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Finding True Gold
Amair was born in Manaus-the capital city of Brazil's Amazon region. Shortly after he was born, his parents divorced and his mother took him to Manacapuru, a town on the banks of the Amazon. As the family business was in agriculture, Amair's mother eventually moved up river to a small village where she bought much land.
Meanwhile, Amair continued growing and was eventually drafted for military service. After serving his 15-month tour, Amair was ready for another kind of adventure-looking for gold! During the 1980s gold fever hit Brazil and diggers flocked to where gold had been found.
Amair's brother lived in one of these "golden" areas, and so he invited Amair to come stay with him. Unbeknownst to Amair, his brother had become a Seventh-day Adventist. As they worked together, the brother began to share his faith with Amair. Just one week after he arrived, however, the government closed all the places for gold hunters, and Amair lost his job.
Although very disappointed, Amair stayed with his brother for a time and continued to learn. "My brother told me about Jesus, and this gave me happiness. I lost the gold I had been looking for, but I found the truest gold!" Amair's brother gave him a series of Bible studies, and before long Amair was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
But then his conscience began to bother him. What about the rest of his family? Who would share this heavenly treasure with them?
He first went to his sister who was living in Manaus. To his surprise and delight, she too had become an Adventist. He stayed there for a year, during which time his sister further strengthened his faith.
It was also around this time that Amair met a young woman named Francinette, who wasn't an Adventist. Not knowing where it might lead, Amair became friends with Francinette, determined that "I will get her for God and for me!" The two remained friends for a long time, and Amair was able to study the Bible with Francinette. "At first she hugged the truth, and then she started to hug me also!" Amair explains with a smile. Eventually, Francinette was baptized and later on the two were married. The couple moved to a village along the upper stretches of the Amazon, then later, at the invitation of Amair's mother, moved to the little village where she lived.
The village needed a school teacher, and during that time the government of the Amazon region stated that anyone who completed four years of primary education could qualify to be a teacher in the community. Amair was chosen to be the village's community teacher.
Amair was a natural teacher, but he wanted to share more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic with the community. He wanted to share "God's gold" that he had found!
The story thus far: Amair's parents divorced and he and his mother moved to a village on the Amazon. Later he served in the military. Afterwards, Amair went to his brother's home, looking for gold, but instead found "heavenly gold." Wanting to share this treasure, he visited his sister, later married, and eventually moved back to his home village and became the community teacher.
An Adventist friend heard that Amair and Francinette had moved to this village, and wanting to help them start a church there, joined them. They began meeting together each Sabbath under some trees by the river. Soon, other villagers began noticing them and wanted to join in their worship. Amair started giving Bible studies and the group continued to grow.
It didn't take long for word to reach Amair's mother about what was going on. She was so ashamed to learn that her son was a Seventh-day Adventist that she "unblessed" him as her son and cursed him.
Amair and Francinette began praying for his mother, but things only seemed to get worse. As soon as they started studying the Bible with someone, the next day Amair's mother would go to the person and tell them that what Amair was teaching was a lie.
"But we believed that at the right moment, God would do something," says Amair. "The people were open-hearted, and they accepted the message."
More and more villagers shared with others the truth they had found through Amair's Bible studies, and the group meeting under the tree by the river grew so large that they decided to build a Seventh-day Adventist church. A pastor from their local conference office came to baptize the new believers and to officially organize the church. Today the church, that began with just one family now has 113 members.
When Amair's mother saw how quickly the Adventist church was growing, she contacted her priest and asked that he establish a Catholic church in the village. However, her personal life was unraveling and soon she was divorced from her second husband. Nothing came of establishing a Catholic church.
Disheartened, Amair's mother decided to move away from the village. Amazingly, however, the Bible teachings she heard had influenced her. She had come to understand the truth of the seventh-day Sabbath, but was ashamed to keep it. But once she moved to another place, she began to secretly keep the Sabbath ("for God the Father", she said), and kept going to church on Sunday ("for Jesus").
God continued working on her heart, and after a series of Bible studies she came to accept the entire Adventist message and was baptized. She then returned to her village to talk with her brothers, encouraging them to accept the "treasure" that she and Amair have found.
One of the Thirteenth Sabbath offering projects is to build a "floating church" that will be used to reach more people of these remote Amazon villages. For more stories and information visit https://am.adventistmission.org/mq-adult .
By Gina Wahlen, editor of the Mission quarterlies.
Amair was born in Manaus-the capital city of Brazil's Amazon region. Shortly after he was born, his parents divorced and his mother took him to Manacapuru, a town on the banks of the Amazon. As the family business was in agriculture, Amair's mother eventually moved up river to a small village where she bought much land.
Meanwhile, Amair continued growing and was eventually drafted for military service. After serving his 15-month tour, Amair was ready for another kind of adventure-looking for gold! During the 1980s gold fever hit Brazil and diggers flocked to where gold had been found.
Amair's brother lived in one of these "golden" areas, and so he invited Amair to come stay with him. Unbeknownst to Amair, his brother had become a Seventh-day Adventist. As they worked together, the brother began to share his faith with Amair. Just one week after he arrived, however, the government closed all the places for gold hunters, and Amair lost his job.
Although very disappointed, Amair stayed with his brother for a time and continued to learn. "My brother told me about Jesus, and this gave me happiness. I lost the gold I had been looking for, but I found the truest gold!" Amair's brother gave him a series of Bible studies, and before long Amair was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
But then his conscience began to bother him. What about the rest of his family? Who would share this heavenly treasure with them?
He first went to his sister who was living in Manaus. To his surprise and delight, she too had become an Adventist. He stayed there for a year, during which time his sister further strengthened his faith.
It was also around this time that Amair met a young woman named Francinette, who wasn't an Adventist. Not knowing where it might lead, Amair became friends with Francinette, determined that "I will get her for God and for me!" The two remained friends for a long time, and Amair was able to study the Bible with Francinette. "At first she hugged the truth, and then she started to hug me also!" Amair explains with a smile. Eventually, Francinette was baptized and later on the two were married. The couple moved to a village along the upper stretches of the Amazon, then later, at the invitation of Amair's mother, moved to the little village where she lived.
The village needed a school teacher, and during that time the government of the Amazon region stated that anyone who completed four years of primary education could qualify to be a teacher in the community. Amair was chosen to be the village's community teacher.
Amair was a natural teacher, but he wanted to share more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic with the community. He wanted to share "God's gold" that he had found!
The story thus far: Amair's parents divorced and he and his mother moved to a village on the Amazon. Later he served in the military. Afterwards, Amair went to his brother's home, looking for gold, but instead found "heavenly gold." Wanting to share this treasure, he visited his sister, later married, and eventually moved back to his home village and became the community teacher.
An Adventist friend heard that Amair and Francinette had moved to this village, and wanting to help them start a church there, joined them. They began meeting together each Sabbath under some trees by the river. Soon, other villagers began noticing them and wanted to join in their worship. Amair started giving Bible studies and the group continued to grow.
It didn't take long for word to reach Amair's mother about what was going on. She was so ashamed to learn that her son was a Seventh-day Adventist that she "unblessed" him as her son and cursed him.
Amair and Francinette began praying for his mother, but things only seemed to get worse. As soon as they started studying the Bible with someone, the next day Amair's mother would go to the person and tell them that what Amair was teaching was a lie.
"But we believed that at the right moment, God would do something," says Amair. "The people were open-hearted, and they accepted the message."
More and more villagers shared with others the truth they had found through Amair's Bible studies, and the group meeting under the tree by the river grew so large that they decided to build a Seventh-day Adventist church. A pastor from their local conference office came to baptize the new believers and to officially organize the church. Today the church, that began with just one family now has 113 members.
When Amair's mother saw how quickly the Adventist church was growing, she contacted her priest and asked that he establish a Catholic church in the village. However, her personal life was unraveling and soon she was divorced from her second husband. Nothing came of establishing a Catholic church.
Disheartened, Amair's mother decided to move away from the village. Amazingly, however, the Bible teachings she heard had influenced her. She had come to understand the truth of the seventh-day Sabbath, but was ashamed to keep it. But once she moved to another place, she began to secretly keep the Sabbath ("for God the Father", she said), and kept going to church on Sunday ("for Jesus").
God continued working on her heart, and after a series of Bible studies she came to accept the entire Adventist message and was baptized. She then returned to her village to talk with her brothers, encouraging them to accept the "treasure" that she and Amair have found.
One of the Thirteenth Sabbath offering projects is to build a "floating church" that will be used to reach more people of these remote Amazon villages. For more stories and information visit https://am.adventistmission.org/mq-adult .
By Gina Wahlen, editor of the Mission quarterlies.