All Lives Matter

Along with Jorge de Campos, I just returned from Maloca de Moscou, Brazil. This may have been the most remote and difficult to reach place I have traveled. That includes long journeys to parts unknown in Zambia and Ukraine. From the time we left on Wednesday morning, Nov. 12, it wasn't until Sabbath morning that we arrived at our destination for Sabbath services with our brethren. We had to travel via Panama, the Amazon region in Brazil, then north to Boa Vista, culminating with a challenging almost two-hour drive to our final endpoint 20 miles from the border of Guyana.

I never cease to be amazed by how God works universally with human beings throughout the earth. Paul said that God is no respecter of persons. In Romans 2:10-11, he wrote: "But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism" (New Living Translation). God's wish is to bring all men to salvation (1 Timothy 2:4). All lives matter to God. In my work around the world, I have seen God's loving consistency for diversity and see the very beautiful work that He is creating by bringing many sons to glory.

On this journey, I also really appreciated getting to know Jorge de Campos better. He is the Senior Pastor for the Portuguese language areas and pastors the Louisville and Lexington congregations in Kentucky. He, with Giovane Macedo's assistance in Brazil, has translated all of UCG's booklets into Portuguese and produces A Boa Nova, an equivalent of the Beyond Today magazine. Jorge also actively works with Sabbath-keepers in Portuguese-speaking Angola. Jorge and I have a lot in common, as we both migrated to English-speaking countries and have a similar experience in coming to the Truth and conversion.

Our first stop was an overnight stay in Panama City, Panama. We had to wait almost a full day for our connecting flight to Brazil. We took the opportunity to visit with the Figueroa family, who met us at the airport. The next day they took us on a tour of the Panama Canal about 20 minutes away. They are faithful members who watch the webcast from Guatemala every Sabbath from the Figueroa household. They consider Israel Robledo their pastor and go to Guatemala yearly for the Feast of Tabernacles. Manuel Figueroa was an Ambassador Bible College student two years ago.

From there we flew to Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon. Again we had an overnight stop. When we arrived in Boa Vista on Friday afternoon, our elder, Arlindo Lima Filho and his wife Iracema met us at the airport and fellowshipped with us at the hotel. Again, we overnighted before we drove by car on Sabbath morning to Maloca de Moscou, one of the Amerindian tribal lands in Brazil (maloca means "region").

While no members own automobiles, several have motorbikes. They often ride double, but we had seen as many as a family of six on one motorbike.

We arrived at services about 45 minutes before start time and were warmly greeted by the brethren, a number of whom I had known through photos and reports. Most members of this congregation of nearly 40 brethren live within walking distance of the church property built on the tribal land. Close to the church hall is a kitchen with a social area, modern restroom facilities and shelters that they used during the recently completed Feast of Tabernacles.

What impressed me immediately was the feeling of being "at home" in the church services. We sang the same hymns; the complete hymnal has been translated into Portuguese. Services had the same format and Spirit as in all of God's Churches. Jorge and I gave split sermons. As the sermons were in progress, elder Arlindo wrote the scriptural references on a large blackboard for the congregation to view.

The hall had adequate benches for the congregation. The members built this hall a few years ago and Good Works provided the materials. After the service, we spent a few hours fellowshipping. A good number of the brethren speak English, having moved from nearby Guyana which was under British domination. However, the members are mostly of the Wapishana tribe and speak the local dialect as well as Portuguese. The young people only speak Portuguese (and Wapishana) and therefore it is important to have our study guides in Portuguese. A lunch for all was prepared and then Jorge conducted an interactive Bible Study on the fruit of the Spirit in the social area.

Being so close to the equator, sunset is about 5:30 pm every night of the year, and it sets rather quickly. Jorge and I drove back to Boa Vista each evening and tried to leave before dark so that the worst part of the journey home would still be under some light.

Because outside ministers come only on average twice a year, we had to take advantage of every moment for counseling and visiting. The next day, Sunday, we had a special event: a wedding! Aldair, the son of deacon Benedito da Silva was to be married.

On the same day as the wedding, I was able to visit some of the humanitarian projects initiated by Good Works, Youth Corps and LifeNets. We visited some of the gardens under irrigation from our 250-foot-deep borehole. We also visited Arlindo and Iracema's home.

I took time to talk to one of the founding members, Geraldo de Souza, a deacon, about the genesis of this unique congregation. Geraldo speaks excellent English. He is one of those who migrated from Guyana to Maloca de Moscou. A visitor to the settlement left a Plain Truth magazine behind. Geraldo read it and subscribed for his own copy. Over time, he and Francisco da Silva and his family who had learned the Truth in Guyana formed a group who were dedicated to what they had come to understand. After 1995, this group became the United Church of God and has continued to this day, but not without its trials. In 2010, Dennis Luker sent Jorge de Campos here to visit these people. He was instantly accepted, in part because of his ability to clearly communicate to them in Portuguese. Jorge travels here twice a year and in some years more often. The Feast of Tabernacles has been held in Maloca de Moscou as well as in Boa Vista. Two United Youth camps have been held here with the help of U.S. pastor Len Martin. Also, we have sponsored a Youth Corps project involving agricultural development. LifeNets has provided a borehole and cattle. I was able to see the cattle herd, which currently numbers 27. They hope to be able to sell some of this herd once the number of heads are about 70 to provide a tractor for the Church community. As of now, all agriculture is manual.

The Feast of Tabernacles in 2018 will be held in Boa Vista at a fine family recreational facility called Eco Park. Services will be translated into English. If you are looking for an experience to visit with a unique assembly of Christians, you may want to consider this venue as an international transfer site. Jorge and I visited the facility and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and peace there.

On the last day, as we traveled back via Manaus, we visited the Gráfica Ziló in Manaus that prints 6,000 copies of the 32-page A Boa Nova magazine six times a year, purely for Brazilian subscribers which came to know us through the Portuguese pages of our website (portugues.ucg.org). We also print A Boa Nova in the United States for other Portuguese speaking regions around the world. We met with our account manager who told us that she also keeps the Sabbath, as she is a Seventh-day Adventist. She gave us a tour of the plant.

This visit was most memorable and profound to me. Why?

It was memorable because of what the prophet Isaiah wrote: "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it" (Isaiah 55:10-11, NLT, emphasis mine).

It impressed on me the importance of doing God's Work by preaching His Word. His Word through the printed media has brought conversion to these people whose minds God had prepared.

Our work is not to shrink back, but do all in our power to proclaim with boldness the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who knows upon whom those words will fall? We all deeply desire that our Lord and Master may be well pleased that we are fulfilling His commission to the best of our ability as the United Church of God.

I will end my report with these words from Paul who quotes from Isaiah: "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?' So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: 'Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world'" (Romans 10:14-18, emphasis mine).

More detailed blog of this trip can be found at http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog/victorkubik/21 and http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog/jorgedecampos/7. These accounts include many photos of our journey.