Chapter 14: A Bible Village

ONE evening was holding a kind of song service in a rough cabin in a village in the interior of Brazil. Brown, uneven, earthen floor, mud walls of the same hue, smoke-stained tiles overhead but dimly visible by the light of a flickering, smoky castor-oil lamp, which needed pricking up every few minutes to keep us from being suddenly left in darkness, and a smell — this was the setting of the scene; to which may be added three or four roughly made forms, two stools, and a small bare table, which served as a seat, or a bed at night, as the occasion demanded. There were about twenty-five people present, the men being shock-headed, with black beards and sallow complexions. They were all barefooted, their attire rarely exceeding the orthodox striped shirt and trousers, made probably of cloth spun and woven in the village, with the old-fashioned spinning wheels and looms of a hundred years ago or more.
There were as many women as men present, and their dress was as simple and primitive as the men’s, albeit somewhat cleaner. Their only head-dress was an occasional shawl or scarf, and that was rare. The country women are about as handsome as the men, which, frankly speaking, is not saying very much.
But how they sing! They never get tired of singing the songs of Zion, and everybody has the right to choose a hymn.
When I thought they had had about enough for that evening, I drew out my New Testament; and a hush fell over the strange little gathering as I pulled the oil lamp a little closer, pricked up the wick, and prepared to read.
Just before reading I had perceived a stranger in the room. He sat on the seat nearest the door, and had been silently listening to the hymns with evident appreciation.
I was sure he did not belong to the village, as I had come to know the inhabitants fairly well in my few months’ sojourn amongst them.
He must be spending the night here on his way through to Goyaz, I thought. I shall probably never see him again. God give me a message for that man!
I then read the passage and gave a brief talk for some ten minutes or less, as was my custom, before closing the meeting with prayer. As the people rose to leave the stranger kept his seat. I found that he was deeply impressed, He seemed thoroughly to understand the message and the additional explanation I gave him. Willingly he knelt with me, very simply received the gift of God, and rose a new man in Christ Jesus. Then he told me that years before he had purchased a Bible from somebody — probably myself — and had studied it considerably, his only regret being that it was a “Protestant” Bible, and therefore, according to the priests, “mutilated and false.” He had to confess, however, that though he feared these heretics, he loved their Book. One day he heard that a relative of his in a neighboring town, a local magistrate, possessed a true Catholic Bible: and so on the first opportunity he rode over with his own Bible under his arm to make a comparison, for he had some misgivings about the matter. He was astonished to find that the two books closely resembled each other, only varying slightly, one being a translation from the Vulgate, while the other was from the original languages.
This gave him a new interest in the Book, and a more lenient spirit towards the Protestants. At last he resolved to ride over to the village where I resided, and to hear for himself what they believed and taught; and he arrived on the occasion of this informal cottage meeting.
He was full of satisfaction at his new discovery, and made me promise to visit his district within a fortnight. He felt confident that there were many there who on his testimony would also accept the Gospel, as he was the only one in his village who could read.
When the time came round for the promised visit, I was unable to go; but I sent two young native converts in my place. They were absent longer than had been arranged, and returned full of a wonderful story. They told how all the district was inclined towards the Gospel; and that many of the people seemed really converted, and were wishing to be baptized forthwith.
It appears that when our friend reached home he called an assembly of all the neighboring farmers. and told them of what he had seen and heard, and what had happened to him; and he urged them to follow his example. Night after night he read the Scriptures aloud to these people; and they received the Word as good news from a far country.
When my young men arrived, the people welcomed them as apostles; and they talked and debated together until twelve or one o’clock, night after night. Then the people gave up their idols, relics, rosaries, and crucifixes, and made a bonfire of them; and when finally I was able to visit them I had no hesitation whatever in baptizing eleven of their number.
Soon after this the persecution of the believers in the village grew so acute that many went in fear of their lives, and we passed sleepless nights.
Just then one of these lately converted farmers offered us a large tract of forest land on which to build a Gospel village. The offer was accepted, and the deeds of the territory were made over to us with all the legal formalities.
Within a year or two the land has been cleared and the village laid out in streets, squares, etc., and many persecuted families moved into the city of refuge, the first houses being constructed by them. The place is called Gamelleira.
In the course of another year or two a roomy church was built, and a residence for the native pastor, Senhor Ricardo. The cemetery was made, a common pasturage fenced in, and an excellent water supply brought in from the neighboring forest. Gamelleira grew, only believers being allowed to live there; and the streets were named Faith Street, Joy Lane, Concord Square — where the Church was built — and so on. A day school was established, and a tiny co-operative flour mill started. By mutual agreement no drink, snuff, tobacco, gambling, or dancing were permitted in this Gospel village, and the people increased in health, prosperity, and happiness.
Of course there have been trials and difficulties, when occasionally some member of the community broke its rules and remained obstinate; then, after ninth patient exhortation, he had to leave, and an house awaited the next applicant.
Here is now a little Gospel community of about three hundred persons in and around the village. It stands a shining example away in the center of the dark continent, a thousand miles from the ocean; and a great future awaits it.
A few years ago the Church at Ganelleira inaugurated their first annual Conference, a miniature Keswick, two missionaries and three native pastors being the speakers. It proved a great spiritual uplift to the villagers and to the many visitors from the surrounding country; and there were also several conversions.
This eight days’ convention has been continued year by year, with an average attendance of about five hundred people, many of whom travel by ox-car or on foot from as far away as 250 miles in order to be present.
And so that one volume, sown by the wayside after many vicissitudes, sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold.
Very great is the debt of gratitude that the Gospel heralds in the distant foreign fields owe to the work of the Bible Societies. When the heavenly balance is finally struck it will assuredly be found that they have been prime agents in God’s hands in the conversions out of all tribes, peoples, and tongues to the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Without the co-operation of these Societies the work of the missionaries in South America and elsewhere would be hopelessly sterile.
Personally, with very many years of active experience in Brazil as a colporteur, evangelist, and pastor, and with an intimate knowledge of that country and its people, I am more than convinced that the colporteur is a sine qua non in every effort to evangelize South America — and indeed all Roman Catholic lands; and that he should be placed in the forefront of all Gospel enterprise, especially in pioneer work.