A team of 10 Arkansas Baptists recently embarked on a Brazil vision tour. (Submitted)
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – A team of 10 Arkansas Baptists recently embarked on a vision trip to Brazil, where they made connections, partnered with local churches to share the Gospel, and served alongside local missionaries in the Rio de Janeiro area.
Steve Lasiter of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) Missions Team led the group, which included Tammy Albrecht, Zach Bennett, Whitney Caldwell, Brett Cottrell, Brandon Floyd, Jason Glenn, Linda Joiner, Thomas Little, and John Pearce.
Glenn, pastor at White Oak Baptist Church in Walnut Ridge, said he had been to Brazil a few times several years ago when he was first starting in ministry. He said he has a heart for the mission that is in Brazil. So, when he saw the Brazil trip in the Missions Mobilizer, an electronic newsletter of the ABSC Missions Team, Glenn felt called to sign up for the opportunity.
“I just thought, this is my time. It’s my opportunity to go back after all these years. And I’m glad I did,” he said. Though the team started off as mostly strangers, Glenn said they quickly developed real friendships. “We had great experiences within our own team of prayer and ministry and fun and respect for what we do.”
Little, student pastor at First Baptist Church in Royal, praised how the Lord brought the Brazil team together. “It was like we had already known each other for years. … I just praise God for that. The whole trip it seemed like we just clicked and everything lined up.”
As part of the trip, which took place Nov. 3-12, the team led a three-day conference for top leaders and pastors, and their spouses, from within the Brazilian Baptist Convention. It included five large group sessions where Arkansas pastors preached through the book of James. The team also led 18 breakout sessions teaching on several topics, including evangelism, discipleship, prayer, endurance, and grace.
Additionally, the team met with Pastor Fabricio Freitas, director of the Brazilian Home Mission Board. He shared with them various ministries in which Arkansas Baptists could partner, including missions on a houseboat serving remote communities along the Amazon River and at Cristolandia (Christland), a drug addiction recovery center in the inner-city. Christland is led by missionaries sent out by the Home Mission Board.
Floyd of First Baptist Church in Keiser, who has experienced addiction and understood first-hand what the individuals at Christland were going through, was invited to share his testimony at the center. After Floyd shared his testimony, Little said all the pastors present, from all over Brazil, came forward and prayed over Floyd.
“They all laid hands on him. It was incredible. It was just like, wow, you know, maybe that’s why God brought us to Brazil. Maybe that’s the encouragement that those men needed,” Little said.
The team also met with Pastor Joao Marcos, president of the Brazilian International Mission Board, and received an overview of how God is sending out Brazilian Baptists to impact the nations with the Gospel. In addition, the group met with Pastor Fernando Brandao, executive director of the Brazilian Baptist Convention. Brandao shared the convention’s vision – to multiply churches and develop leaders – and welcomed Arkansas Baptists to join in the effort.
“Southern Baptists have a great history in Brazil,” Glenn said. “They encouraged us as Arkansas Baptists to keep the partnership alive. … You can really tell that the Brazilian Baptists desire a close relationship here. They desire a relationship with Arkansas Baptists.”
The Arkansas team was also invited to attend and share at a weekly seminary chapel service, where Cottrell, pastor at First Baptist Church in London, preached a message to students, professors, and guests. Furthermore, the team met with IMB leadership tasked to reach students on university campuses throughout Rio de Janeiro. “God has already put into motion a potential partnership with a local church in Arkansas,” Lasiter said.
On Sunday morning of the trip, the team preached and attended services at five local churches. The team spent their final day in Brazil visiting Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.
Plans for the 2026 Brazil vision trip are already underway. To learn more about this opportunity and other international partnerships of the ABSC, click here.
“There’s something very intentional that God has done with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention in connecting us with Brazil,” Little said.
