of God’s instructions the school has requirements that parents must be involved in school activities.

One of these requirements is that the students’ families attend a weekly Bible study. In these classes they are taught the Scriptures, as well as some fundamentals of reading and writing. Mothers take daily turns helping the classroom, preparing school lunches, and cleaning the facilities after school. This gives ample opportunity for parents to see firsthand exactly what their children are learning. It also enables the mission to give these parents training in hygiene and nutrition, and to give advice on loving discipline.

In a statement that could be applied to GOTM as a whole, Brent and Debbie say "our desire is to closely shepherd the families of each of our students with the ultimate goal of bringing them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ."

The school has two visually impaired students who are taught to read and write using Braille. This instruction is given by a visually impaired teacher named Nilton. What a blessing for both teacher and students.

The average expenditures per student per month are just under US$45.  About 45% of that goes toward salaries and benefits for the four teachers and one cook, 25% has gone toward supplies (books, notebooks, maps, paper, etc.), and the remaining 30% is for food (students receive a hot meal each day and good attendance and good behaviour earn the student a small food basket for his family each week).

Brent, Debbie and most of their children

Introduction to a Few of the GOTM Mission School Children

Six year old Welina is one of the few students living with both biological parents.  Both illiterate parents work on their small plot of land on a high hill overlooking the town of Pombos.  Welina and her sister Kelvilânia, who attends the school’s second grade, have quite a trek each morning to school and a much more challenging one home after class as they trudge back up the steep

mount. The four room house is home for seven of her brothers and sisters, as well as for a few of her nieces and nephews.

GOTM has been involved with the family since Welina was born.  During periods of drought, the family struggles to have adequate food for their large family.  Older brothers and sisters were in our school during our first year in operation.  Welina as an infant had serious and painful skin allergies and infections which the mission helped treat.  She has fully recovered from those difficulties and is now only painfully shy!  She is progressing well in school and has even learned to eat her vegetables without crying at lunch time.

José Carlos

José is 7 years old and unwanted by his mother.  The family of six, which includes a step-father, lives in a very poor and unclean house of two rooms. Discipline in the home consists of beatings, very foul language and threats to send the kids to the state-run orphanage. 

The misery of his home life takes its toll on José’s school life as well.  He is a challenge for the school as his attention span is minimal as well as his academic progress.  His disrespect for authority has often been disruptive to the others in his class.  His interest level in class varies from day to day and is at least somewhat related to the late hours he keeps in his undisciplined home.  GOTM has a glimpse of hope for him as his disruptions are less frequent then they were when he first joined Escola Missao Oliveira Verde. This is due to the lessons he has previously learned at the school. He often lost his food points for bad behaviour, had been sent home early or separated from the other students for periods of time. This punishment, together with kindness and love, seems to slowly be breaking through his hard shell. His older brother has been studying with us for three years and has made great strides. He is a good student with a heart open to the things of the Lord.  The school is hoping the same for José Carlos.

Larissa is one of two visually impaired students studying at Escola Missão Oliveira Verde.  She was born blind and soon after birth her mother died of cancer.  Her father is imprisoned for murder and thus she has always lived with her grandparents who have a small farm and sell vegetables.  Her grandmother has tried very hard to provide all her granddaughter needs but has in the process created a rather spoiled little girl.  Larissa uses her deficiencies to manipulate those around her and to get all that she wants. 

Larissa is a very intelligent student and does well in school being able to narrate back what has been taught and to memorize things quickly.  During her studies with Nilton (GOTM’s visually impaired teacher), she has progressed well in Braille.  Great strides in her behavior have been seen as she is learning patience by waiting her turn, shows much more respect for others and is much more obedient to her teachers.  Her grandmother is pleased with the progress she sees in these areas over these past 5 months Larissa has been attending the school.

Seven-year-old Jones (pronounced Joniz) lives with his mother and older brother Geaze. Geaze is in first grade (second level) at the GOTM school. They live in a small house in town owned by his mother's family.  The father abandoned the family while Jones was a toddler.  The mom works part time peeling manioc at a "casa de farinha" (a small business that processes manioc into flour).

Jones has spent much of his life on the Pombos streets with no supervision from his mother.  Petty stealing, throwing stones at the elderly, foul language and abusing of younger kids were all normal life to him.  His mother is often physically and verbally abusive toward her sons and often states that she would be better off if they were dead.

Both boys, along with their mother, have been real challenges to the school.  Maria in her anger and bitterness has at times stirred discontentment among other mothers.  Jones and Geaze have often needed to be sent home for disobedience in class.  However, slowly the school is seeing progress.  The second grade teacher Glaucia has invested lots of time with this family.  When Maria is particularly angry and abusive, Glaucia invites the boys to spend time at her house (overnight when necessary until Maria calms down).  Previously, Maria did not communicate with the school staff but is now beginning to open up and seems much more at ease and receptive to advice on child rearing, health and nutrition etc. Both boys are now progressing in language arts, mathematics, and history.  Jones is doing well at narrating the Bible lessons and is especially interested in nature study. It appears that this study has awakened his soul from the evil that had been so much a part of his past.  Silvania, his first grade teacher has been surprised to see a tender heart now beginning to respond.