The Northwest Missions Institute (IMN) has inaugurated the Luzeiro XXXII, a new mission boat that will continue a 94-year tradition of bringing care and hope to riverside communities in the Brazilian Amazon.

IMN is a Seventh-day Adventist initiative that operates in the northwest region of Amazonas, Brazil, and nearby areas like Acre and Rondônia.

The vessel, launched on November 26, 2025, can accommodate up to 30 people sleeping in hammocks and transport a maximum of 80 passengers. Unlike previous Luzeiro boats, the new craft is designed to carry full volunteer groups, reducing the need to rent additional vessels and lowering overall mission costs.

“Many people hear about the Luzeiro and dream of doing a mission on it. Now that will be possible. It's a great achievement for the Missions Institute,” celebrated Reno Guerra, IMN director.

A distinctive feature of the Luzeiro XXXII is that it was painted and refurbished by IMN volunteers. Working in shifts over 30 days, they prepared the boat for service.

“It was an honor to actively participate in the painting. While I was painting, I thought about all the places this boat would go, and in a way, I was a part of it. It was moving,” said Driele Gomes, one of the volunteers.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by administrators of the Adventist Church for four states in northwest Brazil: Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, and Amazonas. Fábio Lúcio Dias, president of the Northwest Brazil Union Mission, and Douglas Menslin, vice president of the South American Division, jointly held the inauguration banner and symbolically cut the ribbon.

“This boat is a great symbol of the mission in this region. The message we want to leave is that the mission is alive in the Northwest Brazilian Union and there is still much room to receive, train, and send volunteers,” encouraged Dias.

Groups of 25 to 30 volunteers can apply for short-term mission trips on the Luzeiro XXXII through the Northwest Missions Institute, which coordinates transportation, food, and lodging logistics. Volunteers cover their personal expenses.

Graduation marks next wave of cross-cultural missionaries

The day’s celebrations also included the graduation of 20 students from IMN’s Transcultural Immersion School, a program that prepares missionaries for cross-cultural service. Over the past 10 months, the group studied languages, cultures, and evangelism and participated in outreach programs in riverside communities.

Of the 20 graduates, 18 have already been called to other countries around the world. Since the school began four years ago, 46 students have completed the program.

“At the beginning of Adventism here in South America, we received about 80 missionaries from various parts of the world. Now it is our time to give back. But to give back, we have to train missionaries, and that is why this school is so important. We are very happy with this result,” he said.

One of the graduates, Carlos Júlio Santana, paused his law studies to go to the Amazon as a literature evangelist (bookseller). There he learned about the Missions Institute and sensed God's call to enroll in the Transcultural Immersion School. Next year, he will serve as a music teacher in Tanzania.

"I only ask God for the ability to carry out the work. I know it will be a great challenge, but God will work great miracles," Santana said.

Another graduate, teacher Caroline Pimentel, will be serving in Egypt, where she will be teaching Portuguese.

“I thought I would come here and just learn English,” she said. “But it was much more than I expected: we learned to cook, to work in the mission field, to deal with people—which is essential for mission. I will take the experience I had here with me for life.”

About Rolling Clinics

The Seventh-day Adventist Church provides medical care to remote and isolated communities in various countries worldwide through mobile hospitals. Often referred to as rolling clinics, Adventists have utilized boats, airplanes, and other forms of transportation to reach thousands through medical missions.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese news site.