p. 19 | Brazil by F. W. Spies

Review and Herald Publishing Assn. · Washington, D.C. · Dec 31, 1903

Brazil

By F. W. Spies

At the Curityba general meeting, arrangements were made for Brother Emil Holzle and the writer to labor together among the Brazilians in the Panama Province. Accordingly, upon my return from the Rio de Janeiro general meeting, I started for Curityba, where Brother Holzle lived, to meet him and then go with him into the field. On my way to Curityba I spent one Sabbath at Joinville, then passed through the Hausa Colony, visiting the brethren who live there, and celebrating the Lord's supper with them. At San Bento, where I was obliged to go in order to get a mule that I had lost on my trip to the Curityba general meeting, I also celebrated the Lord's supper with the brethren. After passing through Rio Negro, and visiting the believers there, I arrived at Curityba the first of October.

As soon as possible Brother Holzle and I left Curityba, and after a short day's journey we came to a small Roman Catholic town called Bocayuwa. Here we met two families who had for some time been reading our Portuguese paper, the Arauto da Verdade, and were much interested. One of the men, the mayor of the place, offered us the town hall in which to hold meetings at any time when we were able to do so; but owing to more advanced interests in a number of other places, it did not seem best to leave those in order to create a new interest, and so we went on, promising to return and hold meetings as soon as we were able to do so. Leaving Bocayuwa, we intended to go to Ouro Fino (Fine Gold); but just as it was getting dark, we lost our way, and after traveling nearly two hours without meeting any one, we heard the barking of dogs far down in a valley, and soon found the house. As these people had no pasture for our animals, we had to go a little farther, to a place called Campinhos. Here we were very hospitably entertained by an aged Brazilian planter. Our missing the road seemed providential, for this man and his family were hungering for the truth.

Leaving Campinhos the next morning, we were soon overtaken by a heavy rain, which continued the rest of the day. About dark that evening we arrived at Serro Azul. The following day it rained even harder, so we spent the time in visiting some Englishmen who lived about ten miles from Serro Azul. We next went to Ribeira. In the vicinity of this villa a number of people have for some time been interested in the truth, and are keeping the Sabbath. We spent two weeks with them, also visiting others in the neighborhood, some of whom are much opposed to the truth, all being Catholics. Sabbath, October 31, we buried fourteen dear souls with their Lord in baptism, while four others are expecting to be baptized in a few days after they are legally married.

The loose way in which the marriage relation is treated in this country, owing to the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, causes much difficulty in our work. Since the republic was proclaimed, legal marriage exists, but the priests as a rule do all in their power to have the people disregard the laws, and become married by the Catholic Church, as they do not like to lose their prestige. Many simply live in concubinage. Of those who were keeping the Sabbath at this place, two couples, who had been married only by the Catholic Church, now sought to comply with the requirement of the law, becoming married by the civil authorities.

But too often, when these people seek to place themselves in right relation to God's law and man's, the guardians of the law, who themselves are frequently leagued with the political priests, do all they can to hinder the people from carrying out the requirements of the law, by asking exorbitant prices for the performance of the ceremony, or else by making other unjust demands. But the truth is triumphing, and gradually is its light dawning in Brazil, for which we praise the Lord! F. W. SPIES.

Salto.