On April 10, SportsLife Leadership’s Chief Operating Officer Silas Mullis and Chief Sport Officer Carl Perry traveled to Macaé, Rio, for four days to support and participate in Field Leader Anderson Couto’s ministry outreach.

“We train the hearts, resource the hands, and mobilize the feet so our people in these places around the world can infuse life into sports leaders,” Mullis stated. “When we take international trips, those three areas of impact are always our focus.”

On the Saturday evening of their arrival, Mullis and Perry conducted a three-hour leadership training session for 22 sports leaders from various disciplines, mainly jiu-jitsu and fitness. After Perry shared the vision behind SportsLife Leadership, Mullis emphasized the importance of discipleship using material from Wisdom Walks (authored by SportsLife Leadership’s Dan Britton and Jimmy Page) and The Wisdom Challenge (Co-authored by Dan Britton). Each attendee received copies of both books.

“Each of these leaders is active in their churches

and serves diverse sports communities,” Mullis noted. “We wanted to highlight the key discipleship relationships that are essential in our lives.”

On Sunday, Couto, Mullis, and Perry attended church and shared fellowship with coaches from other cities who had participated in the training, along with Couto’s four staff members. One coach, a nationally known MMA athlete, drove four hours to join.

After a day of planning and vision casting on Monday, Perry led a one-hour wrestling clinic for 66 athletes at a popular MMA gym owned by Paolo “Rambo” Rambinho.

“Jiu-jitsu athletes love working out with wrestlers.” – Carl Perry

“Sharing my craft as a wrestler was a great connection point. After the technique session, a large group of teenage boys approached me with tons of questions. It was fantastic to share that time with them,” Perry explained. Following the clinic, Perry shared his testimony about how God used sports to transform his life and presented the Gospel.

“Often, we encounter people who might never step foot in a church,” Perry said. “But a shared passion for jiu-jitsu or mixed martial arts opens avenues to build relationships and ultimately share the love of Jesus.”

For Couto, collaborating with Coach Rambo marked a defining moment, leading to plans for monthly Bible studies at his gym and future training outreach events. “It’s crucial to have key leaders with history in these sports,” Couto remarked. “Coach Rambo has over 30 years of international experience and leads more than 150 athletes in his jiu-jitsu team. It’s incredible to see someone so talented and open-hearted become a Christian sports leader in this community. My goal is to guide him and help him multiply his potential.”

Attendees received copies of the SportsLife Leadership jiu-jitsu devotional, translated into Portuguese by Couto earlier this year, which he plans to use to facilitate discipleship at gyms across the region.

On Tuesday, Perry and Mullis reflected on their experiences and deepened their relationship with Couto and his family. “Having a missionary like Anderson in Brazil is significant,” Perry observed. “Our purpose was to serve him and connect relationally, as fulfilling the Great Commission requires incredible leaders like Anderson.”

Looking ahead, Couto aims to regularly offer half-day training camps for coaches aspiring to mentor and disciple athletes. He hopes these leaders will engage in continuous discipleship efforts and outreach events.

“We all share the same Kingdom mindset, but it’s challenging to feel connected when you’re 7,000 kilometers and a nine-hour flight away.” – Anderson Couto

“It was wonderful to welcome Silas and Carl into our home and allow them to see our ministry here,” Couto said.

Perry and Mullis agreed that their time in Brazil was invaluable for understanding how SportsLife Leadership can best support Couto’s initiatives. “This trip helped us identify the ministry opportunities and challenges Anderson and his team face,” Mullis said. “It was a tremendous success, well worth the investment.”