A letter from Dorothy Gartrell in Brazil
Late Summer 2013
Saturday we went to our usual rural congregation. We had lunch with a family, visited a number of people in the afternoon, and had a service in the evening. It's very heartwarming to spend time with these people in their homes. They treat us like family, serve us delicious local dishes, and share their past and present situations with us. The last time we were in this couple's home she confessed that she doesn't understand the Bible she reads very well. She has an edition from the early 1900s that is commonly used in this area. We took her the Brazilian equivalent of the New International Version, so we think she'll better understand what she is reading. In July we began to go twice a month. The fourth Saturday of each month the church will send a van full of worshipers also. We are beginning to get to know more people there, building relationships, and inviting new people to church. We came home with gifts—a giant avocado, tangerines, 12 pounds of beans and a LARGE sack of oranges—plus a VERY dusty car!
June was supposed to be a cool and rainy month to relieve the dust, but it rained only a couple times. It gets down to the 50s at night but is sunny and in the 80s during the day.
The English classes at the City Program that gives the children a constructive place to go to keep them off the streets when they’re not in school (PETI) are going well. The children have recently been learning the names for their body parts. Pictured here they are playing Simon Says. It’s a fun song that requires that they listen, follow directions, and know which part of the body is being identified.
Gordon’s Inquirers’ Class continues to go well, so much so that the participants don’t want it to stop. They are full of questions about the background and beliefs of the Presbyterian Church. They wanted to know if they had to be baptized when they became members of the Presbyterian Church if they had already been baptized. They asked who could take Communion. One of them learned about religion in the public school, so what “her” church believes is interesting and much more in line with her personal beliefs.
…(Jesus) said “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14).
The elementary age children meet every other Sat. afternoon. Attendance is a bit frustrating as only five children have come and none at the same meeting. The children have learned that Jesus loves them, so the purpose is being accomplished; we just wish we could reach out to more children.
This weekend we will have a youth meeting for the first time. It will be a time of fellowship, as we’re hoping to attract friends and boyfriends of the girls who attend the church. Another way we hope to attract people to the church is through English classes for children and adults. They began in August and none of the adults are church people, so we see potential.
Thank you for your prayers and increased support. Please continue to pray for our children, John, Elizabeth and Daniel, who are in the U.S. John lives in South Carolina and teaches at a technical school, Elizabeth lives in Atlanta and is providing child care while she decides what she wants to do in the future, and Daniel is beginning his second year at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Please pray for our work here, too. If you are interested in giving a gift or regular support to our work, it’s easy. On your computer go to www.pcusa.org/missionconnections and select “Find a mission worker,” the letter G, and our name. The page about our work will appear and you can learn more about what we’re doing—and then press GIVE. (Or use the more direct "Give" link below.)
In Christ,
Dorothy and Gordon Gartrell
The 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 37
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