# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S92
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

92 Proceedings of the 29th General or

[continued from the previous page] ...without money. And God has again and again made Christian hearts willing and filled Christian hands, so that the debts were paid. May he do so in the future as well — yes, he will do it.

But worse than the lack of money was the lack of workers. At every distribution of candidates, only a fraction of the candidates requested could be assigned to the Brazilian District; and one or another candidate could not bring himself to accept the call extended to him for South America. Repeatedly the shortage of workers became so great that we found ourselves compelled to take candidates out of their preparation for the holy ministry in the middle of the school year and send them to Brazil, to which the district presidents and the faculties most willingly gave their consent. So four young men are once again now on their way there.

But a still more painful affliction has struck the Brazilian District in this triennium, namely the actual loss of eight pastors. The zealous and capable Pastor Enge was taken by dear God, through a blessed death, from his great field of labor into the rest of the people of God. Even President Vogel found himself compelled, on account of his wife's suffering condition, to leave Brazil. Two pastors could not be dissuaded, by any amount of pleading or pointing out the great need, from laying down their office and returning to the United States. Neither is available for a call at present.

In spite of all this, the mission work has moved forward, indeed blessed by God as perhaps no other mission of our Synod. We take the liberty of presenting individual fields.

Porto Alegre and its suburbs were, a few years ago, still without an Evangelical Lutheran congregation. Pastor Mahler moved there. The beginning was small and poor. And today? In June of last year the congregation numbered 73 voting members and close to 354 souls. It has a parish school, at which three teachers are now employed and which numbers a good 200 pupils. "A lively attendance at the services is to be noted; regular congregational meetings are held. Preaching in Portuguese has also been begun; every four weeks Prof. Frosch preaches in that national language." There, too, is located our institution, as well as the agency of our publishing house, through which good books are sent to all parts of Brazil. An Emigrant Mission is also carried on here. There Christ is "proclaimed in every way." What Christian should not rejoice over that?

In Sao Leopoldo, a city of 7,000 inhabitants, Christ is proclaimed by President A. Heine. Our pastors have labored there since 1903. The congregation numbers 60 voting members and 220 souls. There is especially great opposition to the school work; nevertheless our school numbered 28 children. The congregation owns debt-free church property. From there a branch congregation—