A letter from Farris Goodrum on home assignment from Brazil
June 2013
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Mission Haven in Decatur, Georgia. We are enjoying our home assignment very much, and have especially enjoyed many visits to churches to share about our mission work in Brazil. We always appreciate the interest of the home churches and are especially grateful to those who have faithfully supported our work over a period of many years.
Joel, Farris and Thelma with Pedro at North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta
In March a friend of ours from Brazil, Pedro Lisias Silva, came to spend 18 days with us, and we enjoyed his visit very much. Pedro is a seminary student at the Center of Theological Formation Richard Shaull, where Thelma and I were assigned to teach at the beginning of 2010. Pedro and his twin brother, Andre, were students of ours in a liturgy course that Thelma and I taught, and their father, Rev. Anacleto, is the pastor of the church where we were active in Vitoria before coming to the States in July. Pedro was interested in coming here, not just to visit, but to get to know something about the United States, and about the partnership between the PC(USA) and the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Pedro plans to serve the United Presbyterian Church as a pastor after completing his seminary course work.
The trips we made with Pedro to visit supporting churches were especially enjoyable. One weekend was spent in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with friends from First Presbyterian Church who had gone to Vitoria on a mission trip in July of 2011. All of us enjoyed seeing our friends there again and visiting projects of First Presbyterian such as the soup kitchen and Habitat for Humanity. We were treated to an Alabama vs. Georgia basketball game, and it was fun to be taken, with Pedro, to this type of event. (Alabama won, much to the excitement of our Tuscaloosa friends!) The game was followed by an outing to a restaurant that specializes in American barbecue, and a good time was had by all. The next day Rev. Lou Ann Sellers invited Thelma and me, along with Pedro, to share in her Sunday school class about life in the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil, specifically in the Presbytery of Vitoria, and we appreciated having the opportunity to do this.
Pedro’s twin brother, Andre, became a father while Pedro was here in the States, and we know that Pedro was glad to get back home when the time came and see his first niece and the rest of his family. But we believe that his experience here in the States was a very positive one and that his firsthand knowledge of the partnership between the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil and the PC(USA) was an interesting, educational, and fun experience.
In July we look forward to receiving three other young people from the Presbytery of Vitoria who have been invited to spend a couple of weeks with friends of the First Presbyterian Church congregation in Tuscaloosa. These three young people, Manuela, Artur, and Isabel, stayed with the group of 11 from Tuscaloosa at the church in Vitoria, where the Tuscaloosa group was housed during their 10-day stay in July of 2011. They also worked side by side throughout all of the painting projects and were present on all of the outings, helping with translating and in any way that they could be of help. The church in Tuscaloosa, in turn, is sending a financial offering to make their trip more easily affordable, and we look forward to this cross-cultural opportunity, which I will report in more detail when the experience has become a reality.
In April I made a trip to Virginia to visit churches there, and I had a wonderful time in spite of the fact that my family was not able to accompany me to Virginia as they always have in the past. I first went to South Boston, then to Ashland, near Richmond, and then to Staunton. I was warmly received in the churches, as we have been in all of the churches we have visited, and I had a very nice time. Besides special meals with people in the churches and being able to share about our work in various services, I had the opportunity to spend time with dear friends I knew while growing up in the Congo, where my parents were Presbyterian missionaries, and I also enjoyed seeing friends who have connections with Brazil. Richmond was Thelma's and my first home after we got married in 1987, so being there brought back a lot of pleasant memories.
Thelma at Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church
On the last Sunday in April Thelma was invited to preach at Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, for the installation service of the Presbyterian Women’s Coordinating Team. Thelma’s sermon title was “Phoebe: A Portrait of a Christian Woman,” and the theme of Phoebe being a sister, helper, and servant was an appropriate message for a service that celebrated the gifts and dedication of the women of the church. This was Thelma’s first time to preach in English, and it was a very good experience for her.
Our son Michael has finished his first semester at Georgia Perimeter College, which is part of the University System of Georgia, and has just begun the summer session. Our son Joel has just completed the 9th grade at Decatur High School, and both have done very well. Thelma, Joel, and I will all be back in Vitoria by mid-July, but Michael will stay in the Atlanta area to continue his studies.
We thank you for your interest in our ministry, and we appreciate your prayers. As Thelma and I return to Vitoria, the island capital city of the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, we ask that you return with us through your prayers, correspondence, and your faithful contributions to our sending and support, which makes our ministry possible. We appreciate all that you do to further God’s mission in Brazil.
Thelma joins me in sending special greetings.
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Farris Goodrum
167 Inman Drive
Decatur, GA 30030
farrisgoodrum@hotmail.com (or use the link below)
thelmagoodrum@hotmail.com(or use the link below)
The 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 37
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