Our Journey & The Lessons We've Learned

Due to the ministry of an American Evangelist in the City of Artigas on the Brazilian border, a number of people were converted. A call for someone to be their pastor was made. Over a period of time, there was no response. Pastor Dagys of Brother Pedro’s home church expressed the need to his church to pray that someone would volunteer to be the pastor of this new church body in Artigas. As this need was expressed several times, Brother Pedro felt led by God to offer himself along with his family as pastor of the Artigas church. Although Brother Pedro had no formal ministerial training, the situation was so desperate that his offer was accepted. To the amazement of the Assemblies of God leadership in Uruguay, Brother Pedro along with his wonderful wife, Ramona, guided the development of this congregation until there was a membership of several hundred. At one point, one third of all the students in the Bible institute in Montevideo were members of the Artigas church. Several of these students, later became leaders of the Uruguayan Assemblies of God. Ten years later, another evangelist came to Uruguay where in the City of Minas, located near the eastern side of the country, he began an evangelistic campaign. There was a very favorable response which resulted in the conversion of 300 people and once again, there was no one to become the pastor of this new congregation. The call went out for someone to accept this challenge and again Brother Pedro accepted the challenge. He, with his family, moved to Minas where he became the pastor. These new Christians were meeting in a warehouse building. A year later, Rose and I, with our two children, arrived in Uruguay to begin our ten years of missionary work. Because I had no exact understanding of what my specific ministry would be, I decided to do what our Latin American Assemblies of God leader suggested, “Spend your first year visiting around the country in order to identify the needs for your ministry.” During the first three months, I spent a weekend in Minas with Brother Pedro. Those three days with Brother Pedro started my relationship with him which became a key to my future ministry in all of Uruguay. Brother Pedro, there in that warehouse building, had services seven days a week in the afternoon and at night. Also, he had a radio program every day. That weekend, I was the preacher every day in the two services; plus, after the evening service, for another hour, I gave teaching to a group who were being prepared for leadership in the church. On the last night of that weekend at around 10:00 p.m., I was waiting for Sister Ramona to finish preparing our evening meal. Brother Pedro presented a question I will never forget. “Brother Stone, how many church services do you have in the Assemblies of God churches?” I responded, “More or less, three services a week. Sunday morning and Sunday evening and then another on Wednesday.” Never will I forget his response, “Is that all?” Then he presented another question, “Brother Stone, do you think the Lord would allow me to take Monday off?” It was that night that Pastor Pedro presented the challenge to me asking me if I could help him. For the next three months, I spent several days each week helping him to solidify that congregation. Pastor Pedro’s 12-year ministry to the Minas church resulted in a church which has played an important part in the growth of the Assemblies of God in Uruguay. He planted a new church in every town of 1,000 or more population in that county. In an earlier chapter, I wrote about the development of the extension Bible institute (S.I.P.O.) in Uruguay. Brother Pedro was the first graduate of the S.I.P.O. Bible Institute. This next story shows the true greatness of Brother Pedro. One day Brother Pedro asked me to accompany him to the town of Bichatera, about 50 miles from Minas, where he was lead pastor. In Bichatera, he was planting a new church congregation. I agreed, so we started out in my 1962 Volkswagen Beetle. The only vehicle that Brother Pedro had was a bicycle on which he traveled throughout the City of Minas. On this day, it was the month of February which located in the Southern hemisphere is like a hot August day in the United States. My 1962 Volkswagen Beetle was not equipped with air conditioning. As we rode along the dirt highway to Bichatera with the windows rolled down, I soon was perspiring and both of us were covered with dust. Even though I was extremely uncomfortable, Pastor Pedro was just chirping away about the goodness of the Lord. Suddenly my extreme discomfort prompted me to say, “Pedro, I sure wish I had an air-conditioned car.” Pedro, with only a bicycle, responded, “Brother Stone, I wish Jesus gave me a Volkswagen.” For the next 10 to 15 minutes, I kept thinking, “God forgive me for not being grateful for my Volkswagen Beetle with no air conditioning.” That experience has helped me to endure gratefully many experiences when I lacked American comforts. There are not sufficient words for me to express the impact this simple but tremendous man of God has had on my life. Brother Pedro represents for me True Greatness.