Jun 2, 2015
April was a BLUR
Executive Director, Rob Appel
On April 2 I left for a trip to Brazil. I was going down to Brazil to give a seminar to fifteen T.I.M.E. students on one weekend and then give the commencement speech to 25 graduating T.I.M.E. students the following weekend.
I led a leadership seminar in the city of Santo Antonio do Sudoeste, in the state of Paraná. This city is right on the border with Argentina. The students came from three different locations around southern Brazil — and they came to learn! They were very involved in the activities and lectures that were given the whole weekend. As usual, my good friend, Pastor Jonas Sommer, was my interpreter. Unfortunately, two left early because of a death in the family. This leadership seminar was an abbreviated version of the same seminar that Pastors Andrew Samuels, George Calhoun and I did in November 2011.
The week I was in and out of Santo Antonio do Sudoeste, I stayed with Pastor Jonas and his family. Jonas’ wife spoiled me terribly. I told her I wanted to bring her back to the USA with me. Clarice and Jonas are such great people!
Jonas and I visited churches (or “temples” as they call them in Brazil, because the people are the church) in Cascavel, Santo Antonio do Sudoeste, Dois Vizinhos, and Cunha Porã — where I brought the message each night. In Cunha Porã they had just finished building their new temple and I had the honor to give the first sermon! I had no idea that this was happening until we got there.
I also went to two schools while in Santo Antonio do Sudoeste and spoke with students studying English. I answered questions from sixth to ninth grade students. Of course, they had to ask me in English. I was the first American that they had ever met.
We also visited families in their homes and had a meal with many of them. The people in Brazil are so gracious! On Sabbath April 18, we travelled by car to the city of Canoinhas, in the state of Santa Catarina. That evening we were to attend the second graduation of the students graduating from the Brazilian T.I.M.E. Program. Many of these students went through the leadership seminar which I mentioned earlier held in November 2011. These 25 graduating students had requested that I be their commencement speaker. What an honor! It was an extravagant affair and the students and their families were so proud of their accomplishment. The Brazilian T.I.M.E. Program is so important! They have had over 100 students going through this process! They are training leaders in the church, developing future pastors, and educating pastors’ spouses so they understand what their husbands do.
The SDB Conference of the USA and Canada helped the Brazilian Conference get this T.I.M.E. Program started about six years ago. What a good decision that was on our part! God is good all the time!From Brazil I travelled directly to Pastors Conference in Boulder, CO. Dr. Gordon MacDonald was our featured speaker. He was great, but so were our pastors that led a session! I have to shout out, “What a great bunch of pastors we have!!!” I am so impressed with all of our pastors; but this group of young ones, they are dynamite! Let’s not pour any water on their enthusiastic fire and their willingness to serve.
From Pastors Conference I went to my home in California. My granddaughter turned two on the 26th of April. I visited three campuses while out there with the idea in mind that we will have the 2017 General Conference sessions out there. You heard it here first!
On May 5th, at 12:03 AM, I arrived back in Janesville. Thirty-three days after I left! April was a great month. A lot was accomplished! But what a blur!
