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Neiva Garcia
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 Neiva was born in Rio Verde, Goiás State, Brazil. She came to know Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord in her early teens through the loving ministry of one of her aunts in Jataí, where she spent the first years of her life. Neiva committed her life to become a missionary after reading many missionaries' biographies. Although she had made up her mind about becoming a missionary, her father wanted her to have higher education before she could serve the Lord in a mission field. She earned a degree in Business Administration ('80) from the Catholic University of Goiânia. She became the leader of Youth For Christ's field in the city, leading a team of young missionaries in reaching out students in high schools, colleges, and universities in the metropolitan area of Goiânia, the Capital City. Neiva obtained her biblical training at the Center for Bible Studies of Goiânia.  After moving with her husband to the United States, Neiva took graduate courses at Fuller Theological Seminary and later earned an M.A. in Intercultural Studies ('98) from Prairie Graduate School in Calgary, Alberta. During the time Ehud was doing his residence studies at Fuller, Neiva was the Executive Director of Hollywood Urban Project, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. During that time she served among the poor in Hollywood, mostly among Central Americans, Armenians, and Asians. After completing her master's degree in Calgary, she taught at Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. Currently, she is the Director for Community Involvement at the Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program, a non-profit organization in Lewiston providing family support services in several counties in the area. Neiva has dedicated herself to the study and understanding of revivals and their implications for contemporary Church ministry. She has been involved with a number of ministries in the city of Lewiston, mostly in small group activities. Neiva has also been involved in the ministry of prayer for the Church and the people of God so that they may receive the impact of a new dynamic for ministry in missions. Neiva's life verse is taken from Acts of the Apostles 20:24, which reads, "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God"(NKJV). Along with her husband, she shares the same desire of seeing many Christians involved with the Mission of the Church. They designed Diaspora Intercultural Academy as a pilot project to provide education and training for both clergy and laity in the areas of Mission Theology, Intercultural Studies, and Church-based Community Ministries. It is their dream that others with similar dreams will join them in this effort as the Academy grows in its sphere of influence in the Northwest United States and abroad. |