Lizete’s life is marked by prayer, perseverance, and a deep commitment to caring for others. A single grandmother, missionary, and prayer warrior, she is part of New Beginning Ministries and carries responsibilities that extend far beyond her own needs. She is raising her orphaned grandchildren while also caring for her disabled sister, creating a home where family, faith, and sacrifice are intertwined every day. Her story has also been shaped by profound loss, having lost three of her own children to drugs in the favela. Yet in the midst of that grief, Lizete continues moving forward with a determination to serve her family, strengthen those around her, and share the hope of the Gospel with others.
Her ministry reaches throughout the Rio de Janeiro region, where she is committed to preaching the Gospel and connecting with as many people as possible. For Lizete, ministry is not separate from daily life; it is part of the way she lives, cares, prays, and responds to the people around her. She carries the message of Christ into communities where people may be facing poverty, addiction, homelessness, grief, and other difficult circumstances. Her own experiences have given her an intimate understanding of hardship, and she continues to use her life as an opportunity to encourage others through faith. As part of New Beginning Ministries, Lizete represents the kind of ministry that is personal, relational, and rooted in a willingness to keep showing up for people.
One of the clearest expressions of Lizete’s compassion is her care for people experiencing homelessness. She helps provide food and support, and one of her dreams is to have a large kitchen where she can continue cooking for those in need on a greater scale. For her, a kitchen would be more than simply another room in a house; it would become a place where service could continue and expand. Preparing meals is a practical way of meeting an immediate need while also creating opportunities for dignity, conversation, prayer, and connection. Her desire to keep feeding others, even while facing significant needs within her own household, says a great deal about the heart behind her ministry.
Today, one of the most urgent needs surrounding Lizete and her family is safe and stable housing. Her current home is deteriorating and is partially protected by a tarp, making the need for a more secure living situation especially important for a household that includes her grandchildren and disabled sister. New Beginning Ministries has made it a goal to help purchase a home for Lizete and her family, providing the stability they need while also giving her greater capacity to continue serving others. So far, $50,000 has been raised toward a total goal of $75,000. Reaching that goal would make it possible to pursue a home that can better support both her family responsibilities and the ministry work that has become such an important part of her life.
Lizete’s story is a powerful example of faith expressed through endurance and service. She has experienced extraordinary loss, yet continues caring for her grandchildren, supporting her sister, helping homeless people, praying faithfully, and preaching the Gospel throughout Rio de Janeiro. New Beginning Ministries is honored to stand alongside her and to help support the work she is already doing within her family and community. The hope of providing Lizete with a home is not simply about improving a building; it is about creating greater stability for a family and helping make room for a ministry that is already touching the lives of others. Through prayer, generosity, and partnership, the goal is to help give Lizete a secure place from which she can continue doing what she has committed herself to for so long: caring for people, feeding those in need, and sharing the Gospel wherever she can.
