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2nd BC Petropolis Size: 104k	Campbell Sunrise Size: 70k	Cowboy Bill Size: 61k	Glenn arrested Size: 99k
Pastor 2nd BC Petropolis Size: 83k	Pastor and Don Size: 67k	Petropolis Museum Size: 130k	Policia Fred Size: 129k

A JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART

Please, if you only scan these messages for quick news, be sure that you set aside time to read this one all the way through. God blessed this writer, and I know hopes to bless you.

The night of rest was short as we ate a quick breakfast, sent email and loaded the buses for our 9:00 am departure. As things are never on time here, it was not surprising that we left some 20+ minutes late… it seems that the hotel chose the assigned moment of our exodus to move one of our member’s rooms from a room that had inoperative plumbing. Mr. Haire, our Travelink contact who is also one of the owners of the company was “not a happy camper.”

This trip out of town was by a little different route this morning as our guides took us along the beaches all the way around the Atlantic side of Rio. As has been explained with some repetition (to the humorous chuckles of the medical crew that has joined us today and has heard the same stories over and over), the city was first begun on the bay side of the peninsula; it was not expanded to the ocean side until the early 20th century as safety from ocean attack was less of a concern by that time. Our course out of the city again took the ascending trail toward the mountains that were scaled by our buses yesterday. At one point almost an hour into the trip and outside the sprawling metropolis that is Rio, we turned to the left to continue to Petropolis. The trail that we climb is constantly winding through mountains that are lushly attired in their verdant beauty.

The city of our destination is a major hub of some 500,000 people. Petropolis was home to the mansion, now a walk-through museum that was built for Pedro II, the 2nd and last emperor of Brazil. This son of Pedro I—Pedro I being the son of the king of Portugal—had four children, only two of whom survived childhood, both being girls. Pedro II had a first wife, a girlfriend, and a 2nd wife that came to him by proxy from Europe. It was during his tenure that the first constitution for the republic was written. Whereas his demise was hurried—he and his family were given only 48 hours to exit the country—descendents of the royal line still live today in, and receive support from the city of Petropolis.

After checking our cameras and bags at the museum entrance, our tour was spent “skating” on state-imposed sandals that covered your normal shoes in order to protect the floor from dirt and abrasion. The history lesson given to us on the buses becomes alive in the hour plus that is spent touring the mansion to see many things:

the first telephone and imperial telescope

the music room complete with period instruments

the throne room

the crowns and scepter of royalty

the beautiful amethyst necklace with stones the size of dove eggs

the various rooms assigned to each of the ruling monarchs, emblazoned in the ceilings with a PII for the emperor and T for Teresa Cristina, his wife—or PT when both were considered to have use of the room

the carriages housed outside the mansion in their own building

Afterwards, we were able to join together on the steps of the museum for a group picture. Then we were off to the church through a brief shower that made the air sticky with sweat. After we were warmly applauded and cheered in a welcome up the stairs to this 2nd floor sanctuary of the Second Baptist Church of Petropolis, we moved quickly to our lunch supplied to us within the 3rd floor of the church. The dining area was brightly decorated with balloon collages made in both the familiar red, white and blue as well as the native green and yellow. Again, singing for our food was the thanks we gave to our hosts. The late afternoon meal was followed by a timely setup and warm-up, and we were dismissed to a 3 to 4 hour free time. Some spent the afternoon walking the busy Saturday shopping area that lined the crisscrossed streets of a hilly downtown area. There were a few of us that chose to go with some of the local church members to their homes for a time of rest. Some of the youth of the church chaperoned those that selected their assistance for their shopping. We again returned to the church for a light evening meal that was again served with love.

It’s sometimes hard for me to find the right words to describe the passion and electricity that is found in a concert such as tonight. We present our music alternately in either tuxedoes, or in a more casual uniform of Texas shirts (yes, they look like the Texas flag) and dark blue pants when there is no air conditioning. Tonight’s concert was not only warm in degrees centigrade, but tremendously warm in spirit and passion. The concert, as did last night, began with a small youth vocal ensemble leading in praise songs. We were able to present our full concert this evening, and the response from the people was, at times, overwhelming, moving many and even this journalist to tears. All of the same responses we have begun to almost expect were there:

the crowd singing along reverently with Rodrigo on “Shout to the Lord”

the crowd responding to the soloists, whether they be singing in English or Portuguese

the appreciative responses to our gifts from both the SMONCT and the BGCT to the pastor

But tonight, if possible, there was so much more. The tears began to flow early… Perhaps it began with the Rodrigo’s addition of “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” to the end of the dramatic and moving guitar solo presentation of “Via Dolorosa.” Perhaps it was the church singing with us as we sang “It Is Well with My Soul.” Perhaps it was standing ovations given time and time again offering praise for our songs that were offered in praise to our mighty and righteous God. Perhaps even it was the tender and compassionate prayer offered with tears as the pastor and his wife prayed desperately for the people of the congregation.

No… no. It was most assuredly one that is and has been among us for three years. It was a quiet man. One that, I am ashamed to say, even through my years of being in this group I have failed to recognize by much more than his name. For you see, perhaps I have been remiss in telling you that each evening, whenever possible, our concerts include a testimony from one of those among us. One that has walked in our footsteps… one that is standing in our midst… one whose experience in life has moved on to an age of retirement… one that God has moved to share with us just how much his life has been touched by the hand of God. That one tonight was C. S. Randall of Valley Mills, Texas near Waco.

I have heard many testimonies in my life, as I sure you have as well. And many have started the way his did tonight. C. S. shared from his heart: …parents that took him to church at the age of 3 days. …grew up near the church building and was there every time it was open. …came to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus early in life. …came to realize in his early youth that he was too embarrassed about that relationship to share it. …came to realize at about the age of 16 that his head knowledge of Jesus Christ was not a heart knowledge of Him as Lord and Savior. …rectified this mistake in his life by asking Jesus to come into his heart …met and married a wonderful Christian woman, Gail. …introducing his wife to the congregation here tonight …had a beautiful family. …about being blessed with 3 boys. (I thought of My Three Sons and how only small things ever happened to this storybook TV family.) …the youngest one is a fine Christian lawyer.

But now… now you could hear a pin drop in a room where crowd noise and automobile sounds filtered in through the open windows earlier combining to mask even our choir’s loudest fortes at times. For C. S. shared the news, the painful and unbelievable headlines of his life that screamed pain and injustice all the more… He took a deep breath… His oldest son had been struck by lightning while simply sitting on the beach. Before that news had sunk into my conscience, he recited more of the headlines that kept blasting into my ears… Another son, having asked a wonderful Christian girl to marry him and having received her consent, was approached the very next day by another man who had tried unsuccessfully to date his fiancée. This man of no name murdered C. S.’s son who was on the brink of a storybook life with a love promised to him until death does them part. Oh, how the tears began to roll down my cheeks. Here this quiet and unassuming man was one who had escaped my deep acquaintance—even my closest choir mate confirmed that he did not know this history that C. S. so willingly shared with all of us.

This man continued his testimony, however, and explained how God carried Gail and him through this incredible valley that lay in the shadow of such inexplicable deaths. Confirming that it was hard for him to explain in words what it is like losing a child, he had no shortage of testimony when it came to how God brought Gail and him through all of this. First, he said, God gave them each other, to hug and to hold. Next, He gave many wonderful people that combined in a network of prayer to undergird their lives with love and support. God gave them also His word, and C. S. encouraged each of us to study it as we will never know if tragedies such as this are to happen in our lives, but when they do we should be prepared with the comfort that is found in scripture. And finally, with a maturity that can be found in only those that experience a personal walk with Jesus on a daily basis, C. S. explained how he had come to forgive this man that had murdered his son. And then he asked us—each one of us there tonight—that we would not leave this place until we too had also made that longest of journeys, by moving Jesus from our head to our heart. That request still echoes in my ears, now many hours after it first fell from the lips of one so willing to share his pain in order that we might benefit and grow in the body of Christ.

I knew in my heart tonight that God had provided something so special for us that I could barely contain the desire I had in wanting to bring this to you in every detail. And I know, as a result of tonight’s powerful witness, that I am destined to redouble my own personal efforts to know each of my fellow Christian brothers that are SMONCT’ers more distinctly… more completely. And thereby gain strength for and in my daily walk with Jesus.

The response time provided by the pastor included a strong testimony from an English speaking Brazilian lady. She was as moved as I—and shared with the entire congregation with her pastor translating for her back into Portuguese all the way! Again, it seemed that many of the crowd responded to a pastoral call for repentance and saving faith in Jesus, but the number of respondents is unsure.

Some of the after thoughts from members on Bus B on the way home:

Larry Wesson shared about a former church member who traveled 200 miles for the chance to see him here tonight.

Gerald Ware: How the members of the church reflect the heart of the pastors—their mission becomes the member’s mission.

Woody Schober: The home visit they experienced with one who became known to them as the sister of the pastor, and of his singing “Jesus Loves Me” in Portuguese two times, the second in harmony with his hostess.

Bob Mathews: The singing of “We Are One in the Bond of Love” at lunch in response to our Thank You song. (We also experienced this near the end of this evening’s concert once again.)

Wayne Gadman: The openness of the people and their attitudes about Jesus that he has seen in both this trip and another in 1982—attributing the difference in the Brazilian spirit and the sometimes less than exuberance in the faith found in the U.S. to the simplistic lifestyle in the country that we are visiting.

Bill Haire: Quoting Noel, one of his employees on this trip, to the need that we have to share with the Brazilian people during the concerts that we are here especially for them, many times paying our own way, and that though being (modest prevents me from just quoting as fact without a sidebar comment) extremely talented, we do not tour all the time.

Gerald Ware: In the closing prayer of our share time to remember our own Fred Himstedt as he is preaching the church service at the request of the Brazilian pastor.

Thus we experienced a fitting end to the greatness of the day that is the Lord’s!

Sole Deo Gloria!

Charles Ashley, journalist
John Bell, photographer - I know a lot of photos today, but a lot is happening!
(with thanks to Rex Campbell from the BGCT for additional shots)
P.S.Wasn't that a GREAT sunrise shot? - I was too sleepy to get up! (John)

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