Our Story

JOY! Brazil finds its roots within the story of its founders, Edgie and Kathy Ribeiro. Edgie, born in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, spent his childhood in a poor family where his mother washed clothes for a living. At the age of 15, when his life was going nowhere, he was invited to a soccer tournament hosted by Young Life, where a young man spoke about Jesus. For the first time Edgie heard the story of God’s love, which changed his life forever. Kathy, born in the United States to missionaries, lived as a child in Brazil. She moved back to Brazil after college in the U.S., to intern in Young Life in Brazil (Alvo da Mocidade).

Edgie and Kathy met while volunteering together at Young Life in Brazil. They were married, and soon after the birth of their daughter, Stephanie, moved to the U.S. where they lived for 12 years in the San Diego area. Edgie became an Area Director for Young Life while Kathy taught middle school in Escondido, California. Together, they shared their love for Jesus with teens in a variety of social settings.

Eventually, they felt God calling them back to Brazil, and in 2004 they quit their jobs in California to begin the great adventure of founding JOY! Brazil, a ministry to teens in the Campinas region. Since then, thousands of teens have participated in JOY! at weekly clubs, on outdoor adventures, athletic tournaments, and various camps.

Countless teens have had the opportunity to hear about the love of God through evangelism and discipleship. In fact, many have become financial supporters, volunteers, and/or leaders of JOY!. They desire to share their transformative testimony of how Jesus Christ has impacted their lives through JOY!  Many others are serving in local churches, evangelizing and discipling others.

Learn more about our history