A letter from Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell in Brazil
Spring 2014
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Jesus Christ is Risen Indeed!
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Women sharing in a small group at the retreat
We celebrated a wonderful Easter. In Brazil weeks before Easter Day, chocolate eggs are hung on overhead displays at grocery stores, gift shops and many other stores. These chocolate eggs are hollow, ranging in size from 4 to 18 inches, with three or four pieces of candy inside them.
Brazilians are not familiar with jellybeans, small, solid chocolate eggs or other traditional Easter candy that we have in the U.S. But one thing is the same: We worship the same living God.
Our Holy Week celebrations included a Maundy Thursday worship service, a prayer service at 6 a.m. on Saturday, and an Easter sunrise service followed by breakfast at 6 a.m. on Sunday. That evening we had a special worship service. Since we observe the Lord’s Supper on the third Sunday of each month, we accepted a woman into church membership and she could participate for the first time. She was baptized, as was her 3-year-old son.
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Glenice and Raquel, the Praise Group Leader, after worship in the Pains church
In March we had a special treat. Our dear friend Glenice Johnson came to visit us and lead Spiritual Enrichment events. Glenice lives at Mission Haven in Decatur, Ga., where we go each time we return to the U.S. Mission Haven provides housing for PC(USA) missionaries who are on Interpretation Assignment.
Glenice had first visited Farris and Thelma Goodrum, PC(USA) missionaries in the nearby state of Espiritu Santo. There she led a five-day retreat for a church. Next she came to visit us. We told her she could rest for a few days before our weekend event. However, 24 hours after she arrived our pastor, Berenice, came to meet her. Berenice immediately liked Glenice and promptly invited her to preach the following night at our rural church, plus teach Sunday school and preach at our main church. Quickly Glenice learned that a pastor/missionary in Brazil has to have a sermon or two with them when they go on vacation "to rest and relax."
At the Saturday evening service the people at our rural church learned a lot about various types of mission work all over the world through Glenice's stories. She has served as a PC(USA) mission worker and nursing consultant in Congo (DRC), Haiti and India. Glenice speaks very little Portuguese, but she has been on six continents and was able to share wonderful experiences from all over the world. Gordon was her official translator. They were a good team. She told the stories and Gordon helped the local folks understand the details as each story had occurred in other cultures. We learned a lot and enjoyed once again having our eyes opened to God's work around the world.
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Retreat participants enjoying a delicious meal together
With the Goodrums she spoke to a church that included people of various ages and levels of education. With us, she spent a lot of time adapting the workshops to the people she was speaking to. First she spoke to a farming community where people have a wealth of knowledge but little formal education. Then she spoke to people in our church with various levels and forms of education. The last few days she spoke to well-educated professionals living in a very different city from the others she had spoken to.
This final activity was a 24-hour retreat with church leaders of Second Presbyterian Church in the large state capital of Belo Horizonte. It was a Spiritual Enrichment workshop for those of us who are so busy helping others enhance their spiritual lives that we often forget about our own. We often divided into small groups and shared deep emotional experiences we'd had with God. Other times we talked about ways to incorporate more time with only God, not the world, in our daily lives. A deep level of trust was established. We met in an African-style retreat center. We spent time eating meals together and enjoying time with friends. The retreat center was away from the city, so everyone felt removed from daily stressful situations.
In our town we were able to introduce Glenice to our friends, and she got to experience life as it is lived in the “large city” (5,500 people) of Pains. We had to go to a larger nearby town to buy the office supplies and make the photocopies needed for the retreat and to be treated to lunch. We got to spend some fun time with her, reading special things, eating popcorn, and hearing the latest about family and friends. Glenice touched many lives while she was in Brazil. We want to thank the people from the North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta who made her visit possible.
Thanks to those who prayed about this event and our work. Your prayers enhance our work. We want to thank the people and churches that support us financially, too. Without your gifts our work couldn't go on.
In Christ,
Dorothy and Gordon Gartrell
Rua Joao Batista Veloso, 652
35582-000 Pains, MG
Brazil
dorothyandgordongartrell@gmail.com
See more about our work and how you can donate a gift at www.pcusa.org/gordon-and-dorothy-gartrell
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 61
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