When we came to Brazil in 1936, we were about 50 years old, and our daughter Else was 14 years old. Farm work was not easy for us, especially as we had no comparable experience to call on from our previous life in Germany. Nonetheless, we persevered out of love for God’s work! My wife and I did not seek our own benefit, instead wishing to serve the Lord in South America as best we could.
Like Paul, we wanted to burden the members of the local congregation as little as possible. We also wanted to be role models and to work based on pure motives. I do not think that others should necessarily imitate us, but as older preachers, we considered this to be our duty and the Lord’s will, in keeping with the example of Paul, who accepted little material support.
Generally speaking, however, I am certain it is a congregation’s duty to support its preacher. This view is further supported by the words of Jesus (Luke 10:7 and 1 Corinthians 9:1–23). We continued following this approach when we moved from Neu-Hoffnung to Rio das Antas in 1949, to serve at the Bible school there. We worked alongside the Bible students in the fields to eke out a living; the congregation could offer little support due to widespread poverty.
When we moved to Brazil, we had to learn how to deal with horses, cows, and pigs. We also grew proficient with using hoes, bush knives, and axes. In order to conduct community visits, we had to learn to ride horses, which was the normal mode of transportation there.
I once got on a horse and pulled the reins so hard that the horse reared up and fell over backwards, taking me down with it. Thankfully, although I was no longer a young man, both the horse and I survived without injury. Driving carriages was not without its dangers either, and on one of my earlier attempts, we ended up in the ditch next to the road. Another horse-related incident occurred when I was rolling feed pumpkins down the mountain and one of them ended up underneath one of the horses; the horses shied away and ran off, tearing the cart apart. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
In addition to the church services in Neu-Hoffnung, we also held services in Serra, a nearby, rural mountain community that would eventually have its own house of prayer. It was about two hours away from the main road, but there was a shortcut that led steeply uphill, through a forest and over exposed rock, where you had to pull yourself up by roots and branches. In addition to my own body weight, I had to maneuver a bag carrying a hymnal, a Bible, and a lantern for when I headed back at night. About one kilometer of the way passed through dense jungle. At that time, there were still many monkeys and other animals, including snakes.
I remember walking along the narrow forest path with my lantern one night. A larger animal must have fled, startled by my approach and the light, because there was suddenly a terrible racket. Later, the brothers made a somewhat more comfortable path that made it easier to get to the meetings.
The road and rail networks were still very underdeveloped. Our nearest train station was in Hamonia, about 45 kilometers from Neu-Hoffnung, which amounted to a day’s travel by horse-drawn carriage. There was no other way to travel back then.
We often made the trip from Neu-Hoffnung to Rio das Antas, which took three or four days, by a combination of horse, train, and bus. The Lord gave us grace and saved my wife and me from discontent, enabling us to keep a grateful heart despite all the adversity. The things we did were not for ourselves but for the Lord.
It would not have been difficult to ask for money from North America, since we still had a personal connection through Brother Karl Arbeiter who had lived in the USA for a few years at the time. We also had the trust of our sisters and brothers in general. However, we had learned to look upward and not rely on people, so we received no support for about ten years. Then, the Christian Unity Press began sending us 15 dollars a month and continued to do so for some time. We are still grateful to the brothers and sisters for helping us out back then. May God bless them for it!
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