Written by Anna Townsend, Justice & Mercy Amazon Volunteer Staff
We experienced our first of three Jungle Pastors’ Conferences of 2025 at the John Pac Center a couple of weeks ago! It was a special time as we welcomed 134 pastors and missionaries, young and old, from 66 villages across the Amazon River. We had both first-time participants and returning attendees. Among them, 49 couples were present.
These pastors and missionaries were equipped, encouraged, and celebrated by a team from the U.S., our Justice & Mercy Amazon (JMA) staff, and some wonderful volunteers serving as session communicators, small group, worship, and workshop leaders, counselors, translators, and in every behind-the-scenes role you can imagine.
God’s Word was powerful in every way throughout the conference. From morning sessions with Kelly Minter and Jeff Simmons, to afternoon sessions with Mike Minter, and evening worship with Pastor João Urel, the theme woven throughout was holiness and how being a Godly leader starts with and grows out of their personal, daily, and intentional relationship with Christ.
During workshops, participants learned practical tools for creating pathways for the next generation to know Jesus, how the fruit of the Spirit must impact their leadership, how to speak hard truths in loving ways, and how to share and mobilize resources in their work and calling.
We saw God do some incredible things as the week progressed. As one person noted in our team debriefs, you could physically see the progression of God working in the participants’ lives from day one to the end of the week in their worship. On the first night, they came in reserved, maybe a bit unsure, and overwhelmed. By the last night, there was so much freedom, power, and authenticity in their worship. Truly a work of God. And they were having so much fun!
We especially experienced God’s move during the counseling sessions and one-on-one conversations. Coming into the conference, one couple was ready to be done with their marriage, and the counselors expressed that they watched the Lord breathe their marriage back into life in their counseling session. This couple walked away from the conference committed and desiring to stay together, and they had practical tools for how to do so.
During our one-on-one interviews with pastors and missionaries, we would see their stories come to life, both hard and amazing. We learned about some of the greatest needs of villages and most often, the response was a need for transportation and fuel to go the places God is asking them to go.
One of the week’s highlights was having Vadim and Kate Fortuna from Justice & Mercy Moldova attend and serve at the conference. Not only was it remarkable and inspiring for them as leaders in another country, but it was beautiful to see the pastors and missionaries interact with them and see that God has people caring and praying for them all around the world.
We heard from many pastors that their time at the conference is the most special experience in their whole year. They feel seen, understood, and cared for physically, spiritually, and emotionally in their days there. On the last evening, our team had the honor and opportunity to wash the feet of these precious pastors and missionaries that God has called. A holy moment.
On Friday morning, it’s like a pep rally and fun celebration with gifts and prizes, and then they are commissioned, sent out, empowered, encouraged, and surrendered to the life God has for them. It’s beautiful!
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