BELÉM DO PARÁ, Brazil (BNC) by Nick Fowler — Something happened during the Lord’s Supper this morning that I imagine seldom happens to our brothers in the United States.
As we were passing out the bread, a loud and attention-getting commotion arose on the street in front of our meeting room. Dozens of people were crowding around and shouting right in front of our building.
Today is the idol festival called Cirio in Belém. This morning during Bible class I actually led a study using Acts 19 and the riot in Ephesus. When I saw the people outside the building, my first thought was that they were protesting our presence!
Later we saw that there were two ladies in a fist fight. The group had gathered around to watch and cheer, instead of breaking it up.
We paused our worship and the Lord’s Supper for a few minutes until the events eventually moved on down the street.
During the interruption, some of us took time to pray for them and all the people involved, asking the Lord to stop the fight and return peace in the street.
Things are different here. No doubt about that!
Nick and Amy Fowler are sponsored by the Mount Juliet, Tenn., congregation. Story updated 2014-10-13, 8:10 am CT.
2014-10-12 at 7:49 pm
you did no good by plastering its up for the world to see. You should be ashamed.
2014-10-12 at 7:52 pm
Please note that the women were not Christians. It all happened, as the story makes clear, outside the meeting place.
2014-10-12 at 8:02 pm
I do not see the harm in posting about the fight. I had no idea that a festival for an idol still occurred in Brazil. The women fighting were not named in the article, were not members of the church (for which I am momentarily thankful) and neither were any of the people in the cheering crowd. I believe they took the appropriate action by briefly pausing the partaking of the Lord’s Supper since the atmosphere was definitely not conducive to remembering our Lord’s sacrifice. The report also gives a glimpse of the cultural differences the missionaries have encountered and how this may impact their efforts to convert the people in that society, such as the brawling women and the spectators.
2014-10-12 at 8:05 pm
I think it is good to be reminded how blessed we are.
2014-10-12 at 8:17 pm
What good was created by publishing this?
2014-10-12 at 11:05 pm
I think Carolyn made a good post about this. We definitely face new situations in other societies. The time may come in our lifetime when we face similar distractions here.
2014-10-13 at 8:37 am
This report reminds us of the difficulty faced by many of our missionaries who are sacrificing so much take the gospel to the lost. It encourages me to be more prayerful for these great men and women. Also reminds me to be thankful that we don’t suffer these type distractions while preparing to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
2014-10-13 at 2:38 pm
I see nothing wrong with posting this. It helps me understand the different situations in which our missionaries find themselves. There are challenges we have no knowledge of, and it points out how much work remains to be done! No shame there.
2014-10-27 at 7:33 am
I think it’s fine to post about this. Satan gets so mad when God’s children do what they’re supposed to, and he’s constantly seeking ways to deter us from doing good. By putting two of his children directly in front of the meeting place in Belem, causing a fight, Satan knew it would cause a disturbance. I’m glad that even though service was paused for a few minutes, prayers were offered for those involved, and the Lord answered.