In December of 2004, I experienced a serious personal health set back. For those who were around me then, they will know what I am speaking about. For this post, the details have no relevance. Later in January of 2005, I was tested and released to accompany other Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) members on a trip to Brazil, in February. This was a trip I had been waiting for since the third quarter of 2004. The trip expenses were already paid before my health set back. I was glad to be able to go.

    During those years, trips to Brazil were considered a really big deal at WOFF. There would sometimes be over 100 folks that would take the trip to visit one or both of the two churches in Brazil that were under Jane Whaley. At one time, there were three churches under her influence, which was “apostolic direction and protection”. I do not know for sure, the full story of why the third church was no longer mentioned. Seems to me that may have been merged in with one of the others? Anyway, Jane Whaley made or still makes regular trips to Brazil, unless things have changed. (We will speak to that a little later..)

     Since 1992, I had been hearing about the trips, as others would go and come back with wonderful stories. There would be the “fight to get everyone on the right plane” and the time Jane had her briefcase stolen from her car while stopped at a red light in one of the big cities. That story ended with a young boy off the street diving into a canal to rescue the briefcase carrying all the group’s passports. What a scary deal that turned out to be! Jane and her “adopted” daughter chasing the thieves in their high heel shoes or maybe Jane was barefoot? I can’t remember it all.

    Who can forget hearing Jane tell of the verbal forays at the ticket counters of different airports, at various times? She said she had gone “toe to toe” with the ticket clerk and/or the manager! All of this was of course to assure that all WOFF travelers were on the right plane, which menat all on the same plane. Over the years, this changed to allow two or more groups to travel and not have to be all together. Some Brazilians and their American spouses would leave on different days and fly out of different airports to get the best fares or be able to use the frequent flyer miles in the best manner. So, it is certain that some things do evolve and change at WOFF.

   Back to the trip I took. Before that trip, there were meetings to teach WOFF members the correct mannerisms in the airport and about airplane boarding and seat assignments. Every detail was decided ahead of time. There was bus money and airport taxes, food money and other things to pay ahead of time. Nothing was left to “chance” or the “devil could attack”. Much of it was safety oriented, but, some measures were so ladies would not end up beside a stranger that would “attack them with lust.” Of course, you were told NOT to watch any movie while on the plane or look at the magazines. For this, some would bring blinders, for sleeping of course. By this time, the airport regulations had increased about what to pack and what not to pack. These rules were stressed over and over and it proved to save time. It was all very exciting. I had flown before, but I had never been overseas or off the American continent.

    The departure day came, the caravan was arranged. Everyone was “locked-in” with someone. It was kind of a “buddy system”. If you needed help with your luggage, that was arranged, also. We all tried to keep together all the way to the Charlotte airport. It was very exciting as folks departed and hugged loved ones. The folks going for the first time had a special excitement about them. We gathered into the waiting area and the “love” kept coming. Here is the post which includes the episode about a church leader helping a young man with his double creases in his pants…  http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=822  Truly, this secretary had/has “the gift of helps” like few others.

   We changed planes in Atlanta, which was interesting. It was near 32 degrees and the ice had begun to form. However, we were able to take off and fly direct to Sao Paulo, Brasil. It was an overnight flight. I did not sleep much. When we landed and got off the plane, we were herded into a hallway, waiting our turn to be checked through. My first impression was of an unair-conditioned hallway with announcements in Portuguese. I would later learn that air-conditioning was a rare luxury in Brasil. It was strange to be in a place where English was not the main language. I had not experienced that since my brief trip into Mexico, many years before. We made it through customs and found several folks from the host church waiting to load our baggage. It was good to see some familiar faces in this otherwise strange environment.

    We boarded buses and headed to our destination several miles outside of the city. We were going to Franco de Roca, where the host church and many of its members were located. The bus trip was through several “bad areas” and the window curtains were shut to “keep out the unclean.” Several folks fell asleep during the trip. I sat in the back of the bus and was grateful for the air-conditioning.

    Once we were in the area of the church, we pulled up to a large house to allow some folks to get off the bus. Everyone did get out and at least stretch their legs. This had been a long trip and it felt good to get up and walk. This house was very large and had marble floors. The house was owned by a lady in the church whose husband owned a factory, in another city. (If I remember right.) This large house was not their primary residence. There would be about 35 women and girls staying at this home during the seminar. At that point, the house was not totally finished.

    Before we go any further, let me say that my memories of the Brazilian people were nothing but gracious, loving and accommodating. They opened up their homes for over 100 Americans to stay for several days. This would prove to stress their water supply, as well as their waste disposal systems. What ever happened, the people kept a good attitude and proved themselves to be more than kind to our group. I have fond memories of my time with them; learning and taking in their lifestyle and surroundings. That part of the trip was most enjoyable to say the least.  

   We will continue about this trip in the next post. Any present or former members who would like to share their experiences in Brasil are welcome to comment. I only took one trip to Brasil with WOFF. Others would have more to share on the subject.  

    Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

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      (Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. ) Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 164.