IDE Newsletter | When the Gospel Meets Willing Hearts

The IDE 2026 was once again marked by medical and dental care, community visits, discipleship opportunities, and activities focused on children, youth, and families.

Throughout every activity, the team was guided by one shared purpose: to proclaim the love of Christ through service. While some provided healthcare, others taught, played, prayed, listened to stories, and walked alongside the communities. Each volunteer served using their own gifts, but all shared the same mission.

Below, we will read from some of the volunteers who participated in the project. We hope these stories will encourage you to glorify God in everything you do. Perhaps they will even inspire you to join us on a mission trip to the Brazilian Amazon.

| WHEN CHILDREN SMILE, THE GOSPEL FLOURISHES

Karla Francielle, a volunteer on the children's ministry team, shared:

“It’s impossible not to smile when you see so many beautiful children eager to hear about the Gospel of Christ. Whenever our team gathered, what mattered most was each person's willingness to do her part to make everything we had planned happen. This was reflected in how we carried out our scheduled activities throughout the day.

We headed to the school, where we shared songs about Jesus’ love for each child, taught them a Bible verse, told a story, and even made time to play. Next, we held two educational sessions on oral hygiene and handwashing. At the end, we handed out toys, and seeing the sparkle in their eyes and the smiles on their faces was the most beautiful part of that moment.

Sharing Jesus with little ones is so easy and simple because His love is contagious and is demonstrated through the care of every volunteer. Our hearts rejoice as we proclaim the Gospel that saves and transforms an entire life from the moment a little child is not hindered from coming to Christ, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

| THE PRIVILEGE OF ANSWERING THE CALL TO GO

Pastor Fredson Miranda summed up what many volunteers experienced during the trip:

“I praise God for the opportunity that Asas de Socorro gave me to answer Jesus' call to ‘go’ in a different way in the Amazon. These were unforgettable days alongside brothers and sisters committed to spreading God’s love. The call to ‘go’ is not just a command; it is a privilege. Come and experience this mission!”

| WHEN CHRIST TRANSFORMS OUR PERSPECTIVE

Ana Cássia Ribeiro highlighted how God worked in her heart:

“IDE 2026 gave me an experience through which Christ, once again, transformed my perspective. Witnessing His love multiplied through every act of service made me realize even more how powerful He is to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, as Ephesians 3:20 tells us. For me, it was a privilege to be part of what God has been doing in Amazonas. His presence was real there while we were there, and I am certain He remains present in every heart where His seed was planted. Among the rivers of the Amazon, He is there! I am immensely grateful for this opportunity!”

| SERVING ALSO MEANS CARING FOR THE LITTLE DETAILS

Vitória Mariano experienced the mission through different areas of service:

“I participated in IDE 2026, and during the days we provided care in the two communities we visited, we saw how essential it is to demonstrate care through our attitudes and acts of service.

I served on the pharmacy team at different times, and while dispensing medications, Luciana and I often had to draw a sun and a moon to help patients better understand how to take their medication correctly. With every explanation, they would give us a grateful smile. In every smile, every medical appointment, every completed triage form, and every photograph, we witnessed God’s care.

I also had the opportunity to work with the young people during the trail activity, and it was a blessing. Besides taking photos, I joined the Parintins team for part of the trail, and the joy of our brothers and sisters was contagious because it was joy that comes from the Lord. The activities touched not only the hearts of the community members but also those of all the volunteers, including mine. It was a privilege to serve and capture, through photographs, a glimpse of everything God accomplished during this mission trip.”

| HUMAN FINITENESS AND DIVINE FULLNESS

Jackeline Melo, who works in the Communications and Fundraising Department at Asas de Socorro, also took part in the trip. She shared some beautiful reflections on her experience:

“Have you ever traveled somewhere and, after a few days, simply lost track of what day it was? That is sort of what happened to me. At a certain point during the trip, I lost my sense of time. The days began to blur together. The activities, the places, the people… And I found myself realizing something interesting: I need time to orient myself. I need to know what day it is, what time it is, what happened yesterday, and what will happen tomorrow. I live in a sequence: yesterday, today, tomorrow. But God does not. In the beginning, God was already there. Time is part of creation. We entered time. God is its Creator.

R. C. Sproul draws attention precisely to this distinction between Creator and creation: we are finite, dependent, and changeable; God is eternal, self-sufficient, and depends on nothing outside Himself.

So that little confusion about the days ended up reminding me of something: I am limited by time. God is not. And perhaps you have noticed this too. We try to control time: we organize schedules, set alarms, make lists, create plans… And even then, we reach the end of the day and think, ‘I did all of that, and there was still so much left to do?’ Because we are created beings. We have 24 hours. One body. One attention span. One place at a time.

That was when the trip taught me a second lesson: I am not omnipresent. During the trip, there was always something happening. An activity here, another one there… So much to document. A camera to carry. Memory cards to clear. And whenever I was in one place, something else was happening somewhere else. It was inevitable, given our packed schedule. Being here meant not being there.

Has that ever happened to you? You’re carrying out one responsibility and remember another detail you should be taking care of? You’re talking to someone and thinking about someone else who is waiting for you? You’re doing one thing while knowing that five others are happening at the same time? That’s how we are. Our presence is limited.

We cannot be everywhere. God can. Spurgeon, speaking about this, uses an extraordinary image: God is so fully present that what seems impossible to us — being completely present in different places — does not diminish His presence in any of them.

I had the opportunity to serve on the Chaplaincy team, and what a privilege it was! Listening to stories, talking to people, and learning about their realities makes us reflect on our own lack of contentment. Mr. Roberto taught me about the value of education and history. Mrs. Claudete taught me how unforgiveness can bring sorrow and heaviness to the heart. Mrs. Lindalva showed me that hospitality can be practiced with simplicity. Mr. Clauber is a living testimony that Christ can transform lives, including those affected by addiction. Chaplaincy was about knowing how to listen to people. As relational beings, which is how God created us, people are longing for someone who will truly listen.

The main thing is that I went on a mission trip and came back thinking much less about my own ability to be present and much more about the presence of God. Because I cannot be everywhere, but He can. I cannot control time, but He is eternal. Psalm 90:2 says, ‘From everlasting to everlasting you are God’. That puts everything into perspective.

Perhaps we suffer so much because we try to occupy a place that was never meant for us. We want to know everything, be everywhere, solve everything, anticipate everything, control everything. But that is not what it means to be human. That is an attempt to be what only God can be. And perhaps Christian maturity has a lot to do with learning to say, ‘I can't’. Not as an admission of defeat, but as a confession.

There is a God who has never lost track of time or control of history. There is a God who has never lost sight of a single person. And perhaps that is why, in the end, the question is not ‘Where was I?’ or ‘How much did I accomplish?’ Perhaps the question is ‘Where was God?’ And the answer is: everywhere. In Chaplaincy, with the youth, with the children, during medical care, in logistics, in the kitchen, in management…

I may lose track of time, but God never does. I am limited; He is infinite. I am temporary; He is eternal. I am in one place at a time; He is present everywhere. And perhaps this is exactly what it means not to be at the center. I do not need to be everywhere. I do not need to control every moment. Because there is a God who can. And in the end, it is wonderful to discover that God remains God when I finally admit that I am not. Perhaps the most Christ-centered declaration we can make is to learn to say ‘I am not’ before the great I AM!”

| THE NEXT STORY COULD BE YOURS

Every gesture of love points to the same truth: God continues to use people to accomplish His wonderful work.

Through IDE, the Gospel is proclaimed not only by words but also through care, service, compassion, and presence. When the Church chooses to go, lives are transformed.

God continues to call men and women who are willing to serve Him. With their professions. With their gifts. With their time. With their hearts. Come and experience IDE (which means “GO”, by the way)! Proclaiming the Gospel is more than a command; it is also a privilege.

HOW ABOUT GETTING READY NOW?

Join our mission trips, serve with your gifts, walk in obedience, and discover the blessing of serving God and others.

UPCOMING MISSION TRIP DATES

Puxirum da Esperança – “Unity That Transforms”

March 14–20, 2027

April 4–11, 2027

May 3–9, 2027

June 13–19, 2027

September 12–18, 2027

IDE Project

July 11–19, 2027 – IDE – Ayhu Amazônia“Go, love, care, and serve with deep affection.”

Amazon Expedition

August 23–29, 2027 – 1st Amazônia Regenera Expedition“Serving lives. Restoring Creation.”

Puraque Mission

October 25–November 1, 2027 – Puraque Mission“God is on the margins.”