Pastor Alex’s journey from resistance to obedience in Brazil 

When Pastor Alex, a local pastor in Brazil, was given a Volkswagen bus, he felt nothing but gratitude. 

To him, the small camper style vehicle was a gift with purpose. His church was serving around 50 children, many of whom needed help getting to school each day. The bus wasn’t large; it could carry 10 to 15 children at a time, but Alex was willing to make multiple trips. However limited it was, the bus felt like God’s provision. 

Then one day, a missionary named Maria arrived at his church. 

Almost immediately, Alex felt a strong and unsettling impression: Give the bus to her. 

The thought surprised him, and he pushed it away. He reminded himself why he had the bus in the first place. The children depended on it. The ministry needed it. Giving it away felt irresponsible, even confusing. So, he dismissed the prompting and kept the bus. 

Not long after, while driving alone, Alex was involved in a serious accident. The bus struck something in the road, overturned, and was badly damaged. Alex escaped without injury. 

As he stood there afterward, shaken but unharmed, his gratitude was mixed with something heavier. He couldn’t ignore the thought pressing in on him: I was supposed to give that bus away. 

Alex later shared that, in his heart, he believed the accident was connected to his disobedience. Not as punishment, but as painful clarity. He was thankful no children had been in the vehicle, yet deeply unsettled by what he felt God had been asking of him all along. 

The bus was no longer usable, and Alex didn’t have the money to repair it. He brought it to a friend’s repair shop and explained the situation honestly: when he had the money, he would pay. Until then, the bus would wait. 

It took ten months before Alex was finally able to cover the full cost of the repairs. 

Once the work was finished, Alex set out on a long journey to his hometown. Along the way, he stopped in São Paulo to visit a church where he had been invited to share about what God was doing through his church. 

While he was there, the same conviction returned, clearer this time: Now is the time. You need to give the bus to Maria. 

Alex wrestled with the practicality of it. He didn’t know where she was or how he would even find her. Then, unexpectedly, his phone rang. It was Maria. 

Alex told her he needed to see her on his way back. 

When they met, Alex shared everything: the gift of the bus, the hesitation, the accident, the long months of repair. Then he told her the bus was fully restored and that it was hers. 

Shortly after they parted, Alex received another phone call. 

The church he had just visited in São Paulo was on the line. After hearing his testimony, the congregation had taken up an offering together. Their decision was simple and unanimous. 

They had purchased a full-size bus for him, one capable of carrying 40 to 45 children. 

Today, Pastor Alex uses that bus every day, transporting children to and from school. Many more than he could have ever served before. 

What began as a difficult, delayed act of obedience became an open door for greater provision, multiplying the church’s ability to serve and care for the children entrusted to them. 

Pastor Alex is an indigenous partner with ICM, faithfully serving his community alongside the broader movement of indigenous local churches we support. It is our ongoing partnership through training, relationships, and long-term investment that strengthens leaders like Alex for moments just like this. These are the kinds of stories our partners are living out every day, and they are made possible because ICM investors choose to walk alongside local pastors as they follow God’s leading and serve their communities with faith and courage.