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May 2002
Dear Partners in Mission,
Recently we spent a relaxing weekend on the Rodrigues’ farm
just beyond Apucarana, a small town about an hour’s drive
from Londrina. João and Sandra Rodrigues were members of
our church here in Londrina until they moved to their farm about
a year ago. Just before they moved they expressed the desire to
have us visit the farm, and to have our bell choir play at the
Independent Presbyterian Church in Apucarana.
We enjoyed the beautiful hilly countryside, gathering fruit
from the orchard, meals on the big front porch, and conversations
with neighbors and church members who came to visit. Michael and
Joel enjoyed the many animals—cows, buffalo, goats, sheep,
rabbits, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese—and they especially
enjoyed a long ride in a horse-drawn cart.
The nine bell players arrived on Sunday morning, along with our
pastor, Rev. Uriel, and his wife Noeli. Rev. Uriel was once pastor
of the church in Apucarana, so it was a happy homecoming for them.
The church turned the Sunday school hour over to us, and Rev.
Uriel had prepared a creative liturgy about important aspects
of music in worship, interspersed throughout by congregational
singing and special numbers played by the bell choir. The mayor
of the city had been invited to hear the bell choir, and his presence
added a special touch to the activities of the morning, which
included dinner at a campground just after Sunday school. It was
all a nice break from the activities of our regular routine in
Londrina, and we returned home refreshed by the experience.
And what are the activities of our regular routine in Londrina?
Each of us has activities that we are enjoying very much. For
several months Thelma and Helena, a friend from our church, have
been involved in a door-to-door evangelism project in the neighborhoods
surrounding our church. Most of the homes they visit receive them
enthusiastically, and several have asked them to return when other
family members are present. Others in the church have become interested
in accompanying Thelma and Helena on these visits, and seminary
students have prepared worship services, while young people have
taken their guitars for lively singing. We are in the process
of building a new church building, and one Sunday afternoon the
group attracted many curious and interested neighbors of the church
by singing on the sidewalk in front of the construction site.
The church has grown as a result of these activities, and Thelma,
recognizing that some of the newcomers could neither read nor
write, suggested a volunteer literacy program in the church. This
program has gone over very well, as many church members, from
young people to retired school teachers, are pitching in to help
with the teaching activities. One of Thelma’s adult students,
a woman in her fifties, recently exclaimed during a class session,
"Oh, it is so good to now be able to read and write!"
It is rewarding to see positive results after months of hard work.
I (Farris) am enjoying my activities in the music department
at the seminary of the Independent Presbyterian Church. This year
we are offering new options in the area of music, as each student
chooses two areas of concentration, which include choir, vocal
technique, music theory, choral and congregational directing,
and piano. Ricardo de Sousa, a second year seminary student, is
a professional musician helping me in these teaching activities,
and we have been pleased with positive reaction to these new options.
Brazilians tend to be very musically talented, but most don’t
have the opportunity to study music. As a result, there are very
few trained musicians in the churches in Brazil, so we are pleased
to be able to offer some contact with music that will serve the
students well in their future ministry.
Michael, at 10 years old, enjoys his school activities, as well
as handball and piano lessons and English classes (so that he
will not lose contact with reading and writing in English). Joel,
4 years old, started to school for the first time this semester
and is enjoying this new experience very much.
We thank you for your support, for your prayers, and for your
interest in our ministry here in Brazil.
In His Service,
Farris Goodrum
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 258
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