Santa Catharina, Brazil
By C. F. KNOTT
I HAVE just returned from a seven weeks’ mule trip, during which time I visited fourteen churches and companies, preached thirty-six sermons, held twenty Bible readings, made seventy-seven visits, baptized eighteen persons, organized one church, and traveled about 650 kilometers, partly on foot and partly on muleback. You can readily see that it would take a strong man to endure a journey like that; and as I am not the strongest, such a tour sometimes leaves me in a broken-down condition. But God always helps. On this trip it was my privilege to visit a group of believers, some of whom have kept the Sabbath for two years, and had never yet been visited by a worker. We held some meetings. This was my first attempt at preaching in Portuguese. The Lord blessed in the effort, and three more families made a start. The work first started in this place sixteen years ago, when a brother then living near by gave a native a Bible, and pointed him to the truth. The Lord kept the seed alive, and fourteen years afterward it sprang forth to bear fruit,—another incident which would teach us to sow the good seed at all times, leaving the consequences with God. I also had the privilege of organizing a church of twenty-nine members in the city of Brusque. You will remember that the work in Brazil first started in this very city, fifteen or sixteen years ago, under the labors of Brother F. H. Westphal. The house in which he preached was bombarded with stones,18and the windows were broken. When he, with a few believers from neighboring colonies, desired to celebrate the Lord’s supper, the house was forbidden them, and they had to celebrate the holy ordinance in the street. But from this beginning the work has spread and expanded until now we have three conferences and three mission fields, two of which are organized. On this occasion, when we organized the church, and also when we had baptism, many of the better class of citizens were present, and the truth seemed to make a good impression on their hearts. The way the people here are longing for freedom from the yoke of the priests was illustrated a few days ago when the mayor of a neighboring city told one of our canvassers that if we would come and preach the message to them, they would give us the city hall in which to hold our lectures. But as yet we have not been able to do anything for them, as we lack the means, and have no man to send. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” Remember us in your prayers. C. F. KNOTT.