Caymans, piranhas, tarantulas, sloths, and pink dolphins… Oh, my! These are a few types of wildlife the 53 youth and chaperones experienced on the YiELD Brazil Mission Trip, July 6–17, 2026.
YiELD is a youth discipleship ministry consisting of the Collegedale, McDonald Road, Collegedale Community, Ooltewah, Bowman Hill, and Crosswalk churches in Tennessee, and this was the sixth mission trip YiELD has offered.
Once arriving in Brazil, the group was bussed 1 1/2 hours to where they loaded two boats for the eight-hour trip up the Amazon to Rosa De Saron, a small village that was only accessible by boat.
Ten years ago, the village began construction on a school, but quickly ran out of money. Since then, it has sat with walls only waist-high and grass growing in the hallway and classrooms. In the next six days, the walls went up, grass was cleared, the ground leveled, and floors poured. Two boats were unloaded with more than 13,000 bricks, cement, gravel, playground equipment, and more. They also shoveled/loaded/unloaded boats with more than 9,000 pounds of sand. Vacation Bible School was offered to the local children, some of whom were brought in on the “school bus” boat to participate.
Though the time was hot and muggy, the youth worked hard and took many water breaks.
The group slept in hammocks on the open deck of the Amazon riverboat, and ate on its lower level.
During the week, the group went cayman spotting at night, saw a piranha and tarantula, and observed a visiting sloth in the tree near the boat.
After an overnight 12-hour boat ride back to Manaus, the group got to swim with the Amazon’s pink river dolphins before enjoying a much-deserved pizza buffet.
As the group looks back on their YiELD Mission Trip, their hearts overflow with gratitude. They give all praise to God for His faithful protection over the team of 53 missionaries through their river journeys; nights in hammocks; and exposure to caymans, piranhas, and tarantulas — that could have gone very differently without His hand guiding them. Every safe boat ride, every meal shared, and every brick laid was a testament to His provision and care.
This mission was never just about the 53 who traveled to Rosa De Saron; it was about an entire community of faith investing in the next generation and in the children of that small village who now have a school rising from 10 years of waiting.
To watch the youth trade comfort for hard work, sweat through muggy days for the sake of others, and still find joy is a beautiful picture of what discipleship in action looks like.
Georgia-Cumberland | September 2026
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