30 Years of Brazil - Part 1
This past weekend our team in Brazil gathered together for a time of celebration for the 30 years of Crossover Global in Brazil.
We had a packed weekend as staff celebrating God’s faithfulness and dreaming with the future. We also had two special events that I believe will be marked as part of our history in Brazil — the 30th Anniversary Banquet in Atibaia City where we have relocated our office after 30 years in Curitiba City and a Sunday Service where the Executive Director of the Brazilian Missions Association gave a charge to our staff looking for the next thirty years!!!
Because there are so many meaningful things that I would like to share with you, I am dividing the 30 years of Crossover Global in Brazil into three parts in the next three weeks. Here is part one!
It’s Personal!
Crossover Global in Brazil opened its doors in 1996. About one year after the official opening, a missions mobilization conference was put together called “Transformação 97” (Transformation 97). I attended that conference and God changed the trajectory of my life!
At the age of 17, about a year after my baptism, I was growing in my relationship with Jesus daily and had many dreams for my life. I have always been a planner. I attribute this to my Japanese heritage. But God used my best friend, who is not a planner by nature, to offer me a last-minute invitation to attend a missions event that was taking place at a neighboring Mennonite Brethren Church. It was a one-day event with great worship and an international speaker. I was all in!
At the time, I did not know that this mission event was sponsored by Crossover Global. In fact, I did not know anything about Crossover Global, nor what “missions” were all about! I cannot remember much detail about the conference, but I remember having fun. In some ways, I believe all the memories of that one-day event were erased from my mind because of how powerfully God used the last session. In the last session, the long-awaited international speaker came on stage. That speaker was Dr. Bill Jones.
I did not know who he was, nor had I heard about him until that day.
I did not know that he was the founder of Crossover Global.
I did not know he had authored many books.
I did not know that God had a plan to connect our lives to advance the kingdom of God together.
But God knew!
During a 35-minute talk, Dr. Jones challenged the attendees to commit to following Jesus, loving their neighbor, and reaching the people of the world. That day, I was introduced to the dark reality that billions of people have never heard about Jesus Christ. I was being exposed to a new way of seeing the world, and I was wrecked!
Scriptures, such as Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus commanded His followers to go and make disciples of all nations, started transforming my heart. Moreover, learning about the fulfillment of Jesus’ commandment in Revelation 5:9 sparked a powerful conviction that I should intentionally spend my life bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to all nations.
The Spirit of the Lord was there. He changed my heart’s dreams and desires. At that moment, it was as if God gently and lovingly aligned my heart with His global purpose.
I was convinced that my reality in Christ should change the realities of those unreached people!
Ken at the Brazil office in 1997 Ken's commitment card at the Mission Conference in1997
Almost thirty years ago, God used Crossover Global to mobilize my life to impact the unreached people groups. In my wildest dreams, I would have never dreamed of serving as the president of Crossover Global today! In some was, the 17 years old boy continue to live inside of my with the same passion that motivates daily — the sad reality that Jesus is not being glorified among billions of people around the world due to their lack of Gospel access!
Mobilizing the Brazilian Church to the nations is personal!
