FOCUS on Education
Educators With a Passion for Discipleship
N 1960, the destiny ahead for four Regardless of facts, the passion for school. Classes were held for six months,
I
young missionary teachers could discipleship burned deeply in their hearts. and the students worked in various types of
not be imagined. The importance Their Lord’s words pierced their souls: evangelization for the second six months of
of the recent past was quickly fad- “All authority has been given to Me in the year. Seven of the original students
ing into history. For 33 days, on heaven and on earth. Go therefore and graduated in December of 1966—six young
board a cargo ship steaming for Brazil, make disciples of all the nations” women and one young man.
recent Lee graduates Ruth Crawford, Mil- (Matthew 28:18-19, NKJV). That small Bible school of the ‘60s,
lie Crosswhite, Janet
by H. LYNN STONE
Under the oversight of missionaries Bill later named FATEID, has become one of
Carter, and Mary and Rhoda Watson, the four single mis- the premier educational centers in the
Francis Poe excitedly basked in their pre- sionary-teachers evangelized, held Vaca- Church of God. Its graduates serve as
sent passion for the Great Commission. tion Bible Schools, conducted youth evangelists, pastors, education directors,
The facts surrounding the trip mat- camps, and taught elementary school. and overseers throughout the only Por-
tered little—the facts that the advertised They quickly immersed themselves into tuguese-speaking country in the Western
positions for public teachers in Brazil the language and culture of the world’s Hemisphere. One of the primary missions
were not presently available, that the fifth-largest country—the exotic land of of the school today is to reach into other
onetime World Missions stipend of $100 the Amazon River Basin, beautiful beaches, countries where over 200 million Por-
would soon be depleted with no guaran- high deserts, and soaring mountain peaks. tuguese-speaking people live.
teed salaries beyond that, and that the Four years later, 12 students—most of One year the enrollment dropped to
Bible school building construction would whom were recruited from the youth just three students. After prayer, the
not be completed for another three years. camps—enrolled in the newly opened Bible missionary teachers felt deeply that the
22 EVANGEL • MAY 2009
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