brazil

Brazil

Brazil is a vibrant land of color and excitement. This fact is graphically acted out each year during the week-long Carnival
which is celebrated with costumes, dancing, music and uninhibited merrymaking. Yet despite this worldly vitality Brazil
exists in spiritual darkness and needs to know Jesus Christ, the One who alone gives true joy and meaning to life.

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world covering 3,286,470 square miles. The
landscape of this huge nation varies widely from rugged mountains, to expansive grasslands to the lush jungles of the
Amazon River Basin. It is a land of abundant natural resources with extensive deposits of iron, manganese, phosphates,
platinum, bauxite, uranium, coal and petroleum. The immense tropical rain forests of the Amazon are a unique national
treasure and much has been done in recent years to protect their delicate ecological balance. The Amazon is the world's
second longest river extending some 4,000 miles into the interior of South America and discharges 34 million gallons of
water per second into the Atlantic Ocean.

Brazil was colonized and controlled by Portugal from 1500 to 1822. When Napoleon captured Lisbon, Portugal, in 1808 the
royal family fled to Brazil and established Rio de Janeiro as the seat of the Portuguese empire. When the emperor
returned to Lisbon he left his son Dom Pedro to govern Brazil. Popular pressure compelled him to declare Brazil
independent in 1822. In 1889 Dom Pedro's son, Dom Pedro II was deposed by a military coup. Since that time Brazil has
experienced a succession of military takeovers with scattered periods of civilian rule. A return to civilian rule came in
1985.

Despite the huge land area, 90% percent of Brazil's population of 158.2 million people live on 10% of the land. This is
because much of the country is not easily accessible and is inhospitable to habitation. The present capital city, Brasilia,
was created for the purpose of encouraging the development of the largely unpopulated interior of the country. Brazil's
two largest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, together hold more than 16 million people. Almost 50 percent of the
population is under 20 years of age.

The Brazilian people are a unique mixture of racial and ethnic groups which reflect the various influences in the nation's
history. About 60% of the population are of European, mostly Portuguese, background and 30% of mixed white and black
and or Indian descent. The remainder are black descendants of slaves, Indians and Asians. Most Brazilians claim
nominal loyalty to Roman Catholicism but many are becoming disenchanted with the dead ritual and legalism it
represents. As many as 60% of Brazilian Catholics are involved in Spiritist and occultic practices. The nation is plagued
by tremendous social problems such as a high crime rate, extensive and severe poverty, and a large number of abused
and neglected children.

Brazil has a diversified economy with large manufacturing and agricultural sectors. It is largely self-sufficient in food and
consumer goods and is among the world's largest exporters of coffee, oranges, beef, and iron ore. In recent years the
government has been able to control the high inflation which characterized the 1970's and 1980's. Despite recent
economic gains, the majority of Brazilians still live in poverty and the vast gap between the rich and poor continues to
plague the society. For this reason there is general pessimism among the people about the state of the economy and
opportunities for improvement.

Brazil is a land of endless horizons, not only physically but spiritually as well. The needs are tremendous and
opportunities abound for Christians to offer hope to this great nation by introducing them to the Author of life.

History of Things to Come Mission in Brazil

In 1958 the founder of Things to Come Mission, Mr. Herbert Palmer received a response to an advertisement he placed in
Moody Monthly magazine which offered Bible Study material to anyone who was interested. This correspondence came
from Henrique Schmidt, a man of German descent who had immigrated to Brazil from Russia. He enthusiastically
embraced the distinctive "Grace" doctrine presented in the material he received. The rest of his life was committed to
seeking the lost for Christ and establishing them firmly in the truth of God's Word. His efforts yielded considerable fruit
having planted several churches in southern Brazil in the area around Curitiba and in the State of Santa Catarina.

In the early 1970's TCM added three missionary families to assist in developing the ministry in Brazil. These were the
Roland (Bud) Wilson, Warren Keiper and Frank Valenza families. All of these missionaries worked for several years
helping to build up and train leaders for the churches.

In 1986 Mario and Ella Indino arrived in Brazil to begin the work of establishing a Bible Institute to prepare men and women
to minister in the churches. Mario is a Filipino who had served as a TCM missionary in Indonesia, where he met his wife.
When they were forced to leave Indonesia they came to Brazil to a new ministry. In March 1987 the Grace Theological
Institute opened its doors to students with the first class graduating in 1991. Mario and Ella left Brazil in 1998 to return to
Indonesia.

In 1988 Doug and Vicki LeFeber joined TCM as missionaries. They had been serving as missionaries in the city of Recife
for a number of years and had established a growing congregation in that city of 2.7 million people. In 1993 their daughter
Michelle joined the work as a TCM missionary in her own right. In 1995 Michelle was married to Jouaquim Campos and
they are currently on educational leave in the U.S.

The team of TCM missionaries was joined by Barb Bowman in 1987 who has been active in a variety of ministries which
include youth work, music, children's programs, evangelism and discipleship. Barb married Tony Sistelos in 1993 and
together they are serving with TCM in Brazil.

Another Filipino missionary, Sanny Sumilhig, and his wife Jeannette served in Brazil form 1991 to 1995. In 1994 two more
Filipino missionaries, Gomer and Urbana Indino arrived to join the work and help in the development of the ministry. They
work in the areas of evangelism, children's ministries and leadership training. In 1997 the Indinos were joined by Joel and
Darcy Molina. Together they are working to renew the churches and develop strong leaders in the churches in southern
Brazil.

Present Ministry of Things to Come Mission in Brazil

Presently there are seven congregations in the southern states of Parana and Santa Catarina and two in Recife. There
are a number of areas of ministry which are being developed which will further stimulate growth and progress among the
churches. These include youth ministries, workers' seminars, women's retreats and the creation of a Sunday School
department. In Recife Michelle (LeFeber) Campos' burden for the suffering and neglected street children of the City has
resulted in a ministry known as Project Abba. This is an outreach ministry to the children in the Ibura district of Recife, a
poor area where one of the two churches is located.

In 1998 a Bible Institute was opened in the Ibura church in Recife. The two missionary families from the South moved
there in early 1999 to teach in this school. This will be an important development in training national leaders who can
further develop the growth of the Brazilian ministry. The ministry in Recife continues to grow at a very impressive rate.

In the South the ministry is carried on by a number of national pastors. Carlos Schmidt leads a number of Bible Study
groups in areas where his father ministered.