In God’s grace, He allowed the transmission to go out just as the Luzeiro Amazonia 3 rounded a corner in the river, arriving to a rather large community. Certainly the boat crew would be able to find help here. Satur called me later in Manaus to tell me that they had a local mechanic on board who apparently would be able to fix the transmission enough that it could make it the rest of the trip. The bad news- we needed to replace the transmission!

The sun was just beginning to set on the second day of being in port. The mechanic was just finishing the last bit of work. The boat could set sail first thing in the morning. Cleber watched patiently as the mechanic finished soldering the last piece into place. Suddenly the unexpected happened- a spark jumped off and caught fire in the bilge of the boat, right next to the diesel tank, the motor, and the generator. As the mechanic had been working the last two days he had spilled quite a bit of motor and transmission oil. When the spark hit it, the boat was lit up. Immediately the mechanic threw down his tools and rushed out of the boat. Cleber stood staring in shock…..”Fire, Fire, Satur come quick.” Without another hesitation he began to get buckets of water from the river to try to put out the fire in the bilge. The boat was tied at dock between several other boats, and all Cleber could imagine was the explosion that would soon take place, burning down our boat and many others.

He suddenly saw the fire extinguisher in the bilge, right between the fire and the diesel tank. With a quick prayer he jumped down into the bilge to grab the fire extinguisher. With the extinguisher in his hands, he turned to face the fire, which had now formed a wall around him leaving no way out. He felt that this was probably the end. Then suddenly Cleber heard, non-audibly, the voice of the Holy Spirit walking him through the procedure of using the extinguisher…. Pull the pin, aim the nozzle, and squeeze. Though in his fear he could not logically reason, he followed the Holy Spirit’s leading and soon had the fire completely extinguished. Isaiah 43 tells us: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43: 1-3

The boat was not damaged in the fire. The fire was put out just in time to spare the whole boat, and the only damage: the oil was all cleaned up out of the bilge! The boat was then able to continue on its journey up the Amazon for its first mission. Dr. Ricardo shared with me the many villages that were visited which have no Adventist presence at all. The most memorable was a small village that was totally Catholic. Shortly before this trip, the leader of the Catholic church, through the program’s presence and medical care, had taken Bible studies and become a baptized SDA. She was excited to have our boat arrive with all the volunteers. However the community said NO! They did not want these Adventists coming into their Catholic community. It was already beginning to crumble with the loss of the church leader. One man in particular threatened the whole village if the group were to come. However the medical needs were so great that the people, risking the threat of their fellow villager, finally invited the group to come.

The awaited day arrived with two of our boats, the Luzeiro 1 and the Luzeiro 3 and one other boat, all arriving with some 60 volunteers, including students from Loma Linda University and from the Adventist University in South Brazil (UNASP). The villagers all lined up and began to be attended….. in no other place than inside the Catholic church itself! The one man waited quietly and only watched. Our volunteers kindly treated each sick and suffering person. As the day began to wind to an end, all the volunteers joined the local villagers in joint activities. The one resistant man blended into the crowd and seemed to slowly be caught up with the events of the day. Dr. Ricardo spoke with him personally and told him that whatever he may need in the realm of health care, we were there to help. With many patients helped and many lives impacted, the three boats left that day, once again seeing how the medical work takes down the barriers to sharing God’s love. Please continue to pray for this village, for more opportunities to go back and begin Bible work in this totally closed area.

God’s provisions for the Luzeiro Amazonia 3

Lina and I just finished our 7 week visit to the USA, with several campmeeting and church speaking appointments and the General Conference session. We were the guest speakers for the Carolina Conference Campmeeting in Lake Junaluska, NC. Each night for a week we shared stories and pictures of our mission work in Brazil. On the last Sabbath of the campmeeting, the conference took up an offering to help with the purchase of a new transmission for the Luzeiro Amazonia 3. The project received a total of $13,000 towards the purchase of a new transmission and motor for the Luzeiro Amazonia 3. Praise the Lord!! He comes through always at the right time. With this money we are hoping to upgrade to a larger engine that will enable us to carry groups more efficiently, and to install a new transmission!

General Conference news:

We also enjoyed God’s blessing at the General Conference Session where we had a booth for the Luzeiro Amazonia Project. We were joined by 3 other board members from Brazil who came to help with the booth and several of our volunteers based in the USA as well. It was a busy and very productive week and a half as we shared with many thousands of people the blessing the Lord is pouring out on His work in the Amazon.

One other special event that took place during the GC session was the official vote approving our project as a new member of OCI, Outpost Centers International. OCI is a highly respected organization that networks SDA supporting ministries together from all over the world to connect in fellowship and activities to better support our church. We are thrilled for this new opportunity and we pray that each day we become better prepared to work for our Savior.

Please continue to pray for this project as we move forward daily seeking God’s blessing and guidance. Our biggest goal is to use medical work to open the door for evangelism. We also thank each one of you who has sacrificially given financially to this program to enable us to carry God’s love into the dark and un-entered Amazon region.

Future Events

Ilton and Lea DeSouza will be representing Luzeiro Amazonia with a booth at the ASI convention in Orlando, Florida in August. If you are in the area please stop by and see the booth and meet our newest volunteers. They will be joining us soon as full time volunteers.

God Bless,

Brad Mills

Program Coordinator

Bolivia Trip

My heart was pounding intensely. Surely it wasn’t going to end like this! However as the plane zoomed closer and closer to the end of the tiny airstrip with only jungle at the other end, my fears were increasing quickly. I closed my eyes, trying to avoid seeing the inevitable collision. As the plane jerked to a stop I let out a shout of joy for the successful landing in the small village of Rosario on the River Beni in the state of Pando, Bolivia. The pilot smiled and said the last time he landed there, he had used even more of the runway!

The last week of April we took a group of 11 doctors, dentists, nurses, and Bible workers on a trip into the Amazon jungles of Bolivia. Coordinating with the local mission school run by Ruan and Tara Swanepoel, we came to provide medical work as a door opener to the new areas where they plan to take students to do evangelism. Our team had a wonderful experience interacting with the local Bolivians, learning a new culture, and trying out a different language. In the small jungle village of Rosario, where there are more pigs than people, the village had not had a visit from a doctor in years. We set up and did medical and dental consults for every member of the community. It was thrilling to see once more how the medical mission work opened the door in this completely Catholic community. Please continue praying for the Industrial School in Guayaramerin, Bolivia as they continue teaching students to serve God and taking the three angels message to the unentered areas of Bolivia.

Inauguration of a new Launch, Luzeiro XXVI

Luzeiro 26

Sabbath, May 15 was an exciting day for Seventh-day Adventists in all Manaus and Brazil as the Seventh-day Adventist Church officially inaugurated the new launch, Luzeiro XXVI. The day was well planned by the union in collaboration with the local Adventist Hospital. Two rented boats plus the new Luzeiro boat carried several volunteer doctors, dentists, and nurses to attend in three communities close to Manaus. In the afternoon they held the official ceremony inaugurating the launch. All the volunteers of ASVAM, Luzeiro Amazonia Project, are thrilled to see one more boat dedicated for God’s service in the interior of the Amazon. The event was especially fond to our hearts because this was the very boat that we sold back to the church for the start of ADRA Amazonas. Please continue to pray for more boats and more workers here in the Amazon.

Luzeiro Amazonia 3

The Luzeiro Amazonia 3 set sail today for its first official mission into the interior. This is the wooden boat that we purchased a few months ago. The boat is being piloted by Satur, Cleber, and Bruno as it goes up the River Solimoes to the destination of River Piorini. This area is extremely poor and has no Adventist presence at all. Please keep this mission in your prayers over the next several weeks as Dr. Ricardo, the River Solimoes base coordinator, takes a group into this unreached area. Pray for their safety and for success as they open up new areas where God’s truths have not yet penetrated. Stay tuned for a June report of this mission.

We thank you in advance for remember this program in your daily prayers. We realize each day that we are involved in a Great Conflict between good and evil. Satan wants nothing more than to keep those along the banks of the Amazon in darkness. Seeing that our time on this earth is nearly ending, please, please, join us in prayer for these souls. We want to see that God has used each one of us to bring someone to Him. Remember that through your prayers and support you are being directly used by God in the reaching of souls!

We look forward to seeing many of you on a visit to the United States. Please make an effort to come by our booth at the General Conference Session in Atlanta and visit us!

God Bless,
Bradley Mills
Program Coordinator

New Base opened in Novo Airão

As previously planned on our yearly calendar we inaugurated a new base in Novo Airão on Sabbath, March 27. The week started off on Sunday, March 21 with the arrival of a team of 30 people from Loma Linda University: students, faculty, and local health professionals. We traveled by boat up the Rio Negro all day Sunday and then slowly made our way back downstream all during the week, stopping each day at villages to do medical mission work. The week culminated in the arrival of nearly 30 SDA healthcare professionals from the city of Manaus who joined us on Friday afternoon. Sabbath and Sunday were both full days of caring for the sick, literature distribution, and kids programs. Sabbath evening ended with a sundown vespers program and prayer dedicating the work in the new base to the advancement of God’s church! Over 60 people were all together to bring in the new week.

Each trip we make into the interior we are reminded of how medical missionary work is truly the right hand to the gospel. This trip we visited a community called “Good Jesus”, where the entire community is Assembly of God. Normally Adventism would not be welcome into such a community, however no one turns away the much needed help of doctors, nurses, and dentists. After attending the whole community we were able to give out sharing books on the beautiful truths of the Sabbath. The leader of the community, who is also the leader of the church, was thrilled to have our team present, and invited us to return in the future.

The following day we went to another community and had a similar experience. An older man slowly shuffled into the clinic. He came because his ingrown toenail had become infected. Red, swollen, and oozing pus, he was in a moderate amount of pain. As Dr. Ricardo and I sat up and went to work removing the ingrown toenail, the man began asking us about our religious beliefs. It turns out he was the pastor of the local Assembly of God church. He was thrilled to find out that we were Seventh-day Adventists, stating that he had seen how well our church works all along the rivers. He then mentioned how much he enjoyed listening to “It is Written” in Portuguese. This provided a wonderful sharing opportunity, for we had with us a small sharing book written by Mark Finley about the Sabbath. The pastor cheerfully accepted the book that shared the truths of God’s word and promised to read it!

We are cheered to see the work move forward and still open hearts to God’s truth. In Last Day Events page 80 we are reminded “I wish to tell you that soon there will be no work done in ministerial lines but medical missionary work.” CH 533 (1901).

Evangelism in Ponta Alegre

The evangelism in Ponta Alegre was completed. To God’s honor and glory 53 souls were baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. To all the new members delight, the church building itself was finished as well. The church was painted a beautiful dark orange color, at the decision of the local indigenous people. Now when arriving to Ponta Alegre the first thing you see is the beautiful reconstructed SDA church. Praise God for dedicated persons who are willing to give their lives for God’s work in the hard to reach areas of the world.

Church construction in Giro

Hopefully you have not forgotten the small neighborhood of Giro located just about 15 minutes from our base in Puraquequara. This is where evangelism was done and the people asked for the construction of a house of worship for their community. You might remember that Cleber and Denise used their very last money to help purchase a piece of property for the construction of the church. Just this last month a sizeable donation was received for the construction of this church. Praise be to God the work is progressing rapidly. The foundation has been put in place and the walls are starting to go up!

Please continue to pray for this program and for the many needs all along the Amazon River. Each time that we make a small step forward into a newly unexplored area we realize just how large and unentered the Amazon still remains. We still have quite a work left to do on this earth and only through prayer and joint effort, allowing the Holy Spirit to be poured out on each one of us, will we be able to assist in finishing the work on this earth. Thank you for the part that you have played in reaching the people along the Amazon. The value of just one soul can never be downplayed, for the life of Jesus was given for each and every person!

My wife and kids and I will be traveling to the USA at the end of May. We will be there for nearly 6 weeks. We will be traveling to several places for camp-meeting and church speaking appointments. We will also have a booth at the General Conference Session in Atlanta. If you have a chance please come by and see us! We will be speaking at our home church of Rossville, Georgia on Sabbath, May 22. We will also be attending the North Carolina Campmeeting where we will be speaking each evening about the work here in Brazil.

God bless each one of you and keep us in your prayers,

Bradley Mills

General Coordinator

Luzeiro Amazonia Project

Pastor Deovanir and Marcia recently returned back to the base here in Manaus from Ponta Alegre sharing amazing stories of what the Holy Spirit is already doing in such a short time! After just one month of Bible studies Marcia shares that there are nearly 30 persons requesting baptism! Both Pr. Deo and Marcia spend the entire day giving Bible studies to the eagerly learning Indians, only taking breaks for meal time, baths, and washing clothes in the river!

Church Construction

The local SDA congregation which was down to 9 attending members is now having nearly 200 persons each Sabbath, Sunday night, and Wednesday night for services! Also, the old brick church started by Leo Halliwell that has long since fallen down is being rebuilt. Pr. Deo and Marcia shared pictures and stories of all the local people getting involved to see the church being rebuilt.

Please keep Pr. Deo and Marcia in your prayers as right now the evangelistic series is going on. This coming week is the last week of the series, with next Sabbath being the culminating day of baptisms. Please keep these people in your prayers as they continue to hear God’s message of love and make the decision to give their hearts to God.

Also please keep Pr. Deovanir and Marcia in your prayers as they have recently accepted the challenge to join up with the newly starting program of Global Missions here in the Amazon and travel to another river to start evangelism and church planting. Though they will be leaving the Luzeiro Amazonia program’s team, they will continue doing the same work- spreading the message of Christ’s soon return to the interior of the Amazon!

One last update to share. Last week the project grew by one more

New Fast Boat

boat. Our newest addition is a small 15 foot aluminum fast boat with a 40 HP outboard engine. This boat will be permanently located at the base with the purpose of moving local volunteers back and forth for medical and evangelistic work in this area! Praise God for His continual blessings in this work. As always, please keep this program in your prayers! May we all be a part of ushering in Jesus’ soon return.

Bradley Mills
Program Director

How often things happen in our lives and we can’t seem to understand why. Why Lord, does it seem the construction of this aluminum boat will never be finished? Why Lord, did you provide the money to start the construction over a year ago and then never provided the rest? Why aren’t we moving forward to have another boat in the water working for the Lord?

These thoughts and many others plagued our minds as month after month went by and the construction of the aluminum launch was not advancing. However, as we have been told to do, we continued pressing forward, claiming God’s promises to provide and believing in the all-knowing Lord who sees the end from the beginning.

The month of February revealed God’s hidden plans to us. The ADRA director from the local conference called and stated that they were interested in taking back ownership of the aluminum boat, finishing it and using it to help restart ADRA Amazonas. Excited to be a part of helping ADRA start in the Amazon, our board took a unanimous vote to support the return of the launch to the church’s possession. The deal was made, the church took over possession of the launch once again and reimbursed our project all the money that had been invested in the construction, $45,000 reais. Within the same week we received an offer to purchase another launch- an opportunity not worth missing. A Baptist missionary was interested in selling his launch to the Luzeiro Project for HALF of the boats value, knowing that it would still be used in the Lord’s work. For only $60,000 reais (nearly $33,000 USD) we would be able to have a fully operational 17 meter launch with 3 rooms, already in the water and ready to use! At the right time the Lord acted. The offer came to purchase, the aluminum boat was returned with our money reimbursed, and another donation came in for construction giving the needed money to immediately purchase a much needed third boat! As of the second week of February the Luzeiro Amazonia III arrived to its new home at our base in Puraquequara, Manaus, Brazil. Truly all things do work together for good in God’s timing! May we learn to continue to put our trust in Him.

The Luzeiro I just finished a week trip up the Rio Copea carrying with it 16 volunteers to do medical and dental work, education, and evangelism. Hundreds of sharing tracts were passed out in an area where not one single Seventh-day Adventist exists. Dr. Ricardo Faria, the Luzeiro I boat captain and his team were able to meet people and be immediately accepted into villages using the right hand of the gospel, the medical missionary work. Please pray for the exciting plans for the Rio Copea as we plan to return with Bible workers to open up the work in this dark area of the world.

Please join us in faithful prayer support for the growth of the Luzeiro Amazonia Project, as we seek to carry the soon expected hope of our Lord’s return to all areas of the vast Amazon. Thank you for your continued financial support to make a program like this possible. May God richly bless each of us as we continue moving forward in His work.

Bradley Mills

General Director

Projeto Luzeiro Amazonia

Ariau Church

            The new year has started full of activity in the Amazon.  We are just returning from a three week trip in the Luzeiro 2, the catamaran.  This trip provided another wonderful opportunity to see God’s guiding hand as we continue moving forward in His work.          

            At the start of the trip we returned to Ariau to visit the new members and church.  I began to feel like Paul on his many journeys by boat, always trying to return and strengthen the brethren.  In Ariau there has been 20 people baptized as a result of our work there.  It was thrilling to spend some time visiting the members and encouraging those who had participated in Bible studies but have not taken a stand yet. 

            The second week of the trip was campmeeting.  There is nothing more exciting than campmeeting in the jungle.  Boats come from all over, all shapes and sizes, full of people swinging in their hammocks, ready for a week of spiritual revival.  The Luzeiro team was responsible for the

Visit from the pastors

 children’s program.  Around 200 kids per day came to enjoy songs, stories, videos, and mission presentations.  I was also busy attending the sick.  With over 1000 people present, hardly could I sit down before someone else would call me to come and see a sick person.  It was truly an action packed week. 

            On Friday we were blessed with a visit from all the pastors on our boat.  The four pastors running the program came to pay us a visit and to get to know the Luzeiro Launch.  We had a nice time swapping stories, for Pr. Jose Carlos Bezerra, one of the pastors, lived on one of the Luzeiros for three years working in the interior.   It is such a blessing to work for God’s church, carrying forth the Advent message.

            The last week we ventured back into the indigenous reservation of the Satere Mawe Indians.  This specific tribe has over 36 villages, with only a very few having the presence of the Adventist Church.  For the next three months we will be working in the village of Ponta Alegre.  Pr. Deovanir and Marcia will be living in a small hut in the village to begin Bible studies and an evangelistic series.  We sat and spoke with the Indian chief about our plans and received his full approval of our work there.  Please begin praying each day for the people of Ponta Alegre.  Please pray during the month of March while Pr. Deo will be holding the evangelistic series and opening to these people the truth of the Gospel.

            This new year will be packed with so many activities.  In February we will be starting work in Lake Catua, far up the Solimoes River towards Peru.  The Luzeiro 1 will be heading up that way and will start with medical clinics to open the doors.  Please pray for the receptivity of this location.  There are multiple communities in this lake which we hope to reach with the Three Angels Message. 

            In February I will also be traveling to Colombia for a mission’s conference at the Adventist University in Medellin.  Please pray for our travel safety.  I will be flying up in the mission plane with Jeff Sutton from Bolivia.  Jeff currently coordinates GMI’s aviation program in Bolivia.

            Shortly we will have the 2010 Calender of Events posted on our website for you to keep up with all our mission events for the year.  Please keep the Luzeiro Project in your prayers.  Please continue to pray for safety, God’s leading, and all the small things needed to keep a project running. 

God bless,

Brad Mills 

Director of Luzeiro Amazonia Project, Brazil Medical Launch

To subscribe or unsubscribe to our newsletters, please write to brazilmedicallaunch@gmail.com

            That evening Cleber came home and after discussing it with Denise, they came to tell us about the deal.  They decided to make a total commitment.  As volunteer missionaries they were already giving their fulltime service to the Lord.  Now they were ready to give all the money that they had from tax returns to acquire this piece of property.  Within two days the rest of the money was donated by church members from other churches in Manaus.  Please continue to pray for this new Church project, for those who will learn of Christ’s love and for the money needed to now build a small church on the newly acquired property.  Next Sunday, December 20 we will be inaugurating the new location distributing Christmas food baskets to all the families of the community.  A local SDA church did a food drive and was able to accumulate 1 ton of food for the community of Giro!  Praise the Lord!

            Living by faith is a thrilling way to experience God’s promises anew everyday in our lives.  As we step out more and more, learning to depend on His provisions, our arm of faith grows stronger.  By partaking in the Gospel commission we ourselves become blessed.  By sharing Christ’s love we begin to understand it better each day.

Reflecting on Two Years

            This November was the two year mark since we first set out on this faith venture in Brazil.  We look back over the two years and are simply awed at all the wonderful things that God has done to make this project go forward.  I remember two years ago making the pact with the Lord that we would go and serve full time without a salary as long as our basic needs were provided for: food, clothing, etc.  We were willing to go back to the states and continue working from time to time to finance the work if that is what the Lord showed us to do.  In the two years since our arrival in Brazil we can look back and gratefully say that the Lord has provided for our every single NEED.  The donations that are received have not only been enough to provided for our family of four, but for three other families who have dedicated their talents to the Lord’s service, two boats in the water and a third being built, a piece of property with three homes for the volunteers, a vehicle, and operating costs to keep this all going.  PRAISE THE LORD!  As we move into more difficult times in our economy it is not time to stop giving to the Lord’s work, but actually time to give it ALL to the Lord’s work.  Let us put our money into saving souls before we loose all that God has entrusted us.  My prayer for each of us this Holiday Season is that we each learn to depend wholly on God and place all we have in His hands, to be used as He directs.  Thank you all for the part that you have played in giving to keep this work on the Amazon alive and growing.  May the souls that have been brought to Christ be accredited to each of you who sacrificially give for the Lord’s work to continue.

            God bless you each during this Christmas Holiday.

Brad Mills

IMMEDIATE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

1. Boat captains: Person dedicated to the Lord’s work with experience in boat maintenance and upkeep, experience with diesel engines.  Basic medical knowledge would be a plus.  Either fluent in Portuguese to take a boat captain’s licensure test or hold a current international boat captain’s license. Vegetarian cooking experience helpful. (Brazilian citizen or married to a Brazilian in able to get visa privileges to stay in the country).
2. Evangelism and health workers who speak Portuguese who are willing to live on a boat and travel into the interior of the jungle to teach people of Christ’s love. Vegetarian cooking experience helpful. (Brazilian citizen or married to a Brazilian in able to get visa privileges to stay in the country).

To subscribe or unsubscribe to our newsletters, please write to brazilmedicallaunch@gmail.com

Some people believe the Brazil Medical Launch program does only medical work. On the contrary, this program helps needy communities in many different ways, seeking to improve the life of the inhabitants. As a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist church, this project offers courses on vegetarian cooking and healthful living, organizes and performs youth programs and week of prayer events, offers counseling to married couples, dating couples, youth involved with drugs, and parent/child relationships, all based on the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

This last month, what appeared to be a simple visit home, turned out to be a great Evangelistic Event. One of our volunteer missionaries, Cleber Medeiros, traveled to Florianópolis, in the south of Brazil, to visit his family for two weeks.

However, what Cleber didn’t know was that the sermon he was to preach on Sabbath would lead to almost two weeks of seminars. The sermon that Sabbath was simple, but full of truth, leading God’s people to a closer walk with God.  It emphasized the need to spend more time reading the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, and the importance of health reform. It recounted who we are as a people, our place in prophecy and our mission. It reviewed Matthew 24, showing that Christ’s return is imminent.

After this, Cleber was invited to preach in other churches. And for approximately two weeks, having left his wife and kids at the base at the margins of the Amazon River, he was sent by God to share with the churches of Canasvieiras , Barra da Lagoa , Cachoeira do Bom Jesus and Ingleses. More and more church members came each night, thirsting to hear the Word of God in a pure and simple way, through the reading of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

“Some of the things that most impressed me these two weeks were, first of all, seeing my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law descend into the waters of baptism.  And secondly, the number of church members that attended the seminars in their own churches, who the following night would drive many kilometers to attend the seminars in the next church, even though it was not previously announced and though it was during the week. Thirdly, upon greeting the church members after the meetings, I would receive strong hugs, sometimes accompanied by tears from those stating that God had spoken to them through the messages that day. They affirmed that from then on, they would mold their lives according to God’s will, not after the desires of the flesh, but after the requirements of the Spirit.”

Cleber always mentioned in his talks that to be a missionary you don’t necessarily have to be on the Amazon river. Everyone is called to be an ambassador for Christ and reflect His character to the world, be it among your neighbors, at your school or at work.

So, in addition to sharing the good news of the salvation with the river dwellers in the Amazon, the Brazil Medical launch program also seeks to strengthen the faith of current church members showing that the Seventh-day Adventist church is the apple of God’s eye, a church founded by God with a specific mission to fulfill. We all should partake of this work since, “a thus saith the Lord, is a thus saith the Lord…”  (words of encouragement stated by pastor Antenor Macedo during Cleber’s speeches, showing that God’s word is eternal and no matter when we live, God doesn’t change).

To subscribe or unsubscribe to our newsletters, please write to brazilmedicallaunch@gmail.com

• Return to the base after 65 days in the interiors of the jungle
• New church being built in the jungle town of Ariau
• Luzeiro program in the Adventist Review in Brazil
• Evangelistic Series with 18 people coming to Christ 

Church Planting

            My friendship with Ivenilson grew each day, as through friendship evangelism, he and his wife accepted Bible studies with me.  Each day the two of them, and two other people, gathered together with me as we opened the Bible to study the truth’s of God’s word: the Bible Sabbath, pure and impure meats, the sanctuary message, and others- all based in the central theme of God’s love for us.  Paula, Ivenilson’s wife, is the government paid “health worker” for this small jungle village of nearly 800 people.  With no more than one month training, she was thrilled to have our team there for one month- calling on me almost every day for triage, diagnosis, and lots and lots of suturing.  I sat one evening suturing by flashlight a toe that was chopped almost completely off by a machete accident.  I grinned inside remembering learning how to suture in my nurse practitioner classes in the US; how far we have come!

            For the whole month of October, our team of 9 persons gave Bible studies to nearly 60 people a day and a nightly evangelistic series in this small community of Ariau.  Up until now there has never been a SDA church in this village.  Daily we used medical evangelism to build friendships and present to these lovely people the truths of God’s word.  Each day, for 4 hours every afternoon, Lina set up her makeshift dental clinic and provided dental hygiene, something these people had never had in their whole lives!

            The last week of the month, using a satellite dish, we down linked an evangelistic campaign put on by Mark Finley, aired live from Brasilia, Brazil.  Each night we had our small projector and computer, powered by generator, bringing to these people truths never heard before.  At the end of the month 15 people dedicated their lives to God by baptism and 3 by profession of faith!!  A small church is already in the process of being built, with the roof almost done.  By this coming Sabbath the new believers should be meeting in their new church! 

            As we believe in making disciples by training the locals to finish the work, the Luzeiro project is starting a moving Bible training program.  This program will take a team of Bible and health workers on site to the villages to train them to become local church leaders, Bible workers, and enable them to then reach out to the rest of their own village and the villages around them.  Pastor Deovanir and Marcia, the leaders of our Bible Workers Program, assisted in the month of evangelism and currently stayed behind in Ariau, living in very primitive conditions to teach and mentor these, our first group of students.  The boat will be returning to this village after a short time, to take more support staff and supplies, to continue the training process.  Please pray for these new believers in Ariau. 

Luzeiro into the entire Amazon

            October’s edition of Revista Adventista, the Adventist Review in Portuguese did a small article about the restart of the Luzeiro program here in Brazil.  It is exciting to see the news spread through all Brazil of God’s provisions to finish the work here in the Amazon.  We are reminded every day of the large need still remaining.  For each village we visit we learn of so many others in need.   Please pray for this program as we daily seek God’s will on how to move forward.  Please pray for God’s blessings on the many financial needs to continue moving forward with boats reaching into the entire Amazon. 

Thank you for your prayers and support,

Brad Mills

Program Director

Romanian Volunteers

             After 21 days of traveling in the interior on the Rio Andira, Rio Ariaú and Rio Massauari, we have returned to a decent sized city called Barreirinha, along the Parana do Ramos, a lazy little river that runs parallel to the massive Amazon.  The catamaran gracefully wound back and forth on the “big snake”, as they call the river here, as it explored areas that it had never imagined seeing.  We spent one full week in the indigenous area of the Satere-Maue people, learning a little bit more of their culture, language, and health needs.  As I sat with the chief over all the Indian chiefs for the Satere people, I began to explain to him what the Luzeiro program was all about.  Before I could get very far into my explanation, the village professor cut into the conversation, joyfully explaining that they knew the Luzeiro program very well, in fact they knew Pastor Leo Halliwell personally!  They were so excited to have the program back! 

Ariaú, September 14 and 15

            Nearly 6 hours of travel southwest of Barreirinha is the isolated community of Ariaú.  With over 150 families living in this small jungle village, it is actually a bustling world.  Monday morning we started out our medical/dental clinic.  As always, I called all the people together for a health talk and presentation.  After telling them who we were, and what we do, I began explaining about the medical and dental work that would be offered that day. The people broke out into applause as they heard the news that dental services would be provided, a service almost never provided for these people.  The first day we set up our medical posts and small make shift pharmacy.  The first day we provided 150 medical consults and the dentists worked until almost 8:30 pm! 

            Exhausted and in need of some rest, we all made our way back to the boat that evening.  As I sat at the table eating and talking with Lina, there was a flashlight seen outside the boat, a small canoe approaching our boat.  I stepped out to see that the president of the village was coming over to talk with us.  At his side was the school teacher, Aldir.  Aldir, a Seventh-day Adventist since birth, moved to this small village years ago as a teacher in the small school.  For several years he has worked there, faithfully keeping his religious beliefs as the ONLY Adventist in the whole area.  I invited the president, Raimundo, and Aldir into the boat to talk.  Raimundo quickly began telling me about how excited he was for the work accomplished today.  “Dr. Brad, as you can tell, we have a tremendous need here for medical and dental help.  We are so thrilled to have you all here.  For many years, Aldir has worked here as a teacher and has been one of my most dependable helpers in this village.  If you all will continue to return and help with the needs in this community, as the president of this community, I would like to donate a piece of land to your church for the construction of a church building”!!!!  I quickly arose and thanked him gratefully for the offer and assured him that we would be thrilled to continue working in this needy area.  I shared with him that we felt a huge burden to share with others that very soon Jesus would appear again to take us home! 

What a thrilling opportunity for us.  It is so exciting to see again and again how the medical missionary work opens the doors for the gospel to be preached.  Please pray for this small village of Ariau, that God’s Holy Spirit be poured out and that these people will be open to hearing the messages to be shared of God’s soon return. 

Learning to depend on God’s medicine

Medical Launch

      During the evening one night a canoe came paddling up beside our boat.  An older man arose and climbed up on the boat telling me he needed help.  He said that he had just been eating some fish and a bone became stuck in his throat.  After more history I found that he was still able to eat and swallow things, but it hurt quite a bit.  He was able to drink water as well.  He told me that he had already drunk several cups of vegetable oil, and it had not helped.  Now what was I to do?  The only meds that I knew to be of help, I did not have with me.  After pondering over the issue for a few minutes I told him that there was not much I could do.  I offered him a shot of an anti-inflammatory for pain and told him that only God could help at this point.  I said a special prayer with him, asking for the Lord’s intervention and then let him go home.  I told him to please come back and see me in the morning if he was no better and we would see about getting him to town somehow for help.  The following day he did not return. 

Trip Summary

            We visited 10 communities and indigenous villages during this trip so far.  We provided 1,031 medical consults 231 dental consults, and 3 simple surgeries.  We distributed several Bibles and a whole box of Steps to Christ.  We will only know the full results in Heaven. 

            Please continue to pray for us as we continue our travels for another month into the jungle, leaving from this city in just a few short days.  Pray for the people who we will contact, and pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out as the message of Christ’s soon return is shared to His children along the banks of the Amazon River.

 The Luzeiro Project

 Brad Mills

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