03 June 2026

Many Hands, The Glory of One King

By Maely Ionã of Brazil

When we look at how God moves in the world, we realize his story is always written by many hands. No single person can claim a movement for themselves. God uses the obedience, prayers, and sacrifices of many servants across different generations. In the end, only the name of Jesus is lifted up. That is exactly what we see in the story of NYMA (Nazarene Youth Missions Academy).

My journey with this ministry began in late 2010. One day, my pastor, Mateus Ramos, challenged me to start a ministry focused on adolescents. My immediate response was, “I am not the right person for this.” Even so, I decided to pray and honor that pastoral vision. I began leading Bible studies and discipleship groups with a few teenagers. A few months later, Pastor Mateus encouraged me to involve those teenagers in missions.

That challenge led to the NYMA 2011, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We gathered 27 teenagers from my Sunday school class and the local church. On the final night, what was meant to be a short closing prayer became something unforgettable. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully among us, and the room was filled with God’s presence, changing lives forever.

Although our current format began in 2011, its roots go back further. Years earlier, Pastor Edmilton Peró felt a strong conviction to train teenagers for missions. At that time, missionaries Steve and Brenda Heap had a vision for CFM (Centro de Formação Missionária), a training center for missionaries, and their daughter-in-law, Agatha Heap, served as its director from the very beginning.

Pastor Edmilton and Agatha had a conversation about mobilizing teenagers for missions. Together, they created NYMA as a two-week camp under CFM. Pastor Edmilton designed the format—with classes, workshops, and hands-on evangelism for teenagers with a missionary call—and Agatha organized the first editions (2006-2007). By 2008, Pastor Edmilton hosted another edition, and in 2009, Pastor Bruno Macedo led the school. I was invited to teach at the 2009 NYMA edition, the last NYMA edition at CFM. I accepted reluctantly due to my lack of experience with teenagers, unaware that this small "yes" would shape the future of my ministry.

In 2011, I invited Pastor Bruno to help me replicate the model. We realized NYMA needed to grow beyond a program only for those who already felt called to cross-cultural missions. We wanted to train not only those who would go but also those who would serve faithfully in their churches, support missions, pray, give, and live missionally where they were planted, because missions is a call for the whole church.

Today, NYMA operates in different regions of Brazil and has expanded internationally, including Peru and the United States. We are also expanding into other countries in South America and, soon, into other regions of the world. More than 1,200 students have studied with us. Some became pastors and missionaries, while many others continue serving faithfully in their local churches. When I look back, I see a story built by many hands and many prayers. Each person simply obeyed what God asked them to do in their season. Many hands, for the glory of One King.

Click here to access Kids Kaleidoscope, a monthly addition to NMI Central to awaken and nurture a spirit of missions in everyone.

Are you a young person who wants to explore missions, or do you know a young
person exploring a call? Learn about The Cause here: The Cause - Church of the Nazarene

NMI Central is available in a curated PDF archive. To read previous editions, click here.