CHAPTER 1 A TRIP TO BRAZIL *

CHAPTER 2 THE RETURN TRIP TO BRAZIL *

CHAPTER 3 COMMENTS *
 
 
 

Chapter 1 A TRIP TO BRAZIL

In 1997, thirty years after our Mother went to Vitoria, Brazil, as a volunteer missionary, I walked the ground she walked and met the people she knew. This is that story.

Ever since Mother chose to go to Brazil, I have admired her for her work as a volunteer missionary. On her return in 1968, she seldom spoke of her experiences unless asked to do so. Not having been there, I was unable to relate to that event in her life. I wished many times that she had taken some pictures and expounded on this truly memorable part of her life.

Upon reading her book, Dream the Impossible Dream, I was amazed of the magnitude of her desire, even as a young woman, and the effort she put forth to accomplish her life's goal of being a missionary.

The experiences in Vitoria, Brazil, were amazing to me. I read her story so many times that I became familiar with the names of the professors and students in the seminary where she catalogued the library books.

Shortly after Mother came back to the States, the second time at the end of the school term in November, she never returned. Although she had the desire, she wasn't physically able, due to general health, and also lacked of necessary finances. I had selfishly hoped she would return so that, perhaps, I could accompany her. I admired her so much, and I wanted to see first hand what she had been able to accomplish.

Within a couple years after Mother's return, the Seminario Theological Presbyteriano do Centenario where she served was forced to close, because of political reasons. Since it no longer existed, I thought it would not be possible to experience some of what Mother experienced. My vision of her missionary work had vanished. To be really truthful, I was relieved in a way. I had visions of going there with hopes of "filling her shoes," as the saying goes. Yet, I knew that Mother was so capable and so well liked that there would be too much expected of me, her daughter. With the seminary's closing, I would not have to put myself in that situation.

Prophetically, thirty years later and when my age was 70, the same age Mother was while serving in Brazil, the urge to go there resurfaced in my mind. How fun it would be to meet the people who knew Mother, if only I could find them! I arranged to go to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which was about a day's drive by car from Vitoria where Mother lived. The tour group I chose was Friendship Force. This particular travel group arranges for travelers to stay in the private homes of citizens in the country being visited. I had previously traveled using this mode of accommodation, so mixing with the locals and experiencing the language barrier was a comfortable effort for me.

The challenge would be to make contact with someone in Brazil from my home in Oklahoma before the scheduled trip in June. [As it turned out, it was just five months before I was privileged to meet the professors and students who knew Mother.] Since the seminary no longer existed, I did not expect to locate the building. I thought I would have to lower my expectations.

I yearned for some kind of connection, so in preparation for the trip, I contacted the local Presbyterian church and was supplied a lead. I followed other leads, but when I left for Brazil I was no closer to having the name of a contact person. On the last day of the trip, I was able to call the Presbyterian church in Rio. What followed was special to me. The minister, Rev. Guilhermino Cunha, who spoke English, was on the telephone. I asked him if he knew anything about the Presbyterian Seminary in Vitoria. He said he knew all about it since he had been a student there. I was thrilled! I then told him that my Mother had been a volunteer missionary there. When he told me that he knew my Mother, I was elated beyond words. Imagine talking to the one person in Rio who could tell me what I wanted to know.

Rev. Cunha invited me to have lunch with him. I notified my tour group that I would be going across town on a bus by myself to meet a man unknown to me. I could have taken a taxi, but I was so excited I couldn't sit at the hotel and wait until the appointed time. Using a map, I marked the location of the church and decided to take a bus. I felt confident enough to go it alone. I had to keep busy. As it turned out, the bus stopped many times en route which made me uneasy. It let me off a couple blocks away, so I had to find the church on my own. Because of the kindness of one person who spoke a little English, I eagerly walked into the minister's study on time. He told me that I reminded him of the time that Mother, on her second trip to Brazil, found her way by herself from the airport in Rio de Janeiro to her house in Vitoria.

Rev. Cunha was so warm, joyful and friendly, I immediately felt welcome. The diploma he received from the seminary when he graduated was on the wall. After a while, he telephoned someone in Vitoria. It was Rev. Claude Labrunie, one of the professors who knew Mother. I recognized his name and couldn't believe I was talking to him. I told him Mother wrote about her life at the seminary. When he learned that Mother had also written about all of her adult life, as well as our Dad's, he wanted to read everything he could about this "remarkable woman." I promised that I would send him the books, which I did.

While visiting on the telephone with Rev. Labrunie, he surprised me by saying that a seminary reunion was being planned to take place in November. It was the very first ever reunion! He encouraged me to return for that occasion and to bring with me as many of my family who could come with me. The dates of the reunion were to include November 16, 1997, exactly 100 years after Mother's birth. What an appropriate time to acknowledge her! What a coincidence that I located the ministers just prior to their reunion after all these thirty years. I feel confident that God had a hand in these events. How could it have happened otherwise. I immediately said I would be back.

Upon returning home, I wrote to my family of the exciting experience I had and sent them a written invitation from Rev. Cunha for the reunion that was planned to take place in five months. As it turned out, none of my siblings could make the trip with me, but, luckily, my son Mike agreed to be my traveling companion. I eagerly awaited this opportunity to share the adventure with him.

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Chapter 2 The Return Trip to Brazil

Mike and I shared many exciting experiences. Since Mike lived in Missouri and I lived in Oklahoma, it was necessary that we meet at the airport in Dallas, Texas. That would present no problem except that both of us were flying on a stand-by ticket, meaning no insurance of an available seat for either one of us. I arrived first and immediately went to the gate where Mike was scheduled to arrive. I watched the passengers come off one by one. I was pessimistic that Mike would be one of them. Finally, there he was at the end of the line. It was such a comforting feeling. After a big hug, we were ready to start our exciting adventure.

Upon arriving in Rio, we visited all the sights we could (e.g., Corcovado, the statue of Christ overlooking the city, Sugar Loaf Mountain by cable car, and Copacabana Beach. These things a tourist must do while in Rio. Although quite thrilling, they weren't the highlight of our trip.

The first morning of the seminary reunion, Rev. Cunha sent his chauffeur to our hotel to pick up Mike and myself. The chauffeur drove us to the church in Rio and then up to Cachaeiro de Itapemirin for the reunion, approximately a four-hour trip. This was two hours away from Vitoria in the opposite direction and was selected because of the accommodations. The countryside was just beautiful with lush, green fields and hills, banana crops, coffee fields, and streams.

During the journey, Rev. Cunha told us that he was one of the 50 signers of the Republic document--similar to our Declaration of Independence. He was also the person who presided over the reunion. We felt fortunate to be in the presence of such an influential man.

Arriving at the reunion site that evening, people were hugging and always kissing on both cheeks which is their custom. One man that I was very happy to meet was Dr. Alfred Sunderwirth, the missionary from Wyoming who was such a help to Mother. People literally greeted us with open arms. It was fun to tell them that I was the daughter of Nanetah Oerke. They responded with warmth and enthusiasm. Mother must have made quite an impression during her stay there. One man, Manuel, who was a student Mother knew, quickly walked across the room to greet me. I felt his eyes on me as he approached. He knew who I was without an introdution. He and his wife, Sandra, became our closest student connection. In Mother's book, describing students, Manuel was the first one she mentioned because he was special to her, too. During the church service that evening, Mike and I were introduced by Rev. Cunha. We stood while people clapped. It was very inspiring to be recognized as daughter and grandson of the woman they loved.

For the program the next day, I was asked to give a brief talk, as well as all of the ministers who attended. They had to squeeze the happenings of the past thirty years into five minutes. I was allowed ten minutes because I used an interpreter. The talks were given in Portuguese, so we didn't understand what was being said. Regardless, this was my most precious and memorable day of the trip. It was meaningful because I met many people who knew and loved Mother. These people treated us like royalty. We were honored in a manner that few people have ever had the privilege to experience. I suppose that since I was exactly the same age of my Mother when these people knew her, thirty years earlier, it was somewhat like she had not aged and had returned to them through me. It was difficult to say good-bye to our new friends.

Although the reunion was over, Mike and I had an exciting day awaiting us in Vitoria. Vitoria was about two hours distance, but we wanted to go there to walk on the ground where Mother walked. Our transportation was with a Baptist minister and his daughter. The arrangements had been made through a local Baptist minister in Norman, Oklahoma. Although a complete stranger, he and his daughter made the four-hour trip for us. The generosity of Brazilian people is outstanding.

Dr. Labrunie, the seminary professor, wanted to show us around Vitoria but could not go, so he arranged for a young man, Saulo, to meet us at the hotel on Sunday morning, take us to church and dinner, show us around Vitoria, take us back to church that evening, and then to the bus depot that night. What a day it was and what an exceptional man he was. We couldn't have had a more eventful day or a better escort.

The first highlight of the Vitoria tour was attending the very same church where Mother worshipped while living there. What a thrill! We had goose bumps reliving Mother's life. Even though we couldn't understand the preacher since he spoke Portuguese, we really thought we knew his message. One item that immediately took my eye was the white lace tablecloth for the communion table. The feeling was good, because I recalled that Mother wrote about it in her book. The minister asked Mike and me to come to the front to talk about why we were there. Saulo interpreted our English. A woman came from her pew, hugged and kissed us on both cheeks and told us she had been a friend to Mother. The people really made us feel welcome.

We then went to the library that was in the church and saw some of the very books that Mother had catalogued and hand stamped 30 years ago. How impressive that was! The preacher had saved most of the seminary books from the government that had wanted to destroy them earlier. Some books were spread across Brazil to other churches. They were Christian doctrine and theology textbooks. Books were very important to the church. We took snapshots and gave them a picture of Mother for the library.

We learned that a new seminary had recently opened to replace the one that closed not long after Mother left Brazil. Saulo, our escort for the day, was optimistic about the future of this new seminary, since it was broadening its scope to accept students from other denominations. It is very small--only one room. They are in dire need of new textbooks written in Portuguese. The need touched my heart, and I promised to look for avenues that would make it possible. Since then, I have worked through Rev. Sunderwirth in making arrangements for the purchase and delivery of books he selected.

Lucky for us, the restaurant chef who prepared our noon meal knew the location of the building that once housed the seminary where Mother worked. As we drove to the anticipated destination, our hearts were pounding. The building had been remodeled. The 55 outside steps of which Mother wrote were no longer present. As we walked in, we saw stairs inside and also an elevator. I bet Mother would have liked the elevator, but we chose to walk the steps. We counted 68 steps instead of the 55 Mother had climbed, but Saulo assured us we were in the right building. We believe we saw the view Mother described to the south revealing the bay, even though the buildings now blocked the beautiful view described in her book. We felt very happy to be standing in Brazil where she stood. The consensus was that the large classrooms in the building have replaced the area where Mother spent much time cataloguing library books.

Back to church that night, we were greeted by Sandra, Manuel's wife, with hugs and kisses. Everyone was happy to see us again. They sang hymns with familiar tunes. The choir sang "White Christmas" in Portuguese. According to the calendar, it was close to the Christmas season, but the days there are hot in December. They were right to sing that they were dreaming of a white Christmas.

We were very glad to learn that Manuel was appointed the new minister in the church where Mother worshipped and where the library books she catalogued are housed. Since Manuel seemed to be the student Mother knew best, it is fitting that the young man she knew became the minister in the church she loved.

I could not have asked for a more complete understanding of Mother's "impossible dream." It had to have been God's providence. How else could all of the angles fit together so perfectly!

It's possible that there will be another reunion of the Vitoria Seminario Theological Presbyteriano do Centenario in the future. I'm sure that I will be informed if there is. If so, anyone in the Oerke family would be greeted with open arms because of the legacy of Nanetah Oerke. I wonder what it would be like should I return. Will the new seminary grow, and will it have the necessary books needed to educate the students for the ministry? Will the same people who meant so much to Mother be there? What changes, if any, would I see.

I am sure that every member of the family was proud of Mother and the goal that she was able to reach. She set an example that shows us that happiness is met by having a dream and making it come true regardless of the circumstances involved. I am reminded of Mother's words from her book when she spoke to her minister in Wyoming who first helped her find a way to follow the quest to her "Holy Grail."

Chapter 3 COMMENTS

I am Rowena Jones, the daughter of Nanetah Oerke. I came to this reunion with my son, Michael, to be among Nanetah's friends and to represent her on this occasion.

Some of you knew her personally. I would like to thank you for playing such an important part in her life while she catalogued the library of the seminary in the year 1967. Will you please stand and be recognized. Thank you.

Nanetah committed herself to Christ as a young woman. The church was always a very important part of her life, but it wasn't until she located this seminary at the age of 70 that she was able to fulfill her lifelong dream. She wanted to serve overseas; she wanted something special, something personal, something challenging. She wrote in her book that she was going to have that privilege by coming to Brazil. You made it possible for her to fulfill that dream of service to God and His people.

Copies of her book are with Rev. Cunha in Rio and with Rev. Labrunie in Vitoria. Through her book, we have become acquainted with the names of the people she loved here. Now, we have had the opportunity to meet you. We have also felt your love for her as you have expressed yourselves with such warm feelings.

It is with deep joy that we are here among you today. Until just a few months ago, we did not know how to contact anyone. The events leading up to our locating you seem a miracle to us, and we feel that God has been our guide.

Nanetah passed away at the age of 87. These reunion dates are perfect for honoring her memory, because November 16th would have been her 100th birthday. She wrote that you had a birthday party for her before she left and that you gave her live roses.
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