Finding God in Brazil

This book amounts to a series of stories about my experience of living and working in Brazil over a period of thirty-three years. The aim of the book, written from the perspective of a Christian missionary working in the most remote parts of the country, as well as in some major urban centres, is to show how God is perceived to be involved in our everyday affairs. Its target audience is Christian and non-Christian alike. The range of experiences is personal and shared. My story involves the stories of other people, and both become interwoven into a single fabric. My story begins with a brief explanation as to how I came to go to Brazil and how God confirmed his calling to me to do this in a remarkable way. This leads into stories of many interesting and sometimes extraordinary people, as this lifetime adventure unfolds. Some stories are humorous, others sad, even tragic. All are deeply meaningful with an intended message for the reader. The stories are factual. All the things that are recalled actually happened. They are based on my personal recollections looking back, and include extracts from letters that I wrote home about my experiences at the time of the events themselves. Many aspects of life in Brazil are covered, including descriptions of the abundant natural beauty of Brazil, from the Amazon rainforest to the farming communities of the European south; also covered in the book are the political and economic upheavals that Brazil has experienced during the years I lived there. These upheavals impinged on the lives of ordinary Brazilians, as well as on my own life. Insights are given into the lives of the humble poor in Brazil. The stories in my book are about their lives as much as my own. As their stories are woven into my own story, my life was enriched beyond measure.These stories are shared now in the hope that they will encourage and inspire the reader. Inspiration can come from unexpected places. I was inspired and amazed as I wandered down memory lane in order to put this book together. On occasions I laughed, on others I cried and wept, as I had done at the time the events took place. Writing this book has recharged personal, deep emotions. I offer the result as a tribute to all whose names are mentioned within these pages, and whose stories are now part of my own sense of identity.