From A Drunk To A Deacon

See The Difference Christ Made In The Life Of One Brazilian

Two years after we started our first work in downtown São Paulo, Brazil, a 17 year old girl named Katrina got saved.  Two weeks later her mother got saved.  Then, my co-worker witnessed to her dad.  His name was Cláudio. Cláudio was 47 years old at the time and he liked doing three things in life: he liked drinking beer; He liked drinking wine; and he liked drinking whisky.  For all practical purposes, Cláudio was a drunk.

Cláudio did not accept Christ as his Savior when he was witnessed to shortly after his wife's and daughter's salvation, but he did allow them to come to church.

Two years later, despondent with life, Cláudio went to the medicine cabinet one morning, took everything that was in it, dowsed it down with boose, and then laid down expecting to die.

A few days later Cláudio woke up in the hospital, he told is wife that he had been a failure in everything in his life.  He said that he had been a failure as a husband, as a father, and at work.  Even this suicide attempt had been a failure: he said he could not do anything right.

Then looking directly at his wife, he said with all seriousness:"But you know, I've noticed a change in your life over the last two years.  And If God can do for me what he has done for you, I want to accept Him as my Savior."  His wife was beside herself.  For two years she had been praying for her husband to accept Christ as his Savior.  That night, Cláudio [there in his hospital bed], bowed his head, repented of his sins, and accepted Christ as his Savior.

Cláudio went off to a cold turkey Christian detoxification camp and then came back three months later.

When he came back, he began attending Sunday morning,  Sunday night, and Wednesday night.  He took our five week baptismal course and then was baptized.  He took our thirteen week course on Christian discipleship.  Then he took our soul winning training course.  Today, Cláudio not only is a soul winner at our church, but he also trains souls winners.  Then, after faithfully serving and attending our church for about 5 years, Cláudio became one of our deacons.

David & Geri Smith: Missionaries to Brazil

Cláudio and his family are just three of the 1000+ people that have made salvation decisions at the Esperança [Hope] Baptist Church in down town São Paulo, Brazil.  David and Geri Smith -Missionaries with Baptist Mid-Missions- helped to start this work and ministered in São Paulo for 7 years.  This same work recently had 341 in Sunday School.  In 1995, the Smiths moved to Curitiba, Brazil and assumed the leadership of a small struggling work.  In less than nine months, that church grew from 12 to have a high of 84.  It is now averaging 70 people.  The Smiths returned to Brazil in April of 1997 to resume their church planting ministry at their second work.  Please remember to pray for the Smith family as they minister there in Curitiba, Brazil.

S. David & Geri Smith - Londrina, Brazil

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