Wilson was born in Santa Catarina, Brazil in 1955. He gave his life to Christ when he was 16. Wilson completed one year at a German Bible Institute in south Brazil. He also attended Word of Life Seminary in São Paulo. After reading Jungle Pilot, about the life of Nate Saint, he sensed God calling him into mission ministry. Wilson began his training at Asas de Soccorro (Wings of Help Mission) in February 19, 1980. He completed four years of pilot/ mechanic training and became a missionary of Asas de Socorro since 1982.
Lori was born in Wisconsin in 1958. She received Christ as her Savior at the age of four. Since then, she has always had a passion for missions and teaching. Lori graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a Christian education major and Grace College with an Elementary Education major. Wilson and Lori met in Brazil in 1982 while on the mission field and married in January 21, 1984 dedicating their lives to the service of the Lord. They have three children who are now married and on their own: Joshua (1986), Julie (1988) and Jessica (1991).
The Kannenbergs ministered with Asas de Socorro in Boa Vista, Roraima where they received their “on the field” training. They lived and ministered for several years in an Indian Tribe in Rincon del Tigre, Bolivia as well as Eirunepé, a river village in north Brazil where Wilson served as Pilot in Command and Operations Manager. They returned to the mission base in Anápolis, GO in 1991 to reopen the mission’s Aviation Flight School and serve once again as Flight Operations Manager, teacher and flight instructor.
In 1995, Wilson and Lori moved to Manaus to open a new flight base, establishing and solidifying the ministries of Asas de Socorro in the Amazon where they served until the end of 2012. During this time, Wilton served as Administrator of the flight base, Chief Pilot, Operations Manager as well as Director on the mission board for four years. During this time, more than 1100 bio water filters were donated and installed in partnership with other missions, close to 40 churches were built with the help and sponsorship of mission teams and they were able to help coordinate and carry out numerous dental/medical/evangelistic clinic trips together with mission staff and Brazilian volunteers.
At the end of 2012, Wilson and Lori moved to the river village of Benjamin Constant, Brazil, on the borders of Peru, Columbia and Brazil, where they opened a new mission base to reach river villages and Indian tribes along the Javarí River Valley. Wilson is in charge of flight/boat operations, ministry expansion and church planting from Benjamin Constant to Iquitos, Peru to the West and Tonantins to the East. There are 148 Indian tribes from 10 different ethnic groups on the Brazilian side and hundreds more from 30 different ethnic groups in Peru. Lori ministers to children, gives teacher training courses and workshops and prepares Sunday school kits/curriculum for churches in river villages. She is responsible for their correspondence and communication. Wilson and Lori focus on evangelization and discipleship through ministry flights and mission trips throughout this region. They offer counseling when needed and support their local church whenever possible teaching Sunday School, Children’s Church, etc.
Since 1998, Wilson and Lori have received up to seven American mission teams each year and coordinated boat trips to river villages and Indian tribes to construct churches, evangelize, coordinate ministries with the children, youth and women, install water filters, dig wells, distribute Bibles and other donations, teach dental hygiene and give fluoride treatments. They have also combined dental/medical clinics with Brazilian professional during some of these trips. For the honor and glory of God, there have been more than 46 churches built and planted along the river banks throughout the Amazon jungle as a result of the Asas de Socorro ministries in partnership with the mission teams who come down to minister together with us and who sponsor much of this work.
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