As I mentioned in my previous post, last week we held a celebration of the ministries of five of our missionaries here in northeast Brazil who are retiring after years of faithful service. As one of the planners of the event, it was my job to collect pictures for a short video presentation. Several of these pictures are historical treasures in their own right.
The missionaries in question were Darrell and Jean Haworth, Mark and Linda Willson, and Luis and Janet Meneses (Luís is now with the Lord). Here are some of the pictures they shared.
Janet Meneses (Janet Wolf at that time) preparing her belongings for transportation from Ohio to Brazil in 1973.Missionaries Darrell and Jean Haworth arrive with a colleague (in the middle) in Fortaleza, Ceará.
Mark Willson was raised in Brazil, by missionary parents
Janet Wolf and Luis Meneses met in Brazil, and were married. At the time, missionaries marrying nationals was frowned upon. Janet and Luis were pioneers, for whom I am especially grateful.
I always get a kick out of the variety of vehicles that missionaries drove back in the day. I can’t imagine that Darrell and Jean were very comfortable in this behemoth.
One thing that struck me was the change these colleagues witnessed over the years. Here is Janet Meneses with a typewriter and adding machine…
…and here is Mark Willson, well into the computer age. As a side note…laptops were absolutely made to be used with hammocks. Darrwell and Jean Haworth were pioneers in musical ministry. Many people in our churches owe their musical proficiency, directly or indirectly, to the early influence this couple had.The Cariri Baptist Seminary has had an enormous influence on the ministry in our region. All of the missionaries featured here served there at one time or another. Mark Willson spent his whole career teaching and serving in other capacities Not only did Luís Meneses serve at the seminary, he was also a graduate.Another ministry Luís was heavily involved with was the Christian bookstore, at the time the only one in the region. Of course all the ministries we are engaged in revolve around the local church and the fulfillment of the Great Commission……teaching all nations……and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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