Who We Are

Rebecca and I have been members of Oak Trail Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas since 1979. We have been their missionaries to Manaus, Brasil since 1984. Oak Trail Baptist Church believes, preaches and propagates the doctrines of grace. 

John – Born November 28th, 1957 in Manaus, Brazil, I was saved at the age of nine, grew up in the interior of the Amazon on the Rio Negro river, and attended New Tribes boarding school called Puraquequara. I met Rebecca  at Puraquequara and we were married on June 9th 1978. I Graduated from Arlington Baptist College in May of 1984 and Rebecca and I returned to Brasil as missionaries that same year.

Rebecca – Born January 13th, 1958 in Fresno California. Her parents were New Tribes missionaries to the Indians in Brazil and Bolivia. She was sent to Puraquequara on the Amazon river at the age of six. She has several years of college and is currently taking an EMT course at Weatherford college.

Our three sons – Nicolas (11-03-81); John III (09-14-84), and Daniel (07-16-88). Nicolas was born in Arlington, TX; John III and Daniel were both born in Manaus. They are all dual citizens.

Nicolas has spent the last three years in the Army and served one year in Baghdad, Iraq and is currently living in Florida. John is working in Dallas, Texas and Daniel is serving in the Marine Corp. in Okinawa, Japan.

Our Business

1.Planting local indigenous churches in the city of Manaus and turning them over to national pastors.

2.Training national pastors, missionaries and leaders in the Bible institutes in Manaus and in the interior.

3.Translating Biblical literature from English to Portuguese. Distributing Bibles to pastors, missionaries and needy churches in the North.

4.Helping with our youth camp. 

5.Holding Bible classes at local public schools.

FUTURE PLANS 

1. Continue in Brazil until 2013.

2. Continue the work in Campos Sales until a national pastor can take over, and a building is erected. 

3. Continue teaching in the Bible institute in Manaus and in the interior.

4. Continue teaching Bible in the public schools. 

5. Continue the translating of good Bible literature into Portuguese, and distribution of free Bibles.

Facts about Manaus

Manaus is located about one thousand miles inland from Belem and the Atlantic coast in northern Brasil. The solimoes river and the Rio Negro meet just below the city in an amazing spectacle known as the "marriage of the waters". Brazilians say that the Amazon river begins in Manaus.

Manaus became prominent during the rubber boom and was on the cutting edge of civilization for about 100 years.

Manaus population is around 1.6 million.

Today it is a modern city with a large industrial district that boasts tax incentives to many foreign companies such as Toshiba, LG, SamSung and others. 

Manaus is also an isolated city in many ways. There are very few ways in and out of this remote city. The most common way of travel is by boat because air travel is expensive. We have one road that goes north into Venezuela that is rugh riding to say the least. The road that leads to southern Brasil has been impassable for years.

It is also behind the times in services and in comodities. The extreme heat and humidity challenge  the imagination and  will of even the most able men.

Facts about Brazil:

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/samerica/br.htm