This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 25 June 2013. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
Claire and Judi are pictured right, with other volunteers and people from Brazil.
They heard about Mission Direct through a member of their church who gave a presentation of a trip to Moldova with the agency, which enables volunteers to make a practical difference to the world's poor. Claire, 26, a teaching assistant for young people with learning difficulties, said: "We've always had Brazil on our hearts and when we saw that Mission Direct did trips there we jumped at the chance.
First Mum went there, and then I followed the next year. "Judi and Claire went Curitiba which is just south of Sao Paulo, to work with Brazilians building houses to re-home people living in favelas. Claire said: "My love for Brazil started back in 2006 when I went to Sao Paulo to work with street kids with BMS World Mission.
I went to Brazil a shy girl with a heart to serve God and came back so much more confident and so different that mum became interested in the projects out there too. "They went out there during October 2011 and October 2012, spending the mornings in a children's home and during the afternoons visiting community projects.
Claire said: "We were privileged to see some amazing projects like Voice for Change - that takes kids off the street during the day to educate and care for them.
We also got to go and feed the needy at a church, visit the children's home and visit houses and pray for people. "Watching the kids from the children's home watch the building work and see how far it had progressed was the highlight of the trip.
"On the last day we called them to come and see the building and also to plant their hands in the concrete that we were laying.
It was a really heart-touching moment to see each child make their mark on what would be their future home and it allowed us to leave our mark too.
It was a piece of us there forever with them. "However the drug rehabilitation unit proved the most challenging and the most encouraging part of the experience. Claire said: "We visited two areas, one with women who had recently been admitted to the centre and another with men who had been there for some time. "We heard tragic stories from the women who still had very fresh stories of hardship and suffering because of drugs.
Many had lost their families, homes, everything.
We were moved to tears at the feeling of despair and desolation as they began their journey to become free of drugs, but also saw glimmers of hope as we prayed for each of them. "On the men's side of the centre we saw more stories of hope and felt the determination of the guys to keep clean.
Many had faith and they really could see God working through them and in them. "We were encouraged to hear that lots of the guys who had entered rehab had reached full term and were now clean and working for churches and their community. "Judi, 55, a housekeeper in A&E at Milton Keynes Hospital, added: 'A really moving moment was when we moved one family out of the favelas into the new house we had finished building.
It was very emotional, they could not believe they had an inside toilet and just kept walking from room to room in disbelief that this was now their home. '"It was all really moving and life changing.
I was talking to a man on the streets who was the same age as me and had fallen on hard times.
He stayed alone on the street for his own safety and really appreciated the meal and fellowship that we had helped to serve and be a part of at a down town ministry meeting in Curitiba.
I'd recommend anyone to go, but be prepared for your outlook on life to be completely changed. "