Class Humanitarian Award
TERRY ZIMMERMAN

Terry and his wife, Sharon, work with Project AmaZon, which is a non-denominational church planting organization overseeing currently about 350 churches established since its founding in 1976 by a grandson of a Fairbury native, Edward Huber. The founder’s name was Luke Huber, son of Melvin Huber from Fairbury, who continues to plant churches, at age 84.

Terry and Sharon are administrators with the mission, overseeing humanitarian projects used in the church planting effort such as providing household water filters for safe drinking water, drilling deep water wells, vocational training for poor women, and providing reporting services for our free medical and dental clinics in river communities. Much of our work centers on communications and reporting to partner organizations in North America who provide funding and work or ministry teams to assist in the outreach. We currently work in an area 500 miles East to West and about 1,300 miles North to South.

Terry, we want you to know how proud we are to be your classmates!

Dear Class of 1964 Classmates,

What fun it has been for me to try and recognize everyone in the reunion photo after not seeing most of you for many years. Have we really changed that much!!
The gift you have given to me and my family for our work here in Brazil was such an incredible surprise, and only makes me realize once again how very special our community and the Class of 1964 is. Thank you so very much for your individual parts!!
As you might imagine, the world our family lives in is very different from good old Fairbury. We live within sight of the Amazon River which is 35 miles wide here at our city, which is about 500 miles upriver from the Alantic Ocean,if you have a chance to locate us on a map. The city is around 175,000 in population,which is generally very poor, with around 35% unemployment for the men. Those able to find jobs earn an equivalent of around $90.00 per month. As a result, extended families live together trying to survive by combining what little resources they have. The basic diet is rice, beans, fish and a regional product made out of manioc that they use as a filler, but which basically has no nutritional value. There are almost no roads outside of the cities, so since we live in a world of water and jungle we travel almost everywhere by boat or planes prepared for landing and taking off on water. Sharon and I work extensively with overseeing special ministries of the mission such as the training of very poor women in skills that they can use to supplement their incomes; fabrication of household water filters that provide 96% safe drinking water; administratively overseeing all new construction of church buildings(we have near 30 projects going on now); plus handling much of the reporting and communications with North American organizations working with us. It is no doubt the most fulfilling work we have ever been involved in as you see poor people just like ourselves in most ways, encouraged and their lives improving as a result of the many different efforts.
May we extend to each of you the invitation to come and see for yourselves a very incredible part of the world and maybe some of you guys would enjoy the great fishing as well. Come and see us. We would love to host your visit!!

Terry & Sharon Zimmerman
Santarem, Brazil
E-mail tersha@myrealbox.com

Rua 24 Outubro 3301 A
68050-080 Santarem PA
Brazil, S.A.

Terry, my wife Sharon of 34 years and our two youngest children
Brad & Kristin in our church in Santarem

Providing free medical care to poor river communities.

Local water supply before and after
filtering provided by Terry's organization.

Amazon critters that Terry lives with.