A letter from Gordon Gartrell in Brazil
August 2012
Dear Friends,
Dorothy and I have been in Belem at the mouth of the Amazon River in north Brazil for six months. We have been working closely with Pastora Cilene from First Church, and also working with the congregation in the Sacramenta neighborhood where we live. We have been working with children Wednesday nights and having worship Sunday night in Sacramenta. All the other services were at First Church. We felt we needed to be doing more to help the Sacramenta congregation grow. As of August, Dorothy and I are responsible for the congregation. We continue with the children’s program on Wednesdays. Worship remains Sunday night. We have added Bible study for adults Thursday evenings, and church school Sunday morning, for all ages. That way the church is open more and people realize we really are serious about the things of the Lord.
We have had several celebrations at the congregation. In May the children put on a nice Mother’s Day program, singing some songs, reading some poetry, then giving a small gift to their moms. Refreshments followed. In June we had two days of Vacation Bible School. This year Dorothy and I observed how the church folks do VBS. Next year we will be able to help plan Vacation Bible School. Father’s Day in Brazil is the second Sunday of August. We had another celebration honoring fathers. We did this Saturday night because on Sunday the children would be with their dads. The children had practiced some songs and had poems ready for the dads. When it was time to start, there were just a few people present. About a half hour later when we said we were ready to start, one of the children said, “Let me go get my mom.” She ran home, got her mom, and told the neighbors, “They are ready to start.” Twenty people showed up. Halfway through the service, the dad of a 4-year-old arrived. The child wanted his dad to come to the front of the church and sit with him, but the dad chose to stay in the back of the church. The children did their presentations. Dorothy said a little something about her dad. I gave a short homily and we ended with prayer and refreshments. We’ve seen the 4-year-old since then. He asked, “When is Mother’s Day?” He’s ready for another celebration. In October Brazil celebrates Children’s Day, so there are more celebrations in the near future.
We need continued fervent prayer for our work. It has taken a while for the neighbors near the church to accept us. They have been asking, “Who are you? What are you doing here? How come?” We are making progress in that area. After the Father’s Day program the other night, one of the dads said, “You sure are doing good work with our children.” We are still very much in the beginning phase of our work here in Belem. The enemy is working double-time to keep us discouraged and keep us off guard by causing conflict within the church families. Our God is Greater and Mightier than any of that.
Thank you for standing with us as we serve the Lord here in north Brazil.
In Christ’s Service,
Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, Brazil, p. 27-28
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