Mission to the Multitudes

Mission to the Multitudes

An Adventist institute impacts its community.

Melgaço is a small town in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil, not far from our evangelistic training institute. It is populated by traditional Lutheran Germans and Pomeranians, many of which don’t even speak or read the Brazilian official language of Portuguese. There is a great need for the gospel in this area.

It has been one of our objectives to plant a church in Melgaço, where the closest Adventist place of worship is 50 minutes away. With this in mind, we organized an evangelistic series and rented a building to serve as the church. At the end of the series, eleven people were baptized and a number of people began attending the Melgaço church. It continues to grow today with new converts and Adventist families moving to the area. 

In addition to the evangelistic component of our outreach, we seek to impact the community through the health message. At our wellness center, people come for lifestyle help, receiving natural treatments and remedies for their ailments. It has become an effective instrument to present the gospel to non-believers. So far, more than 50 guests have received treatment here. 

Ms. Iracema was one of these patients. She came to the program with an alcohol problem, having narrowly missed killing herself in a car accident when she drove under the influence. She had been a successful businesswoman with a beautiful family, but she struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts and a lack of fulfillment in life. After coming to our lifestyle sessions, she received help to overcome her addiction and depression. Ultimately, she decided to study the Bible in preparation for baptism.

“The institute saved my life,” Iracema states. She has found new purpose in Christ now.

As we work in the community to serve others through healthful cooking classes, health-expos, and stop-smoking seminars, we continue to hear positive testimonies such as Iracema’s. Recently, eight people have stopped smoking and many others have made positive lifestyle changes.

Thus, the institute is building a good reputation for Adventism in the region, making each evangelistic event more positively received. As the church in Melgaço grows and the surrounding community is impacted and blessed by our programs, we can see God’s hand at work.

If you would like to support the work here, we have three needs – we must expand and update our wellness center, purchase a compact tractor for our farm and procure a 15-passenger van for the mission school. We are thankful for your encouragement of our ministry through your gifts and prayers. Your help means a lot to us as we carry the gospel mission to the multitudes.  


Location
Brazil

Author
Giancarlo de Miranda is the founder of SETI and serves on its board of directors.

How You Can Help
Pray for the work that SETI (Santo’s Evangelism Training Institute) has begun in Melgaco.

Donate for the needs of the ministry. Contact Giancarlo de Miranda at (540) 222-5687 or gmiranda [at] hartland [dot] edu