The beginnings

The beginnings.

How It All Began...

The beginnings of the mission work date back to the year 1965. On 8th September, a grey, rainy and foggy day, the journey began to Amsterdam. The MS Eemland, a cargo ship of the Royal Dutch Lloyd, was to take Horst and Hildegard Krüger, as the first missionaries for the mission, to Porto Alegre in southern Brazil. The long journey across the Atlantic passed through Tenerife, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and Santos.

During the voyage, Horst Krüger read about the life of George Müller, the German orphanage director in Bristol, in the book Never Disappointed by Arthur T. Pierson. It reminded him once again how essential it is to trust the Lord completely in financial matters and to leave it to Him to provide all the necessary means for His work.

Several other passengers were on board with them, and they enjoyed warm fellowship: a young priest from the Netherlands, some Jewish women from Rio, a Brazilian journalist, and a journalist from Vienna. At mealtimes, the captain alternated between Horst and the priest to say grace.

One evening, Captain Koorn announced, “Tomorrow morning, we’ll see the Brazilian coast and dock in Recife during the forenoon.” They looked forward to the new day with great excitement. From their cabin, they could gaze out toward what would become their new home. It was a powerful moment. As the light grew, a narrow dark line began to appear on the horizon. Just a few more hours, and they would reach their first stop: Recife.

Then everything happened quickly. Shouts filled the air, and dark-skinned men with bare chests crowded the dock, waiting to board and unload the cargo – several thousand tonnes of potash. It all seemed very primitive. The ship’s cranes lifted the tonnes, which the workers had filled with shovels, into battered old trucks waiting on the quay, which then rattled away immediately. It was a fascinating scene, but behind it lay deep need.

Horst felt great compassion for the people. He knew about the large church in Recife and thought that surely some of these men could be children of God. A short walk on land confirmed the seemingly endless poverty of the people. That night, they could hardly sleep. The misery moved them deeply, and they asked themselves with what right they lived in such comfort. They were ashamed to walk the streets and look into the eyes of people who stared at them as tall, well-dressed white foreigners, while they themselves wore tattered clothing.

“Lord, make us useful instruments in this land!” was their prayer. They didn’t just want to preach or provide material help, but to have hearts full of love for the people. That, they knew, would require constant prayer. It would be too easy to grow hard and judgemental – something Jesus would never do.
On 3rd October, a calm, warm and cloudless Sunday, the Eemland glided slowly through the Lagoa dos Patos. Porto Alegre, meaning “Joyful Port”, is an inland port, and at around 5 p.m. they finally docked. The sea journey was over, and they had arrived in their new home.

At the quay stood brothers Albert Schaff from Pederneiras and Adolfo Krüger from Machado. Then also Brother Pisching and his daughter Edith Nunhofer, our relative, who lovingly welcomed us into her home and did everything she could to help us get through the first days in Porto Alegre. Many unexpected challenges awaited us, and she was a great help. Pastor Carlos Motta and the wife of the Swedish missionary Nils Taranger, from the large Assembléia de Deus church, were also there – all gave us a warm and unexpected welcome. We thank the Lord for the wonderful Brazilian hospitality, full of warmth, understanding and helpfulness.

Customs clearance went smoothly. We didn’t have much luggage or any valuables. Still, all suitcases were to be opened – “to see if there are any weapons inside,” as the customs officer said. When Hildegard’s small zipped Bible fell out of the second suitcase, he quickly grabbed it and asked, “What’s this?” – “The pastor’s weapon,” replied Adolfo with quick wit. “Ah, close the suitcases! You’re done!” It had only taken a few moments.

Then the problems began. The immigration police required them to register within the first eight days. This involved many bureaucratic steps. Although Horst spoke Spanish, there were many Portuguese expressions he didn’t understand. How was he supposed to find all the offices? The officer was unhelpful and reluctant to give information. It seemed as though he would have preferred to send him away.

On Wednesday morning, Hildegard’s birthday, Horst received a Bible verse that accompanied him throughout the day: “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (1 Peter 2:15, NIVUK). These words were about those in authority! All day long, he wandered the city with two brothers in faith, only to be told at 4 p.m., just before closing time: “No, the documents are not in order. Something is missing… this part was erased… Come back tomorrow!” They were exhausted from walking all day. But by now, he knew Porto Alegre’s city centre well. Still, the frustration with the corrupt system grew and stole his joy. Then he remembered the morning verse: “People are ignorant and do not know God. Do good to them! Don’t be angry with them!”

The three of them prayed together on the street. Brother Adolfo said: “Lord, you know the man who issued my son Aldino’s travel papers over a year ago. Let us find him.” They had no address, no name – nothing. But within minutes, they were standing outside an office. Brother Adolfo looked in and said: “This is it… yes, the man in the back! He will help us!”

And indeed, it was the right man. They explained their situation, and he was happy to assist. Only years later did they learn that he was related to the head of immigration – a commissioner known for making things difficult for anyone who didn’t go through Mr B. But now, everything went smoothly. Within a few hours, they received the confirmation: the next evening, Friday, they could travel by bus to Santa Rosa and Linha Dr. Pederneiras. They would arrive in time for Sunday. They thanked the Lord – after a month of travel, they finally arrived in Pederneiras. The Lord had protected and guided them marvellously, and they had come to no harm. Praise and thanks! A new chapter of life had begun.

In Pederneiras, they were welcomed by a few brothers and sisters. The beautiful, well-built wooden house, built in 1958, stood at a crossroads. The main road, called “Linha Dr. Pederneiras” (pronounced “Linya”), runs north to south and is about eight kilometres long. Right next to the house, a road leads west to a parallel road two kilometres away. There is no actual town named Pederneiras – the name refers only to the road along which the individual houses and settlements are located. The area used to be untouched rainforest. Now, only scattered remnants remain in the fields, where soybeans, wheat, cassava, maize, peanuts and other crops are grown. You could also see many palm trees and massive tree stumps.

At the beginning, only a few churches were affiliated with the National Council of the Churches of Christ. To be precise, there were nine churches – three in the state of Paraná and the rest in Rio Grande do Sul. It was truly pioneering work.

Many evangelistic events followed, as well as the beginning of the radio ministry on 1st January in Cerro Largo, broadcast via the medium wave station Radio Cerro Azul – every Sunday at peak time, from 12:40 to 13:00, when most of the local population were on their lunch break and listening to the radio.

Here is a recording from 1983 that we were able to "rescue", though it contains a small error in the audio.

And a recording from 1986 broadcast on Radio Santa Rosa, in Santa Rosa.

Until the early 1990s, the work expanded mainly in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul. Later, however, new churches were also planted in other regions of the state, as well as in the neighbouring states of Santa Catarina and Paraná.

Today, the churches are united in the National Council of the Churches of Christ – CNIC. This fellowship includes churches mainly from southern Brazil and the northeast. In total, more than 1,000 churches belong to this network. Churches from the neighbouring country Argentina have also joined.

In the major cities of the Northeast, there can be up to 100 churches in a single city. As a result, the Northeast region, with around 700 churches at present, represents the largest share of the CNIC.