By Chris Hardy, Chief Program Officer
If you look at most of the missionary work happening in the Amazon, it tends to happen within about 200 miles of Manaus. That’s kind of the hub for missions in the jungle. But as you start heading west, toward Tefé, the impact of missionaries happens less. A lot of the communities out west—especially the smaller villages—have barely heard the Gospel, if at all.
Sure, there have been some efforts to reach them. A few churches have been planted, and some evangelism has taken place. But truthfully, there’s still a long way to go. Many Indigenous and river-dwelling families live without steady access to the Bible or sound teaching. Trained pastors are in short supply, and a lot of the churches that do exist depend on visiting evangelists just to hear the Word.
And it’s not just a matter of sending people—getting there is tough. The infrastructure just isn’t there. Boats, communication, transportation—they’re all limited, which makes mission work even more challenging.
That’s exactly why a mission trip to Tefé matters so much. It’s not just another trip—it’s a step into one of the least-reached parts of the Amazon.
Warm Welcomes and Lasting Impressions
Our trip to Tefé was eye-opening, and a few things stood out to me.
First off, the joy we were met with was unforgettable. The pastors we partnered with and the villages we visited were genuinely thrilled to have us there. You could feel it in the air—their smiles, the warm welcomes, the way they made time just to be with us. At one village, we pulled up to the shore and saw people waiting on the riverbank, holding signs to welcome us. It honestly brought tears to my eyes.
Another thing that struck me was how open everyone was. For most of the communities we visited, we were the very first mission team from the U.S. ever to come. And because of that, people were eager to connect. They welcomed us into their homes, trusted us with their stories, let us pray for them, and shared their lives with us. Some even handed us their babies to hold and offered what little they had to make us feel at home—drinks, food, long conversations. It was humbling and such an honor to be received like that.
But along with all the joy and hospitality, we also saw real need. Many of these villages haven’t had much—if any—outside help. There are no clean water wells, no electricity, no schools or clinics. In a few of the communities we visited, their only water source was the river, and that water isn’t safe to drink. It was a sobering reminder of just how needy these places are.
God Was Ahead of Us
One of the coolest parts of the trip was seeing how clearly the Lord went ahead of us and prepared the way—even in ways we didn’t expect.
We stopped at a house where a mom and her teenage daughter lived in one of the villages we visited. As we started talking with them, the mom shared something that gave us chills—she said she had a dream the night before. In the dream, strangers came to her home to talk with her. And then, here we were, showing up at her door the next day. I mean…look at God!
But it didn’t stop there. In that same village, we visited a house where a sixteen-year-old was struggling with addiction. Right there on the spot, while we were waiting and just spending time with him, one of our team members shared the Gospel—and he gave his life to Jesus. Then, in another amazing twist, a Brazilian teammate just happened to work at a rehab center in a nearby city. So we were actually able to take him there that very day!
And get this—we weren’t even supposed to be in that village. A scheduling mix-up rerouted us there, but clearly, God had it all planned out. What looked like a mistake turned into a divine appointment.
Getting to Tefé isn’t exactly a quick trip—it’s about four days by boat from Manaus. So naturally, the logistics of pulling something like this off were a bit complicated. This first trip was kind of a test run to see just how challenging it would be to make it all happen.
And yeah, it was a bit of a puzzle—but we figured it out. Even with all the moving parts, it turned out to be totally doable. Along the way, our team learned a lot about how to streamline things and make future trips smoother and more efficient.
But here’s the real kicker—The need in that western stretch of the Amazon is massive. Most of the communities we visited had never seen a foreign mission team before. That alone is all the motivation we need to say, “We’ve got to go back.”
A First For Our Church
Traveling and serving in Tefé with people from my home church was a special experience. It was one of those things that just felt really meaningful. We came back with a shared story—full of laughs, touching moments, and more than a few God-sized miracles.
Now we have this bond that only comes from walking through something big together. And the best part? We get to bring those stories back home and use them to inspire others in our church to step out and be part of something like this in the future.
What Comes Next
I received this from one of my friends who went on the trip with me: “It was an amazing week, and as I reflect on it this week, it was one of the best weeks of my life, even with some of the discomforts that I experienced! So thank you for all you did!”
This quote alone motivates me to say, “Let’s do it again.”
JMI is expanding our work in the Amazon in 2025 to equip pastors, serve children and families, and promote Gospel-centered transformation in western Amazonas–one of the least reached parts of the world. Please pray that God, who is always faithful, will continue to lead and bless this work! You can also support this ministry financially through our Heart for the Amazon Fund.
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