Bates, Danae

Danae Bates will serve an eight-week missionary internship in Peru this summer, where she will be involved in English classes, children’s ministry, and other outreach opportunities.

Originally from Georgia, Danae is currently pursuing her education at Bryan College in Tennessee. From a young age, she was active in children’s ministry and mission trips, and in college, she has continued serving—including soccer as a ministry tool. During her sophomore year, Danae’s soccer team traveled to Honduras over spring break to work with local children’s soccer teams. It was there that she felt God tugging on her heart, confirming that missions was the path she should follow.

Through these experiences, her passion for missions has grown, leading her to pursue hands-on ministry in Peru. After much prayer, God opened doors through the ACTS Project at Bryan College, allowing her to serve in Pucallpa, Peru this summer.

Pucallpa, a major jungle city with over 310,000 residents, serves as a gateway to the Amazon and the hub for SAM’s operations in Peru. SAM’s first missionaries in Peru traveled up the Amazon River to Iquitos in 1926 and began ministering to the unreached people groups of the Ucayali River basin. Today, SAM’s ministries include SAM Academy (1st-12th school for missionary kids), SAMAIR, Refugio de Esperanza, and outreach to Indigenous communities.

Danae is excited to step into this season of service, seeking God’s guidance for her life after college and exploring what long-term missions might look like for her.