September 17, 2020 | Espirito Santo, Brazil | By Leonardo Saimon, South American Division, and Adventist Review

Dozens of drivers parked their cars at the Vitória international airport in Espírito Santo, Brazil, to join the celebration of World Pathfinders Day on September 12, 2020. The event brought together a number of Seventh-day Adventist church leaders and Pathfinders from the region for a drive-in event.

Nearly 10,000 people are involved in the Pathfinder ministry in the north-central region of  Espírito Santo, according to an unofficial estimate.

The Saturday (Sabbath) afternoon program included a video commemoration and the arrival of leaders riding motorcycles, leaders reported. The opening of the ceremony included the ceremonial placement of the hatchet, which usually marks this type of programming. Fireworks added to the festive spirit of the celebrations.

The drive-in Pathfinder celebration in Espírito Santo marked the return of the F4ces musical ministry after a six-month hiatus due to the pandemic. [Photo: Filipe Braggio, South American Division News]
Regional Pathfinder leader Carlos Eduardo Petter said he believes the celebration program ascribed a renewed meaning to the Pathfinder movement, due to the difficult time clubs are going through.

“This celebration is much more special,” Petter said. “Clubs have shown that despite the isolation, they are reinventing themselves. And we made the most of the occasion so that they were able to somehow meet.”

The celebration also marked the return to the stage of the F4ces Ministry quartet after almost six months without face-to-face presentations due to the coronavirus. The musical ministry also marked its 10th anniversary as a quartet.

The opening ceremony included the traditional setting of the hatchet. [Photo: Filipe Braggio, South American Division News]
“It is a very special moment for us!” said Wallison Adriel, one of the singers. “We were longing to follow people’s testimonies and to partake in interaction that only the face-to-face environment can provide us.”

Baptismal Ceremony

Estevão Gomes had challenged himself to study the Bible with someone this year. He decided to offer this possibility to João Araújo, a friend he used to attend school with.

“I prayed, and everything went well,” said Gomes when retelling his experience as a Bible instructor. “I felt a sense of accomplishment, as I realized that even a person with shortcomings can be used by the Holy Spirit.”

Pathfinders followed the World Pathfinder Day program from their cars, parked at the international airport in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. [Photo: Filipe Braggio, South American Division News]
After studying the Bible with Gomes, Araújo decided to be baptized. “I was at home playing when Estevão offered to help me study the Bible. He had already offered his assistance last year, but I had rejected it,” he said.

Araújo was welcomed by the Pathfinders, who celebrated his decision to accept Jesus and be baptized.

“This was not an event for its own sake,” Petter reminded his drive-in audience. “Don’t forget that as Pathfinders, our mission is to help save others by giving them hope.”

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.