Nelson & Rennae de Freitas - Missionary Mobilization

Back of a truck. Rivers underneath us. Jungle on every side. Mountains all around us. This is where the mission of God that we teach and talk about in class walked out the door and into the world.

Cusco. Tarapoto. Yurimaguas. Deep in the Peruvian jungle — bouncing through rivers in the back of a truck down winding dirt roads to a remote village that most people will never find on a map.

And our Nelson University students were RIGHT THERE for all of it.

We linked up with Ben and Gini Harper — long-term AGWM missionaries who have given their lives to this region — and watched our students step into the ministry they've been building for years.

We also got to travel north to the villiage of Yurimaguas to celebrate two of the first students (Johan y Claudia Familia Rodríguez Matos) from our missions training school in Dominican Republic, now thriving in the field planting churches in the jungle region! Watching that legacy come full circle was something else.

Our students dove in headfirst. New food. New language. New culture. Out of their comfort zones and fully alive.

The moment that stopped me? Going house to house through the jungle, inviting families to a church service. We had crossed oceans and time zones and rivers to get there — for no other reason than that those families matter and sharing Jesus is worth every barrier.

No TikTok algorithm. No screen. Just real people, standing face to face, praying together, singing together, the global body of Christ doing what it does best.

This is what we mean when we talk about missions. This is why we train students to go. And we want you on the next trip.
If you're a Nelson University student wondering if this is for you — it is. If you're a supporter who makes trips like this possible — thank you. Your investment just changed lives on two continents. And it's sustaining the long-term work of missionaries like Ben and Gini who are there every single day.

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" — Romans 10:15
📲 DM us or drop a comment — let's talk about what's next.

Praying friends! I (Rennae) need your prayer covering! Flying out today to join the Hope for the Border team. I’ll be preaching at Plural Church tomorrow and We’ll be visiting churches and meeting with pastors to discuss how the church can help with anti-trafficking efforts and ministry.I wouldlove your prayers for this ministry trip—excited to see what God does!

What a weekend in Jacksonville! 🎉❤️

We had the joy of surprising our dear mentors, Dale Coad Patti Tolbert Coad , as they celebrated 50 YEARS of marriage! These two precious people walked with us from the very beginning of our marriage and missionary journey, and their example in marriage and family life has been our North Star ever since. The WHOLE Coad family holds such a special place in our hearts—we love them dearly!

We especially enjoyed some quality time with our MK nephews and neices who are really the dears of friends and family. Big shout out to Jonathan Coad and Dawn Amsler for their hospitality and their expresso machine that we love almost (not more) as much as them! (Why didn't I get a photo with that machine! - lol!)

But the blessings didn't stop there! We were honored to minister in not one, but TWO services this weekend.
At Freedom Church we ran into Dominican hermanos who attended El Calvario in Santo Domingo. Its a small world!! At Evangel temple we connected with our friend Marla who has been to the DR several times on trips but talking to her today we found out she gave her life to Jesus in the Kids Crusade we did in Jax so manyt years ago., Wow.

To our faithful partners at Freedom Church and Evangel Temple Jacksonville—you mean the world to us! Your investment in our ministry and your heart to help us find the few is a gift we don't take lightly.

There's nothing quite like hugging necks, saying thank you face-to-face, and watching God move as we find the few together. Jacksonville, you blessed us more than you know!

Grateful doesn't even begin to cover it. 🙏