Reaching Brazil
188 million people live in Brazil , making it the most populated country in South America . Geographically, the country of Brazil is only slightly smaller than the United States . Unlike most of South America , the official language of Brazil is Portuguese – the language we use everyday in our ministry.
Our City
We work in the city of Osasco – the 5th largest city in the state of São Paulo , and the 24th largest in all of Brazil . Approximately one million people live in Osasco . Although we do not know of them personally, we have heard of three fundamental Baptist churches in the city. Can you imagine only three fundamental works in a city of one million people?
During the winter in Osasco , the temperature dips to a COLD 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, while in the summer we often have days that are 95 degrees and above. By the way, don’t think of Brazil as a “third world country”. Osasco has a Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, McDonalds and Burger King and three malls. There is even an Outback Steakhouse about 20 minutes away.
The majority of Brazilians (73%) consider themselves to be Roman Catholic. In fact, Brazil has the largest Catholic population i
n the world, although many rarely attend services. Another 15% are Protestants. In spite of those traditional roots, Spiritualism and Voodoo are powerful influences that affect many areas of Brazilian life and culture. Over the past several years the Pentecostal church and other similar movements have seen explosive growth in Brazil . In the past, when most people would say, “You’re a believer, and I’m a catholic.” With the rapid growth of pentecostal churches springing up in almost every neighborhood, the biggest obstacle that we have is getting people to realize they are lost. They now say, “Oh, I’m a believer, too.” They think that because they speak in “tongues”, or have been “baptized in the Spirit” or have “revelations”, they believe that they are saved. Another obstacle we encounter is getting people that have made a salvation decision to come to church, since Brazilians traditionally rarely attend church services.
Pray for us!
Pray for Brazil . Pray for the city of Osasco. Better yet, come and see for yourself the great spiritual need in our city. Pray that God will use us here, and that He will send more laborers into this needy harvest field.
