Saturday, April 23, 2005
Visit to Boa Vista, Roraima – March 30 – April 6
Each November for the last few years, we have made pilgrimage to Manaus, for the Encontro da Fé Reformada Conference. Twice Andrew has spoken, and twice we have gone to hear the ministry and have fellowship with our “friends in the North.”
One of the highlights of the visit each time has been fellowship with a group who come down each year from Boa Vista, the state capital of Roraima, the most northerly state in Brazil – 12 hours by bus further up from Manaus, the other side of the Equator. The group hires a bus each year, with representatives from a good number of churches, but a large part from the Second Presbyterian. We have particularly enjoyed the company of Pastor Jonas and his wife Beth (pronounced Betchi), and they have never ceased to urge us to visit their church.
This year the pipe-dream became a reality. The 15th anniversary of the church provided the opportunity. The church planned four evenings of praise and Biblical exposition in the open air, with a training day on the Saturday for men (in the morning) and women (in the afternoon). And Sunday school on Sunday morning, Prayer breakfast on Tuesday at 6, and a “Chat” with the church young people on Tuesday night before flying out at 12:55 a.m. For the first time I accompanied all my teaching with PowerPoint presentations, and this seemed to be of help to the people. In the evening sessions I spoke on at least one of the miracles from each of the four “blocks” of miracles in the first part of Mark. Sunday Morning was aimed at the youth – Remember your Creator from Eccles 12. The Saturday morning teaching was on the basis for exposition – the nature of Biblical, apostolic, authority. Cora did a Bible overview with the women in the afternoon.
All went well, with the fellowship with Jonas and Beth deepening, and a strong sense that this will not be the last time we visit. We are convinced of the strategic importance of this church within the state, gathering as it does a very large proportion of the missionary force which reaches the indigenous people, as well as having good contacts with many pastors in the city. It was a joy to see the Biblical sanity of the church, with a lively congregational life centred on the Word, without being hide-bound or traditionalist.
Roraima is a real frontier state. The gold-mining boom of the 80s and 90s is over, but the sense of being at the very edge of the country is unceasing. Everything seems very new, planned, and yet with a sense of being thrown together. The presence of many indigenous people living in large and politically sensitive reservations around the city is markedly different from the South, where the Guarani are to all practical purposes invisible in terms of public life. The scenery which, to the north of Boa Vista reminds us far more of Southern Africa than anywhere else we have seen in Brazil is a surprise too. We knew it was drier, not rain forest, but we were not ready for vast Savannahs.
But some things are very much the same as other churches we have visited: great food, and a desire on the part of the locals to feed us with the best of the regional fare; warm people, hungry for the Word, and tremendously appreciative of the preaching; evidence of much theological confusion in the churches, and paganism outside (which are often the same thing) and because of that, a sense of great gratitude to God for the Bible-centred, Gospel-preaching true Christianity that we saw in Second Presbyterian. May God bless his dear people in the far North.
Each November for the last few years, we have made pilgrimage to Manaus, for the Encontro da Fé Reformada Conference. Twice Andrew has spoken, and twice we have gone to hear the ministry and have fellowship with our “friends in the North.”
One of the highlights of the visit each time has been fellowship with a group who come down each year from Boa Vista, the state capital of Roraima, the most northerly state in Brazil – 12 hours by bus further up from Manaus, the other side of the Equator. The group hires a bus each year, with representatives from a good number of churches, but a large part from the Second Presbyterian. We have particularly enjoyed the company of Pastor Jonas and his wife Beth (pronounced Betchi), and they have never ceased to urge us to visit their church.
This year the pipe-dream became a reality. The 15th anniversary of the church provided the opportunity. The church planned four evenings of praise and Biblical exposition in the open air, with a training day on the Saturday for men (in the morning) and women (in the afternoon). And Sunday school on Sunday morning, Prayer breakfast on Tuesday at 6, and a “Chat” with the church young people on Tuesday night before flying out at 12:55 a.m. For the first time I accompanied all my teaching with PowerPoint presentations, and this seemed to be of help to the people. In the evening sessions I spoke on at least one of the miracles from each of the four “blocks” of miracles in the first part of Mark. Sunday Morning was aimed at the youth – Remember your Creator from Eccles 12. The Saturday morning teaching was on the basis for exposition – the nature of Biblical, apostolic, authority. Cora did a Bible overview with the women in the afternoon.
All went well, with the fellowship with Jonas and Beth deepening, and a strong sense that this will not be the last time we visit. We are convinced of the strategic importance of this church within the state, gathering as it does a very large proportion of the missionary force which reaches the indigenous people, as well as having good contacts with many pastors in the city. It was a joy to see the Biblical sanity of the church, with a lively congregational life centred on the Word, without being hide-bound or traditionalist.
Roraima is a real frontier state. The gold-mining boom of the 80s and 90s is over, but the sense of being at the very edge of the country is unceasing. Everything seems very new, planned, and yet with a sense of being thrown together. The presence of many indigenous people living in large and politically sensitive reservations around the city is markedly different from the South, where the Guarani are to all practical purposes invisible in terms of public life. The scenery which, to the north of Boa Vista reminds us far more of Southern Africa than anywhere else we have seen in Brazil is a surprise too. We knew it was drier, not rain forest, but we were not ready for vast Savannahs.
But some things are very much the same as other churches we have visited: great food, and a desire on the part of the locals to feed us with the best of the regional fare; warm people, hungry for the Word, and tremendously appreciative of the preaching; evidence of much theological confusion in the churches, and paganism outside (which are often the same thing) and because of that, a sense of great gratitude to God for the Bible-centred, Gospel-preaching true Christianity that we saw in Second Presbyterian. May God bless his dear people in the far North.
Map of our four flight route up to Boa Vista. The straight-line distance is 2259 miles - 7 miles further than London-Jerusalem - the actual flight plan is around 2500.
Statue of a garimpeiro - gold miner - in the central square.
Back to a world where it is quite normal to have a shower with no heating capacity whatsoever.
Second Presbyterian Church, Boa Vista, Roraima, Brasil. The church sign board.
Church building - Second Presbyterian Church, Boa Vista, Roraima
Setting up the screen for the songs, texts and sermon points.
On the first night, rain stopped play. It gave enough warning of its approach to allow me to break the sermon at a sensible point, and with wonderful efficiency the team moved us and all critical equipment inside. While the sound team set up I sat on the platform, trying to keep the sermon running in my head.
Cake - no church anniversary is without a massive one.
Sunday night congregation - around 600 present. The Governor of the State of Roraima, Ottomar Pinto, is in the front row on the right.
Women's group. Most of these and many others were at Cora's Saturday afternoon training programme.
Bruno and his wife - he did sterling work coping with my powerpoint sermons.
Jonas introduces the saturday morning training on biblical exposition
The Rio Branco, just outside Boa Vista. The sandbanks mark the end of the dry season.
Sculpture in the centre of Boa Vista commemorating the development of the state of Roraima, which came into being only in 1991
The State of Roraima includes large areas of "Indian Reservations" - lands given over for the use of the various tribes of indigenous people. We have heard names like Yanomami, Macuxi and Wai-Wai since our first days of reading up on Brazil, but it was a different experience to have contact with such people and meet co-workers who minister to them.
Beth, Jonas' wife, is the dietician at the "Casa do Índio" - a hospital serving the indigenous communities. It is a hospital like no other we have ever seen.
Lunchtime 2 How else would you relax over your lunch if you had a broken leg?
Thursday, April 21, 2005
As the dear old Fact and Faith films used to say - Can you see the lizard in this picture?
One of the great joys - and surprises - of the visit was to get to know many other missionaries who are members at the Second Presbyterian Church. Most are involved with ministry amongst indigenous peoples. We enjoyed some very good fellowship over Sunday night snacks with Daniel, Lilian and Sarah - American colleagues with UFM International, working within MEVA - see below.
Stephen and Dawn - veteran missionaries, who came out with UFM International, and are now with Wycliffe. We had a long talk at the end of the Church prayer breakfast on our last morning.
Men at MEVA - Evangelical Mission of Amazonas - a mission with Brazilians and foreigners working shoulder to shoulder to minister to the indigenous people.
Honey - Jonas and Beth's large dog - not a lady I would like to meet while breaking and entering their house.
Catarina, Veronica and "Baby" - Jonas and Beth's small dog
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Us on the Brazil - Venezuela border.
Our one Monday in Boa Vista was a day off, and Jonas and Beth took us to Venezuela for lunch.
Jaspe falls
In a round trip of 700 km, these falls marked our most northerly point.
Local paper. Reading Spanish is not hard for Portuguese speakers. On the day after the pope's death, we are informed that his light will always shine in our hearts.
Venezuelan petrol pump. Quiet a pricey one - being close to the Brazilian border. 215 bolívars per litre - around 21 Brazilian centavos, or around 5 British pence. We never got far enough in to buy the cheap stuff!
