Skip to main content

Old Film, Same Message


A missionary colleague recently uploaded some old films made about the work in Brazil by Baptist Mid-Missions many years ago in the 1950's. Yesterday I was able to watch the first of the series.  All I can say is "Wow!  Things haven't changed much in Brazil.  And things haven't changed too much with the work of missions in Brazil either!"

There are still donkey carts in the street.  They have better wheels nowadays!
There are still people who live in grass huts and high apartment buildings, too.
Bicycles are still many people's only means of transportation, if they are that lucky!
Many roads in the interior towns are still paved with cobblestones, if they are paved at all.
And yes, chickens are everywhere, even in big cities.
Brazil still needs missionaries!

That's right, Brazil is not evangelized and in no need of foreign missionaries today.  It still needs workers to spread the Good News of the Gospel and the Risen Saviour!  Sadly that part of the film's message has changed dramatically.  Missionaries are not coming to Brazil as they did years ago.

Interesting enough that education for missionary children is a luxury that has faded off the scene in many parts of Brazil.  The MK school mentioned in this first part of the series, no longer exists.  I taught there the first year that we were in Brazil in 1994.  Attempts were made over the years to keep it going, but its closure was mostly due to a lack of students.  A lack of missionary children is directly related to a lack of missionary parents!  Missionaries are not coming to Brazil, or any other place, as they were in the 1950's.

God is still in the business!  So where are the workers!  Perhaps they just aren't listening like they used to.  Will you heed to God's Word and Call?

How about reading some good missionary biographies?  I read all the missionary biographies in our church library when I was a teenager.  Well, I read just about all the books in the church library to be totally honest.  They started buying more, so I would have more to read.  The story of Mary Slessor is just about my favorite.  Encouraging our children and young people to read about missionaries of the past is a good way to encourage them to become the missionaries of today!

It is my hope and prayer that all three of my boys will make the decision to be full-time missionaries in Brazil when their time comes!

"What would I do with starry crowns except to cast them at His feet?"  
                                                                                                      Mary Slessor

Comments

  1. Enjoyed the video.If only more would go! If only more would give.We've sent our children and our money as we prayed that souls in Brazil may be reached. What more can we do? We can Pray, Give and Go as an encouragement.Now with new technology it's easier to stay in touch.If you are viewing this you can send an E-mail to say you are praying. Two POM's loving you !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, MOM, you are a great POM! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for stopping by! Leave me a message if you would.

Popular posts from this blog

The Big Orange Cat

Do you boys remember that big orange cat at the mission house in North Carolina?  That was a special day for me.  I don't have a new story for this Friday.  I've had a long week, but my mind kept going back to that cat this week as I thought about what I would post for you boys today.  Click on the link down below to go back to my big people blog and reread the cat story if you like. Oh, by the way, this morning I made a special trip down to the other end of our town to see the guinea pigs being sold at a grocery store.  This particular store sells medicine and feed for all kinds of animals.  This month they are selling guinea pigs, baby chickens, and dachshund puppies!  Their guinea pigs looked very healthy.  They are selling them for BR$10 each or BR$15 for a pair.  Uncle Byron said that he was glad I didn't bring any home with me! One more thing - this week a mama possum came in our yard.  The dogs chased it and Girl Dog let out a squ...

On the Road Again

Our first weekend back in Lage was hard. We were jet-lagged and unsure what to expect. Thankfully, the woman helping with the children still had lessons left in the book I’d given her and agreed to finish them, giving me a break for the first few weeks. Byron jumped right into the Friday and Sunday Bible studies. Saturday afternoon, we visited our faithful friend Jué, grandmother of Max, the boy in a wheelchair near Lage. Byron went to soccer, where more boys showed up than ever! An unsaved man helps with the older boys, and a church teenager has been helping with the younger ones. Our second weekend coincided with the first round of presidential elections. Friday attendance was low, and soccer was cancelled because the school served as a polling place. The Sunday street fair was moved to Saturday. We still hadn’t seen the family who had been attending Bible studies at the church, but we visited Jué again. On Sunday, people kept passing the church on their way to vote. Several question...

Sabbatical?

Last month we traded the dirt roads of Bahia for the smooth highways of the USA.  We took off four weeks to visit with family, see one son be ordained, visit with another in the new state where he and wife are living and see our youngest grandson turn 4! It was a fast trip, and every day was full to the brim.  So, calling it a "sabbatical" may be a falsehood!  Rest, we did not.  But, refreshed and just a little renewed, I think we are.  Stay tuned over the next week as I finish up a video letter all about our trip. The funny thing about such trips is the desire to plan the next one right way!  Does that take away from my call to missions?  No, not in the least, but it does make me consider how often we need to "go home" and "take a break" from what we do without the need to visit all our churches. Furlough and sabbatical are not synonyms.  Furlough means visiting a different church every week.  Sabbatical is supposed to mean rest.  I hop...