“Your ministry is comendo pelas beiradas,” he said; and then explained, ”This is a Brazilian idiom that means eating around the edges where no one else is eating. I’m very excited about your ministry because it is greatly needed and no one else is doing it.” This is what a church planter and missionary mobilizer in Rio told Stephen and me after we explained to him our vision to reach Israeli backpackers in Rio.
Even if Carissa and I are not be able to move to Brazil next year as planned, we still desire to be as much a part of reaching Israeli backpackers in Rio as possible. For that reason, I joined our teammate, Stephen Arnold, on a trip to Rio back in September to make preparations for the launching of this incredible ministry!
Our short ten days in Rio were such a blessing and encouragement. Almost every Brazilian we spoke with in the local churches has a Jewish friend, neighbor, or co-worker. Many of these believers strongly desire to share the Gospel with their Jewish friends, but don’t know how to begin presenting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Some of them even asked us to train them to do this effectively.
We shared our ministry vision with several pastors in the Southern Zone of Rio, where we plan to establish our guesthouse. Each pastor was not only excited to hear our plan, but also eager to be a part of reaching Israelis with the Gospel, and each offered to help us in any way they could. After sharing our ministry vision in one of those churches, several young Brazilians, who speak English very well, came to us and expressed a desire to volunteer at the guesthouse. The pastor of that church wants to connect us with the five largest churches in Rio so that we can train their members in Jewish evangelism and train their youth to volunteer at our guesthouse.
It is clear that God led us to churches in whom He has cultivated a great understanding of His heart for Israel and the Jewish people. God continues to guide and direct us, open doors we never thought to knock on, and connect us with key contacts to accomplish all that needs to be done. This trip was another confirmation that God is not only in this ministry, but that it belongs to Him and it is He who drives it. What a blessing and honor it is that He has chosen to use these Brazilian churches, you – our sending team, and us to accomplish His redemptive plan for Israel.