BRAZIL, LAND OF OUR CALLING
By: Dr.
Phillip R. Allen
The FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC of BRAZIL,
is one of the most fascinating countries in the world. It is a country of
extreme contrasts. Its some 170 million population, with about 70% under the age
of 30, makes up a “Young Brazil” under amazing development, quickly becoming a
first world country.
It has been my privilege to travel extensively
throughout Brazil’s vast area of almost 3,286,000 square miles of land.
(Actually 1/12 larger than the continental USA). Believe it or not, in 1973
while visiting two tribes of indians in the state of Acre, I even found an area
where no one knew what a Coca Cola was! What is even more interresting is the
fact that an indian lady had a foot pedal Singer sewing machine & she was
actually using it, I have the pictures to prove it. It is politically subdivided into 27
states, plus the federal district. The national capital is the interior city of
Brasilia. The largest city is Sao Paulo with some 13 million souls. The
metropolitan area would include some 23 million population. Some say by 2010 it
will be the largest city in the world.
Arriving in Sao Paulo from Miami
by Brazilian Airlines “VARIG”, for the first time in our lives, in the wonderful
country of Brazil, on Sunday morning, October 17, 1971. Veteran missionaries Bob
Brennan, Clif New, Jim Rose & others, met our family, and quickly helped us
get settled into a rented home, buy furniture, vehicle, & of course enrolled
into the "Portuguese" language school, the very next day. We stayed in the
Brennan's home those first few days.
Language study consisted of 4 hours
per day, 5 days a week, during 9 months of classroom study. Our lovely &
efficient Brazilian instructors very patiently drilled us into memorizing
Portuguese frases like “Eu não falo Português” (I don’t speak Portuguese). And
“Eu sou Americano” (I am an American). And we had to learn when to end a word
with “o” or “a”, depending if it referred to a male or female. Needless to say,
this was one of the most difficult times of our missionary experience.
(Deputation was nothing compared to learning another language. And most
missionaries know the statistics of “drop outs” that never finish deputation. A
few don’t even finish language study). One wonders if God really called them, or
if they ever read I Corinthians 10:13 or Matthew 28:20 & other encouraging
promises from Gods Word.
But, in spite of the very “trying times”, we
came out speaking “their language” & using many gestures with our hands,
which is a typical Brazilian practice. Some gestures we use in the USA, we
learned we could not use in communicating to Brazilians. The meaning would be
quite the contrary & offensive.
My dear wife, Charlotte, tells of her
experience after language school. “What a joy it was when, after explaining the
plan of salvation to a young Brazilian, in her language, she prayed &
trusted Jesus to save her soul”. All of a sudden, our difficulties, trials &
tribulations seem to have no more meaning. When some precious soul for whom
Jesus died, understands the “Gospel” and comes to Him, and receives The Lord as
their own personal Savior, there is joy unspeakable & full of
glory!
We were still in language school when a fellow missionary (Dr. Jim
Rose) needed to go home. He would leave his work without a pastor, because of
the urgency of his need to travel. I took my family out to say good bye and also
to see some of the interior of the state. While there, a young Brazilian (José
Adilson de Oliveira, age 19 at the time) asked me “What are you doing?” I
responded “Studying Portuguese in São Paulo.” He then asked ”Why don’t you come
be our pastor, we are loosing our missionary?” I then looked at the veteran
missionary who had founded the work and asked him “What do you think?” He
replied “That’s up to you.” Without even thinking about all that my answer would
involve, I said “O.K., I will.” I felt such joy and peace in my heart. I was now
a “pastor” in a national work.
The difficult part is that it was 6 hours
away, one way, on a long dangerous two-lane highway (today much of it is 4
lane). And truck drivers then, were altogether unfamiliar with any of the common
courtesy driving habits. We lost count of the times we were literally forced off
the highway to make room for one or two trucks passing each other. I also
discovered that I would be preaching live, for 30 minutes every Sunday AM before
Sunday School, on a local radio station.
We rented the house where the
departing missionary had lived & bought most of the furniture he had not
stored for his return. This meant “Two Rents” & two of everything. Our
expenses almost doubled. As I thought about it, it was frightening. But oh the
joy of seeing the Lord provide in so many wonderful and unexpected ways. He is
faithful, just as He promised. We just need to trust Him & take Him at His
Word, by faith. God honors faith. Faith removes the fear & fright! Praise
the Lord!
During the week I had my language school teachers help me with
the translation & pronunciation of my sermons. I also paid two of them to
translate & type up a shoebox of sermons the departing missionary (Dr. Jim
Rose) had given me. (I’ve often commented publicly, that if I have had any
measure of success, it’s because of that missionaries’ good sermons). We would
leave for the interior, 6 hours away, on Friday afternoon after language study
classes. Have visitation & a youth meeting on Saturday. Sunday morning,
radio program. Then I had the adult Sunday School class. Preached the AM &
PM services. (I literally “read” my lessons & sermons. By the way, this
“trial” helped my Portuguese greatly). Most Sunday afternoons were spent in open
air services out on nearby farms. The joy was when souls were saved at the
invitation, and I was able to baptize them. Sunday night we drove the 6 hours
back to São Paulo. Then back in language school at 8:00 AM Monday
morning.
This lasted the remaining 3 months we had in language school.
When we finally relocated to the interior, I collapsed from exhaustion &
dehydration and was literally “taken” to the local hospital, having been
"cramed" into a VW "Bug". There I was treated with special care, but there were
not enough blankets & I was so cold I left & went back home. Later when
I returned to pay my bill, I had opportunity to witness to several doctors &
office personnel. What a joy it was to be able to witness in the language of the
people!
My precious wife Charlotte & children have always been a
great asset to our missionary work. Sure, there is a real sacrifice on all
sides, both the missionary as well as the ones who stay behind (parents not only
wave goodbye to children, but also to grandchildren they won't get to see grow
up). But the joy comes when we reach that golden shore & go through the
portals of glory. That’s when we will all realize the benefits of having made
any sacrifice by giving to missions or gone as a missionary.
One Sunday
afternoon, our four children (Andrew was to be born two years later in another
work) were playing in the yard near the wall on the street side. We lived on a
hill and our house was on the corner near the bottom. A large truck was parked
at the top of the hill and there was an unattended child in the cab playing. The
brakes were accidentally released and down came the truck into our wall &
yard, crashing into our garage & throwing bricks & mortar onto our
vehicle. The wall fell exactly where our children were playing. It just so
happens that only one minute before, we had called the children in to get ready
to go to a farm for an open-air meeting where I was to preach. Once again the
Lord showed Himself faithful & protected our children and us. Oh the
unspeakable joy we experience as we serve the living God! I can’t help but add
here that one of those children is now a missionary to Brazil & working with
us in the ministry of church planting. Another is married to a lay preacher
& soul winner. Amen!
Over the next few years we were able to turn
several churches over to national pastors (this of course, with the help of
other co-workers). This is always with mixed emotions, leaving & going to
another area. But the joy of seeing the work become an “indigenous” church makes
your labors worth it all. After all, the missionary is to work himself out of a
job, so to speak. The ultimate goal is to leave the work with national
leadership & self-supporting.
October 24, 1985 the Lord led us to the
interior city of São Sebastião do Paraíso - Minas Gerais. The next day would be
their 164th anniversary. All these years without a Baptist Church. Only God
knows the number of lost souls who died & went to hell before a missionary
arrived in this typical Brazilian City. Just within an hour’s drive of this
city, we can get to 11 more towns, also with no Baptist Churches. We set our
goal for the region. Reach all 12 of these cities with the gospel of Christ, and
plant an Independent Baptist Church, leaving a Brazilian pastor in each
one.
Oh the joy we have experienced as the Lord has worked through our
labors. Souls saved, men called to preach, several now are pastors. Couples
surrendered to mission work. One of our Paradise Bible Institute graduates is
pastor of the First Baptist Church in one of the 12 cities we mentioned in our
area. One couple is in Portugal, another going to Nigeria, Africa and one couple
back in Brazil as missionaries. Plus our own son James, as “fruit” of our
labors, met his wife in this city & together they answered God’s call to
missions. James & Soraia did some Bible School in Brazil & finished at
Gwinnett Hall Baptist College in Lawrenceville, Ga. They are now finishing their
2nd term in Brazil working with us through Macedonia World Baptist Missions.
Yes, there were many obstacles to overcome. But the joy of the Lord gives us
strength to keep on pressing on.
Joy is a small word that expresses what
Charlotte & I feel as we look backward to what God has done with &
through us. We also look forward to going back to the field January 16, 2003 and
to what the Lord has for us to do over the next few years, until Jesus comes.
Our three ministries, Church Planting, Paradise Bible Institute & Camp
Hallelujah as well as the congregation in Jacuí are now under the capable
leadership of trained Brazilians.
Much is yet to be done in reaching the
other cities & towns of our region. We trust other graduates from our Bible
Institute will help start new churches in these areas. Please pray for the many
other regions of Brazil that do not have a missionary. We desperately need
reinforcements. There are unlimited opportunities to serve the Lord in Brazil.
What a joy it is for me to present this field to you who have come across this
message. May the Lord of the harvest speak to the hearts of many couples who
will make application to our fine mission board which is an arm of the local
church, Macedonia World Baptist Missions, as candidates for the field of Brazil.
The address is: P. O. Box 519 Braselton, GA 30517-0519 Phone:
706/654-2818
Pray with us as we (our son James
and I and our families) make plans & prepare to move further south to the
city of Joinville, Santa Catarina during the year 2003. More will be said about
this in later publications. You may also be kept up to date through our prayer
letters also placed on this web site monthly.
Yours for a harvest of
precious souls in Brazil
Missionary, Dr. Phillip R.
Allen
September 15, 1999 (Revised October 29,
2002)