Edson & Marcia Suzuki

Marcia and Edson Suzuki are Brazilian missionaries working under the umbrella of YWAM for over 30 years. They are both trained Bible translators and have worked and lived with one of the most remote and isolated tribes in the Amazon for over twenty years.

They have also pioneered the fight for the rights of indigenous children in risk of infanticide for cultural reasons. It all started after they adopted Hakani, a disabled girl from the Suruwaha tribe who escaped being buried alive. Her brother didn't survive though - he was buried alive when he was 5 because he was developmentally disabled.

After finding out that child killing was still common among over 20 tribes in the Amazon, the couple led a 5-year national campaign to raise awareness about the issue. They also started an NGO to offer sanctuary for families that were forced to flee the tribe to protect the life of their children. Many were saved, a lot of awareness was raised, and the laws in Brazil have changed to protect Indigenous children.

Marcia and Suzuki hold a Masters Degree in Linguistics and speak several languages. Marcia was recently appointed to serve as the International Dean of the College of Applied Linguistics & Languages of UofN (YWAM's University), and Edson serves on the training committee. They currently live with their daughter Hakani at the Navajo reservation in Arizona, where they work as linguistics advisors for the Navajo language teachers in a language preservation program.

The story of their fight against baby killing in the Amazon can be found in this article https://www.disciplenations.org/infanticide/

The story of their ministry among isolated indigenous tribes in Brazil can be read in this book https://www.amazon.com/Way-Beyond-Death-Infanticide-International-ebook/dp/B00K6QIRZI