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September 20, 2001
Dear Friends,
A week after the tragic attack on the Twin Towers, how are we
recovering here in São Paulo?
Brazilians ask solicitously if I have any relatives in New York,
which I do not. The person in New York with whom I am most in
contact happens to be a Brazilian. There are reports of Brazilians
among the missing. The figures I have seen vary between five and
a little over 30.
Last Sunday I preached at the Vila Sônia church, asked
for prayer, and was warmly received. Is Brazil going to be a part
of the new war? People say, of course it will, like it or not,
through the suffering of economic consequences. As for sending
troops, it is viewed as unlikely, "since we are not a warlike
country." As for cooperation in the hunt for terrorists,
strong language by U.S. authorities is reported in the press here,
with no comment about the Brazilian response to that. The newspapers
do report that authorities are after
suspected terrorists in the Iguaçu area, where there is
a concentration of Palestinian and other Arab immigrants, and
in Brazil’s southernmost state, where the mayor of a small
town has been accused of a connection to Bin Laden. Brazilian
Muslims were reported in the press as condemning the attack and
praying for peace; there were pictures of Muslims at prayer.
An elderly Japanese gentleman who lives in Brazil was interviewed
by a news reporter. "Don’t call those people ‘kamikazes,’"
he said. "We didn’t target civilians."
I caught some TV images of the Friday service in the national
cathedral. As the congregation sang, "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!"
the Brazilian commentator said, "You know what that means—battle!"
Brazilian opinion would divide, as does North American opinion,
on what is the best approach to take. There certainly are people
here who think Mr. Bush’s style is John Waynish.
Reading in Brazil that the coming war is going to be "dirty,"
I can’t help thinking of what "dirty war" meant
in Argentina, something that I hope is not what is going to happen.
Yours,
Arch Woodruff
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 258
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