Baptist Mid-Missions of Brazil
75th Anniversary: 1935 - 2010
Missionaries with last names starting with the letter
"D"
Last updated on November 8, 2009
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Irwin and Florence Davis
Irwin Davis arrived was a very gifted linguist. He was placed on the Boa Vista (Roiraima) mission station on February 1948. He ministered with Harold Burns and others doing linguistic work among the Indians. Irwin worked at the Betel Indian station during his first term. The Punching Holes in the Darkness book states that in October 1953, Irwin and his wife Florence had a son named Mark who became sick and Florence took Mark home for medical treatment. At that time Irwin was trying to begin a work with the Indians along the Uraricoera River near the Venezuelan boarder in what today is the state of Roiraima. They resigned from BMM in 1954. They later worked for many years with Wycliff Bible Translators.
Bruce T. & Carol R. Dennis
Bruce T. Dennis and Carol R. Dennis joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July of 1995. They arrived in Brazil in December of 1996. Their port of entry was Fortaleza, Ceará. That is also where they studied Portuguese with a tutor from the BMMB Language School in Fortaleza. They finished their language studies in August of 1997. Carol is the daughter of BMM missionary, Starr Ratzlaff, who served in Brazil in the 1950´s.
Bruce and Carol´s first ministry in Brazil was filling in for Bryon and Michele Atha while they were on furlough. The Dennises worked at the Baptist Church of João XXIII (Igreja Batista de João XXIII) in the subdivision of João XXIII, in Fortaleza, Ceará from 1998 to mid-1999.
From mid 1999 to March 2002, Bruce and Carol worked at the Castelão Baptist Church (Igreja Batista de Castelão) in the Castelão subdivision of Fortaleza, Ceará. Kelly & Debbie McMaster filled in for the Dennises from mid-2000 to 2001 during their furlough. Dan Stowell began the work and the Denises continued giving direction and were able to organize the church and call a national pastor.
Since March 2002 to date, Bruce and Carol have been working at the New Life Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Nova Vida) in the Coaçu area of Eusébio, Ceará.
Bruce and Carol joined this work as they were raising a church building and getting Sunday services started. The funds for construction were provided through Betty Luytjes Walden. They built the multi-purpose building with the help of 25 short termers from one of their supporting churches. They organized the church and called a pastor in 2004. Since then, they have served more in a counselor role to the pastor and church. They have been able to purchase an adjacent lot and build a two story multi-purpose building which has a pastor's residence on second floor. Johnny and Rena Nunley worked at this church in the beginning for about six months.
Bruce and Carol have also served in the following positions at the Fortaleza Baptist Academy, and have also served as officers in the Northeast region of Brazil.
1. BRUCE- Fortaleza Academy math and science teacher 1997 to present.
2. BRUCE- Fortaleza Academy Director 2004 to present.
3. BRUCE- Fortaleza Complex Director 1998-1999.
4. CAROL- Fortaleza Academy Secretary 1997 to present.
5. CAROL- Missionary Orientation Director 2003 to present.
Ron and Betty Dion
This information was gleaned from the Punching Holes in the Darkness book, p.185
and from personal work reports given by these missionaries.
Betty DeVoe joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1975. She arrived in Fortaleza, Ceará, on August 30, 1977, and she studied Portuguese in BMM’s Fortaleza language school. Betty then taught at the Fortaleza Academy until May 1980.
Ron Dion joined Baptist Mid Missions in July 1978, and he arrived on August 12, 1979. He also studied Portuguese in Fortaleza. Ron and Betty were married in 1980.
In October 1981, the Dions moved to São Paulo and worked with BMM missionaries Marv and Diane Fray at the Maranatha Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Maranata) in the city of Rio Claro, São Paulo. In October 1982, they began working with Bob and Corrine Jones at the Jardim Eldorado Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Jardim Eldorado), in the Jardim Eldorado subdivision of Diadema, São Paulo.
Returning from their first furlough, the Dions moved to João Pessoa, Paraíba and worked at the Marantha Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Maranata). Ron and Betty resigned from BMM in March 1991.
Mike and Anita Dunn
Mike and Anita Dunn joined Baptist Mid-Missions in August 1995. They arrived in Fortaleza, Ceará, in June 1999, and studied Portuguese in the BMM Missionary Orientation Service until December 2000.
Upon completion of their language studies, they moved to Itacoatiara, Amazonas. Mike bought a truck and trailer for their belongings in Fortaleza, drove it to Belém, Paraná, and then rode a boat from Belém to Manaus. It was a four-day trip up the Amazon River.
Mike and Anita directed and maintained Camp Maranatha (Acampamento Maranata), a jungle camp on the shore of the Urubu River, 246 kilometers (a 4-hour drive) from the city of Manaus. While the Dunns were at Camp Maranatha, Mike did pulpit supply preaching in three churches in Itacoatiara.
Mike also taught in a children's ministry called Happy Children (Crianças Felizes) in a location about 100 kilometers from the camp on the Urubu River. The Dunns directed the Crianças Felizes ministry for one year, while another missionary family was on furlough. They had an average of 150-200 children attend this ministry.
With two deacons from the Mt.Zion Baptist Church (Igreja Batista do Monte Siao) in Itacoatiara, Amazonas, Mike and Anita started a congregation in the little community of Sudan, which is a 45 minute drive by truck (approximately 60 kilometers) from the Maranatha Camp. After a year at this preaching point, the 50 regular attendees voted to name the congregation Calvary Regular Baptist Congregation in Sudan (Congregação Batista Regular Calvário de Sudan). This ministry is a jungle church work.
After five years on the field, the Dunns went home on their first furlough in June 2004. Upon their return, they worked in the town of Urucurituba, Amazonas, which is an hour away by river taxi from their first ministry. They also visited Tefé, Amazonas, which is located 500 miles up the Amazon from Itacoatiara. They felt God´s leading to work there and continued to commute for a short time until their second furlough. Mike and Anita planned to relocate to Tefé upon their return to Brazil.
The Dunns resigned from BMM in 2006, and they returned to Brazil with Central Missionary Clearinghouse in 2009.
Return to History of BMM in Brazil page