Ariane de Melo Felipe is a 14-year-old Brazilian girl with dreams—two very big dreams. They are not the dreams of most teenage girls. Ariane dreams of building a church in the Novo Barrio (neighborhood) of the city of Sao Jose do Mipibu, near her home. Her second dream is to study theology. To Ariane her dreams are concrete, for already she has led hundreds of people to Christ.

When Ariane was still quite young, her parents, Romario and Lourdes, noticed that Ariane had a heart for God that few others of any age possess. She joined her church's Pathfinder Club, began to study the Bible in depth, and took part in lay training sessions sponsored by her local mission. Then she organized her own Bible class. As a result of her efforts, six people gave their lives to Jesus.

Her pastor recommended that Ariane take part in an intensive union-wide lay training session with adults three or four times her age. After returning home, she organized a series of meetings and preached 13 times. As a result, eight people decided to follow Jesus.

Ariane focused on an area four miles (seven kilometers) from her home. She had to walk along a busy highway to reach the neighborhood, but she was not afraid. She visited people, gave Bible studies, and organized a Bible class with 15 participants. And eight more precious souls came to the Master. When her local mission learned of her continuing dedication to evangelism, they bought her a bicycle, so she could make the trip more quickly and safely. Ariane uses her new bicycle to hold more meetings, organize more Bible study groups, and lead more people to Jesus.

Because of Ariane's dedication to evangelism, more than one hundred people in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, have been baptized. Evangelism takes many forms. Some, such as Ariane, have the gift of evangelism.  But we all can have a part when we give our mission offerings every week.

ARIANE DE MELO FELIPE (left) shares her faith in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

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