Nelson & Rennae de Freitas - Missionary Mobilization

05/23/2026

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.

05/20/2026

Only God could write a story where breathtaking joy and significant pain share the very same chapter. 🙏

I’m asking for your prayers as I recover from a fall I had in the airport just before we boarded our flight to visit our beloved Dominican missionaries Johan and Claudia Familia Rodríguez Matos

The fall caused severe pain in my lower back and although we were so excited about the week in ministry together, the pain became so severe that we had to change our flights and leave early.

But oh — that one day we had with them was truly unforgettable and marked my heart in the deepest ways. 💙

We were blessed to be part of a baptismal service for their church. Nelson baptized one of their precious young people. Nelson preached. I got to sing. All of it — breathtakingly beautiful. And I experienced every single moment of it through significant pain.

We were also able to spend sweet time with our Dominican delegation visiting the Peru- the superintendent, the director of missions, and the director of church planting — some of our most dear and cherished friends.

Joy and pain intertwined in the most profound way.

And maybe that’s exactly how life works sometimes. Maybe the most sacred moments aren’t the ones without pain — but the ones where God gives you joy so profound that pain cannot steal it. Where we sing anyway. Where we show up anyway. Where we let God use us anyway — even when our bodies are broken and our strength is gone.

If you’re walking through something hard today — if you’re carrying pain alongside your purpose — I want you to know that God doesn’t wait until you’re whole to use you. He meets you right there in the middle of it all. And sometimes the most powerful ministry happens not because of our strength but because of our weakness. 💙

I’m now home in Texas recovering and under doctor’s care. Please pray for my full healing and recovery. I trust God in this process even on the hard days. ❤️🙏

05/15/2026

So many amazing ministry moments in the jungle of Peru! Gini Harper Nelson UniversitySMA

05/09/2026

Rennae and I are very excited to be in Peru with Nelson University students to work with our missionary colleagues Ben and Gini Harper. This is a mobilization missions trip as the Lord speaks to students during these types of experiences. In line with the AGWM Gospel Access effort, we will work with the Harpers to assist them in reaching a largely unreached indigenous tribe outside Cusco.

After the Nelson University students leave, we will travel to the northern part of Peru to visit Dominican missionaries, Johan and Claudia Rodriguez, who were a part of our King’s Castle ministry and were students in the first class of the Dominican Missionary Bible School that we started back in 2004. They, too, are starting churches among unreached indigenous tribes. Rennae and I will have the privilege of ministering to these remote groups in places where one has to arrive by boat down the river and sleep in tents.

Our dates of travel are May 7-21, 2026. We covet your prayers for anointing, safe travel, fruitful work among unreached indigenous people, and that the Lord would call more “sons and daughters”

04/09/2026

Prayers appreciated as Rennae is about to preach at a youth service for our amazing former Nelson/SAGU student Dillon Johnson. Pray for students to embrace their defining story in Christ and to find their place in His mission.

03/12/2026

03/12/2026

What an incredible week in Salt Lake City! 🙌🎉

We’ve had the joy of doing ministry with our students while also training these student missions trip leaders as they prepare for their trips abroad this summer. ✈️🌍

One of the most special highlights was getting to serve alongside two Nelson University alumni — Lana and Austin Ola — who are now faithfully serving with Chi Alpha at Utah Valley University. Their journey here traces all the way back to the very first time we came to Salt Lake City for spring break ministry. This is the fruit of mobilization-Seeing that fruit is such a gift! 🍎

It was a sobering and heavy moment to stand on the UVU campus — the very ground where Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in front of students last September. 😔 Those are the same students Lana and Austin pour into every single day. It reminded us of the weight and urgency of the work happening right where they are planted.

Our hearts were stirred as we watched our students’ faith deepen through real conversations with Latter-day Saint students and a visit to the BYU chapel. 🕊️❤️

This region — and the people here who need Jesus — has our hearts. 🙏🌟 We are so grateful for everyone who made this week possible and for the Kingdom work happening in Salt Lake City!

01/06/2026

Happy Epiphany & Happy New Year! -

12/06/2025

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!

10/20/2025

10/20/2025

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. 🙏