After
forty-one years in missionary service in Brazil, and twenty-one
years as retirees in Boca Raton, Florida, Grace and Wilbur Smith
have come to live at Brooks-Howell Home. Wilbur and Grace have a
lot in common. Each was born in Brazil of missionary parents.
Their early schooling was received in Brazilian schools. Later
education for Wilbur led him to Asbury College in Wilmore,
Kentucky, then on to Candler School of Theology at Emory
University in Atlanta. Grace studied at Colegio Bennett in Rio de
Janeiro, and continued her studies at Asbury College. In
preparation for missionary work she studied practical nursing for
missionaries at National Bible Institute in New York City.Brazil is a large country, and these two people had never met, until one day Grace went with her mother down to the docks in Rio to meet a certain May Smith, a missionary on the way to the United States. Much to their surprise, they met not just Mrs. Smith. Along with her was a tall, gangly young fellow wearing short pants. "What is he thinking of--wearing short pants in a public place?" thought Grace. She didn’t realize that he was wearing a Boy Scout uniform! What a start toward matrimony! Finishing their educational preparation, Grace and Wilbur were married on June 1, 1938 at Asbury, where Grace’s father was residing, her mother having died some time earlier.
In that same year, the couple sailed to Brazil, to begin a lifetime of service. The Smiths lived in the southern part of Brazil, Wilbur serving local pastorates. At various locations he instituted Boy Scout troops. He has served as District Superintendent, General Secretary of the Board of Social Action, Director of Uniao School in the city of Uruguaiana. In July 1965 Wilbur was elected bishop by action of the General Conference of Brazil, thus relieving the couple of the tasks at the school.
While Wilbur was busy with all those responsibilities, Grace was busy with the women’s societies in the various places where they lived. She taught Sunday School classes for adolescents, and held meetings with women to teach them about health and hygiene. She also got involved in a health program with the Caiowa Indian tribe, drawing others from the church to work with them. When the Smiths lived in the city of Curitiba, Grace became a leading force in a program for training of parents and teachers of deaf children. This was a very rewarding experience for her.
Along with all these activities the Smiths raised six children, each of whom received a bible name and the name of a missionary, some famous and some not so well known: Paul Livingston, David Wesley (who died in the Vietnam War), Daniel Asbury, Samuel Fletcher, Eunice May, Susanna Ruth. Wilbur enjoys reading in his spare time. Grace enjoys painting porcelain and recycling greeting cards. She is especially fond of doing needlepoint.