Changing Times

A few years ago, we had a wild idea.  The camp where we had worked closed.  The church where we had assisted got a national pastor.  All of our boys left the household.  It seemed like a good time to consider a move or a new type of ministry.  We weren't too old, but not too young.  It was around the end of 2017.

We briefly considered going to Mozambique.  Local churches had made some trips to the country helping a national missionary there.  One of our sons had gone on a missions trip.  There was a definite need and we already spoke the language.  Culture adjustment at our age could be rough.  

Byron took a three-week trip up and down the Amazon River.  He had always thought it would be a possibility with his boat and mechanical experience.  We knew a few people in the region, and the language and culture part wouldn't be too much of a problem.  After his trip, he just didn't feel that someone else running up and down the river was really needed.

So, what now?  Or then rather!  We took a survey trip all around the interior not too far from where we lived in Sobradinho.  We traveled for around three weeks all over the back roads of northern Bahia.  We marked places with a GPS and made notes of each community.  Then we made a decision.

We felt God calling us to find a way to reach out to interior communities without churches of any kind.  It would be like many of the river ministries that Byron had seen in the Amazon.  We would make regular trips visiting in homes and starting Bible studies with interested people.  

In larger communities we would work to see small congregations started where we could place a lay person or missionary pastor to tend to the needs of new believers.  We went on furlough and came back almost ready to go.  We didn't take off down the dirt roads too quickly.  We stayed a little close to home as we perfected our techniques.  We took young people from the church in town to help in closer communities with activities in rural one room school houses in the later months of 2018.

We had a plan!  Part of that plan was for the church in Sobradinho to be involved in any preaching point near to them.  Another big city church would assist with some of the farther out places.  We got our materials ready for the Bible studies and decided on a good vehicle.

Our sons' old sand rail seemed a good fit for the dusty, sandy interior roads.  It also drew lots of attention everywhere we went.  We were soon making regular runs to our farther target town - Lage dos Negros.  Evangelism and decisions were slow coming on our route.  We also added a weekly run with the young people from Sobradinho to a small community in the middle - called Abreus.

Covid hit and everything was slowed down.  We adjusted, did some studies online and began making masked and outside visits as soon as was allowed.  In the meantime, some of the young people from the Sobradinho church began to feel called to help in the ministry.  One by one we sent a total of six young men and women to a Bible institute to prepare.

Here we are in 2025, wondering who will take up the torch of the Gospel’s Light. One by one, those we hoped would join us have been called to serve elsewhere. Our hearts long for God to raise up devoted Christians who will continue His work here in the Salitre Valley. Please join us in praying earnestly for this need.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."   2 Corinthians 4:6