Seeing Your Support in Action
Bringing you our report from the mission field
At the very beginning of Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch when the Holy Spirit came and sent them out — sent them out on what we know as Paul’s first missionary journey. Two chapters later, after nearly two years in seven cities, after sharing the Gospel, seeing miracles and persecution — with Paul being stoned and left for dead outside Lystra — they finally get to the end of their journey. And what did they do? They turned around and retraced their steps, going back through all of the churches they had just planted, strengthening the new believers and the elders they had ordained.
And after all that, can you remember the first thing they did when they got home? They brought their report to the church — to encourage the church.
“…they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” — Acts 14:27
Imagine the church that had fasted and prayed, the church that had obeyed the Holy Spirit and laid hands on Paul and Barnabas. They had watched their pastors sail away. Now, after two years, that church finally gets to see the fruit of their faithfulness.
They didn’t go on the journey with Paul. They didn’t preach the sermons. They didn’t see the Spirit changing lives and planting churches. But now they can celebrate, too. Why? Because they were a part of the mission. A huge part.
Notice how Paul and Barnabas share not what they had accomplished, but “all that God had done with them.” Paul and Barnabas had come home as witnesses, not as heroes.
That is how I feel right now. Because of your faithfulness, we got to go. We got to preach the gospel, see the miracles, see lives changed, see churches strengthened. All because you prayed. All because you gave.
We had an absolutely amazing summer of missions and ministry. And I pray you receive this report as they did in Antioch — not as news about us, but as an accounting of what Christ has done through the friends and the churches that sent us.
— Boe
May · Charity Golf Classic · Temple Terrace
Where Golf and Missions Intersect
Yes, that’s a 10-foot-tall cross on the first tee box. We figured that was the least we could do to honor our Lord Jesus Christ at a charity golf tournament that is all about taking His name to the nations. Thank you, Eddie Clayton and First Baptist Tampa, for lending it to us for the day.
And it was a great day. May 15, 2026, at Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club with 92 golfers and a ton of fun and food and prizes. We owe it all to our title sponsor, Dallas 1 Construction and Development — Serving Christ through Construction — and to our gold sponsors: All American Sleeper; Joe Whitaker, MD; and the Tampa Bay Baptist Foundation — and to all of our sponsors, golfers and volunteers. Thank you.
This is our once-a-year fundraiser to raise support for the summer VBS camps we do every July in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And specifically, because of your generosity, we were able to provide eight scholarships to eight students who came and led the camps this year.
So the impact for the Kingdom is multiplied. Our student leaders are growing. Their churches are growing. Kids and families in Brazil are encountering Jesus. And our partner churches in the field are blessed, resourced and encouraged — our mission in a nutshell.
The GC Golf Classic is a big part of it. We hope you will continue to support our work through this event next year. Save the date: May 14, 2027, in Temple Terrace.
June · SBC Convention · Orlando
A Great Commission Legacy: Dr. Danny Akin Retires After 22 Years
It’s rare that you get to see the real fruit of your labor, at least while you can still see it. But for Dr. Danny Akin, outgoing president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Lord has truly blessed.
In June, about a thousand Southern Baptists filled a room in Orlando for Southeastern Seminary’s alumni luncheon. When Akin was introduced, the room stood — to recognize the man, and more so to recognize what God has done through him.
Akin spent 22 years turning that seminary into a sending agency, with a motto that is still a compass for my whole ministry: “Every Classroom a Great Commission Classroom.”
Enrollment more than doubled on his watch, from 2,400 students in 2004 to more than 5,600 today. But the smaller numbers tell the story better: this past year alone Southeastern commissioned 76 students to the nations, internationally and in North America. More than 200 SEBTS students are serving on the field with the International Mission Board right now. Akin himself preached in more than twenty countries while he held the office.
The handoff happened in that same room, as incoming president Dr. Scott Pace — a two-time Southeastern graduate — sat beside Akin on the platform. And before Akin walked off that stage for the last time as president, he stopped and prayed over the man taking his place.
That is what a sending institution looks like when it is working. The people who sat in those classrooms are scattered across the world now, and most of them will never be named in a report like this one.
I am one of them — a two-time graduate of SEBTS, where Akin’s influence on me and my family was, and still is, a total game-changer. Of his many one-liners that I won’t soon forget, one really stuck, and he said it often:
“Don’t ask ‘can I stay?’ Ask ‘why can’t I go?’” — Dr. Danny Akin
Akin’s Great Commission legacy is not a building or a number. It is 22 years of graduates — and families — like mine who went. Thank you, Dr. Akin.
July · VBS Mission · Brazil
After four months, three pre-trip meetings, all the fundraisers, and most importantly all of the prayer, our team of 11 Americans set out from Tampa to Rio on Sunday afternoon, July 19, 2026.
The route is Tampa – Bogotá – Rio, where we were met by Pastor Rafael Rocha; missionaries Luis and Marta Mariusso; our amazing translator Michelle Alves; and our friend Anderson Silva. All waiting for us at something like 4:30 a.m.
From the airport in Rio we were off to breakfast, and then to Saquarema, a two-and-a-half hour drive. It’s Monday, Day No. 1, and we’ve got big plans for Monday night: a traditional Brazilian barbecue at our Airbnb.
The route is Tampa – Bogata – Rio, where we were met by Pastor Rafael Rocha; missionaries, Luis and Marta Mariusso; our amazing translator Michelle Alves; and our friend, Anderson Silva. All waiting for us at like 4:30 a.m.
From the airport in Rio we were off to breakfast, and then to Saquarema, a two-and-a-half hour drive. It’s Monday, Day No. 1, and we’ve got big plans for Monday night to host a traditional Brazilian BBQ at our Air BnB.
Hospitality in Saquarema
Food is definitely one of the international languages. So when in Rio, we do as the cariocas do. We grill meat — serving two partners in Saquarema. One is our church planting partner, Pastor Marcelo Feitoza and Celebration Bonsucesso. The other is a before-school / after-school program called Voando Alto. And on this night we brought them together to enjoy a big banquet barbecue — a churrasco.
Pastor Marcelo and his wife, Tania, and their friend Robson were super-gracious to coordinate everything and cook for us as we honored all of the volunteers who make Voando Alto happen year-round. It’s a simple “thank you” that goes a long, long way.
VBS in Saquarema
Back in 2021, we asked our Brazil partners what they thought we should give the kids as a gift. We were thinking maybe a Bible or something. They replied, “Give them each a bouncy ball!”
I was kind of surprised. But what we learned is that these kids don’t have a ball that they can call their own. So ever since, we have been taking bouncy balls and the love of Christ with us.
For three and a half days, we played games, we did crafts, and most importantly we shared our testimonies and shared the Gospel. And praise God, on our last day, we had a half-dozen kids come forward to receive Christ. Changing lives. And you were a huge part of making it happen. Amen.
Jiu Jitsu Church in the Neighborhood Square
When Pastor Marcelo of Celebration Bonsucesso wants to have a graduation service for his Brazilian jiu jitsu class, he does it in the middle of the neighborhood square — and church breaks out.
Our whole team was blessed to see it: church planting in action, as Pastor Marcelo and Pastor Luciano, both black belt instructors, use jiu jitsu to reach kids with the Gospel in Saquarema. They ran through drills and demonstrations, and then Pastor Marcelo picked up his guitar and started leading us in song. I got to share a short devotional before Pastor Luciano got up and gave the Gospel invitation. And the Holy Spirit moved, as six or eight kids came forward to trust in Jesus. Changing lives. And you were a huge part of making it happen. Amen.
VBS in Bonsucesso
After our morning shifts at Voando Alto, we were on to the nearby neighborhood of Bonsucesso to begin our second VBS camp in the afternoons. Hosted by Pastor Marcelo and Celebration Bonsucesso, this was a youth Bible camp with kids roughly K–8. Our job was simple: man the pasture and come up with a bunch of games we could play with kids.
After three rotations, the whole group of 50-plus kids moved into the pavilion for singing, prayer, preaching and response. And this is where all of the rapport we had built outside pays off. These kids wanted to hear from our student-leaders. They are hungry to hear our kids’ testimonies. And when Pastor Marcelo stood to preach the Word, their hearts were ready to receive the Gospel. That is when the Holy Spirit did His thing.
On our final day, the Holy Spirit filled the place, and we saw six or eight more kids come forward to receive Christ — and then more kids came down front to pray with them. It was amazing. Changing lives. And you were a huge part of making it happen. Amen.
Sports Camp at Universitária
We started in Universitária on a Friday night in a light, misty rain. But that wasn’t going to keep the neighbors indoors. God was going before us.
You see, the Friday night plan all along was for our team to go out into the neighborhood, knock on doors and invite kids to come out the following morning for our sports and Bible camp. We only learned after our arrival that God’s plan was different: an organized Friday night neighborhood block party, right in the town square, where hundreds of people were already gathered.
Go figure. This was the first time we had tried this type of ministry with this particular partner church in this particular neighborhood, and here we show up and immediately see God working. All I could do was smile and give thanks — as I saw to it that the caramel popcorn vendor got an invite card, too. Man, that was good.
We handed out just shy of 100 invites, not knowing how many kids might join us in the morning. And when the time came, the kids just kept on coming. In the same way we just played games in Saquarema, we just played games. We started real friendships with these kids. We served lunch, and played more games. And when the time came to bring them all back together, Pastor Luciano and one of his youth leaders got up and shared the Gospel, and 15 to 20 kids came forward to pray to receive Christ. Changing lives. And you were a huge part of making it happen. Amen.
We debriefed in the church afterward. I noticed that our team had such a sense of satisfaction that God had used all of us — the church volunteers, our team, and the youth group from Pastor Luciano’s church at Celebration Recreio. God used all of us to reach those kids. And maybe just as impactful, God used us to strengthen and encourage our partner-church, and especially the two leaders who organized everything, Lucas and Luisa.
We prayed with them and asked God to continue building upon the work we had begun. And just like that, we started planning for next year, and thinking through different ideas about how we can support this work year-round. Stay tuned.
Worship in Universitária and Santa Cruz
On Sundays, we get to worship with two of our partner churches: the first Sunday morning with Pastor Rafael and Celebration Universitária, and the second Sunday night with Pastor Rosalvo and Celebration Santa Cruz.
The second was Sunday night with Pastor Rosalvo, Celebration Santa Cruz.
We Call It Tourist Day
On Monday morning, we had the privilege of inviting pastors and leaders and the youth from Celebration Recreio to come up the mountain with us for a super time of fellowship. The attraction is famous — known as Pão de Açúcar, or Sugarloaf Mountain — and it sits directly across from the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. The views are breathtaking, and the time together with our partners in a setting like that is so valuable as we continue to strengthen our relationship for the glory of Christ.
Youth Prayer Night in Recreio
We capped off a great day with the youth of Celebration Recreio with a prayer service led by Pastor Luciano and Pastor Marcelo. Just worshiping, singing and praying together in English and Portuguese and Brazenglish. We poured our hearts out to God that He would move in our hearts for the benefit of His church and the movement that He is doing in Rio.
Thank you for joining us in prayer for our four church planting partners in the Celebration Network:
- Pastor Marcelo Feitoza — Bonsucesso
- Pastor Rafael Rocha — Universitária
- Pastor Luciano Freitas — Recreio
- Pastor Rosalvo Wesley — Santa Cruz
It’s Never Goodbye
Where did the time go? And so it is with short-term missions. Eight days in Brazil seems like a breath, and then we have to say goodbye. But it’s never “goodbye,” it’s always “see you later.” Our partnership in Brazil is a year-round labor of love — for the kids and families we are able to serve, and for our missionary-partners and church-partners there.
And so we gathered around the table one last time before heading back to the rental car facility and on to our gate. It’s a pizza place called Parme, at a mall called Shopping Nova América, and it’s like our unofficial headquarters in Brazil. The things born out of tradition.
It is just eight days in July. But the seeds we plant will grow, thanks to God. And thanks to you. So that is our report. Be encouraged that you were a huge part in seeing something like 40-plus kids come forward in faith. You were a huge part in helping our church planters take bold steps in ministry that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to take — not because they don’t want to, but because our American team brings strength in numbers, and I mean faithful people and money. Our dollar is worth five of theirs, and it goes a long, long way.
We left behind everything we had brought with us — gifts and Bibles, gear, luggage and sports equipment, and most of our hearts and hugs. And we bring all of that back to our local churches in Tampa, infecting all of them with this bug we have called missions. Join us.
