AJ and his wife, Laura
Amarildo (AJ) was born and raised in Brazil, grew up in a Christian family, and has Presbyterian roots. AJ serves as a Pastoral Intern at OVF, where he helps lead Youth, Young Adults, and International Student ministries.
During college in Brazil, AJ served on a campus ministry and developed a heart for missions through IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students). After taking the Perspectives course and learning more about God’s heart for all peoples, he left his career as a civil engineer to pursue full-time ministry.
AJ moved to Northern Virginia in 2021 and prior to joining OVF, he spent 5 years serving as a missionary among international students. During that time, he had the privilege of building friendships with students from more than 80 countries, serving in the local church, and pursuing theological studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), where he is now a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) candidate.
After receiving her Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, Laura has been working as a survivor advocate for Reset180, a local anti-human trafficking ministry in the metro DC area. She also collaborates with law enforcement during human trafficking operations, helping connect investigative efforts with survivor-centered support. Laura is a Brazilian-trained attorney with a decade of experience advocating for vulnerable populations, and she is passionate about human rights, anti-trafficking work, and building strong partnerships between law enforcement, nonprofits, legal professionals, and community organizations to advance justice and create meaningful change in survivors’ lives.
AJ and Laura are high school sweethearts and have been married for ten years. Together, they have two young daughters, Sarah and Serena. AJ and Laura desire to see the next generation coming from death to life through the blood of Christ, and to walk alongside them as they grow toward maturity in Him (Col. 1:28).
Next to ministry, AJ enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, drumming, and never saying no to a good churrasco.