..........Leon Strunk
"Have You Forgotten My
Dream?"
Many
memories of experiences in Brazil flood my mind, but the one I
want to tell about is the last pastoral appointment I received. A
phone call came one day from the bishop. (At one time he was a
young man in a church I served. Now he was my bishop!) He said
that I could choose between two cities for my next appointment.
Martha and I chose the city of Belo Horizonte. (She would also
receive a new appointment.) Annual Conference was in January.
Severe flooding slowed the moving process of the pastors, so it
was late February before we finally moved. I was to pastor a
congregation known as Barreiro. They were unhappy and a group had
left to join the Assemblies of God, saying the congregation was
dead. Before I got there another group left, saying the
congregation was too Pentecostal! When I arrived only a dozen
people were left. We met in a small storefront type building on a
large lot. The congregation began to grow and we had dreams of
putting up a new church building. At one service I told the
people, "Last night in a dream I saw our new church. It was
large and full of people praising God!" They all exclaimed,
"That is a good sign, pastor!"
Some
money was slowly being raised and we hired an architect to draw
up plans for a new temple. He examined our lot, took measurements
and listened to our needs. Months later he came to show us the
preliminary blueprints. The church he envisioned for us was
spacious, practical and beautiful. Everyone liked it, but when
the probable cost was known they lost hope. "Oh, pastor, how
can we ever do that?" they asked. I replied, "Have you
forgotten my dream?"
Soon it was time for our three-month home assignment and
itineration. One Sunday we spoke at Central United Methodist
Church in Walla Walla, Washington. After we had shown our slides,
a young couple chatted with us, saying, "We are inspired by
your message and we will be praying for you." Back in Brazil
we continued construction on two church buildings, since
Martha’s church was also building. But by year’s end
Advance Special funds were running out. About Christmas time a
phone call came from the young man in Walla Walla. He asked how
the construction was going. I told him we were ready to put roofs
on two buildings but were out of funds. He wanted to know how
much it would cost to finish the two churches. Off the top of my
head I replied, "It will take at least $100,000." He
said, "We will keep you in mind."
Can you imagine our surprise when he gave exactly that amount?
The buildings were completed. In 1993 the Barreiro church was
dedicated with 180 members. The pastor who followed me was a
former seminary student of mine. Under her leadership the church
experienced several years of rapid growth. When we returned to
Brazil for a visit in 1999, the pastor insisted that I preach at
Barreiro. My heart was beating pretty fast as we approached the
building in a friend’s car.
Soon I was surrounded by many old friends. The people who were
teen-agers during my ministry there were now married and
introduced me to their spouses and babies. As I preached more
than three hundred people filled the sanctuary and balcony to
capacity. At the close of the service the pastor made an appeal
and thirteen people came forward to accept Christ. Even now tears
of joy fill my eyes as I remember that day. God is good!