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Missionaries Profile

Brazil

Statistics about Brazil's Children: -20 million children live in or below poverty level -5 to 10 million children live on the streets -Brazil has more than 500,000 child prostitutes -Street Execution is the third leading cause of death for Brazilian children

Currency: Real; 1 US Dollar = 2.86400 Brazilian Real (November 2003)

Major trading partners: US 27.4%, Argentina 13.5%, Germany 8.9%, Japan 5.0%, Italy (2001)

Inflation: 8.3% (2002)

Unemployment rate: 6.3% (2002)

Major industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment

Agricultural products: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugar cane, cocoa, citrus; beef

Population below poverty line: 22% (1998)

Per capita: GDP $7,600 (2002) vs. U.S. at $37,600

Independence from Portugal: 7 Sept 1822

Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%

Ethnic groups: Indian, white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

Literacy: 86.4%

Life expectancy: 71.13 years vs. U.S. at 77.14 years

Median age: 27 years old

Population: 182,032,604, (Aug. 2003 est.), fifth largest in world

Size: 3,286,488 sq. mi. (8,511,965 sq km), fifth largest country in the world, slightly smaller than the U.S., and the largest country in South America. Shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil has 26 states.

Location: South America

Official name: Federative Republic of Brazil

Borquist, Ann and Bruce Borquist Ann and Bruce

Ann and Bruce Borquist serve in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in partnership with JAMI, the international mission agency of the National Baptist Convention of Brazil.

The Borquists equip Brazilian missionaries to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in countries around the world, including unreached people groups in Brazil. Based at JAMI’s missionary training center, they help prepare new missionaries in the areas of cross-cultural ministry skills, community and economic development, and missiology.

Ann and Bruce are excited to be part of the growing response of “majority world” churches to the Great Commission as they send and support their own missionaries. In addition to their ministry in Brazil, they share with American Baptist congregations what they learn from our Brazilian Baptist partners. In this way, we live out Paul’s command to “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

The Borquists served as American Baptist missionaries in the Philippines from 1987-1996, supporting ministries of Christian leadership development, education, church strengthening, and community and economic development.

Language used in ministry: Brazilian Portuguese