. >> american missionary erick rees spent days in poverty and brings light to rio de janeiro. >> what makes me love rio is seeing the hurting people in communities like this just trying to survive. trying to pay the bills, put food on the tables. i see that every person here is a creation of god and that when christ went to the cross, he went for these people, too. >> reporter: this is where erick rees works. he thinks often of the danger knowing he might not come back. >> i wrote a letter to my wife, if i don't return, you be strong, let my girls know dad is going to miss them. >> reporter: ministry is hard even for the brazilians. >> it is hard because the christian people here in brazil think in other countries don't want to do these kind of jobs, don't want to go at night to speak the word of god, to preach the word of god. they want to stay in their big church and watch a good sermon. >> reporter: yet the american couple keeps reaching out to gang members, prostitutes and drug dealers. >> from the beginning, it is not so hard for us to understand the people we are ministering to.