Baptist Mid-Missions of Brazil
75th Anniversary: 1935 - 2010
Missionaries with last names starting with the letter
"M "
Last updated on November 9, 2009
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David & Brenda Mayo
David and Brenda Mayo joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1988. They arrived in Brazil on February 12, 1991, and studied Portuguese at the BMM Language School in Fortaleza, Ceará. Dave taught Bible classes, was the basketball coach for Fortaleza Academy, and he and Brenda served as dorm parents in the Big House dormitory for Baptist Mid-Missions MKs.
The Mayos also worked at the Berean Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Beriana) in the Aerolândia subdivision in Fortaleza, Ceará.
Dave and Brenda resigned from BMM in November 1999. Currently, Dave currently (August 2009) is pastoring the Cornerstone Baptist Church, in Hamilton, New York, USA.
Dynes and Maxine McCullough
This information was gleaned from Dynes McCullough´s 29 page autobiography that he dictated before his death.
Dynes McCullough was born in Colerain, Ireland, on May 17, 1913. As a boy Dynes would sing on the street corners in his town and people would give him money. He was the son of Robert and Maria Atkinson McCullough. His mother was the youngest of 18 children. Dynes´ grandfather Dynes Atkinson was a lay Methodist preacher in Coleraine, Belfast, Ireland. When Dynes was 11 years old, his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Detroit Michigan. Shortly after they arrived in Detroit, a pastor by the name of Rev. Trabert passed by his house one day and invited him to Sunday School at the nearby Baptist Church. Dynes especially liked going to church with Rev. Trabert because he got to ride in the pastor´s Model-T Ford.
One day while on a street car, he received a track from a lady that said “South America Needs You.” Before Dynes got off that street car, he knew God was calling him to South America. Dynes wrote in his biography: “I thought I could just get off of the street car and take off for South America right away.” His pastor encouraged him to go to Bible College and shortly thereafter he began his studies at Moody Bible College. During his time at Moody, Dynes sang on a daily radio program that helped pay his way through school. While he was there he was quarantined as a carrier of the scarlet fever virus. Dynes wrote: “I was not sick, but because I was found to be a carrier, I was quarantined in my room. This gave me a lot of time to spend in the Word, and to seek the Lord's will for my life. By the time I was released, I knew that the Lord wanted me to serve in the Amazon Valley.”
Dynes graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1938. He told his pastor about his desire to serve the Lord in Brazil and his pastor said that if he were ready to go, his church would pay his full support of US 75.00/month so he could leave immediately. Dynes applied to BMM, packed his bags and arrived in Brazil on Easter Sunday 1939. When Dynes arrived in Manaus, his support was U$ 75.00/month. The Trimbles and the Warfields support was U$ 40.00/month: therefore, he was more than glad to help the missionaries make payments on the house they had purchased where all the missionaries lived. This house where all the missionaries lived is the same property where all Amazon Baptist College was located until 2009.
He started studying Portuguese in Manaus, but he soon learned that his lawyer English teacher was learning more English than Dynes was learning Portuguese. He then took off up the Rio Solimões (Solimões River) for a 30 day trip on a Mississippi type wood burning paddled boat. His destination was Cruzeiro do Sul, in Acre.
When Dynes got to the town of Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, he got off the boat and started asking people if there were any believers (Christians) in town. There were none. Dynes kept asking strangers on the road if there were any believers in town until finally someone directed him to a house just outside of town. When Dynes asked the man if he was a Christian, he said ''You must be the answer to our prayers. We have come here from the coast to work, and we have no one to teach us the Word of God. Come in, come in, our house is your house''. Dynes lived with this man and his family with 9 children for the next two years. It was there he learned Portuguese. Two years later he returned to Manaus. When he arrived there, Martha Hocking met him at the dock. Martha asked him: ''How are you doing?'' Dynes struggled to think of some words in English to answer her. The only words he could think of were, ''No good, no good.”
Dynes returned to the USA for his first furlough in April of 1942. While on that furlough he met Maxine Cochran. She was the daughter of Onnie and Ida May Cochran and was the sixth of seven children. Maxine was born in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, on June 30, 1918. Maxine´s maternal grandfather was Rev. Patrick Williams. He was Baptist minister in Mt Vernon, Illinois, and surrounding area. Dynes met Maxine in July and married her four months later on November 28, 1942. Maxine had joined BMM on August 1, 1942. When Maxine joined Baptist Mid-Missions, her goal was to work in the Amazon River Basin.
Due to WWII, Dynes and Maxine could not get a ship going straight through to Brazil. They found a ship that was headed for Chile that would go through the Panama cannel. From New Orleans to Panama, they traveled in a 25 ship military convoy. Two of the ships were sunk by German submarines on the third day out of port. Dynes and Maxine traveled for 95 days to reach Manaus. They went through the Panama Cannel; Canne, Peru; Lima, Peru; Chiclayo, Peru; Benjamin Constante, Brazil, then on to Manaus.
After the birth of their first child, they started making plans to return to Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, but their luggage had never arrived in Manaus. This was almost a year after they had returned to Brazil. Dynes and Maxine decided to go on ahead to Cruzeiro do Sul even without their luggage. The day before they were to take their 35 day journey up the river, they came back to the mission house and got the surprise of their life. Dynes wrote the following: “Well, here we were in Manaus almost a year and they (our baggage) had not arrived. With much checking, we found that they had somehow gone to Rio de Janeiro. We were quite resigned to the fact that we probably never would see them again. We were a bit apprehensive about starting out to live in the interior without even the bare essentials of a household. Then Elva Barber came to us and she had just divided everything in two - dishes, silverware, pots, pans, linens, -- all that she owned. That was a real Christian sacrifice!”
About January 1944, they moved to Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, and worked for about nine months at the same church he had worked in during his first term. One day they received a telegram from some believers in Rio Branco, Acre, asking Dynes and Maxine to come and start a church in Rio Branco, the state capitol of Acre. Cruzeiro do Sul and Acre are only about 600 kilometers apart on the map, but they had to travel back to Manaus and then 35 days up another tributary of the Amazon River.
Dynes contracted typhoid fever during this time, but he did recover. During the next three years, they worked and started the 1st Baptist Church in Rio Branco, Acre. In addition to this, Dynes had many preaching points in the rubber plantations in the area. He visited these plantations by canoe.
Dynes and Maxine wrote the following about their time in Rio Branco, Acre, during their first four years in Brazil: “This first term in the Acre was filled with many experiences - getting started in the work, living in the jungle, no running water or sanitation, no electricity, no stove to cook on, very little in the way of food, all of which called for a complete different life-style. I was busy getting the church underway. The small building we had, soon had to be enlarged. It very rapidly became too small again. Once more it had to be enlarged. The church grew even in the face of much persecution from the people who were incited by the Catholic church. They sent young boys to disrupt the services. Our street meetings in the market place were often interrupted by things being thrown at us. The merchants were instructed to not sell to us. They did not even let us buy our drinking water, so it was necessary to have some friends buy for us.”
During 1946 Dynes and Maxine were home on furlough and when they returned to Brazil they worked with Wayne and Elva Barber in the Rio Branco Church.
In 1953, Dynes and Maxine moved to Fortaleza, Ceará. Dynes served as director of the language school for two year. During this same time, he also started the Mucuripe Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular de Mucuripe) in the Mucuripe fishing village in Fortaleza, Ceará. Their first building was a rented hut with a grass thatched roof that was built right on the sand/beach. From 1954 to 1956, this church grew from 20 in attendance to 200.
In 1956, Dynes and Maxine moved to Southern Brazil and worked first with Manny Woods and then started working at the Zion Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Sião) in São Bernardo dos Campos, SP.
During the next term of service Dynes worked in 4 churches in the São José dos Campos, São Paulo area.
Dynes did one year as a Missionary evangelist. During one time during the year, he preached every night for nine weeks straight without one night off. After that, Dynes and Maxine started the Lageado Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Lageado), in São Paulo, São Paulo.
Dynes and Maxine´s next church work was to help John and Karen Swedberg start the Jardim Oriental Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Jardim Oriental), in Osaco, São Paulo.
Dynes and Maxine returned to the USA in April of 1981 and then officially retired on November 15, 1981. Dynes died in Sebring, Florida, on June 27, 1991. He was buried at the Lakeview Memorial Gardens in the Lakeview Florida area. Today (October 2009), Maxine is 91 years old and lives in Avon Park, Florida.
Judy McCullough Withrow wrote that: “Dad recorded two 78 RPM records and four long-play albums that were instrumental in helping to provide for a major part of the property and camp buildings at Maranatha Camp. All profits from these recordings were dedicated to the work of our Lord in Brazil. Dad was an Irish tenor that sang from his heart. Many people were blessed by this ministry and continue to be blessed.” Dynes told Marv Fray that he raised enough money from the sell of the records to build the two story multifunctional building at Camp Marantha. It held the meeting hall downstairs where services were held and the upper level held the dining hall where are the meals were served as well as the industrial kitchen. It was the most used and most useful building at the old beloved Camp Marantha in São José dos Campos, SP.
Betty McKeehan
Written by S. David Smith
This information is from a personal testimony given at Cedarville University on October 13, 1986, and from information received from Joy Spieth. Dave & Grace (Trimble) Kintner. Rev. V.W. Peters, and Elias Tiago (Mark Trimble´s son-in-law) The information from Betty´s first term of service was from the 1974 History of BMM in Brazil . BMM published Betty´s obituary in its September 2007 Family Letter. Missionary Alete (Igreja Batista Betel, Rio Branco, Acre ) was also interviewed via Skype in April 2009.
Betty McKeehan was born in the hills of Kentucky. Growing up, her father worked all day long seven days a week; therefore, her family never had much time for church. After graduating from high school, she moved to Galion, Ohio, USA, to live with one of her sisters. Her sister attended a Regular Baptist Church in town and Betty accompanied her to church. While attending this church, Betty accepted Christ as her Savior in October 1956.
As a new Christian she went to Bible College at Cedarville College, in Ohio, USA. She planned to go for one year and ended up staying all four. During her early years at college, she was, according to her testimony, a mischievous one. One thing she enjoyed doing was rolling a 6 ½ ounce coca-cola bottle down the hall after lights were out. One time, she and some friends snuck out of their dorm room after lights out and went to climb the bell tower to ring the bell waking up everyone on campus. As they were climbing up to the chapel to ring the bell, they met one of the “head counselors”. He asked, “What are you doing out here? You need to get back to the dorm.” They hid in the pine thicket nearby and waited for him to leave. As they were waiting for him to leave, they discovered why the “head counselor” was there. He was checking to see if the coast was clear so that his crew could shimmy up the roof to ring the chapel bell. Betty said eventually they were able to ring the bell that evening.
One day, the college had a visiting missionary come and preach on missions. The missionary evangelist was Bill Fusco. At the end of his sermon he asked the students: “If the Lord were to call you to the missionary field, would you be willing to go?” He asked the students that were really serious, to come forward and speak to him after the sermon. He told them that if they were not serious, to go away. He said if you are really serious, write the following in the flyleaf of your Bible: “On this day (April 9, 1962), I promise the Lord, that if He were to lead me, I am willing to go to the mission field, and I will forever keep this promise”. The students had to write that in their Bible and then sign it, and have two people sign it as witnesses.
After Betty graduated from Bible College, her father asked her: “Well, you have gone to college for four years. What are you going to do?” Her father wanted her to say that she was going to be a school teacher or something like that. Her father said: “I want you to have a job where you will have money.” Betty said she was thinking about being a missionary. Her father responded: “Oh no, a missionary never has money. They never have anything.” Then Betty replied: “But they have the Lord.”
Betty McKeehan tried to join Baptist Mid-Missions in November of 1963 but she was not accepted due to some complications. However, Baptist Mid-Missions wrote her a letter a few months later and asked her to come before the mission board again. Twenty years later, her sister told her that her father had written a letter to Baptist Mid-Missions because he did not what her to go to the mission field. He wrote, amongst other things, that Betty was not fit to be a missionary.
Betty McKeehan joined Baptist Mid-Missions on March 20, 1964. She entered Brazil in Belém, Pará, on April 4, 1964. She studied Portuguese in the BMM Fortaleza language school.
After completing her language studies, she ministered at the Tevelândia Baptist Church (Igreja Batista de Tevelândia/now Manancial) in the Aldeota area in Fortaleza, Ceará. She worked with Neal and Alice Smith at that work.
During the rest of her first term from about 1965 to 1968 or so, she worked in the state of Acre. She worked in the city of Rio Branco at the Bible Baptist Church (Igreja Batista da Bíblia) in Rio Branco, Acre. This church is located in the subdivision of Estação Experimental. She worked with Roy and Evelyn Challacombe. It was also at this church that she became friends with Matilde Fernandes. Matilde went to the Amazon Baptist Seminary (Seminário Batistas do Amazonas) and after graduating, she returned to work and live with Betty. Matilde worked alongside of Betty for over 23 years.
After Betty returned from her first furlough, she worked at the Amazon Baptist Seminary (Seminário Batista Amazonas), in Manaus, Amazonas, from 1970 through 1971. Joy Spieth related that Betty came to Manaus for the primary purpose of helping the Amazon Baptist Seminary organize their accounting books. She invested a year helping the seminary get their fiscal house in order. Joy Spieth said that Betty was “just good about doing special things like that” when someone or a group needed help.
In 1971, Betty and Grace Trimble (later Kintner) traveled to Xapuri, Acre, and rented a house for Garnet and Fern Trimble. She actually moved to Xapuri before the Trimbles did. Grace worked at the Berean Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Beriana), in Xapuri, Acre on the Brazilian-Bolivian boarder. Betty worked at this church along with Garnett and Fern Trimble from 1971 to 1975.
In 1975, Betty moved back to Rio Branco, Acre, and she started helping in another church plant in a rubber plantation just outside of Rio Branco, Acre. In 1976, while she was teaching at the Bible Institute, someone came from a settlement seven (7) km outside of town, and asked for help to start a Sunday School in their yard. Betty had a 4 wheel drive truck to take them back and forth in the mud to the Sunday School. Joy Spieth said that Betty would drive as far as she could with the jeep, and then they would get out and walk in the mud the rest of the way. Betty said that at times the truck would get stuck in the mud coming back from church at night. They would try to get it unstuck thus getting mud all over themselves. Sometimes that would not work and they would have to walk the rest of the way back to her home in town. She said she arrived there with mud from head to toe. At other times she would arrive back with blisters on her feet. She said that they came back dirty, but they always came back praising the Lord. She told the students at Cedarville College on October 13, 1986, “I don´t want you to feel sorry for me because I loved every minute of it”. This work grew to become a preaching point. Ten years later it was the Calvary Baptist Church, (Igreja Batista Calvário), in Calafate, Rio Branco, Acre. It was averaging 100 and was a rubber tree worker's settlement. Betty was working at this church when Matilde Fernandes moved to Rio Branco, Acre in 1975.
Betty also helped the First Regular Baptist Church (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular) in the city of Rio Branco, Acre. This church was starting an in-church Bible institute and she moved to help them get this institute started. She taught at the Bible Institute and then worked in the congregation that the First Regular Baptist Church (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular) had in the suburb of Cadeia Velha., in the city of Rio Branco, Acre. That church plant is now the Igreja Batista Betel.
When Matilde Ferrandes graduated from the Amazon Baptist Seminary in 1975, she moved back to Rio Branco and began ministering with Betty. They started the only Christian bookstore in Rio Branco in about 1982. Betty and Matilda worked together, ministered together, and later ran the bookstore together until about 1995. The bookstore was then turned over to an area pastor.
According to Elias Tiago, Mark and Beth Trimble´s son-in-law, Betty worked in, or at least helped in one way or another, just about all of the churches in the Rio Branco area. When a new Regular Baptist church would start, she would go and help that church out for a few years.
The last church that Betty worked at was the Congregação Batista Regular do bairro de Cadeia Velha. This church is now called the Bethel Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Betel). Betty started working at this church late 1986 or early 1987. Betty was involved in teaching Sunday School, holding Bible Clubs, visiting, and whatever else needed to be done. While Betty was at this church, she was assisted by missionary Arlete, who arrived at the church in 1990 and is still a member of that church in 2009. Arlete´s husband is a deacon at this same church.
Betty said, in a testimony given at Cedarville College in 1986, that she did not have the regular missionary talents. She could not sing, teach, or play the piano. She said the Lord wants faithful. The Lord showed her II Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Knowing that the Lord wanted her in Brazil, she came to Brazil. Betty did a little bit of everything while she was on the mission field: she held children´s Bible clubs, women’s meetings, youth meetings, served as a youth camp counselor, as a counselor at the state association of ladies’ camps. She taught in Bible Institutes and seminary. She studied book keeping at Cedarville College with Mr. Saint Clair and used those skills on the missionary field.
When Betty went to Acre in 1966, there was one Regular Baptist Church. In 1986, there were seven (7) Regular Baptist Churches and another six (6) congregations. She officially retired from active service on December 31, 2005. Betty McKeehan was born on October 24, 1936. She went to her eternal reward on August 15, 2007. She is buried in Galion, Ohio, USA.
Eric & Gayle McLain
Rick and Gayle joined BMM in the summer of 1968, at a Tri-annual Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. They arrived in Belém, Pará, Brazil on December 11, 1969 via Pan American World Airways, out of NYC. It was a Boeing 707. They were met at the airport in Belém by the Stan Best, Guy McLain, and Jake Schopf families.
Rick and Gayle studied the language in Fortaleza, the school being directed then by Neal Smith. They finished their language course the end of 1970 and drove by Jeep to Belém, Pará.
While they were in language school, they began helping Neal Smith with a preaching point near where the Iguatemi Shopping Center is now located. Before it was a shopping center, it was a low area where the salt water was let in, allowed to evaporate, and then the salt scraped up and processed. The McLains used their Jeep to go around and announce the open air meetings with a loud speaker. They played the accordion and trombone in the open air meetings there on Sunday afternoons. Gayle and Rick started the first regular Sunday meetings. Russ Gordon took it over when the McLains moved to Belém. It is now called the Philadelphia Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Filadélfia).
By the time they got back to Belém, the Guy McLains were gone and the George Nortons were back. Guy and Inez McLain had been filling in for the Nortons at the Calvary Baptist Church. Rick and Gayle took over one of Calvary´s congregations on a week night and helped George and Elizabeth Norton in the Calvary church for most of 1971.
An hour and a half by jeep, east of Belém, is Castanhal. The Lord led the McLains to start a church there. In about April of 1971, the Nova Olinda Baptist Church (Igreja Batista de Nova Olinda) Castanhal, Pará was started. It is now called the First Regular Baptist Church (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular). Rick and Gayle still lived in Belém, Pará and continued to do so until 1975, after which they lived in the parsonage until 1979. For a couple of years, Rick pastored the church in Castanhal, and two churches in Belém started by Stan Best, now called the Open Door Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Porta Aberta) and the Open Bible Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Bíblia Aberta). They built the parsonage in Castanhal and the first church building. They bought two more lots where the church meets today, but with newer and better buildings. Stan Best pastored the Castanhal church during the McLains´ 1974 furlough. Missionary Marinede Tavares, with the national mission in Ceará, came to Pará and worked with the McLains in starting the Castanhal church until it was organized. A number of the young people in the Castanhal church went off to Bible school in Crato, Ceará and entered into the ministry.
It was also during those years in Castanhal that Rick and Gayle bought 62 acres along with Stan and Velma Best to develop into a camp. Half of the land had been used in farming and the rest was still virgin jungle. The deacons from the Castanhal church, who helped the McLains look for property, named it Camp Jordan. The property had all the things they were looking for in a camp property: close enough to a public road so that the campers were not dependent upon them to get to camp; a creek that could be developed into a swimming area; and far enough from "civilization" to give them privacy. Along with developing the property they developed a camping program using the national pastors in the camp council.
Rick got his first plane from Pete Brooks in 1976 and started using it to reach out to new areas. One of those areas was a new town called Vila Concordia. In 1979 they nationalized the Castanhal work and went on furlough. Erica was born May 12, 1980 in Kalispell, Montana. Rick and Gayle returned to Brazil in the fall of 1980 and moved to Concordia in 1981. In the beginning they always landed their plane on the road, but eventually built an airstrip slightly less than 1000 feet in length. They had a small church building and a rudimentary wooden house on stilts. They built up the church and house properties in the next few years and built a larger airstrip on their own property. Rick and Gayle´s house was large and was used regularly for teen Bible studies and sports, for socials, and for entertaining the pastors and their families when they needed a vacation. In 1984, the Amazon Region held their annual conference in Rick and Gayle´s home.
Today, they have a church property with 80 meters of frontage on the main street of town, which goes back to the next street, a large church building and separate educational building, a soccer field and basketball court. They nationalized the church in 1996 and moved to Belém, Pará, where they had already obtained property for a new church, the Berean Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Bereía). The house in Ananindeua, which they had built in 1971 and rented out all the years they were living in the interior, is now in an upper class gated community. They have totally remodeled and enlarged it since they moved back in a few years ago.
The mission still owns the airport in Concordia, about 20 acres, which earlier this year was invaded by dozens of squatters who built houses, mainly out of brick. Rick took them to court, won, and bulldozed everything down.
Erica was less than a year old when they began to develop the Concordia work and grew up with no electricity, no phone, no paved streets, no doctor, but with old Ford pickups, a horse, a swimming pool, and an airplane except from 1983 through 1990 when they had two airplanes. In 1985 they flew the newer one to the states for furlough, getting as far as Montana and using the plane for furlough transportation. At age 10, Erica started teaching Bible classes and Sunday School, in Concordia and out at kilometer 10 and km. 12. She has directed some of their camps, and as a missionary, started a singles ministry and a bookstore. She travels to many locations in Brazil to hold teacher training seminars, and like her parents, has taught classes at the seminary. This last year Erica was president of the Pará state ladies' association. She has served as seminary Dean of Students and is youth director at Berea Baptist in Belém.
Upon returning to Belém, Rick and Gayle have taken an active role in the seminary, teaching, organizing, and doing maintenance. Just this week (December 28, 2008), the seminary received its very own CNPJ (Social Security Number) for the first time.
Although Rick and Gayle participated in the purchase (1983) and launch of the Baptist Seminary of the North (classes started in 1985, while living interior, all Rick and Gayle could do is help on the council and contribute financially, send them students, plus provide desks and other furniture.
Gayle has taught many young people to play the piano. One seven year old student, Ivo, in Concordia would come faithfully every day to practice on the piano that we had bought from C.A. Nickel in Manaus, Amazonas and had it shipped 1000 miles downriver on a barge. Ivo has gone on with his music and has played for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Presidente Lula), and is a pianist for the Pará choir in their travels to other states and countries.
The McLains also have done a number of weddings for the young people in their churches. Rick does the ceremony, Erica co-ordinates the event and Gayle does the decorating and the pictures.
Their life as missionaries in the Amazon has been rewarding and eventful. Living in Concordia was like living in the Wild West. Their lives were threatened a number of times (without them knowing it at the time) but God always has protected them. Rick could write a book about his experiences saving lives by flying accident victims, etc. into Belém (no doctor in Concordia). Years have gone by and people still thank him for saving their life or the life of a loved one.
When Erica was 8 years old, someone came to their gate right after breakfast and asked Rick to fly a pregnant lady to a hospital. It was her first child and the doctor felt it would have to be a cesarean birth. Since Erica was homeschooled (by her mother the first 8 years of studies) she asked if she could go along for the ride with her daddy. So, in the small piper Cherokee was Rick and Erica in front and the pregnant lady and the large midwife in the passenger seats. The pressure from the altitude did wonders and the baby was born in mid flight. The midwife handed the baby boy to Erica to hold while she attended to the mother. The clamp on the umbilical cord came off and got Erica's dress all soaked with blood. But after landing in the next town, Erica hopped out and yelled for the people at the airstrip to get a taxi. Upon arrival back home, Erica felt a bit squeamish and told mother she had not known that is how babies are born.
Erica, even as a little girl, always accompanied her mother going calling on the sick or giving someone the gospel. So she had seen in her young life, people dying, people getting shot, people being killed in terrible accidents, people getting saved, etc.
During one of their Bible camps, they learned of Stan Best's promotion to Heaven, the preacher said, "who will take his place?" Erica said she felt God calling her to be that one; come back to Brazil and continue as a missionary.
At present, January 2009, Rick and Gayle are trying to develop two new works. One of these works is in Tomé Açu, a few hours south of Belém, Pará. The other is in the Nova Zelândia neighborhood where many of the members of the Berea Church in Belém, Pará reside. They are beginning construction at both of these projects.
Erica McLain (da Silva)
Erica McLain is the daughter of BMM missionaries Rick and Gayle McLain. Erica was born in the USA while her parents were home on furlough. She came to Brazil when she was only three months old. She joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 2003 and arrived in Belem, Pará, in July 2005. Erica completed her language requirements in Belém.
As a MK, Erica worked hand in hand with her parents before going to college. She worked in the First Regular Baptist Church of Concórdia do Pará (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular de Concórdia do Pará) in Concórdia do Pará and Faith Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular da Fé) in the Sacramenta subdivision in Belém, Pará. She taught Sunday School, taught in neighborhood Bible clubs, led the youth group, helped with the music and basically did whatever was needed.
Next, Erica helped at the Berean Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Beréia) in the Coqueiro subdivision in Ananindeua, Pará. She worked at this church during breaks while she was studying in college in 2000, and continues there today.
She works with her parents, Rick & Gayle McLain. Erica says that she did everything but the preaching at this church. She taught Sunday School, led the youth group, directed the music team, held ladies’ Bible studies, and helped with counseling.
In addition to her ministry in church, Erica has also served the Lord in the following ministries:
1. President of State Ladies Association (2008)
2. Taught Christian Education and counseling at SEBREN (Seminário Batista Regular do Norte) (2000, 2001, 2005-2007)
3. Conducted teacher training seminars in churches throughout Pará and Brazil
4. Started singles ministry
5. Directed or helped with retreats for various age groups
6. Bookstore
In 2009, Erica married Evandro Silva.
Jonathan and Lois McLain
Please Note: This information was gleaned from Jon and Lois McLains´ BMM Northeast work reports. At the present time, we do not have the information needed to write a complete report, but the information listed is accurate based on the BMMB reports seven (7) yearly reports we have on file from his thirty three (33) years with BMM.
Jonathan and Lois McLain joined Baptist Mid-Missions in 1973. Jonathan is the son of pioneer BMM missionaries Guy and Ines McLain. Jonathan and Lois arrived in Brazil on August 20, 1977.
Shortly after arriving in Brazil, they started helping Walter and Carol Miller at the Conjunto Ceará Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Conjunto Ceará). They worked at this church for about two years.
In 1979, they started working in the Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular) in Iguatu Ceará. They especially helped out in the area of music.
From about 1979 to 1986, he was holding weekly Bible studies and services in Acopiara, Ceará.
In 1986 he worked with a new church in Catarina, Ceará
From August 1988 to June 1989, they did pulpit supply for one year for Johnny Nunley in Patos, Paraiba. During that year, they also held services twice a month at the Nunley´s other church in Santana de Mangueira, Paraiba.
In 1989, Jon and Lois moved to Campina Grande to start a church there. He helped the 1st Regular Baptist Church (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular) in Campina Grande, Paraiba while he was getting settled in there.
In 1999, he spent five months doing pulpit supply at Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular) in Valentina Figueiredo, João Pessoa, Paraiba. He was filling in for Ray and Jan Reiner while they were on furlough.
In 2000, he was working at a Baptist church in Campina Grande. He was also helping at the Catolé Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular no Catolé), in Catolé, Campina Grande, Paraiba.
Jonathan and Lois resigned from Baptist Mid-Missions in September 2006, but they are continuing their church planting ministry in Campina Grande, Paraiba to this day (2009).
Kelly & Debbie McMaster
Kelly & Debbie McMaster joined Baptist Mid-Missions in 1992. They arrived in Brazil on January 1, 1997. They entered Brazil in Fortaleza, Ceará. Kelly and Debbie studied Portuguese with a private tutor in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. Later on, he took a refresher course when he moved to Fortaleza and worked with the Fortaleza Academy.
Shortly after their arrival in Juazeiro do Norte, the McMasters began working at the Baptist Church Novo Juazeiro (Igreja Batista Novo Juazeiro) in the subdivision of Novo Juazeiro, in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. They worked at this church from January 1997 until June 2000. The McMasters started an English Sunday School class, an adolescent Sunday School class, as well as starting a nursery. While they were at this church, the Igreja Batista Novo Juazeiro church had a preaching point up in the hills/mountains. The McMasters helped to put a thatched roof on the worship area at the new work up in the hills. The name of the preaching point/congregation was called Sítio Casimbas Baptist Congregation (Congregação Batista Sítio Casimbas).
In June 2000, they moved to Fortaleza and filled in for Dan Stowell for a year at the Castelão Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Castelão) in Castelão, Fortaleza, Ceará. While at this church, they started a nursery, and taught the new member’s class.
From June 2002 until June 2003, they worked at the Berean Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Beriana) in Fortaleza, Ceará. While at this church, they helped a Brazilian pastor by working with the couples, preaching, teaching the teens, and organizing a nursery.
In June 2003, Kelly and Debbie started the Precabura Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Precabura) in the subdivision of Precabura, in Eusébio, Ceará. Since they started this work, they have purchased land for the church and built a church building. Dave and Ann Lind helped at this work while Kelly and Debbie were on furlough. They started this church by: holding activities with children; adding the youth program; starting working with couples; and then beginning regular services. They are still at this church.
In addition to their church planting ministries, the McMasters have been active in many of the Fortaleza area ministries of BMMB. From 1998 to 2000 they taught at the satellite school of Fortaleza Academy in the Cariri Valley, Juazeiro do Norte, CE. Since 2000, Kelly has taught at the Fortaleza Academy. In 2002 he served as the director at the Fortaleza Academy. During the year 2000, and then from 2002 to 2007, Kelly served as director of the Fortaleza Complex, serving for a total of about 5 years. Kelly also served as the North East Region Treasurer one year.
Luis Pessoa and Janet de Meneses
Luis Pessoa de Meneses married BMM missionary
Janet Wolfe on Dec. 20, 1975. Janet was a missionary with Baptist Mid-Missions
in Brazil from 1971 to December 1975. Janet resigned from BMM at the time of
her marriage. However, Janet and her husband managed a BMM
Christian Bookstore in
Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará from 1976 through 1990.
Janet and Luis joined Baptist Mid Missions in July 1990. For further information
on Janet, before she married, see the information included under Janet Wolfe in
this same publication.
Through the years Luis and Janet have ministered alongside our BMM missionaries and in our BMM churches and colleges. Therefore, the information from 1976 to 1990 is included even though they were not officially with BMM during those years.
Frorm 1976 to 1979, Luiz and Janet ministered at the Peace Baptist Church (Igreja Batista da Paz) in the subdivision of Piraja, in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará.
The following is a list of churches that Luiz and Janet Meneses have founded and purchased land for during their ministry here in Brazil.
1. Regular Baptist Church of Novo Juazeiro (Igreja Batista Regular de Novo Juazeiro) from 1979 to 1989 in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará
2. Faith Baptist Church (Igreja Batista da Fe) in the subdivision Triângulo, Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. 1990 to 1993
3. Grace Baptist Church (Igreja Batista da Graça) in the Seminário subdivision of Crato, Ceará. 1994-2002
4. Calvary Baptist Church (Igreja Batista do Calvario ) in Vila Alta, Crato, Ceará. 2003 to 2008+
5. El Shaddai Baptist Congregation (Congregation Batista El-Shadai ) in the bairro in Vila Santa Fé, in Crato, Ceará. 2003 to 2008+
In addition to their church planting ministries, Janet has taught at the Cariri
Baptist Bible College (Seminário Batista do Cariri) from 1982 to 2009. She also
served as the treasurer of the Bible college from 1989 to 2006.
Luiz has also served in the following areas. He ran a Christian bookstore at the Cariri Bible College from 1983 to 2009. He had book store in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará from 1976 to 1995 and another bookstore in Crato, Ceará from 1997 to 2006. He has taught at the Seminário Batista do Cariri and was director of the Christian Practical Work from 1982 – 2000. He also has served as a board member and at times the director of the Baptist Church Camp, Iguatú, Ceará.
Ernest and Alice Migliazza
Alice Holmquist joined Baptist Mid-Missions in 1952 and arrived on the field in 1953. After finishing language school in Fortaleza, Ceará, she moved to Manaus and began teaching in the Amazon Baptist College (Seminário Batista Regular de Amazonas).
Ernest (Ernie) C. Migliazza arrived in Brazil in either 1954 (according to the 1974 BMM Report) or in 1957 (according to information supplied by BMM´s Home Office). Ernie was born in Italy. Shortly after Ernie arrived, he and Alice were married. Ernie was a linguist and he had a special interest in working with the Indian tribes. He accompanied missionaries like Harold Burns and Al Speith on some of their river boat journeys up and down the Amazon River and the Black River (Rio Negro) and Solimões River (Rio Solimões).
One day Ernie was accompanying Harold Burns on a river boat (canoe) trip to make contact with a new Indian tribe. When they got off the main river passage way and started up one of the small tributaries to locate that tribe, they stopped at a small plantation (fazenda), spoke with the owners and asked if they knew where that tribe could be located. The owner of the land where they stopped, said that he had a man (Indian) working with him that was from that tribe and that the Indian spoke Portuguese. He told Harold and Ernie that they could take that Indian with them and that he could serve as their guide and translator, as well as introduce Harold and Ernie to the tribal leaders. Not only was this a blessing, it was the hand of God protecting. They left the plantation and headed up the river and the igapó. Then they entered the Igarapés (narrow seasonal waterways) that led to that Indian village. Harold was using a small canoe with a small horsepower (maybe 4hp) motor that was put–putting along making its way through the bushes and trees in order to get to the Indian tribe. As they were getting close to their destination, the bush got very dense making it harder and harder to push their way through. They came into a clearing and did not like what they saw at all. They were face to face with the Indian tribe they were looking for, but instead of Harold making first contact with the Indians, the Indians were just about to make first contact with Harold and Ernie. As they came through that clearing, they were face to face with the Indians who had their bows pulled back and were getting ready to shoot them with their bows and arrows. It was at that moment that their Indian guide stood up and yelled in the Indians´ language not to shoot, because that Indian was bringing Harold and Ernie to their village as friends, not enemies. Harold told Terry Carruthers that their Indian guide might have saved their lives that day.
Ernie filled in for one year with the Macuxi Indian work while Harold Burns was on furlough. Later Ernie worked with another Indian tribe. Ernie translated the Gospel of Mark into the Xilixana Indian language. Ernie was an architect and he designed the blueprints (plantas) for many churches in Brazil.
Ernie left BMM in 1971. Alice officially resigned in 1973.
Ernest C. Migliazza wrote many articles and published some books about the Xilixana Yanomami language. As of October 28, 2008, Dr. Ernest C. Migliazza was still active in the linguistics field and had some connection with “Summer Institute of Linguistics” in Brazil.
Thomas and Jill Miller
This report was pieced together from the Millers’ yearly work reports that were given at the Northeast Regional meetings from 1982 to 1989.
Thomas and Jill Miller joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1977. They arrived in Brazil on August 11, 1980. Jill is the sister of BMM missionary Richard Brosseau who is a missionary in New Zealand. The Millers main ministry was at the Fortaleza Academy. He taught Bible, History, Math, Social Studies, Life of Christ, middle school classes and was involved in many aspects of the Academy.
In addition to working at the Academy, they also worked in area churches. In 1980 they started working at the Aerolândia Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Aerolândia) in Fortaleza, Ceará. Lyman Goehring invited them to work with him before they arrived on the field. They visited the church, and started helping out at the work. They said that they “were impressed by the faithfulness and sincerity of the believers” at this church.
In 1985, they attended the Maranatha Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Maranta) in the subdivision of Cidade 2000, in Fortaleza, Ceará. They also worked with the Awana/Oanse programs in the city.
In July 1987, Jill was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Tom still served on the permanent teaching staff at the Fortaleza Baptist Academy. They returned to work in the Aerolândia Baptist church (Igreja Batista Aerolandia) in Fortaleza, Ceará. Tom and Jill worked in a large Awana/Oanse program. They were at this church in 1989 when the church officially organized as the Berean Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Bereana) in the Aerolândia subdivision of Fortaleza, Ceará.
Tom and Jill´s main ministry was at the Fortaleza Academy, but they also were very involved in the station and regional leadership of the Northeast Region of Brazil.
Tom and Jill Miller resigned from BMM on November 16, 1994.
Walt and Carol Miller
This information was gleaned from their 1985 to 2006 BMMB work reports, and from the Punching Holes in the darkness book (page 84). The Historical committee did not receive correspondence from this couple for this report.
Walter and Carol Miller joined Baptist Mid-Mission in July 1969. They arrived in Brazil on July 25, 1974. They studied Portuguese in Fortaleza. While they were in language school, they assisted the Faith Baptist Church in Montese, Fortaleza, Ceará.
Through the years Walter had a radio ministry that was on many radio stations in Ceará and on the Transworld shortwave radio. Even near the time of their retirement, he had a program on the radio.
From mid 1976 to mid 1977, they filled in for BMM missionary Church Nichols at the Maranatha Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Maranta) in the Bairro Cidade 2000, in Fortaleza, Ceará.
In 1977, Walter and Carol Miller helped start the Baptist Church (Igreja Batista) in Conjunto Ceará, Fotalzea, Ceará.
In 1982, the Millers were house parents at the Fortaleza Academy. While they lived at the school complex, they helped the Marantha Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Maranta), in Fortalzeza, Ceará.
About 1985, they started Baptist Church (Igreja Batista) in Conjunto Jereossate, in Maracanaú, Ceará.
In 1993, they started the Baptist Church (Igreja Batista) in Pan Americana (near Montese) with the help of the Igreja Batista da Fé church and Pr. Humberto in Fortleza.
In June 1997 they were helping the Jersualem Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Nova Jersalem), Fortaleza, Ceará, start a Baptist Church (Igreja Batista) at Granja Portugal, Fortaleza, Ceará. This church is located three 3 km from the main church. In 1997 they were averaging 60 in attendance. His wife teaches at FA. He has a radio program.
They retired from BMM on October 31, 2006. Today they reside in Banning, California.
Mary Mills
The Incredible Untiring “Incansável” Mary Mills
Mary Mills spent 59 years serving the Lord with Baptist Mid-Missions. Fifty-six of those years were invested serving the Lord in the Crato and Juazeiro do Norte area. She served in one church, the First Baptist Church (Primeira Igreja Batista) of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, for forty nine years. That church knew her better than anyone else, and called her the Untiring (Incansável) Mary Mills.
Mary Mills is now with the Lord after a lifetime of faithful service to the Lord. The information available on Mary Mills is limited. The following 1974 BMM of Brazil historical report shows some of her missionary activities in Brazil:
Mary Mills arrived in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, in 1938. She received her language study in Juazeiro do Norte. During the years of 1938 – 1941, Mary did much visitation, and helped in the children´s work in the congregation in Crato, Ceará. Her effort was especially helpful with Christmas programs in the Baptist churches in Juazeiro do Norte, Missão Velha, and Crato along with other activities. Mary testified, “I traveled on the top of trucks or in the cab; by car and sometimes by horseback to evangelize in open-air meetings held in small towns in the interior of Ceará.”
In the city of Barbalha, Mary helped open the work there in an atmosphere totally opposed to the gospel. She and a team from Juazeiro do Norte were rescued with police protection at the home of Luiz Gonzaga, a believer who lived in Barbalha. Mary and the other missionaries (Guy McLain and George and Bertha Knutson) were intent on opening the city for the preaching of the gospel.
In the First Baptist Church of Juazeiro do Norte, Mary was kept busy with visitation and teaching the women’s classes. When the primary school of the First Baptist Church of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, opened, she taught 4th grade for them. From 1948 until 1974, Mary had been teaching in the Baptist Bible College of the Cariri (Seminário Batista do Carirí) Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. Besides helping out in all of these works and schools, Mary also had a part in contributing financially to the churches and to the Bible college program. (end of the 1974 History of BMM in Brazil)
In 1995, she made plans to move to Columbus, Indiana, and live near her sister, Pauline. Mary officially retired from missionary service on March, 1, 1996. She went to be with the Lord on her birthday, October 1, 1997.
Jon (Jonathan) & Dee Mitchell
Jon (Jonathan) Mitchell and Leona Dee Mitchell joined Baptist Mid-Missions in 1983. They arrived in Brazil in January 1988. They completed their language studies at the Missionary Orientation Service (MOS) in Fortaleza, Ceará. They finished their language studies in June 1989. In Portuguese, Jon goes by the name Pastor João, his wife Dee goes by the name Déia.
After finishing language school in Fortaleza, they moved to the greater Brasília area and helped co-found the Redeemer Baptist Church (Igreja Batista do Redentor) in the subdivision of Taguatinga Norte in the city of Taguatinga, Distrito Federal. This church later moved to the city of Samambaia, in the Distrito Federal. They worked at this church from October 1989 to December 1992. The Mitchells left to begin their own ministry before property was purchased. At this ministry they worked with BMM missionaries Erwin and Edna Evans and Ted and Cathie Perry.
In January 1993 Jon and Dee founded the Word of Life Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Palavra da Vida) in the Taguatinga Sul area in the city of Taguatinga. They have been ministering at this church from January 1993 until this present day (December 2008). They purchased property for this church in 2006-2007. Mark and Robin Evans helped them briefly at this church. Jon Mitchell is the founder and the current pastor of this church.
In addition to his church planting ministries, Jon served as a member on the Planning committee for the Pan-American Games outreach in Rio in 2007. He also participated in the outreach. Jon is BMMB´s representative in DF area for visas and official matters. He also helps the various churches established in the area with legal documents. Jon also is the unofficial counselor, encourager and exhorter for national pastors.
G. Monty and Gloria Moore
Monty and Gloria Moore joined Baptist Mid-Missions in July 1975. They arrived in Brazil on October 4, 1980. Erwin Evans was their home pastor while he was in Bible College and Erwin encouraged them in the area of missions. Monty and Gloria Moore arrived in Brazil April 11, 1980. Monty went by the name Monty in English and by the name “Pr. George” in Portuguese.
After Monty and Gloria arrived in Brazil, they worked with Erwin and Edna Evans in Cacapava, S.P. until the spring of 1981. When the Evans went home on furlough from the spring of 1981 unto September of 1982, Monty and Gloria took over this work. Monty and Gloria built an education building for this church.
In September 1982, the Moores started the Bethel Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular Betel) in Vila Menino Jesus, a suburb of Caçapava, São Paulo. They left the church with a national pastor, Pastor Sitri. They built the church sanctuary, Sunday School rooms, and a parsonage.
In 1984, Monty and Gloria went to the city of Taubaté, Sao Paulo, and took Billy and Doris Griffin’s work during their furlough. They built a second story on the church. During that year, the Moores also cared for two congregations, Igreja Batista Bom Fim and Igreja Batista em Pindamuhagaba.
In 1986 the Moores took the work of Jake and Izzy Shoaf in Brasilia, Federal District, while they went home for furlough.
In the spring of 1988 they took the work of Ron and Nancy Warner in Belém, Para. It is the New Philadelphia Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Filadélfia Nova). They built the administration building with offices, class rooms, and library for the seminary/Bible College in Belém.
In June 1989 they moved to Goiania, Goiás. They worked at this church for seven years and left the completed project in 1996 with a national, Pastor Ernesto.
In June of 1996 they moved to Jaguariaiva, Parana, where there was a small congregation that needed help. This church had been started as an outreach of the First Regular Baptist Church of Curitiba (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular em Curitiba) under the leadership of a lay person, Oswaldo Cunha. In November 1998, they left the church with a national pastor. His name was Pastor Rubens.
In July of 1998 Monty and Gloria started helping the small congregation in Mauá da Serra, Paraná. They moved there in November of that same year. They bought land and started opening up the ground for the church. In February of 2000, Monty's liver shut down due to the reaction of Hepatitis A and a cholesterol medication. The Lord took him home to Heaven on March 5, 2000. Erwin and Edna Evans stepped in and finished the Mauá da Serra project. This church is called the Regular Baptist Church of Mauá da Serra (Igreja Batista Regular de Mauá da Serra), in downtown Mauá da Serra, Paraná.
Since Gloria’s ministry of church planting had closed, she left the field. She returned to Brazil in May 2001 for the dedication of the building in Mauá da Serra. At that time the Lord worked in Gloria´s life so that she was ready to return to Brazil if He would open up a ministry for her.
Pastor Ulisses Lopes de Siqueira of Jaguariaiva, Paraná, asked Gloria to come work with them. Gloria returned in January 2002 and worked with them until her mother-in-law asked her to return to the States to care for her as she had Parkinson's disease.
Gloria says: “I praise and thank God for the privilege of serving Him in Brazil, South America.” Gloria married a widower, Arthur Lillibridge and they live in Coopersville, Michigan, USA.
Don and Lois Moffat
Lois Moffat was Dr. Robert Ketchum´s daughter. Robert Ketchum was the founder of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches in the USA and the editor of the “Baptist Bulletin” newspaper in the USA. At their commissioning service, Lois said that “(we) are ready to serve him in Brazil, either by life, by death, or by broken bodies.” Little did they know how true that statement would be.
Don and Lois Moffat arrived in Brazil with Baptist Mid-Missions in 1938 and then left in 1939 due to sickness. They worked in Manaus during their time in Brazil. Wally & Virginia Warfield, Garnet and Fern Trimble, and Don and Lois Moffat all lived in the same mission house in Manuas. Don made a few survey trips by boat to the interior towns along the Amazon.
Then Lois got very sick. She was pregnant and she had “Vitamin B “deficiency called “Beri-Beri.” While she was here in Brazil, they did not know what it was. They just knew she was sick.
Garnet and Fern Trimble had been setting aside money so they could return to the USA for furlough. Even though it was just about time for Garnet and Grace Trimble to go home on furlough, they insisted that Don take their passage money and return to the USA to get medical help for Lois. They travel by ship from Manaus to Belém, then they boarded another ship in Belem heading to New York City. When the ship neared the Philadelphia area, the captain of the ship sent a medical “SOS” telegram to the Philadelphia Coast Guard about Lois´ health and requested a medical helicopter to come take her off the ship to get her in a hospital immediately. The coast guard sent out a helicopter that could land on water and they took her off the ship by lowering her from one of the ships booms to the helicopter below. When she arrived in Philadelphia, she weighed less than 72 pounds. Her child was born healthy shortly after she arrived in USA. She was in the hospital for months. It took a year of bed rest for her to recover from her sickness and regain her strength. They were not able to come back to Brazil.
A Brazilian Christian School that operated in Manaus was named after her.
For more information about Lois and Don Moffat´s eventful time in Brazil, read the chapter on them in Robert T. Ketchum´s biography A Portait of Obedience (1979) published by the Regular Baptist Press. Also see the Baptist Bulletin newspaper articles in 1939 and early 1940.
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