Ken Frederick - Our People


PEOPLE PROFILE URBAN POOR, MANAUS, BRAZIL		Located in the middle of the beautiful Amazon rainforest, Manaus is one of Brazil’s larger cities with almost 1.5 million residents. Manaus lies on the northern bank of the Rio Negro a few kilometers upriver from where it joins with the Solimões to form the Amazon River. With multitudes of international industries and such world renown tourist sites as the Manaus Opera House and the engineering marvel of the floating docks, Manaus is popular tourist destination. New malls and that international symbol of a city which has arrived, McDonalds, are representative of how much Manaus has grown over the past few decades. No longer the small river
city of the mid-20th century, it is the largest and most important city in all of the northern region of Brazil. Yet throughout the periphery of this city are located more than one half a million people who earn 3000 dollars or less per year. What are their lives like? Many of these people have migrated from the interior of the Amazon region looking for a better life. They have moved into Manaus, often into “invasion area,” where they will clear the land and construct small, wooden homes. People by the thousands will crowd into relatively small areas. Many of these people will live for years in these areas without basic city services such as water, electricity, paved streets or bus service.

Located on the rolling hills of Manaus, these unpaved areas are almost impassible during the rainy season. It is not hard to believe, then, that when one of these areas recently received paved streets, they held a large community celebration. Now they are praying for water. Daily women and children will have to walk to a community pump and water tank to carry water in plastic containers or sometimes buckets. Without electricity legally, they resort to illegal methods of running small gauge electrical wiring from the closest city line to their home—maybe as far as one half a mile. What do they believe?
	Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world. More than 3 out of 4 Brazilians claim to be Catholic. For many, they are Catholic in name only-simply being born into a Catholic culture makes them Catholic. The Catholic church and its tradition, while no longer as powerful among this people as in past decades, have an impact upon this people through its mindset and worldview. People are often spiritual or religious minded yet largely without knowledge of the true gospel.
They may believe in an all powerful God yet have no idea that it is possible to have a personal relationship with Him. It is estimated that less than 4% of this people are evangelized. What can you do? You can Pray—receive our bi-weekly email prayer letter and learn up-to-date prayer needs for these wonderful people Give—through your church’s cooperative program giving and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Go—there are opportunities for you to go as a volunteer, a two year missionary or a career missionary Adopt this group as your church or association’s people group Adopt as a church or association a specific ministry project among the urban poor in Manaus For more information on how you can be involved in what God is doing among the Urban Poor of Manaus, Brazil • Email us at frederick@pobox.com • Call us in Brazil at 011-55-92-236-0397 • Write us at Ken & Suzanne Frederick Caixa Postal 226 69011-970 Manaus, AM Brazil INVEST YOUR LIFE FOR ETERNITY!