When God’s whisper becomes a clear path

The Amazonian heat pressed against me like a living thing, wrapping around my body and my thoughts alike. I sat alone, wondering — aching — for clarity about where my life was headed. Thousands of miles away from my beloved Santa Catarina, the longing to return home and plant a church had become a constant companion: sometimes a comfort, more often a heavy burden that wouldn’t let go.

It was during that season of deep questioning that our paths crossed, Rick — during that retreat, in one of those life-altering conversations that start casually but end like a flame to dry tinder.

I told you about my two years serving in the Amazon. About the seeds God had planted in my spirit that would not be silenced: a calling to pastor, to create a place where His presence would flourish. I shared the ache to go back, though I had no human way to make it happen.

We talked — and then you paused.

Something shifted in you. Your eyes seemed to look beyond the moment, as if you were seeing something I couldn’t yet see. You prayed over me, and spoke a vision:

“I see you in a dense jungle,” you said, voice gentle but clear.
“You’re hacking through thick vines, your arms heavy with exhaustion.
But don’t stop.
Just ahead, there’s a clearing — wide, open, and filled with light.
Keep moving forward.”

Rick, those words sank deep into my spirit. They became an anchor.

Every time the jungle closed in tighter, every time doubt and discouragement wrapped around me like the vines of the Amazon itself, I would remember: A clearing lies ahead. Keep going.

The Waiting and the Wonder

But the breakthrough didn’t come overnight.

There were days I wanted to lay the machete down and weep. The work was endless. The path invisible. Some days it felt like my strength would never be enough.

Yet those words you spoke kept my feet moving when my heart wanted to freeze.
“Continue with faith. Continue with determination.”

And then — in a way only God could orchestrate — the unexpected happened.

In September of 2024, out of nowhere a military officer I’d once served under, called me.

Without my asking — without even a hint from me — he offered to help me return to Santa Catarina. He said he could personally arrange my transfer as part of a new assignment circuit he was overseeing. A miracle of rank and timing. In our system, a private request like that to a general is unthinkable — and yet here was a general reaching out to me, offering help.

It was a door no man could open — but God had already swung it wide.

By October, my transfer was approved.
I was going home.

The Clearing Revealed

When I arrived in Santa Catarina, I wasted no time.

I went straight to my pastor, told him the whole story — the Amazon journey, the vision of the clearing, the miraculous transfer.

We knew it was God’s leading.

And so, with trembling hands but a burning heart, we planted the seed: a new church community.

It’s been six months now.

Ten people already gather regularly. Ten souls who are part of a miracle bigger than any of us can see yet. We are taking it slow, building carefully, honoring the sacred weight of this new beginning.

Hope is rising out of the soil of obedience.

Reflections on the Journey

Looking back, the trail is clear. God’s fingerprints are everywhere:

• In a retreat conversation that became prophecy.
• In a weary traveler armed with a machete of faith.
• In a general moved by divine prompting.
• In a jungle cleared by the unseen hand of God.

Rick, your willingness to listen and speak what you saw that day changed the course of my life. You became a lighthouse when I needed direction most.

Your words didn’t just predict a clearing — they created resilience for the road that led me to it.

God used you as a channel to show me that even when we can’t trace His hand, we can trust His heart.

And now, standing in the clearing, I can tell you:
He is faithful.
He still leads His people.
And He still answers — often in ways far more surprising and glorious than we dare to imagine.

A Call to Seek and Believe

To anyone reading this:
Maybe you’re hacking through your own jungle right now.
Maybe you’re exhausted, lost, tempted to believe the clearing will never come.

Don’t give up.

God speaks.
God leads.
And God sends unexpected answers — sometimes through friends, sometimes through generals, sometimes through whispers that become the roar of fulfilled promises.

Seek Him with everything you have.

Expect Him to answer.

You may be closer to the clearing than you think.

“For He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1:6)

Amen.

Knock on the door. Plant the seed. Watch for where God is moving, and for what He is offering you. (This is what we’re seeing, even now.)

Life is Good… Even NowWe have light for the next step.And we have a plan.Thanks to your prayers, Deanna completed two CAT scans Friday (with a third brain scan scheduled for Monday). We’re awaiting the final results. In the meantime, we’re preparing to return to Abbotsford in eight days, trusting that the better emotional and spiritual support there will be part of God’s healing process.

We gathered at Clenildo and Angelita’s house, prayed for divine healing, and felt God’s peace settle in. We don’t know the full story yet. But we know the Author.

Planting Seeds in the UnknownIn the spirit of waiting and trusting, I remembered a story — Maria’s story. I changed a few identifiers, but the story is as she told it.It’s a story about planting seeds you can’t see yet, trusting that God is already at work beneath the surface.Before I share it, here’s a glimpse of how the Kingdom is growing here:Discovery Groups: The Simple RevolutionImagine a small group — spiritually curious people gathered under a mango tree, around a kitchen table, in a hot living room. No professional preacher. No flannelgraph. No lectures. Just hearts leaning in.Each group reads a short Scripture passage, then wrestles with five simple questions:What does this say about God?What does this say about people?If this is true, how will I obey?Who will I share this story with?What step will I take this week?Obedience is the goal. Reproduction is the DNA. And anyone — even a brand-new believer — can start another group.When I (Rick) first heard about Discovery Groups, I thought our churches would be thrilled. Some were. Some weren’t. Jesus explained the concept of soil to us in Mark 4. Some seeds thrive. Some don’t. And the Kingdom grows.

Maria’s Story: “Seeds Whisper Through the Soil”(Told in Maria’s own words)

The afternoon heat wrapped around me like a heavy blanket as I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt, waiting. Parrots flashed green through the açai trees. The smell of rain, earth, and fresh bread filled the streets.I’m Maria, from a little town along the Amazon. Maybe you’ve heard it said, “God calls the brave”? I wasn’t brave. Not at first.Discovery Groups sounded beautiful in theory. But when I started my first group, it felt awkward and slow. Some smiled politely. Others turned away. Some days I felt like a failure.But seeds don’t shout their growth — they whisper through the soil.One woman I met had heavy problems — more than I could fix. But I could listen. I could show up. Week by week, she softened. She told me she no longer felt alone.I wanted to quit so many times. I’m a teenager — working, studying, exhausted. Every Saturday I fought the voice that said, “You’re too small for this.” But on the other side of obedience, I found fierce joy.One girl, Flora, used to disappear when I came. But I kept knocking. I kept loving. Someday, I believed, the seed would crack open.And it is.One woman who barely spoke now reads the Bible aloud, smiling through trembling hands. She even gave me a little gift — a token I carry in my heart.Discovery Groups work — but only if you do.You don’t have to be special. You just have to plant the seeds and trust the whisper.If I can do this — sweaty, mosquito-bitten, laughed at, forgotten — you can too.Go ahead.Knock on that door.Plant that seed.Watch what God will grow.

A Photo that Speaks

Naldo, from Porto de Moz, returned from a river mission where 30 people gave their hearts to Jesus. Along the way, flocks of egrets flew ahead of his boat, leading him like angels through the jungle waters.  The next phase will be to help these new believers grow, gathering them into self-sustaining, self-feeding churches.

Glimpses of God’s Work Around Us

As we stayed at Steve and Elba’s house to welcome Olivia, Zack, and Ellis from the airport, we saw another story unfolding. They are planting a church in our state capital city, approximately nine hours’ drive from our house. When Olivia was as young as Ellis is now, Elba came to live with us — a chapter that shaped all our lives.

Belem Church: Elba, who once lived with us as a teenager, now preaches with boldness and grace.

Marabá Church: Brazilians pour their souls into expressive dances, investing in beauty to express worship.

Family!Yeah! for Olivia, Zack, and Ellis. God sent us the perfect gift for this week.

The Tree of Life

“On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (NASB, Rev 22:2).In Centering Prayer, it is pear season. I keep seeing low-hanging fruit in the form of a giant red pear on the Tree of Life. The delicious and satisfying fruit has a name: “Patience. Endurance. Resilience.”There is more than enough for whatever you’re facing today.

Prayer Points Deanna: Complete healing, peace, and clarity for next steps  Our Family: Grace for the transition back to Canada  Travel Protection: For Olivia, Zack, and Ellis in Brazil  Ministry: For Discovery Groups to multiply — finding the “People of Peace” who will ignite new communities of obedience and joy.(Hit “Reply” if you’d like us to pray for you, too!)

May this be your best week yet. We’re praying you encounter God’s abundance in new ways this week. With grace, Rick & Deanna P.S. Even in deserts, seeds are whispering. Even in faraway rivers, angels are leading. Even now, a highway of holiness is rising — paved by prayer, by perseverance, by the footsteps of ordinary saints willing to knock on one more door, plant one more seed, love one more soul. We’re walking it with you — together, hand in hand with the One who turns wilderness into singing. “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way… But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued…” (Isaiah 35:8-10)

Even in the valley of uncertainty, we are anchored by the One who overcame death.

Early this Easter Sunday morning, Olivia (our second daughter), Zack, and baby Ellis arrived in Brazil to spend 20 days with us.Their arrival couldn’t have come at a better time.

Our Hope Isaiah 8:12–13 “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ Regarding everything that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of armies whom you are to regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.” Wait… dread? Why would a loving Father be described as someone to dread?Isaiah was addressing a nation gripped by fear and swirling conspiracies. The people were anxious—worried about their freedoms, fortunes, and futures.Sound familiar? Where We Place Our TrustAs I’ve been reading through 1 and 2 Kings, a pattern jumped out: Most of the kings failed. Why? Two root sins: misplaced trust and entitlement. Beware of DriftIt’s so easy to drift. To let fear shape our compass. To get disoriented. To subtly shift our trust from God to self, to systems, to security.But when your life depends on your compass being true, even the smallest deviation matters. If you’re sailing from Eastern Canada and your bearing is just a bit off—you could end up in an entirely different country.How much more does this matter for our eternal bearings?Realigning the HeartAsk yourself:What fills me with dread?What would I sacrifice everything for?What moves me most when everything else is quiet?Your answers will show you where your compass is pointing.Isaiah pointed out that when our deepest dread is in displeasing the God who loves us—who delights in helping us up when we fall—then we are aligned.

DeannaMany of you saw our prayer update on Good Friday. Deanna received a cancer diagnosis this week.We’re still absorbing it. It feels like our whole family was thrown into the deep end of the pool without warning.And yet—we are not alone. Your prayers mean more than words can say.

Celebrating Easter in the StormThat same afternoon, our home filled with laughter and life: Easter egg hunts, roasted wieners, and kids running everywhere.What a contrast—sorrow and joy, diagnosis and reunion, fear and hope. But isn’t that what Easter is all about?Death does not get the final word. Love does. Resurrection does.

Do you remember the wonders, sadnesses, and joys of this age? It’s all preparation for increased influence and responsibility.

Lucy and Paul

Training to be an expressive Nielsen/Bergen girl.

Photos that Speak

I was standing by our gate earlier this week when a man across the street—clearly drunk and unfamiliar to me—started shouting and waving. I watched him, trying to make sense of what he was saying. He kept pointing, louder and more animated. I turned around, unsure what he was trying to show me. And there it was—a rainbow stretched across the sky, arching over our mango trees. I took out my phone and snapped this photo. Now I can’t help but wonder… was that really a drunk?

I’ve been thinking about this image all week. Do you ever wonder how the wind can blow in two directions at once?God often moves in ways we can’t predict—or explain. Our part is to trust His training.We’ve dodged more bullets than we can count over the years. Some we’re aware of—like the time doctors told us our newborn had hepatitis B. “She’ll need lifelong medication and liver biopsies every six months,” one specialist warned. Another time, a practitioner suggested cancer. One of our daughters was gravely ill for 18 days—we crisscrossed Belém running tests, hearing phrases like, “We’re ruling out the big stuff.” And we may never know the many times God protected us of which we were oblivious.Through it all, we’ve seen God’s steady hand. Again and again, when we walk in the light we’ve been given, He makes a way.

Can you see these plants bursting with joy at their ability to shine for their creator?

Last night, we had supper with friends who moved to Altamira with us, back in 1996, at the beginning of the Vineyard Church in Northern Brazil. So many memories, so much to be grateful for.

May this be your best week yet. We’re praying you encounter His abundance afresh this week. With grace, Rick & Deanna

An Unexpected Turn –Dear friends,Early this morning, around 2 a.m., we received unexpected and difficult news: the pathologist confirmed that Deanna has breast cancer. We were shocked—but also grateful that Deanna has been diligent with her annual checkups.As we write this, it’s Good Friday. Tomorrow (Saturday), we’ll drive to Belém to pick up Olivia, Zack, and baby Ellis. We also look forward to visiting Clenildo, Angelita, Steve, and Elba.We have an appointment with a cancer specialist next Thursday or Friday, and we’ll know more about next steps after that.In the midst of this, Psalm 23:4 has been close to our hearts:“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”God has delivered us from so many trials over the years, and we’re praying that His healing and deliverance will come swiftly once again.Your prayers and friendship mean the world to us. Thank you for standing with us.With hope and gratitude, Rick & Deanna

The Ripe Harvest While we were in Portugal, Clenildo and a team of Brazilian missionaries ventured up remote rivers they had never traveled before. Clenildo recounted his adventure to me (Note: I changed the names of all the people except Clenildo). “I wasn’t ready for what we’d find at the end of the Guajará River.We set out with one goal: to bring the Gospel where it had never been heard. To ensure no one was left behind, we started at the farthest point upriver—from the end backward. Our journey took us to Iuliuí, Guajará, and the Curumini River, through narrow, twisting waterways under a searing sun.And there, in a remote clearing barely etched into the jungle, we met Ivaldo. “No one’s ever come this far,” he told us. He gave us shelter and helped us go further still.After hours of traveling up the narrowing river, we reach our goal—Marrudo, they called him—the “last man.” He wept as he gave his life to Jesus. The man before him had already surrendered, too. We realized then—we hadn’t missed a soul. But God wasn’t done.At a schoolhouse downstream, the entire class—students and teachers—gave their lives to Christ. In another village, a man named Evando, sick and waiting five years for prayer, was healed and threw away his crutches on the spot.By the time we reached the Curumini, we met Wanderson—another who had never heard the name of Jesus. That changed in a moment.In ten days, ninety-three people stepped from darkness into light.We came home exhausted… and filled with joy. There’s still so much more to do—but heaven is rejoicing, and so are we.”  Pray with us for the follow-up: Now that relationships have begun, Clenildo and the team are returning to introduce Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) and Disciple Making Movements (DMM). In remote areas like this, it’s essential that new believers grow in faith in ways that don’t rely on constant outside input. Really, that’s true everywhere—and especially here.

Since the Cristovão Retreat in February—when Clyde and Kelsie, along with Phil and Jen, came to minister—the Marabá Church has felt a fresh wind of the Spirit. New baptisms, the birth of small groups, and a rise in attendance are reminding us: the gospel moves in waves. It surges, pauses, and then surges again—like the seasons of life. Always changing. Always advancing to the next season. Hosea 10:12 (NLT) “Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord.”

Thank you Douglas, for this photo!

A Spiritually Dryer Climate

Dirk Willems – A Hero of the Faith

Dirk Willems: A Legacy of Costly Compassion  But what about the spiritually dry places?Not all fields seem fertile. Sometimes, the ground feels hardened, or the culture indifferent. But even there, God is at work…In 1569, Dirk Willems, a Dutch Anabaptist, ran for his life across a frozen lake. His pursuer—a thief-catcher—fell through the ice. In a moment of profound mercy, Dirk turned back and pulled the man to safety. The officer wanted to release him, but authorities intervened. Dirk was imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately burned at the stake for his faith.Today, a bronze statue in Steinbach, Manitoba, honors Dirk’s courageous act—reminding us that love for one’s enemy often comes at great cost.Now consider the contrast.In Dirk’s world, religion was used to silence dissenters. In Northern Brazil today, villages plead for someone to come and share the gospel. Europe built majestic cathedrals while executing quiet saints like Dirk. And yet, even in the darkest corners of history, God had His faithful—humble men and women who lived wholly for the Kingdom.Reflection QuestionsHow wholehearted is your walk with God right now? What distractions or detours have crept in quietly over time? What would it take to clear the way again?Where is God calling you to focus? It’s tempting to say, “Where the need feels greatest.” But in God’s Kingdom, there’s enough grace, calling, and power for both the hungry and the hardened. Take a moment to ask: Lord, where do You want me to focus right now?

The laughter of children playing in our yard stirs memories of those golden years when our own filled this space with joy. Life moves swiftly—and just as we start to understand one season, we’re already stepping into the next. But when we give our best to the season we’re in, the good memories stack up—and life becomes all the richer.

Milton and Lu, Rick and Deanna, Helen and Michael “The Portugal Survey Trip”

After thirty years serving in Northern Brazil, I’ve seen what a “ripe field” looks like: people hungry for truth, villages asking for churches, open doors, and open hearts. We’ve helped plant nearly a hundred churches, including many remote ones, in that region, some in places where the gospel only recently arrived for the first time.

• It’s amazing.
• It humbles us.
• It exhilarates us.
• It also gives us a glimpse of what Jesus meant when He said, “The fields are white unto harvest.”

But lately, I’ve been walking the cobbled streets of Portugal.

• It’s beautiful. And hard.
• It’s not just that people are uninterested in the gospel—it feels cold. Or irrelevant.
• It’s not new.
• It’s “old news” distorted by history, politics, or painful memories.
• The soil is dry. The field is challenging.
• Oddly, it reminds me of something I sense from friends and supporters about Canada and the U.S.

Two Very Different Fields

In the North of Brazil, the gospel feels fresh.

People are still surprised by the grace of Jesus.

The name of Jesus still carries beauty, still stirs something hopeful.

Even people who don’t fully understand the gospel still show up with open ears, open hands, and often open hearts.

We’re not talking about a place with decades of deep Christian history. These are river communities—some only remotely connected to the outside world. There’s often a childlike curiosity when discussing the Bible, prayer, or community.

But then I went to Portugal, and I saw the opposite.

The gospel has been present there—in name—for centuries.

But so often, it’s tied to colonial history, political power, or cold institutions.

People are weary of religion, skeptical of church, and often feel that Christianity has nothing meaningful to say anymore.

And here’s the truth: both kinds of fields need laborers.

An Encouragement to My Friends in North America

When I visit Canada or the U.S., I feel the same tension.

You love the gospel. You want others to know Jesus.

But it feels like your neighbors don’t care.

Young people are wrestling with doubt.

The next generation seems to be drifting.

Church feels harder than it used to.

And you wonder if your prayers and faithfulness still make a difference.

Let me encourage you:

You are not planting in vain.

The ground may be dry, but the seed is still alive.

And if we’ve learned anything from history—from revivals, awakenings, and quiet movements of God—it’s that spiritual renewal often begins in the hardest places, through the least likely people, in the most ordinary acts of faith.

Jesus never told us to go only where the results were easy.

He told us to go to all nations, all people, and the ends of the earth.

Some places are ripe—like Northern Brazil.

Some are dry—like urban Portugal, downtown Toronto, or rural Alberta.

But the call is the same:

Sow faithfully. Water consistently. Wait patiently. And trust God for the harvest.

He sees your faithfulness.

He sees your prayers.

He sees every time you choose kindness when it’s not returned, hope when it’s not visible, and witness when it’s not welcomed.

We’re in This Together

One of the most beautiful truths about the global Church is this:

We need each other.

Those of us in “ripe fields” in the majority world need:

• Prayers
• Support
• Generosity
• Wisdom
• And friendship

And those of us in “resistant fields” and wealthy, post-Christian nations need:

• Stories
• Encouragement
• Reminders that the gospel still changes lives
• And friendship

We are not separate teams but one body—serving the same Lord in different fields.

And we all depend on the same Spirit.

The Gospel Advances Slowly—And Then Suddenly

The gospel often works like yeast in dough or a seed in the ground.

Nothing seems to be happening—until everything starts to rise at once.

Don’t resent the slowness if you’re in a dry or difficult place.

Don’t underestimate what God is doing in silence.

Some of the most powerful gospel movements began in places that once looked barren.

• The Celtic Church in Ireland was born through decades of quiet obedience.
• The early church in Rome grew under oppression and suspicion.
• Modern revival in parts of Asia began through one or two faithful witnesses who refused to quit.

The gospel never truly dies.

It just waits for the next faithful heart to carry it forward.

An Invitation, Not a Burden

And maybe God is inviting you—not to do more, but to go deeper:

• Deeper in prayer
• Deeper in trust
• Deeper in friendship with those on the frontlines
• Deeper in your neighborhood
• Deeper in listening to what the Spirit might be saying today

The Mission is One. The Fields Are Many.

Ripe. Resistant. Remote. Urban.

It all belongs to one harvest.

Let’s not compare fields.

Let’s bring our whole selves to the One who owns them all.

So wherever you are—on the rivers of Brazil, in the cities of Portugal, in the suburbs of Vancouver, or in the cornfields of Ohio—keep sowing. Keep praying. Keep showing up.

The harvest is coming.

And we get to be part of it—together.

First Reflections from a Spirit-Led Survey Trip to Portugal  What if Portugal isn’t just a destination—but the next frontier for Spirit-led church planting? We’re thinking out loud. Dreaming. Brainstorming. Asking God what He might be up to.Two weeks, hundreds of kilometers, countless moments that stirred our hearts. Across the countryside, chapels and cathedrals whisper of a Christian past—but heritage alone cannot transform hearts.This is a moment not for more programs, but for people: authentic disciples, rooted in prayer, formed in community, and sent to love their neighbors into the Kingdom.The soil feels dry, but the seeds of renewal are planted through lives that reflect Jesus with integrity, simplicity, and Spirit-filled love. VisionWe need to see with spiritual eyes—not just natural sight.After his showdown with the false prophets, Elijah thought he was the only one left. God didn’t scold him—He corrected him gently.Elijah wasn’t alone. There were 7,000 others.Please let us know if God is showing you anything as you read this. We want to listen together.

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I’m trying it on to see if it fits.

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On our last day in Portugal we spent a few hours with Milton and Lu, reflecting on our trip and dreaming of possibilities.

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34 Years of Awesomeness

In a quiet village near the Spanish border, Deanna and I celebrated 34 years of becoming one—not a oneness that shrinks or erases, but one that honors difference and expands us both.