MAP stories: Discipleship in the Amazon

Below is a letter from Bianca Vieira, a missionary in the Amazon who is a part of the Texas Baptists Missionary Adoption Program (MAP):

Hello dear Texas brothers and sisters,

With our hearts full of gratitude, we share with you the great things that the Lord has done for us this last month. We had an intense month of hard work. We started to hold services in the church building that is still under construction, as the room in our house was no longer sufficient for all the people. On an average 25 people have participated in services with us, mostly children and young people.

New doors were also opened. We have been discipling Dheynny for some time. During the time we were not present in the community, she was leading the rest of the people. This month, she started to approach a friend of hers named Thais and has been praying for her conversion. Last month, Thais called us to have a service at her house. It was a beautiful moment. Dheynny shared the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19, and her friends listened carefully to the word of God. That day there were no conversions, but we are certain that the good seed of the Gospel was sown in those five hearts. Thais has already invited us to be at her home again. We are happy to see Dheynny involved with the mission of making new disciples.

Work with the King’s Ambassadors and Messengers of the King [missions programs for kids and teenagers] has also grown. We are working hard to win the new generations for Jesus. The reality of life in Punã saddens our hearts. Most young people have already started their sex lives and many get involved with drugs and end up losing their lives. The Lord has had mercy and has given us strategies to take care of them, and the ballet class is one of them. Girls are not just learning to dance. After classes we teach them the word of God and also the meaning of being a person who pleases God. Every day more girls are getting closer. So, we had the first ballet festival, which took place on December 5. This event raised funds to buy the clothes and appropriate shoes for classes.

Prayer Requests:

• We ask that you pray for the youth of Punã 

• Please pray for Dheynny and for the conversion of her friend Thais

• Pray for the communities of Coadi and Fátima - neighboring communities in Punã. We dream of also reaching them with the Gospel

May the Lord strengthen us and may he continue to add more people to his church here in the Amazon region. May many fruits be harvested for the glory of his holy name.

Thank you so much for being with us on this mission. Together we will win the Amazon for Christ.

Hugs from your missionary,

Bianca Vieira

If you would like to know more about the Missionary Adoption Program, our missionaries or ways that you can help please contact us at missionaryadoptionprogram@txb.org or go to txb.org/map.