Serving Together
The mission moves forward through faithful partnerships between North American missionaries and Brazilian leaders.
Menu
The mission moves forward through faithful partnerships between North American missionaries and Brazilian leaders.
Matt and Janelle Steidinger have served as missionaries in Brazil since 2013. Together with their four children, they serve from a ministry base in Humaitá along the Madeira River. Matt serves as Executive Director, Base Director, and missionary pilot/mechanic, while Janelle oversees the ministry’s accounting in Brazil. As a family, they are passionate about partnering with Brazilian believers to plant churches and bring the Gospel to remote communities throughout the Amazon.
Francisco and Auxiliadora lived in the remote community of Barreira de Tambaqui, where access to the Gospel and a healthy local church was limited.
Before relocating to Amazonas, Jadilson worked in a brick factory while he and Lauriza served together as leaders of a church of about 100 members.
Before joining Amazon Salt & Light, Sergio was one of thousands of gold miners working along the Madeira River to provide for his family. Although he often spent months away from a church while working in remote mining camps, he and his wife remained committed to their faith and shared a deep desire to reach their own families with the Gospel.
In 2022, Sergio and his wife joined the Amazon Salt & Light team. Today, they serve communities in the Humaitá region of the Madeira River while Sergio also oversees the ministry’s boat maintenance, helping ensure reliable transportation for outreach and church planting efforts.
José and his wife, Fransisca, are the parents of four children and share a passion for evangelism and developing Christ-centered leaders. After the mission organization they had been serving with concluded its work along the Madeira River, they joined Amazon Salt & Light because of their shared vision: “Reach the Amazon Basin for Christ.”
In January 2020, José and Fransisca relocated to the riverside community of Calama, upstream from Humaitá. From this strategic location, they are planting a church in Calama while reaching the many communities farther upriver with the hope of the Gospel and the message of Jesus Christ.
At the age of 15, Steven sensed God’s call to combine his passion for missions with his interest in aviation by becoming a missionary pilot and aircraft mechanic. While earning his flight and maintenance certifications, he participated in several short-term mission trips, including one with Amazon Salt & Light in Brazil.
After completing his training in 2025, Steven accepted God’s call to serve full-time with Amazon Salt & Light as a missionary pilot and mechanic. He is excited to use aviation to help bring the Gospel to remote communities throughout the Brazilian state of Amazonas.
God brought Andy and his wife, Marie, together through their shared passion for international missions more than twenty years ago. Best friends and ministry partners, they are blessed to be raising their four children in Central Illinois.
Andy serves as President and majority owner of a commercial construction company while also serving as a lay pastor in his local church. He brings his leadership, business experience, and heart for missions to the ministry of Amazon Salt & Light.
Ryan and Hope Stoller have made it their desire to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). Married in 2002, they are the parents of three biological children and have faithfully served as foster parents since 2006.
Together, they own and operate a professional floor cleaning business in Central Illinois. As Matt Steidinger’s younger sister, Hope enjoys helping keep the ministry connected with supporters in the United States.
The Stollers are grateful to partner with Amazon Salt & Light and are excited to help bring the hope of Jesus Christ to communities throughout the Amazon Basin.
Dan and Liz live in Sterling, Illinois, and have faithfully supported Amazon Salt & Light for many years. They are actively involved in missions through their local church, have a daughter and son-in-law serving overseas with their family, and are proud grandparents to children growing up on the mission field.
In addition to their financial support and encouragement, Dan and Liz generously dedicated space in their farm shed for the construction of the Bearhawk Five, helping make this important aviation ministry possible.
Josh and his wife, Brinlee, served as missionaries in the Brazilian Amazon from 2006 to 2017 with Xingu Mission and Asas de Socorro. During their years in Brazil, Josh supported church planting ministries as an aviation mechanic, while Brinlee served as a nurse, schoolteacher, and English teacher.
Today, Josh brings his passion for reaching the remote communities of the Amazon and his firsthand ministry experience to the Amazon Salt & Light Board of Directors. He and Brinlee currently live in Central Illinois with their family, where two of their daughters are in high school and one is attending college.
Matt and Janelle Steidinger have served as missionaries in Brazil since 2013. Together with their four children, they serve from a ministry base in Humaitá along the Madeira River. Matt serves as Executive Director, Base Director, and missionary pilot/mechanic, while Janelle oversees the ministry’s accounting in Brazil. As a family, they are passionate about partnering with Brazilian believers to plant churches and bring the Gospel to remote communities throughout the Amazon.