Source: International Mission Board, October 31, 2024
Missionaries Mitchell and Liz Heinz have worked with an unreached tribe since 2012. They are a group of nearly 4,000 Indigenous subsistence farmers living in 14 villages scattered over a 30,000-acre reservation.
In 2014, the Heinzes met Mara, the only evangelical Christian in the tribe at the time. She previously lived in Sao Paulo and learned about the gospel there. She was constantly being persecuted for her faith, and yet she persevered.
The first couple Mara introduced to the missionaries was her sister Mor and her husband, Osvaldo. Eventually, Mor and Osvaldo started inviting them to teach the Word in their home. They would sit in the shade of a giant cashew tree, and Mitchell would tell Bible stories and allow them to ask questions and interact with the Word.
Nearly every week for two years, Mor and Osvaldo would invite Mara and other family members and friends over to study the Scriptures together. They would listen to Bible story after Bible story, and they didn’t seem to get tired of it.
Mor and Osvaldo’s house was a natural gathering place in the village where family members, friends, neighbors, and even tribal leaders would show up and have a cup of coffee. It was the perfect place to start an indigenous church.
According to the full story, the young church has won over the favor of those who once saw it as a threat. God blesses the peacemakers! The Heinzes have passed the baton to the growing church and moved on to work in an unengaged area.