A missionary home was opened in the coffee-exporting port of Santos, Brazil, and we were part of a group of eight missionaries assigned to start our work there. There was the initial period of adapting to new customs and the Portuguese language. For a child, learning a new language may be relatively simple. But for us, at 40 years of age, it was far from easy. On one occasion I went with another missionary to buy bread. The Portuguese word for bread (pão) sounds similar to the word for stick (pau), the former having a slight nasal sound. Not yet having mastered the nasal sound, we asked for sticks (paus), and the astonished baker said that he did not have any!

Another custom that it took a while to get used to was how to accept hospitality when a householder offered it. We would say: “Muito obrigado” (Thank you very much), expecting to receive some refreshments. This, however, to the householder meant no! Finally, we learned the right expression: “Aceito” (I accept), which brought pleasure to the householder​—and to us.

We found that we even had to learn how to “knock” at a door. You see, the Brazilian custom is to clap the hands loudly at the front gate. At first it was always a surprise for us to have the householder answer our “knock,” but we soon got used to it.

From England to the Amazon!

In England we continued in the full-time ministry as special pioneers, but we felt incomplete. We always remembered the happy times in missionary service, and we wanted to get back to it​—so much so that we finally wrote to the Society about the possibility of another assignment, even though by now I was over 50 years of age and Chris was 49. How great our joy when we received an invitation to return to Brazil and work from a missionary home in Belém, a city at the mouth of the Amazon River!

We did appreciate the Society’s letter giving us an idea of the climate in Belém​—“hot and humid,” it said—​and giving us the option of turning down the assignment. However, we were overjoyed at the prospect of returning to Brazil, even though it was to a different part of the country. We gladly accepted, and early in 1964 we arrived in our new assignment.

After serving one year in Belém, I was invited to do circuit work, visiting congregations in that region. This was a real challenge. The circuit was some 800 milesa long and 300 miles wide, taking in both sides of the Amazon River. The heat? Well, we just had to get accustomed to it! Conditions were often primitive. Even dirt highways were few in those days. Clouds of dust arose from them in the dry season. With the rainy season, they became impassable.

Besides trusting in Jehovah for his protection, having a good sense of humor helped. On one visit with an isolated Witness family, we had to sleep in a stable. In the morning Chris awoke to find herself covered with blood. We called out to the brother, thinking that something serious had happened. Imagine our surprise when he calmly informed us that she had apparently been bitten by a vampire bat! One reference work explains that among bats in the Amazon region are ‘bloodsucking vampires (Dysopes), although these are by no means as dangerous as travelers’ tales would lead one to believe.’ Had we known that before, we would have been less fearful of the outcome!

After serving a year in that circuit, we were transferred to Rio de Janeiro and later to São Paulo, where we have been serving now for several years. The Brazilian people are very open and friendly, and it has been a joy to experience the love and hospitality of the brothers in this part of the country as well. At the same time, we have enjoyed many fine experiences in the field.

At one house a youngster came in answer to Chris’ handclapping. He said that his mother could not come to the door because she was crying. Sensing something wrong, Chris said, “Tell her that senhora Christina would like to speak to her.” The mother came to the door, asking, “Do you know anything about the Bible?”

“That is just why I am here!” Chris answered. She invited Chris inside. On the table was a large Bible, open where the lady had been reading, seeking comfort. She was very upset because her husband had been away for a week, after a quarrel between them.

“He’s a good husband and father,” she said, “and I’m sure he hasn’t gone away with someone else.” Chris shared some Bible principles on family life and started a Bible study in the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. That very night the lady went to the Kingdom Hall. Since we had to leave that week for the next congregation, the study was turned over to a local publisher. How happy we were when we visited the congregation again six months later and met not only the lady but her husband and three children! Some time later, both husband and wife were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Now, though both of us are over 70 years of age, we are still able, by Jehovah’s loving-kindness, to continue serving in our missionary assignment, although not travelling as much as in the past. It has been a marvelous privilege to meet and work with so many mature missionaries and local brothers and sisters. We are glad that from the very beginning we have tried to ‘seek first God’s Kingdom’ in our lives. For over 30 years missionary service has been our joy. We are ever mindful of the words of the psalmist, when he said: “For Jehovah is good; his loving-kindness is to time indefinite.” (Psalm 100:5) And how we have appreciated that!