Personal Testimony

My name is Stephen Doolittle. I am a second generation, God called, missionary to the country of Brazil, South America.

Even though I was raised on the mission field I never planned on being a missionary. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior on September 5^th, 1983. I was seventeen years old. I thank God for loving me and dealing with my heart.

In 1990, I was married to the most wonderful lady I had ever met, Kelly. She has been a tremedous blessing and support to me. We now have 4 wonderful children, Philip, Hannah, Joshua, and Benjamin.

I was raised up in church. But is wasn't until September 11, 1988 that I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. I was nineteen years old. The thing that I remember the most after I accepted Him was the desire to tell everyone I saw what had happened to me. I am thankful that now I can tell others about Jesus here in Brazil.

Before Stephen and I were married he asked me if I would be willing to go to the mission field if God called us. I told that I would be. Even though my life is very different from what it was before I am happier now than I have ever been knowing that this is where God wants us.

Pictured to the side is an old prayer card of Stephen's family. Two are in heaven, Stephen's mom, Marilyn, and his brother, Philip. (the one pictured with a beard)

I came to Brazil in 1968 with my parents. We arrived in São Paulo where my parents spent 2 years learning the language. In 1968 I was only 2 years old. So I grew up in Brazil and on the mission field. It was all I really knew. All of my best friends were Brazilians and my favorite foods were Brazilian foods.

In 1984 I returned to the states to start college. I never really had any intentions of returning to Brazil as a missionary. Even though I loved the people of Brazil, I did not want that for my life. God saw things differently. In 1990 I was married to Kelly and we started our life in Jasper, Tennessee. I was working as an automobile mechanic, and she was a school teacher. We joined an Independent Baptist Church in Jasper, Tennesssee and were very happy with our lives. God started speaking to me about returning to the mission field and in 1995 I surrendered to go where He would have me go.

God opened the doors for my wife and me to go to Brazil in 1995. Kelly worked as a school teacher at a school for missionary children in Manaus. During this time I took over another missionary’s work and spent much time in prayer about where God would have me. During this time in Manaus I checked on my paperwork to remain in Brazil. After being out of the country for more than 2 years, by law, you lose your permanent residency. I had been out of the country for well over that, but my name was still in the computer as a permanent resident. The federal police then offered to help me get my wife’s residency. It was amazing to see God work. We returned back to the states after a year in Manaus to raise our support as we had not raised it before we went.

In 1998 we were accepted by Macedonia World Baptist Missions, Inc. as church planting missionaries and returned back to Brazil in March 1999. We spent a year in Cuiaba for my wife to learn the language and during this time I took a trip to the state of Acre. God graciously opened doors, and my family and I arrived in Brasiléia, Acre in April 2000.

Brasiléia has a very interesting location. It borders with Bolivia and is only 120 kilometers away from Peru. It is an area where drugs are brought in from Peru or Bolivia into Brazil. Not only drugs but teenage pregnancy is very common and it is normal to see drunks on the street. So, the need for the gospel is great.

The doors to Igreja Batista Independente were opened in May 2000 and the first service we had six in attendance (four being my family). We saw many souls saved in the six and a half years there and were able to start another church, Igreja Batista Independente, in a rural area called Guajará. The church in Brasiléia has already been turned over to a national pastor, Pastor William Cruz. We are praying for a young man to take over the work in Guajará.

God has been faithful to our family time and time again. We are now in the capital of Acre, Rio Branco, where we have started Igreja Batista Independente Macedônia. Please continue to pray for us that we will be faithful to HIM and what HE desires for our lives.