Jen and Phil Snell met in the jungles of Nigeria-long before they were Christians.
Both had hearts for a bigger purpose to life and separately sought a way to live that out.
Phil was working for the postal services as a maintenance engineer in England and Jen was a veterinary technician in Canada. They came from different continents but with a similar purpose. To live life not just for themselves.
Bonding over the early loss of both their mothers they became fast friends and later fell in love and were married in Canada in 2002. Later that same year they took Alpha and their lives were forever changed by the love of Christ.
That same passion to live a life on purpose only grew when they gave their hearts to Christ.
They had two children, Luke (2004) and Faith (2006) and thought their days of living abroad were over until their children had grown. But a mission trip for Phil in 2006 would change the course of their lives forever.
Phil came back from the trip feeling strongly his family were being called into missions but Jen was not so sure.
Another trip in 2008 refueled Phil’s conviction only now he felt strongly he knew where they should be missionaries. Jen STILL wasn’t convinced.
2010 came and two mission trips with their then small children confirmed the conviction and they both felt the call to Brazil.
After two years of fundraising and preparations, they packed up eleven suitcases and two kids and left for their first assignment in Maraba, Brazil in September of 2012.
There they joined an existing church planting mission. Despite several personal losses in Jen’s family (a step-brother, a nephew and a best friend) in the first few months, they started an Alpha, joined existing ministries and began to learn the language.
But in March of 2013 the devastating news that Jen’s Dad had been diagnosed with terminal cancer meant they found themselves flying back to Canada much sooner than they expected.
However, their journey didn’t end there, in fact it was only just beginning.
They returned to Brazil in 2014 and spent another two years in Maraba before being called further afield to a place called Joao Pessoa on the North East coast of Brazil.
Although they were sent to plant a church, God had other plans and soon after they arrived they found themselves completeley alone in a city of almost one million people.
They began doing the only thing they could do-pray.
They prayed that Jesus would open their eyes to the unmet needs of the city, that he would break their hearts for what breaks His. That he would unite them in that purpose.
They started to see women working on the streets. Women who were ‘somebody’s daughters’. Their hearts broke, and they knew their purpose.
For nine years they have loved, prayed for and built deep relationships with many women who were trapped in a cycle of exploitation.
Thankfully, they have seen many break free-only because of the love of Christ.
The ministry continues, reaching more areas of the city, partnering with churches and other organizations to reach the forgotten and marginalized of the city with the love of Jesus.
‘He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners’ Isaiah 61:1