The Little Things In Life

On June 17th, 1989, we were just hours away from beginning our first church in downtown São Paulo, Brazil.  For the occasion, we printed up 70,000 fliers to invite people to the inaugural service and the two week evangelistic campaign to follow.  Some other churches from the area came to help us pass out some of the 70,000 fliers inviting  people to the first services of our church.

About two hours before that service, the youth from the other churches arrived and we gave them about 200 fliers a person, sent them out to the nearest street corners, and then they began passing out the invitations to the services.

We had people spread out all throughout the areas where we were beginning our church.  Thousands of fliers were being passed out.  There was a 27 year old girl that passed by the area near our church.  Her name was Elenita.  Somehow she managed to walk past the people that were passing out tracts and she did not receive one.  Then she saw something on the ground.  It was a little piece of paper that we were passing out.  It had been on the ground for some time and had someone's shoe print on it.  For some reason, I can only say that it was by the grace of God, she leaned over and picked up the paper.  Elenita read the invitation, noticed that the first service for the Esperança [Hope] Baptist Church was to start in only 45 minutes, and she decided to come.

Elenita was one of the first Brazilians from the neighborhood to arrive for the service. She came, and for the first time in her life, heard a clear presentation of the gospel.  She came forward during the invitation, and along with four other adults, she accepted Christ as her Savior that evening.

Elenita started coming faithfully.  She was discipled and baptized.  She began helping where she could. She began inviting her friends and giving out invitations to those she met.  After a few years she began teaching Sunday School, helping out in the children's programs, and singing in the choir.  All the years I was at that church in São Paulo, she was a blessing to have around.  She taught Sunday School, came faithfully, and sang in the choir.

That small piece of paper was just a little thing in her life that day, but God used that little thing to change her life for all of eternity.

David & Geri Smith: Missionaries to Brazil

Elenita is just one of 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 60 people.  The Smiths returned to Brazil in April of 1997 to resume their church planting ministry at their second work.  Let's remember to pray for the Smith family as they minister there in Curitiba, Brazil.

S. David & Geri Smith - Curitiba, Brazil