Reorganization in Brazil by W. A. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 21, 1906

Reorganization in Brazil

By W. A. S.

THE Brazilian general meeting has just closed in Taquary, in the southernmost State of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. It was a good meeting. The Lord blessed the believers, both in winning personal victories and in planning for the work. The languages spoken here were German and Portuguese. But whatever the tongue, the rich blessings of the grace of God are visited upon the people. And the people feel that the reorganization of the work in Brazil means the more rapid progress of the truth.

The Brazil of our present planning is the coast line. Back from the States along the eastern coast stretch league after league of almost unknown country. But the population is mainly in the coast States. And by the medium of the German colonists the truth has gained a foothold pretty well along this territory. This widely distributed work is much in favor of the advancement of the truth; but at the same time it strongly indicated a division of the field and a localizing of responsibility.

THE TAQUARY SCHOOL AND PUBLISHING OFFICE

The first of the new fields to be organized was this State of Rio Grande do Sul. It has a population of 1,370,000, and a conference membership of over three hundred. Most of these are German colonists, but there is an encouraging intermixture of Brazilians, and the keynote of the conference meeting was the carrying of the truth to these Portuguese-speaking peoples. There were those with us in the meeting whom the Lord had called from Catholicism into this message; and thankful indeed were they for the light.

The evening meetings were in Portuguese, the town theater being occupied four nights. Our brethren hired the theater for three nights only, but the chief magistrate of the town invited them to continue another night free of charge. Good audiences came out and listened attentively to the truths presented, both at the theater and in the schoolroom where our conference was held. Elders Spies, Schwantes, and Hoelzle did most of the Portuguese speaking and translating.

With over twenty millions of Portuguese-speaking people in the land, our work must now turn strongly in this direction. The conference voted to put this tongue in the foreground in their school work, which heretofore has been mainly German. The people have their eyes upon the field committed to them, and we may look for an increasingly vigorous work for the State of Rio Grande. Elder H. F. Graf is president of the conference. He has had almost twelve years of service in Brazil, and that, too, of the old Methodist circuit-riding order of the early days in our own West. It means week after week in the saddle, fording rivers, eating poor food, and having rude accommodations. All the Brazilian field laborers have had their share of these experiences. But their hearts are full of courage as they see the truth making headway.

The plan is that these southern States of Brazil shall make their own work self-supporting, so that henceforward all the Mission Board appropriations may be devoted to work in the more populous States to the northward, in which little has been done as yet. The Rio Grande Conference and the Santa Catharina and Parana Conference (these two States are to be organized as one) must help to supply laborers for the fields northward, and one by one it is planned as soon as possible to plant a work in every State along the coast.

Brazil now supplies a laborer to Portugal, also, in Elder E. Schwantes, who expects to sail for Lisbon within a few weeks.

The publishing and tract society work for all Brazil is to be handled from the publishing office in Taquary. Brother Pages, of Germany, has charge of this department. The little printing-office issues the Portuguese paper and other literature in both Portuguese and German. They expect to issue “Glorious Appearing” in Portuguese at once. Thus far Brazil has been without salable literature for the Portuguese. The brethren are determined to change all this, and to push the work with vigor. The outlook in Brazil is encouraging.

Taquary, our place of meeting, is a town of less than a thousand inhabitants. The school and publishing office are on the edge of town, with open country beyond. Brother J. Lipke has charge of the school. Just across the road from the school Dr. Gregory has a pleasant home and garden, and is doing self-supporting medical work. Elders Westphal, Spies, and Ehlers, and myself are now on the way to Santa Catharina.

W. A. S.

Porto Alegre.