Carroll, Todd & Erika

Todd and Erika met on a mission trip in Minas Gerais, Brazil with a group from Ellendale Baptist Church (Tennessee). While dating, they shared many conversations about their desire to serve Indigenous people groups in Brazil. They married in 2004 and have three children: Julie, Samuel, and Sarah.

Erika grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She became a believer at the age of 16 during a youth night when the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart, and she understood her need for Christ. From that night on, her life was forever changed, and she became a follower of Jesus. At age 17, she participated in a Missions Conference at the Word of Life Bible Institute. This was one of the most significant moments in her Christian life, regarding her calling. A pastor shared about unreached and unengaged people groups and the need for people to spread the Gospel. As a result, she left that conference convicted that she should live for Christ and make Him known. Additionally, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing through the Federal University in Rio de Janeiro.

Growing up in Georgia, Todd’s home church played a key role in training him to share the gospel and become a disciple of Jesus. When he finished college, he was in a church service wrestling with what to do next in his life. He had a teaching degree and a desire to do missions overseas. At the end of the service, they started playing the song “Shine, Jesus, Shine.” Consequently, he knew in his heart that God wanted him to do both. He felt called to serve in Brazil and worked in the state of Paraíba for two years. Todd also earned a Master of Divinity at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, in Memphis, TN.

In 2019, the Carrolls joined SAM as missionaries. They served at the Ammi Training Center in Chapada, Brazil for two years. In 2023, they relocated to João Pessoa in northeast Brazil. Notably, the Northeast has the second highest concentration of Indigenous people, plus three other minority groups considered unreached and underserved in Brazil: the Quilombolas, the Sertanejos, and the Gypsies. Todd and Erika desire to contribute to what the Lord is already doing through the local churches regarding evangelism, church planting, leadership development through discipleship, and member care within the traditional people groups mentioned. They also aim to encourage new partnerships between local churches and traditional people group leaders.