JESUS in the Jungle

Tez and some of the kids he taught.

Hosting famous celebrities like Olivia Newton-John, Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez and John Voight is normal for Brazilian businesswoman Gloria Reynolds. Her company (Amazon Eco Sight) offers Amazon experience tours that attract hundreds of guests.

But in 2003, the Lord directed Gloria to start a ministry to villages along the Amazon River. She called it Raio de Esperanca na Amazonia (Ray of Hope, Amazon).

The first visit was to one family who had financial needs. But the next weekend they returned to find 120 villagers looking for help and hope.


Since then, Ray of Hope (ROH) has impacted at least 950 communities by offering humanitarian aid and the JESUS film. Together, based in Manaus, Gloria and her husband Patrick lead mission trips to the jungle’s interior.

They reach approximately 60 communities and villages in the Amazon Basin annually. In 2018, ROH began using the JESUS film in multiple locations as part of its strategy. When people see the film, they ultimately decide to follow Christ.

For the past few years, Mountain Springs Church in Colorado has partnered with ROH. Last summer Pastor Chris Steenmeyer and several church members, [along with Tez] traveled to Brazil.

On a riverboat, sleeping in hammocks covered with mosquito nets, Tez and the church traveled with Patrick, Gloria, and their team to show the films JESUS, Magdalena, and The Story of Jesus for Children in Portuguese. They shared the gospel, provided medical treatment, brought clothes, and built a large community chicken coop.

"Their mission is to bring Jesus to the forgotten,” says Tez. “I love seeing how partners use our tools in creative and strategic ways—going to places we can’t.”

ROH’s volunteers include medical professionals, social workers, psychologists and lay ministers. Together they assist remote indigenous communities needing care.

Gloria explains, “We offer prayer, Bibles, discipling, medicine, food, school supplies, and more. We even have a project for special-needs kids.”

During the trip, ROH celebrated 16 years of ministry. To celebrate, Mountain Springs Church presented them with solar-powered film equipment so they can continue sharing JESUS everywhere. To learn more about partnering with ROH, go to https://rayofhopeamazon.org/.

*Name changed

PRAYER POINT: Pray for the people of Brazil and for Ray of Hope as they partner with us to reach the Amazon.