For the last three years, Bob and other faithful leaders have been showing up, watering seeds, walking patiently, loving consistently, and trusting that God would bring the growth. What we witnessed on our last trip to Brazil and what you see pictured wasn’t the result of a quick visit from Ride Nature or the short-term trip.
It was the fruit and evidence of believers working and serving together in quiet faithfulness and commitment when no one is watching.
This is why we travel to places like Brazil. Not to be the hero of the story, but to witness, in awe, what God is already doing. Only because there are already leaders on the ground, we can come alongside them to lift their hands and put an arm around them in encouragement as they press onward in ministry. It’s truly a joy to celebrate moments that belong to an entire community and to witness the harvest that comes from seeds planted in past seasons.
On our first trip to São Sebastião, Brazil, we shared the Gospel, and seeds were planted. On the following trip, those seeds took root as Christian gave his life to the Lord, and the watering began. On our last trip this past February, we got to see both Christian and Tiago get baptized. We witnessed seeds bear fruit!
There’s a moment right before someone goes under the water when everything gets quiet. The noise of the world seems to pull back. Time slows just enough for you to feel the weight of what’s about to happen. There’s a rush of emotion when a new believer comes up out of the water, but this time in particular, it didn’t stop there. The excitement followed these men from the ocean back to the sand. As we stood there on the beach watching two grown men, both husbands and fathers, embrace their wives and children, we couldn’t hold back the tears. What God has done in their hearts will no doubt have an eternal impact on everyone around them, and here’s the thing we don’t talk about enough: baptism never belongs to just one person. It might symbolize the change that’s happened in someone’s heart, but the impact extends like a beam of light to everyone around them.
Holding both the Word of God in their hands and their families close, it was clear that God is doing something new, not just in them but also in future generations.
Like Tiago and Christian, we’ve had the privilege of planting and watering seeds. We have also watched God birth something new in 2026, from Brazil to Costa Rica, Japan to Peru, Cambodia to Thailand. The Lord continues to soften hearts and bring more into the knowledge of His saving grace. Among skaters, surfers, and wakeboarders, young and old, we are leveraging every opportunity to tell others about Jesus and why surrendering to Him eternally matters.
We’re grateful to play a small part in what God is doing in Brazil and around the world. We continue to trust Him for eternal fruit and for a clearer path as we pray and prepare for a future Brazil headquarters. Please continue to partner with us in prayer, in going, and in giving. All of us play a key role in seeing the Great Commission fulfilled!
TO THE ENDS.
