C.P. 204
Maceio 57020-970
Alagoas, Brazil
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
Romans 8:18
Do you ever get to old for adventures in missions?
We left our home on Tuesday afternoon at 2PM headed for Cacule Bahia a drive of approximately 25-27 hours from our home. Of course it can be much longer depending on the roads and many other factors…this time it took a little longer...
Our first stop was in the state of Sergipe for a service with some trinity folks that asked for our help. Our service with them lasted well over 3 hours and then we went to their home and spent another hour or so talking with them. Oh! How hungry they are! We promised them money to bring them to our regional convention in April for them to learn more…Of course our ready promise is a faith promise. But after 40 years on the field I know that is a very small need and so easy for God to meet for them. We rented a little bed and breakfast. You would laugh as there was no hot water or really anything but a lumpy bed and lots of ants and roaches running around…but we were too tired to even worry about that.
Up bright and early the next day we found the pastor and his wife waiting for us and they had come over to talk with us some more before we got on our journey…We drank some Brazilian sweet coffee ate a piece of bread and after ministering to them a little more we got on our way. We traveled the rest of the day and pulled into a little interior town to look for a place to sleep. Here in the northeast it is very dangerous to travel at night because the bandits block the roads and kill and steal cars. Since we were quite a large group (11) it was not easy to find a place we could afford. Finally we found 3 tiny rooms over a garage that a man rented to us. The roads had been so bad we were all dizzy from the curves the potholes…The kids walked with me and we found a bread store so we bought 25 little buns and some baloney and all had a sandwich before taking our baths and “floating” to sleep. I don’t know if the bed was “heavenly” or if I was past going but morning seemed to come too soon…however a cold shower woke me up along with all our party and off we started again…the road was no better in fact it was worse but our temple of clay was rested so we drove on to a little city in Bahia called Brumado and stopped for the night…by that time it was dark once again and our old car was having a hard time…Pastor Hugo’s car, the suspension broke and was making a noise. but we were almost to our destination…Our little place where we found to rest in Brumado was noisy so the kids loved it…they could make lots of noise playing from room to room and no one seemed to mind. Someone had gave Pastor Hugo’s boy a game so that kept them busy for a time…Pastor Arlei (our son) and his wife were very tired as he had driven our old broke car that has to be babied… he said he was going to rest so Brother Alvear myself Pastor Hugo and Sister Rosanna sat up while the kids played and studied some Bible lessons. We finally retired around midnight and rested and got up early and headed on to Cacule. We arrived around 12 and church started at 2 PM. They were waiting for us with a nice lunch. We all stayed at the pastor’s little home…mattresses covered everywhere at night so once down you had to almost be magic to get up if you needed the bathroom without stepping on someone! How we all fit in there is a mission field mystery! The Lord sent a rain and it cooled down a bit. Brother Alvear and I were so thankful for that.
“Missionary’” we planned to get a hot water shower for you all but we haven’t got it done…” that’s all right I said…no one will take too long getting their showers!
So by 2 PM we were all at the church ready for the first service and a service it was! A little after 5 we were out for a small break for supper and started back up at 7 PM. Pastor Hugo preached a marvelous service on “where do you want your crown here or there? We had people in the alter repenting of their sins and praying for the Holy Ghost. God instantly healed two people that were in much pain.
Sunday the service stated at 8:30 and we went all day only breaking a few minutes for lunch and supper…by Sunday night 21 people had repented of their sins and several had received the Holy Ghost. We had morning service where Sister Rosanna (pastor Hugo’s wife spoke on forgiveness. Then after lunch we had a service and I told the people about what I feel about so many uprisings that are happening in Brazil and our communist oriented president after that Brother Alvear gave a Bible lesson about our responsibilities to the lost and prayed over 7 new workers then we had a hurried supper and went back for the night service and Brother Alvear preached on what happens beyond the safety zone. It was a very stirring message and the alter filled up. I cannot tell you how rewarded I was when our oldest granddaughter that is visiting with us from Sao Paulo received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Brazil is such a vast country with so little real truth. Oh, how we need true godly missionaries. Even though you will read that the Pentecostal religion is the fastest growing religion of Brazil most of these groups are intermingled with catholic and pagan customs…and some of the Jesus Name groups pay their preachers to preach instead of teaching them biblical patterns. It makes it very difficult for those who really want Biblical principles. Yet in the mist of apostate so called apostolics, Catholicism and devil worship God has a true church marching through the land. We are striving hard to teach our pastors and workers that the just live by faith. And faith has brought us through mission endeavors for the last 40 years.
Returning home was quite an adventure…the car didn’t even want to climb the hill in front of the pastor’s home…so we went another way! It took us 4 days to get home! The car kept breaking down….But we are home…the car has died! We would drive a while…stop a while…once we went 80 kilometers in 1st gear! When the transmission would work the radiator would boil over…if it wasn’t that is was something else…I think I could write a book on this experience…Once we were stopped in a dangerous area trying to get it to go…and I remember Jesus raised Lazarus that had been dead four days…so I told our group, “Now look Lazarus was cold, silent and dead at least this car is still making noises, running hot…and stubborn....”
We did have a new car after the robbery but we gave it to our son Raul Jr for his constant travels. Right now he is traveling in far north Brazil and we have his old white elephant…The Brazilians thought it was funny that I called the car a white elephant!
Well, I am always ready to travel…Brother Alvear told me if he believed in reincarnation he would affirm I had been a gypsy in some past life! It doesn’t bother me the least to go anywhere or eat anything on the mission field…One soul won for heaven is worth all earth’s riches…
Some of you know our son Arlei and family are moving to the jungle…a little city should I say in the jungle…I told him to build me a little cabin there on jungle land for in my old age I can live by the trail and tell the Indians about the giver of Light…
For now and always a missionary:
Sister Alvear
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