I serve as board President with Ray of Hope — Amazon, a charity based in Manaus, Brazil that serves the unreached villages and tribes along the Amazon and Rio Negro river. With a focus on children and families, Ray of Hope Amazon provides medical, food, educational and spiritual assistance to the neediest people who live along the water in the jungle.

I never realized the impact I could have on others or the impact they could have on me until I went to Brazil in 2014 to explore partnering with Ray of Hope Amazon. Although a regular church goer my entire life, I generally reserved my Christian faith to Sunday mornings and not outside the walls during the week. However, this trip to Brazil inspired me to share not only my story, but also the story of the people of whom I've encountered in the Amazon.

Since that first trip I became more involved with this organization and went from being the shy introvert in the back of the room to leading worship, preaching, prayer, baptizing others, leading communion and offering devotionals on a regular basis. In 2017 several of us who had been to Brazil decided to use our professional capabilities to establish Ray of Hope Amazon USA as an official US charity. It's with this organization that I serve as board President and with official charity status, we can now receive funds from individual in the US that are audit-able and secure.

Our charity in Manaus is a labor of love for 50-60 volunteer Brazilians who regularly assist our mission. With my sales and marketing experience, I cleaned up the website and created a new logo. I developed a mailing list using the contacts of those who have gone to Brazil over the past decade and established a regular communication to each of them. I've also led several fundraising efforts.

Although I originally went to the Amazon with my home church, I discovered that there are many friends and associates who were interested in joining me in our mission. So I took a leap of faith and begin leading mission trips independent of any church. The response has been astounding and such a blessing.

I was then inspired to do more….

In 2022, I established an annual pastor's conference for jungle pastor's located in and around Manaus, Brazil. Instead of taking a group of people into the jungle, a small gathering of 4-5 join me where we spend 2-3 days meeting with jungle pastors. I goal is to pour our love into the pastors who don't have the facilities and support that pastors in large cities have. We have multiple sessions followed by small groups to discuss what we've heard. We worship every day, and we close with communion. Communion not only bounds us together in the family of Chris, but re-iterates that they are not alone and we are ALL in this together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I do all this work not to receive accolades and recognition, although I will freely admit I do enjoy some of that. I also don't do it as a way to "work" my way into heaven. As Christians, we are saved by faith (Ephesians 2). The Holy Spirit working in me inspires me to gladly serve Him and others. And the professional gifts I have been afforded by God and enhanced throughout my career, are easily transferable to help others.

Looking back at the last 10+ years, I can't even fathom what my life would have been like without this ministry. I've made a tremendous number of friends throughout the US. I've become close with so many Brazilians it's hard to count, and it's been a personal blessing to have been led down this path. Blessed to be a blessing.