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2016: Brandon’s first seminary class, taught with an interpreter, fellow NAB missionary Lyndell Campbell Réquia. Everything was so new and difficult.
2026: Hosting JOCUM missionaries for a game night. Grateful for how far God has brought us—in language, relationships, and community.
As we round the corner into 2026, we’ve seen a trend on social media of people reflecting back on 2016. For us, 2016 was the first time we stepped foot in Brazil, changing the trajectory of our family’s ministry.
As we reflect on the past ten years, there is so much that can be said about the ways God has guided, protected, and shaped us as we have sought to walk alongside God’s work here in Brazil. We have cried, and we have laughed. We have worried, and we have praised. We have mourned, and we have rejoiced. There have been so many challenges, so many wins, and so much to process, and we are deeply aware that we have not walked this road alone.
Many of you have been faithful supporters, prayer warriors, and encouragers throughout this journey. We feel an overwhelming sense of joy when we think of you and the ways you have cared for us over the years.
In December, Marci graduated from Kairos University with her Master of Divinity. She has applied to do an extended unit of Clinical Pastoral Education while we are on home assignment later this year. This educational journey has been deeply formative, and she looks forward to what God has next as she continues to seek ways to deepen her outreach here. We are also thankful that in December Brandon was able to be with Daniel as he graduated from college.
January is always a quiet month in Brazil, as it is summer break. Schools shut down, and families head to the beach. For us, it is a good time to prepare for the things to come. In late February, Brandon will be traveling overnight by bus seven hours north to the city of Xanxaré to teach an intensive course, Introduction to the Bible, at an extension site of the seminary. The semester at the main campus begins in early March. Brandon will be teaching twice each week, with Church History I on Monday nights and New Testament I on Saturdays. In March, Marci’s English immersion Bible study will also restart at our church.
Projeto Etos, our Kairos University partnership, continues to grow, with ten students now enrolled in our master’s and doctoral programs, four of them at the doctoral level. At the end of November, we held an in-person gathering where master’s students presented case studies and doctoral students presented their research. One of our doctoral students, Leandro, has recently completed his final project and is now in the final stages before graduation.
Projecto Etos students who attended the in-person gathering.
Serving as a pastor in a college town, his project focuses on how the church can engage college students who do not have faith. He conducted a survey of hundreds of students, exploring their beliefs about God and the motivations behind belief or unbelief. Many students cited intellectual reasons for not believing, such as conclusions drawn from science or disappointment rooted in religious oppression. However, among those who did believe, what stood out were not intellectual arguments but relational experiences—such as a direct encounter with God or meaningful relationships with other believers. As a result, his project proposes ways the church can thoughtfully address intellectual reservations, drawing on insights from physics and biology, while also presenting the Christian faith as good, true, and beautiful, with particular attention to the role of imagination.
Leandro presenting his doctoral project at the Projecto Etos gathering.
Over the next few months, we will begin the transition to home assignment. The Lord has opened up a housing opportunity for us in Aurora, Missouri, near Marci’s mom. We look forward to reconnecting with many of you and hope to meet some of you for the first time. If you have association meetings or missions conferences already scheduled for the second half of 2026 into 2027, please let us know so we can be sure to mark our calendars and plan to be with you.
In Christ,