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Arriving in Rio Size: 71k	Christ Statue Size: 65k	Fonseca BC Shirts Size: 79k	Fonseca BC Size: 104k
Rainbow Size: 63k	Sugarloaf Size: 100k

THE LONGEST DAY

Morning viewed from the dizzying heights of the aircraft came all too quickly at 6:00 am. The sun peaked out above the cloud-line as we drew close to Sao Paulo, a banking and business center on the eastern coast of Brazil. Disembarking to make our plane and flight change was quite easy as the plane was less than half full.

God never ceases to amaze me in the weaving together of so many different chance meetings and conversations. Just as we were landing in Sao Paulo for our flight change, a conversation was struck up with our flight attendant, Bob Bertram. Amazingly enough, we share common musical experiences, interests and acquaintances. He is a high tenor who sings with the Southwestern Seminary Oratorio Chorus and the Schola Cantorum. Having traversed the United States for 2 months this last autumn, he was singing for large crowds with a repertoire that consisted of just one song: The Star Spangled Banner! His musical experiences even include having sung with one of our talented music evangelists that sings in the SMONCT, Scott Cameron! This providential act of God to place us next to each other testifies of his goodness.

Just 209 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, our layover and plane change was initially directed to be effected at gate 22. The relatively small airport with its brief array of gates even experienced a last minute gate change for our intended destination. However, again God allowed the time that was spent at the wrong gate to encounter a Brazilian native whose profession in Brazil as a lawyer had given way during the last three years to being a Portuguese teacher in Omaha, Nebraska. Gerre (pronounced "Jerry") Joiner, our flight companion from FBC Decatur never met a stranger, it seems. He shared quite a bit with her about our trip, and she reciprocated with quite a bit of her life story. She met and married an American, both being Christians and now quite in love, and has only returned for brief visits to her homeland. She even expressed an interest in subscribing to this E-group. Debbie, my wife, noticed our gate change, and so we parted ways, perhaps never to meet again until the gates of heaven.

And finally, although traveling on to the same destination as us, the main body was on the tarmac at Sao Paulo having arrived just before our small group of three. Although they were not allowed to disembark as there was to be no change of aircraft in their case, we unknowingly shared the same city and airport for a brief time.

Upon arrival in Rio de Janeiro (which means "River of January" in Portuguese), we made our way quickly and without incident through customs. After gaining possession of our checked baggage and clearing final baggage inspection, we were greeted by a smiling face and a waving sign for "SINGING MEN OF TEXAS." It seems that the large group had arrived with just sufficient time to do all that we had and the final bus was just about to leave. Again, the providence of God allowed us to make our final connection flawlessly.

Licia, our guide on the 2nd bus, and Marcia who is the guide for the first bus that already left for the hotel gave us a rolling travelogue of fast paced information about this city that is named for a river that does not exist. It seems that the original Portuguese explorers traveled past the entrance of the bay and thought it to be a river. Although the name stuck, no river is to be found, only a vast and pleasant bay of calm water. And while the name of the city might be three words, the local pronunciation is a merged "Riojaneiro." The barrage of information was quick: Rio is a metropolis in front of the ocean… There are six million people in a city with the largest urban forest within the city limits in the world. The country of Brazil has 178 million people and—landwise—is the 5th largest country in the world. It is actually larger that the 48 contiguous states. There are large mountains that surround the city. The available fruits include mangos, guava, papaya, and event the fruit of the cashew nut tree. Christ the Redeemer statue, the famous statue atop Hunchback Mountain was built over five years in 1929 to 1936 in honor of the centennial of Brazil’s independence from Portugal. Education at the local college whizzing by on our left is a mere $2 per semester. A Brazilian MIT follows on our right. Fauvelas, the Brazilian word for slums, include both "organized" constructions on the hillsides that surround and intermingle the city. We’re told to search out the special soft drink from Amazonian fruit made out of Guarana. The largest vaccination center in Latin America, producing vaccines flies by on the right of the modern bus driven expertly over a modern highway system. Licia informs us that spring water is highly prized in the city as 25% of all the potable water in the world is available here in the Rio area, but in an ironic twist, we are to drink only the bottled H2O—not the water from the tap in fear of obtaining Montezuma’s revenge! The familiar musical area of Ipanema is an area of good shopping. Our glimpse of the City Hall precedes our entrance into a tunnel in two parts extending two miles underneath the mountain with the statue far above us. The Lagoon district, and finally the ocean greet our arrival at the downtown Sheraton lobby level with a lobby on the sixth floor and a restaurant buffet on the 5th floor. The hotel is built so that the lowest floor is a sea, or swimming, level. Through all of this 30+ minute trip from the airport, I have seen a city of contrasts: beautiful cocoanut palm trees and cement block structures, familiar brands of McDonalds, Chevrolet, Sherwin-Williams, Shell, Black and Decker and even Esso lie jumbled among more staid establishments featuring the local cuisine and business efforts, a gray ocean with South Atlantic breakers populated by both kids and adults on dark white sands, small cars parked along a divided thoroughfare with a separate but unoccupied bicycle lane, smallish cars parked so close together that getting out is impossible while others have chosen to park on the unencumbered median, and finally our 26 story hotel with Fauvelas (slums) located directly above us on the mountain.

A brief reprieve and (expensive) hotel meal precede our 3:15 departure for our first concert that is across an immense bay bridge that seems at least five miles long to the city of Niteroi(?). We pass bay front distribution areas filled with ocean going containers and lines of Fiats awaiting export. The entrance to the bay is marked by Sugarloaf Mountain on the south and an old fort on the north side. The bay is filled with all sorts of commerce, including off-shore drilling rigs anchored temporarily near shore.

The first bus takes the bell ringers to the FBC to obtain the final octaves of their bell choir, and the second bus departs behind them for what is assumed to be a more direct route to the Fonseca Baptist Church. After detours both intentional to avoid traffic and unintentional as we seek to find the church, we finally arrive at this smallish building on one of the cities main business arteries. The second bus arrives at this un-air conditioned edifice not too far behind us. There is a sign out in front of the church that proclaims in Portuguese: "You Cannot Miss It! Men’s Choir Texas, USA, February 20th, 8:00 PM (in 24 hour military nomenclature) Tuesday". Acts 16:31 is the bible verse appealing for the salvation for the individual and whole house that is based upon belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that this unimposing structure is home to a sincere and bountiful body of believers that meet a full EIGHT times on Sunday in order to house all of their worshippers. It is sad but true that the problem of graffiti is international in scope, and it is just as unintelligible in Portuguese as it is in English. This self-indulgement even stretches to the 2nd floor level with taggers standing atop the lower level’s awnings and hanging out of windows to ply their trade.

Rex Campbell of the BGCT has accompanied us to the church to document our experiences with both video and still photography. He will stay with us as the medical personal stay on the bus and return to the downtown area to introduce themselves to the clinic where they will be working on Thursday.

The interior of the church is painted in white with a light blue ceiling and gold trim. The lighting in a building cooled by 16 large fans attached to both the walls and the façade of the small balcony that encircles the entire seating area is entirely florescent. 24 six tube arrays in the shape of the Star of David adorn the high ceiling adding minimal heat to this sweaty and loud venue. Their sound man was due to arrive at 5:00 pm, then 5:30 then 6:00… oh well, you get the picture. We started our own sound techs to work at about 6:15 to get things lined out.

We ate at about 6:30. The meal was a chicken dish on rice with potatoes and shoe-string potatoes, and compared to our adventurous meals of China and Spain, was much more edible and filling. I told the head cook through the interpreter that it was the first meal that I had ever cleared my plate on a mission trip. Her response was to give me light hug and say, "It was made with love!" The SMONCT group always sings for their meal with a chorus written by James George of FBC Irving, giving thanks to the ladies and men who prepared it for us.

The crowd started to filter in about 7:15 and grew to almost capacity by the time the concert started at 8:00. This, as concerts go, was a long one. We would not get out until 10:00 PM. Near the end of the concert, Texas shirts were distributed to the pastor and two others on the church staff. Later, the pastor of the church—now attired in the Texas Shirt du jour—gave an obviously inspired plea just before our next to last song. And whether he was speaking in Portuguese or not, the query he made during the prayer he offered was universal: "If you died tonight, would you know without any doubt that you would go to heaven?" The vast majority raised their hands in affirmation to this wonderful truth. He next asked to for any hands that wanted know how they could obtain this same assurance. There was a young man who responded to the invitation, and the pastor later confirmed to me personally that he indeed did make a profession of faith in response to the moving of the Holy Spirit in his young life. He closed the evening with a translated declaration of how heaven will be like this, but all singing in one language—and added the desire for that to be Portuguese! Indeed, the crowd responded very warmly to our 4 or 5 songs sung in their native language, but still appreciative of the songs in English as well.

The load up was accomplished smoothly with all pitching in, but the tiny parking lot next to the church was packed with small automobiles that blocked our busses into the lot. We finally left by 10:30. This double-long day—most of us averaged about 2/3 hours of sleep—was finally at an end.

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