The Church of the Nazarene in Manaus in the Amazon District of Brazil welcomed the LoveWorks project from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California.

Every year, Point Loma Nazarene sends its college students worldwide to serve in various regions of the Church of the Nazarene for a time of transcultural and missionary experience. Eleven students arrived in Brazil to learn about the work of the Church of the Nazarene in the Amazon rainforest while serving in different ways. For 12 days, the young people were on board the Jesus the Hope II boat, visiting the people of the Amazon.

During the trip, the team assisted with sports evangelism, evangelism in schools, painting of church buildings, small groups for young people, trips to Rio Negro to support riverside and indigenous communities, visits to a Venezuelan refugee shelter, visits to the church of Haitian refugees, a trip to the Madeira River for evangelism, VBS, and construction of a prayer shelter for the riverside people.

The trip was supported by EMA (School of Missions for Adolescents) in which a young woman from Brazil joined the group and helped with translation. Isabella Kelly, a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Recreio in Rio de Janeiro, worked on the daily translation and helped these young people adapt to Brazilian culture. At the end of the trip, LoveWorks left the chapel open for the riverside people to worship the Lord.

Missionary and pastor Igor Vale said that his church in Rio de Janeiro received LoveWorks teams when he was a child. Vale never imagined that 30 years later, he would help lead a LoveWorks team in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.

Deron Matson and Jamie Viken were the team's two coordinators. Matson had this to say about the team's time on the Amazon:

The Church of the Nazarene of Manaus and Pastor Igor were terrific hosts, providing us with ministerial preparation and cross-cultural training.

We appreciate the invitation to join them in their mission to witness God's love in Manaus and beyond. It was beautiful to see God at work in our time there. A church is a beacon of hope in the community. We were welcomed into schools to share the love of Christ and give hope.

Seeing how the ministry moves forward with the Jesus the Hope II boat was fascinating. It allows you to travel to remote areas uniquely. When we read about the Lord of the Harvest in Matthew 9, passing through all the towns and villages, we get a new view of what could have been necessary for him to do this.

Boating is a beautiful way to travel to places where others may ignore the call to go, teach, preach, pray for healing, and show compassion.

The local volleyball court has become a sacred space and a sanctuary where the faithful share with the community about the transformation that can occur in a heart surrendered to God. A young man stepped forward to receive Christ. A young American woman's call to serve in medical missions was confirmed as a result of the missions trip. Lives are forever changed because of the obedience of God's servants who are called to share their faith.

--Church of the Nazarene South America