Thiago and Vivian Machado

What does a Canadian raised on the snowy prairies and a Brazilian growing up by the South Pacific have in common?

A fondness for sunshine and a deep love for Jesus Christ and His Church.

For both of us, the Church has always been home. It’s where we grew up. It’s the communities where we came to know Jesus and to love His people. It was where the seeds of faith were planted and took root in our lives. And, it was in large part because of the Church and the faith that was passed down to us there that both of us went to seminary. At the time, neither of us could shake the feeling that we wanted to, needed to, learn more about the difference that Christ made to absolutely everything.

It was during our time at seminary that God connected us with a local church in Rome, Italy, called Hopera.

While Rome is a city of gorgeous churches and sacred art on every street corner, it has become—much like the rest of Western Europe and North America—a place where faith is often seen as largely irrelevant to ordinary life. Many of the inhabitants of the “Eternal City” believe they have little time or energy to spend on eternal things. However, we believe that God has a deep, enduring love for Italy and that, even now, the Master Gardener is at work planting seeds and growing extraordinary fruit in this beautiful country.

Our hope and prayer is that we may join with God in His work. What better way than through the local church, where we may also invite others to come in and find their home?

Please consider joining us—whether through prayers or financial resources—in this vital work.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.