A letter from Dorothy Gartrell in Brazil
April 2012
Dear Friends,
The grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. We are making great strides in getting settled. We have rented a nice home. It was empty for a year, so we have had to fix some leaks here and there. The major leaks have already been resolved. We’ve bought furniture and a TV and set up Internet at the house, so we are feeling better about the housing situation. I am getting a window air conditioner for my office to combat the mold on the books and help the computer function longer. It is always hot and muggy here. It rains daily, sometimes for a few minutes, other times for a prolonged period. Rainy season goes through April. We don’t leave home without an umbrella in tow. Pop-up showers are frequent.
A worker is here at the house today putting screens on windows and doors. The mosquitoes are bountiful and keep us from having a good night’s sleep, even though we have a fan going in the bedroom all night and have used insect repellent in the air and on ourselves. We will be able to leave windows open at night once we have screens on the windows. That will certainly help circulate air.
Our work is getting off to a good start. We can walk from our house to the congregation in Sacramenta in about 20 minutes. The sidewalks are uneven at best. There is work at First Church, 45 minutes by city bus, and then at the congregation near our house. Sunday School and worship are in the morning at First Church, while our main worship is in the evening at the congregation. Wednesday nights there is a special program for the children at the congregation. We have anywhere from 8 to 15 children who attend the program. Dorothy and Pastor Cilene direct the service. Sunday night we have a regular worship service at the Sacramenta congregation. About 6 adults attend and lots of children.
Tuesday and Thursday nights there are Bible study and/or prayer meetings at First Church.
Often Saturday nights there are meetings for young people at church. That is for anybody from 13 to 30 years old. The only nights we are not in church are Monday and Friday. Because we are in Holy Week, I will be preaching Friday night at the congregation. Pastor Cilene will preach at First Church. In north Brazil Friday of Holy Week is the one day of the year that commerce is shut down. Even bakeries do not function on Holy Friday. On Easter, Christ’s Resurrection, it is business as usual. Easter Sunday for our folks here is like any other Sunday. I will be preaching at First Church this Sunday. Three of us are preaching on a rotating basis at First Church, but I do most Sunday nights.
I have had a difficult time getting my documents in order. Dorothy was told she illegally entered the country, although she had a "green card." Now she is renewing her permanent visa. That process is moving along nicely. We traveled 1,500 miles to get my documents updated, only to be told that since I did not bring my marriage certificate, my document could not be updated. I have resolved that right here in town by getting a brand-new document. I have been to the driver’s license bureau five times already and am still having difficulty getting my driver’s license updated in this state. It should be resolved in the next two weeks, Lord willing.
Both of us have had some health issues since we have been here. I was told mine might be related to eating too much seafood. I went to the doctor. She said it didn’t have anything to do with food items, but stress and heat. It is always hot and muggy. We knew that before we came.
We are excited about being here. This is where God would have us serve Him as this time.
Please continue your prayers for us as we settle in at the house, but much more so in our work.
In the name of our Risen Lord Jesus,
Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, Brazil, p. 27-28
Write to Gordon Gartrell
Write to Dorothy Gartrell
