The couple met with one Brazilian family, then another, then another.”
Sometimes God reveals the harvest and then calls the worker; other times, He calls the worker and then reveals the harvest.
Jared and Danielle Via and two other families obeyed God’s call in 2018 to plant Hope Valley Church in Christiansburg, VA. God has transformed many lives and is expanding the church’s reach yet again!
Unsure about their next ministry assignment, Rodrigo and Carol Ferreira came to the US from Brazil. Rodrigo was a former ministry colleague of Pastor Via. The Ferreiras’ tentative plan was to stay in Christiansburg for about six months while learning English, then go to the mission field somewhere in the world. While in the US, the Ferreiras wanted to minister to other Brazilians in the Christiansburg area. Unfortunately, Pastor Via only knew of one Brazilian family nearby. So, the Ferreiras began looking for ways to find, connect, and serve people through Facebook. There they found local groups dedicated to Brazilians. The couple met with one Brazilian family, then another, then another.
Ferreira reported to Via every week, “Praise the Lord, we met another Brazilian family!”
Hope Valley Church decided to host a party and invite anyone from Brazil to come. Expecting 15-20, they were shocked when 80 Brazilians attended. Suddenly, they realized they had tapped into a mission field they didn’t even know existed in their community. After discovering dozens of Brazilian families, they learned the local Volvo plant had a work exchange program with Brazil.
In partnership with Hope Valley Church, the Ferreiras have started a small group Bible study in Portuguese that grows each week. The Ferreiras came to Christiansburg temporarily to get retooled for ministry elsewhere. But God revealed the harvest to them and called them to plant a Brazilian church in partnership with Hope Valley Church. ■
