Amazon Lifesavers Ministry (edit, back)
02/28/2015
What does the future hold? I think every ministry has pondered this question at one time or another, perhaps continually! When will Jesus come back? How much should we invest in planning and expansion?
Small, simple, and soon—these words describe how our ministry started in Brazil. But after several years of continual growth, we were becoming a little cramped! As more and more students arrived to take our Missionary Training Course, we began knocking on our neighbors’ doors, asking if they would be willing to house some missionaries-in-training for three months. Also, the verandah where we initially started teaching, though large enough to seat the students, provided insufficient protection from the rain. So every time a storm came we would huddle in the kitchen or in a bedroom in order to continue classes. Eventually we emptied a bedroom and made it the permanent classroom.
We began to dream of building a school. We could add a few offices for the teachers and staff (who currently all work in our house), a pharmacy to store all our donated meds (which were stuffed in a corner of the classroom/bedroom), and a storage room for all our donated clothes, toys, mattresses, etc., that we distribute in the interior during mission trips.
“How about a room to store all of our hydrotherapy supplies?” someone added.
“And our massage tables!” suggested another. And so the design was pieced together. In addition, God sent us the aid of a dedicated architect who drew up the plans for free.
“What about the money?” some asked.
“Let’s move forward one step at a time!” was our reply. Sure enough, God did his part. After applying for a project grant, we received a large donation from ASI—not enough for the whole project, but a generous amount to get started. ASI Brazil (FE) was not far behind, offering another generous sum. Private donors began to contribute as well.
Although it has taken several months of paperwork and red tape to get full government approval, we now have the green light to build. We are so excited! We can hardly wait for the day when we will be able to settle into our new building. Larger quarters will enable us to accept more students, each committed to spending at least a year in the Amazon after their training, thus directly impacting the amount of missionaries in the field.
In the meantime, we have been doing what we can— upgrading the electrical system of our base in order to accommodate higher energy usage, building a larger water tower, and extending water lines out to the building site. God has led step by step.
So, back to the initial question, what does the future hold? We don’t know exactly. All we know is that today God has led us thus far and we have followed in obedience and gratefulness. Tomorrow we will continue to follow his lead.