# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1905_S58
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

58 Proceedings of the 26th General or

Walk of Chicago was appointed by the Reverend General President
as Mr. Esemann's successor."

"II. Brazil. (Visitation.) A Reverend Synod, regarding
our mission in Brazil, passed the following resolution, among
others, three years ago: 'Resolved, that the synod recommends to
the president of the Southern District that a visitation in Brazil be
carried out by the General Mission Commission as soon as
possible.' (See the report of the 10th Delegate Synod, 1902, p. 73.)
As already reported in the Lutheraner (vol. 60, nos. 25 and 26),
this resolution was, in accordance with the charge received, carried
out in its time under God's protection and blessing by the chairman
of the General Mission Commission.

"On April 5 of last year the undersigned set out from New York
on the journey to Brazil and, after a four-week sea voyage, arrived
safely in the city of Rio Grande, where he met Rev. Mahler, who
accompanied him on the visitation journey. Without his company
the visitation could not only not have been carried out in the time
given, but the undersigned, being unfamiliar with the country and
the language, would have found himself in great difficulty.

"The visitation was carried out in the individual congregations
in the following way: preaching, a congregational meeting, a visit
to the school. In some congregations the sermon had to be omitted
because of circumstances. At the meetings the visitation was
conducted in the way customary among us, and among other
things it was asked how much the congregation raised for the
pastor's salary, whether and what prospect there was for growth,
etc., and the necessary admonitions and encouragements were
added.

"Since the whole mission territory is divided into three
conference districts, namely the Sao Lourenzo, the Porto Alegre,
and the Northwestern District, the visitation began in the
first-named conference district. Here are found the congregations
of Sao Pedro, Morro Redondo, Santa Eulalia, Santa Coletta, and
Bom Jesus. While the first two congregations were founded by us,
the three last named are school congregations we took over, which
in part were for years 'served' — to their great harm — by
so-called schoolmasters who also acted as pastors. As a result, the
work in these congregations, so long neglected, is far more difficult
than in the first two and requires much wisdom and patience on
the part of our pastors. Besides these five congregations there are
three more preaching stations in this southern, the Sao Lourenzo,
conference district.