My dad (Marion) was born and grew up in Brazil. His father was a Lutheran missionary and they lived there for ten years. When I started working at the Child Development Center, my director/friend Annette told me that her father (Luther) was born in Brazil, son of a Lutheran missionary, and their family also came back to the States when her dad was 10. The coincidences were astonishing, and we joked how we were secretly sisters.
I’ve decided that it’s time these stories came together, and so I’m asking both Dads to answer some questions about their upbringing. This is just the start.
Where did your father serve?
Marion: São Marcos (Rapadura, Domingos Martins, Espirito Santo)
List of places with a congregation (I’ll be searching for documents, etc., for more complete information.):
Melgaco, Ponte Jucu, Boa Esperanca, Alto Jucu, Alto Sapucaia, Santa Maria de Jetiba, Alto Santa Maria. Interestingly, some of these places have more than one pastor today,
Luther: Concordia Lutheran congregation in São Paulo. He served many small groups in the interior.
What was a typical breakfast growing up? Marion: Corn meal mush (think cream of wheat), brown sugar, maybe honey, toasted cornbread (made with yeast), toasted on the wood-burning kitchen stove, so it wouldn’t be soggy, a little milk (if the cow was producing). Luther: I remember having Corn Flakes, toast and pancakes. All this was 86 years ago. (They were both in Brazil in the late 30s/early 40s.) Dad has sent some links to current-ish videos from the church in Rapadura. Here are a sampling: In this one, you can see the altar and the reredos (ornamental screen) in the back. My grandfather designed and built those. He also designed the pulpit and a congregation member built it. This is from the 80th anniversary of the congregation in Rapadura. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEMiGrmnuy4 Dang it. Embedding video won't work. Let's try this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrgvIDj4M50 My Dad has also been transcribing his father's diaries and sending them on to me and my siblings. I'm trying to assemble them into a page linked from here, but that's not going so well. I'll figure it out! Dad and Luther, I'll keep asking questions! This is awesome!