What is a visa and why do I need one?
Why do we travel on a tourist visa and not a missionary visa?
Travel visas are documents indicating a person has been authorized to enter a country, and often come in the form of a sticker or stamp attached to a passport. Why we travel on a tourist visa rather than a missionary visa is a cultural question. In Brazil, missionaries are considered those who have gone to seminary and have a mission on the ground that they work on each week. Obviously, our team members do not work full time as a missionary. While there is mission work on the ground, in Brazilian culture, you are not considered a missionary. It's totally ethical. And, if the government stops you and asks what you are, you must say tourist. This is not lying because in their terms, that's what we are.