At twelve years old, Ana* was already involved in her church, she did a commitment to reach out to children from unstable homes and drug-trafficking contexts, urging them to attend services. Four little girls, younger than her, became her protégées, finding in her a good friend and role model, this experience inspired her to walk, in what would be her life going forward.
Ana’s was missionary-focused on indigenous peoples. Though she hadn't considered going to distant mission fields herself, a conversation with her pastor broadened her vision for her next steps after high school.
For a while Ana were dedicated to river-based communities, in this place, aspects like dependence on God were gradually growing. Ana saw God preparing her and shaping her future work with children.
Her journey led her to involvement with the local church in Northern Brazil in sports ministry, later connecting her with a specialist sports ministry organization, Athletes of Christ. As people were mobilized for the World Cup in South Africa, Ana was able to join them. Her experience firmed up her conviction that missionary calling transcends borders.
"While we walked through the largest favela there, a bunch of kids accompanied us. That image brough me the idea of the crowd that followed Jesus and how most of them were completely blind. They wanted to see what was going to happen; few wanted Him. In this, God worked in me, I could see the desire of many of them to delve deeper into knowing about God." says Ana.
Upon returning to Northern Brazil, when Ana was 29 years old, with the support of a mentor, Ana decided to reach out to a list of missionary organizations in Brazil. Only three agencies replied. Ana was drawn to OM (Operation Mobilization) with their insistence on walking alongside her in the purpose to which God had called her.
In this new journey, Ana’s heart burned for South Asia. Her work as a teacher and experience with sports led her to believe that India would be her destination. However, the lack of people helping in the field, financial support and the language barrier diverted her to the equally challenging field of Nepal.
In Nepal, Ana faced the need to adapt to the new context. Despite difficulties, she found authentic relationships with the various local castes through her friendly approach. Every encounter, every shared tea, became an opportunity to sow the gospel and deliver the message of the Bible.
"As I cannot speak directly, I start with: 'I have something very special here that I wanted to give you. A gift from what I believe, it's from my God.' And the person accepts it well," says Ana. "Then, I pray that they may understand. It's a little seed. Sometimes the person throws it away, but then another person finds the Bible there! There was a case where the guy called us because he wanted to know more about the God of the book he found." Shared Ana.
Ana saw God act in unexpected ways, using not only her experience and knowledge but also things she never imagined. Her work with local teachers and leaders, particularly working with children, aims to create a solid foundation of discipleship that can be maintained by the community even when she is not physically present. "The last trainings had about 45 participants, 90 per cent of whom had never received training to work with children," says Ana.
Fruitful Children
There are specific challenges in an environment like Nepal, where being a Christian can result in rejection and isolation. Ana is able to maintain a steadfast approach, knowing that the seed of the gospel is being planted, often through children. One young three-year-old girl heard a biblical story from a member of Ana's team and shared it with her school friends. The teacher became interested and asked her to tell the entire class. So she did.
"Six years later, we found the girl again. She was now nine years old. She told us that besides no one going to buy from her mother's store, she no longer had a school to attend. I felt very sorry for her, but the girl said: “It's difficult, but I will continue talking about Jesus with my friends.” Such pure and genuine faith; no matter the suffering, she is still standing firm," says Ana.
The faith of children in the true God has impacted others , like one nine-year-old boy who went to help his friend after the pandemic. His friend appeared possessed of an evil spirit, which scared the other boys Unlike the others, Tiago* wasn't worried because he believed God was with him and began to pray. The demon left his friend, and the others left shouting: "Look! His God is true! He is powerful! And His name is Jesus!"
Ana points out that children are not only the future but the present, sowing truth wherever they are.
Working and living in Nepal is not easy. Missionary work often lacks sustained continuity once the evangelists have left. Christian literature and Bibles are not cheap and easy to find, Ana longs to see the release and distribution of educational tools and resources that will equip and enable children to become fully empowered to face the future.
Join Us in Prayer
Ana knows that there is power in praying to the God of the Universe for what is needed.
Will you join with her as she prays for more workers in the field, support for the team, training in local churches, resources for tools and work kits with children, and above all, perseverance amidst persecution. Ana’s dream is of a future where every child in Nepal has access to the transformative message of the gospel, regardless of the difficulties they face.