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Serving the Lord in
BRAZIL
Dear Friends,
We are reminded at this Easter me, of the final days that the Lord Jesus Christ
spent on earth. We consider His great welcome through the streets of Jerusalem
on Palm Sunday, the disappointment, frustra on and anger at the deceit of the
money changers and religious leaders, His betrayal and abandonment by close
friends, and ul mately, the false accusa on which led to Him being put to death
for a crime He did not commit. It is incredible to think that so many events which
would echo throughout eternity, happened in just the space of one week. Even
though to the world, there were so many unknowns and everything seemed lost,
God was able to declare through the angels in Ma 25:5‐6 “Fear not ye… He is not
here: for He is risen”. It is a great comfort to know that even though we don’t
always see a clear path through difficult and o en overwhelming situa ons, the
Lord is guiding and direc ng our every step, as the verse below suggests:
Mat 9:36 “But when
He saw the
multitudes, He was
moved with
compassion on them,
because they
fainted, and were
scattered abroad, as
sheep having no
shepherd.”
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Ballyclare
Co. Antrim
N. Ireland
BT39 9XH
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Email:
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“When dark clouds obscure my vision,
And the way I cannot see,
I will trust Him in the darkness,
For I know He pilots me.“
An excerpt from ‘In the Centre of the Circle’, by Be y Sco Stam
At the start of February we returned to Brazil with many unknowns, and the
ques on many people were asking was, ‘What next???’ We contacted various
missionaries who had already invited us to visit their work, and this resulted in a
voyage that would take us from boat journeys up Amazon river tributaries, to the
narrow maze of streets inside the favelas of Brazil’s largest ci es, and back;
covering a distance of over 4000 miles, without even leaving the country.
Our first stop was NTM’s boarding school for missionary kids, based about 40
miles from Manaus, on an island where the river Puraquequara (PQQ) meets the
mighty Amazon. There are about 30 students ranging from 8‐18 years old, most of
whom live in dormitories. There are dorm‐parents who are responsible for caring
for these young people while their parents are working in remote tribal communi‐
es all over Brazil, for up to 9 months of the year. We were able to sit in on
lessons, spend me talking to the students about their experiences and we also
had the opportunity to speak to the support staff. The kids have a busy schedule
during the week with lessons, homework, dorm chores and extra curricular
ac vi es; but also enjoy rest and relaxa on at the weekends, Skyping with distant
friends and rela ves, swimming, camping and exploring the 400 acre property.
With a busy school and a vast expanse of remote jungle to maintain, there are
many opportuni es to serve the Lord in very prac cal ways e.g. teaching, dorm‐
paren ng, maintenance, facili es management and day‐to‐day administra on to
name but a few, both on a long and short‐term basis. We also got to catch up with
a fellow Northern Irish man Ruben, who is volunteering there for 6 months, a er
deferring from university for a year. He seems to be enjoying every minute of this
invaluable experience, as he serves the Lord in a small, but beau ful corner of the world.
Our next stop was a li le interior town called Cândido Sales to visit a girl called Holly, who works with
teenage girls along Brazil’s ‘exploita on’ highway. These young girls aged between 10 and 21, are ‘working’
or at risk of ‘working’ on the streets. Some are there to feed addic ons, some to escape family situa ons,
others because they are forced or even trafficked by their own families. It was heart‐breaking to hear the
sta s cs that 250,000, or approximately 100 young people per mile of Brazil’s 2800 mile coastline, are
living in such condi ons. Upon mee ng some of these girls and their families, they appear just like any
other, but we’ll never know or understand what they’ve been through. Holly’s organisa on is called
Meninadanca, which seeks to reach the girls through educa on and the arts, showing that God’s love
reaches into even the most desperate situa ons and can give each girl a life of meaning, love and purpose.
Our third stop was to Belo Horizonte, 200 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. JOCUM—Or Youth With A
Mission (YWAM), has numerous works across this vast city of almost 6 million people; rescuing, restoring
and discipling young people and families in ‘at risk’ situa ons. One of the ministries involves visi ng a
young offenders centre for teenage boys, where about 30 guys between the ages of 13‐18 gather in to the
facility day room to hear from God’s Word. The day we went it was 2 Samuel 11, and one of the team
shared how each of David’s bad decisions led to grave consequences. We were then able to spend me
talking to the boys individually about their circumstances and how David’s situa on related to them. One
14 year old showed me the scars where he had been shot twice during an inter‐gang skirmish near his
home and talked about the difficul es he faces day‐to‐day. Even when they try hard to stay out of trouble,
trouble has a way of finding them. Another had 8 months le of his sentence, and his girlfriend was 4
months pregnant. Without the help and support of the team, these boys are at risk of not comple ng their
parole or reoffending, and the next stop will most likely be an adult prison, which is much more serious.
Another 16 year old boy we met in the favelas named Aldo (not his real name), had spent his early teenage
years addicted to drugs, stealing and living on the streets. Due to his run‐ins with the law, his mother had
kicked him out of the house. The team has spent much me with him on the streets, during his me in
deten on centres and now working through his parole to get his life back on track again. He’s now living
with his brother in a small shared room. When asked if he had a million dollars what he would do with it,
he responded by saying “I’d buy a car and a modest house somewhere in this community”. We shared with
him that he is worth infinitely more than a million dollars to God, and that through what Christ has done at
Calvary, God’s gi to the world is worth so much more than anything we could ever imagine. We also
shared the great truth that when we become believers, we are part of God’s family, as recorded in John
1:12. This boy dreams of having a normal family life, something many of us take for granted, but without
the right structure and help, this is unachievable for him. We’ve really seen the importance of working with
the individuals and their family; not just to transform one life, but en re families and communi es.
One such example is a favela called Vila Ponta Porã. When we arrived, within minutes it became apparent
that there was something very different about this place. It had a real sense of unity and peace that we
hadn’t experienced before in the city. We were introduced to the president of the favela; an older, but
industrious lady, who also turned out to be a Chris an. Her efforts and influence within the community
over more than 30 years had greatly impacted the local area, and the fruits of her labour were certainly
evident. What a difference one life can make to those around them, in the extension of Christ’s Kingdom.
Our fourth and final des na on involved travelling back to Manaus, a 15 minute stop at our apartment to
repack and then a 2 hour car journey to a town called Manacapuru. From there we took a short journey by
boat to an island creek to visit the Murfi family, who are working with UFM and Grace Bap st Mission
amongst the river people. They have been working with the local kids in the area for many years now and
their group has grown so large, that they actually had to start another session for the younger ones. On the
Friday evening just a er dark, the first teenagers started to arrive, followed shortly a er by literally a boat
load more, picked up along the banks of the river. It was exci ng to see how eager these teenagers were to
come to the mee ng. A ‘collec on’ was li ed at the start, as many of the young people handed over their
mobile phones to prevent any unnecessary distrac ons. It is incredible to realise, that even in these poor
areas, technology and the internet has reached so far and wide with such a huge impact in a remote river
community. The previous lesson was recapped and the teenagers recalled all that they could remember. It
was great to see that not only is the Bible being well taught, but also being ins lled in the minds of these
young lives. They are always curious about new visitors and certainly enjoyed asking us many ques ons.
Early the next morning, the boat brought more eager kids to the Saturday Club. Many li le kids had go en
up early, fed and dressed themselves before making their way to the river bank for the 7:30am pick‐up.
Some of the older teenagers also volunteered to come back, not only because they enjoy every opportuni‐
ty to meet together, but also to help out with the younger children. It’s easy to see how important the
work amongst young people is when you look around and see the poten al for a church plant and a good
founda on for the local community, in order that they might be impacted for Christ. The faces of those 30
young people could soon become the face of the local church, in just a few short years.
We have been asked by people who have heard it said that Brazil has been reached with the Gospel, if this
is in fact the case. From what we have seen first‐hand and in hearing directly from many of the missionar‐
ies on the ground, outwardly the name of Jesus can be seen and heard far and wide. Sadly, the fact is that
very few know anything of the life‐changing transforma on that knowing and accep ng Jesus Christ as
Lord and Saviour can bring to their lives. In one of the loca ons we visited, we were told that the town has
a popula on of approximately 40,000 people with 125 churches, of which only 4 preach anything resem‐
bling the Gospel. Yet of these 4, only one of those has sound Biblical teaching.
Although we have had to return to the UK again due to the visa requirements needed, we con nue to be
very conscious of the great need and the call of God on our lives to work in Brazil. We hope to start our
new visa applica on in the coming months and return to Brazil as soon as possible. Our desire is to have
the opportunity to work directly with young people on the streets, whilst a ending language study, which
is so vital to the ministry. Meanwhile amongst all the paperwork and admin, we are con nuing our
language study classes here at home, as well as catching up with family, friends and supporters.
Please know again how thankful we are for all that you do for us, by way of cards, support, taking an
interest in our lives and sharing words of encouragement that mean so much. We trust that you have a
very Happy Easter and know the joy and blessing of those words in Ma 25:5‐6
“Fear not ye… He is not here: for He is risen”.
God bless you all,
Tim & Lynsey Johnston
Points for praise:
Points for prayer:
The Lord’s faithfulness, provision and
opening doors of opportunity.
 For the chance to experience firsthand
some of the work among young people
on the streets of Brazil.
 For your continued support, prayer and
love towards us on our journey.


Commencement of our visa applications,
so that we may return to Brazil asap.
 For the lives of the young people of this
country to be transformed into lives of
hope and purpose.
 For God to continue to be glorified in all
that we seek to do for Him.
Please do not reproduce or publish online any part of this prayer le er without permission ©
A. Welcome to Puraquequara B. The school on the banks of the Amazon River C. Ruben teaching the kids bible lessons D. The kids doing PE outside E. Project housing in Cândido Sales F. Visi ng homes G. Mee ng the girls at risk H. Favela streets of Belo Horizonte I. The JOCUM team with Aldo J. Favela Vila Ponta Porã K. Mee ng the President of the favela L. The boys in the deten on centre M. The river community near Manacapuru O. Friday night mee ng N. Saturday Morning Club P. Learning some English choruses