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The preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes reflects on how there is a time and season for everything. There are rhythms to our lives, from our steady heartbeats, to sunrises and sunsets, and the changing of the seasons. When we moved to Brazil, we learned how to observe and establish our own rhythms. Summer in January? Check. Spring break in October? Check. This spring in Brazil has been a full one as we focus on our mission’s three main ministries: Theological Education, Church Planting, and Discipleship.
RumoPlan meeting
Our church-planting network, RumoPlan, had its second gathering in August in Canoas, which is the largest suburb of Porto Alegre. The meeting included church planters and mentors from all over the state, including its biggest three cities. We focused on self-care for church planters and leaders as everyone shared some of their own rhythms between work, rest, and ministry. Nearly every church planter has a full-time job on top of their ministry, so it can be a challenge to prioritize taking care of oneself and being present for one’s family. Yet, God created us to have rhythms between our work and rest, even when our work is so important.
The church plant in Rio Branco, Canoas
Brandon is teaching two classes this spring: a New Testament Introduction at our seminary’s extension site in Guaíba and Paul’s Letters at the main campus. As always, this semester has been a great opportunity to learn as well as teach, and God has also graced us with new students this semester.
Guaíba extension site class
Marci received two teaching opportunities this spring: one is leading a Bible study in English to help people sharpen their English skills while also learning more about who God is. One of the members of our church, Vitor, came up with the idea, as he works with a lot of people who want to improve their English. He thought, why not have them learn about God while doing so? He named the study “The Bible Is on the Table,” because in Brazil just about everyone knows one English phrase: “the book is on the table.” The local YWAM group in our city also invited Marci to teach English to some of their team members who often travel out of Brazil, where their Portuguese is not as useful as English would be.
On top of these opportunities, she is finishing up her Master of Divinity degree with Kairos University. Our own Brazilian partnership with Kairos University, called Projeto Etos, has welcomed six new students who are all affiliated with our new partner seminary. One of our older students, Leandro, is nearing graduation with his Doctor of Ministry degree. He pastors a church in a university town, so his project has focused on ways his church can creatively reach university students. He has studied and applied apologetic strategies that focus on one’s imagination and heart rather than just their head. He will be presenting some of his findings to our first Projeto Etos gathering in November.
The Joneses in the Amazon rainforest
Monica and Olivia wearing traditional Gaúcho dress for Farroupilha days in September
The last rhythm that we reflect on is that of splitting our time between the field here in Brazil and all of you, our partners, family, and friends back home in North America. That’s why we are pleased to announce that our next home assignment is coming up, starting in July of 2026. We will be staying in the Kansas City area for a year through June of 2027. As we look ahead, we are not only praying for God’s provisions as these transitions always bring so many extra costs with them, but also to plan our visits to our partners well. If you already have a missions conference scheduled between July 2026 and June 2027 and would like for us to be a part of it, please let us know via our email, which is below.
Thanks so much for your prayers, support, and gifts that sustain us through all life’s many rhythms!