Our Team
Our team of volunteers are university students and young professionals, most of whom were impacted by JOY! during their teenage years. Today, they dedicate many hours per weeks planning, preparing and carrying out JOY! activities, leaving their own comfort zone and going in the direction of teens in their context and their culture.
Our Team
Our team of volunteers are university students and young professionals, most of whom were impacted by JOY! during their teenage years. Today, they dedicate many hours per weeks planning, preparing and carrying out JOY! activities, leaving their own comfort zone and going in the direction of teens in their context and their culture.
You know what is amazing about this diverse team? We are united in one single purpose: Sharing Jesus Christ with teens!
Staff
JOY! Brazill is a non-profit organization, funded through individual donations or churches who partner with the ministry. JOY! is blessed by a gifted staff and a Board of Directors that provides the support necessary for the ministry to grow and bear fruit for God’s Kingdom.
Edmur and Kathy Ribeiro
Edmur (Edgie), born in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, was an Area Director for Young Life in the San Diego, California region between 1997 and 2004. Kathy was a missionary kid who spent her childhood in Brazil but went on to later graduate from Wheaton College with a Bachelor’s in History/Secondary Ed., and she also has a master’s degree that allowed her to work as a middle school teacher in the San Diego area for 12 years. She and Edgie have both received diplomas in the Curso de Treinamento de Lideres/Leader Training Course from Word of Life Seminary in Brazil and work full-time in the ministry they founded, JOY! Brazil. Edgie and Kathy are members of Igreja Batista Fonte in Campinas, and they are thrilled to live near their daughter Stephanie, son-in-law, Paulo Mostasso, and their grandsons Daniel and Lucas.
Natália de Magalhães
Natalia (Naty) began her walk with Christ at the 2012 JOY! Outreach Camp, and was discipled for years by Lu. Soon she joined the volunteers serving in the JOY! ministry. She helped begin the ministry in the neighboring city of Vinhedo, and she serves there as Student Staff today. Naty will graduate from nursing school from Unicamp at the end of 2022.
Tiago Bressan Ortinho
Tiago (Pane) had a very successful career in advertising for more than 15 years, and during this time he served as a youth leader in his local church of Araras. In 2009 he and his wife Lu became volunteer leaders for JOY!, and in 2018 he came on JOY! staff full-time. Today Pane is responsible for the development of JOY! in the city of Vinhedo, São Paulo. He also oversees training and supervising volunteer leaders, planning and implementing JOY! activities in and out of local schools, and being the bridge between JOY! and the local community. Pane is married to Lu, his partner in ministry, and both have received diplomas in the Curso de Treinamento de Lideres/Leader Training Course from Word of Life Seminary. Lu has more than 10 years of experience as full-time staff and serves as a volunteer leader in the ministry, impacting a generation of leaders within JOY!. They are members of the Igreja Batista Viva de Vinhedo, in the city of Vinhedo.
The couple have three children: Pedro, João and Maria Luisa.
Board of Directors [Brazil] and Advisory Board [USA]
Edmur Ribeiro
President and founder of Joy! Brazil.
Edgie is responsible for development of the organization in Brazil, as well as the day-to-day involvement with the community, local churches, staff and volunteer leaders.
Carlos Mostasso
Carlos, a businessman in Campinas, met Christ through Young Life as a teenager. He became involved with JOY! in 2004 as a parent and joined the Board of Directors in 2007. He is married to Claudia, his business partner, and they have two adult children, Gabriella and Paulo. Carlos and Claudia have three grandchildren. They are members of the Igreja Batista Fonte, where Carlos is the coordinator of the Centro de Treinamento de Lideres/Leader Training Center.
Davi Kirsch
Davi grew up in the Amazon jungle, where his family were missionaries with an evangelical group (MEVA), living among the Yanomami tribes. He moved to Campinas to conclude his studies in dentistry and became involved with JOY! in 2006 as a volunteer. Today Davi is a bucomaxilar surgeon, businessman, and has served on the JOY! Board of Directors since 2016. He is married to Gabriella, a lawyer, and they have one daughter, Lara. The family is also part of the Igreja Batista Fonte in Campinas.
Jorge Castro
Jorge has been a part of the Board of Directors of JOY! since the organization became a legal entity in 2007. He is also the Chairman of the Vinhedo local JOY! committee. After a career as a tax auditor for the government in the state of São Paulo, he is now retired. He met Christ through Young Life as a teen and has been involved in youth ministry and local church leadership since that time. He is married to Magda, a social worker, and they are the parents of Daniel and Carol, who are also volunteer leaders in JOY! The Castro family are members of the Igreja Ibaviva de Vinhedo where Jorge is an elder.