Stories from the Amazon - The Biggest Rodeo in South America

This story is about a very memorable time at the largest rodeo in Brazil. 

During the time of this story I was working with Cowboys with a Mission in another state even farther south, where it actually gets really cold in the winter. Every weekend we would go to the rodeos and bull ridings in the small towns in the interior parts of the state. Our team was small, less than a dozen of us,  but we loved the people we ministered to and the two or three rodeo circuits we followed. If you don't understand about rodeos, a rodeo circuit, at least in Brazil, is generally put on by the same group of people, the same stock contractors, the same competitors, just different towns each weekend. They compete throughout the year and then generally hold some sort of finals competition where the points accumulate and there's a grand winner.  We would travel each weekend with these rodeo people and host Bible studies for them, pray with them before each rodeo, help them in any way needed behind the chutes. sometimes pulling the bucking strap, sometimes helping pull their bull rope, sometimes holding a horse for someone to mount, sometimes going with them to the hospital, always showing them the love of God. 

The Barretos rodeo is the largest rodeo in South America  and our mission base decided to start an outreach at that rodeo. Over a million people attend this event from all over the world. They have campgrounds and most people would bring tents and camp for the 10 days of the rodeo. This gave us a great opportunity to not only help the rodeo competitors but also the general public. Our whole mission base came to this and we did evangelistic programs, we served the medical people, helping with the sick or injured, and I was behind the chutes at the rodeos doing what I loved the most, helping the rodeo gang. I got to translate for the English speaking competitors and prayed with lots of people and went on a crazy ambulance ride with one bull rider. 

Each day would start out early with breakfast in a big tent and a Bible study and talking about what each group was going to do throughout the day for ministry. Then we would take our devotional time and then each go to our work for the day. I'll share a few of the most memorable things that happened for me at this first outreach we did. 

There were two or three places where the rodeo competitions took place. One was an outdoor arena where all the roping slack was held. There were hundreds of horses and riders competing through the week at this arena. We would go there each day and talk to people about Jesus and find the competitors that we had been following through the year and have prayer time  with them. One fun thing that happened is I got to ride a big mule that a guy had trained to be ridden with no saddle and no bridle. That was pretty neat. The mule was so well trained and well behaved. 

Another eventful thing is there was one roper cowboy that I had been talking to about Jesus. I had a cross necklace on that had been my grandmothers. I felt the prompting to give that to this guy and tell him how much Jesus loved him, so much that He died on the cross to pay the price for his salvation. He was very touched and I prayed with him that Jesus would help him and be with him and show him His love each day. A couple years later I read in a magazine that this same cowboy had died a tragic death in a car accident. I'll never know till we get to heaven but I pray that somehow my words impacted him to the point of salvation. 

One fun thing that happened during this outreach is the organization team asked us to help be security during several large music concerts. We were happy to do that since we got to watch the concert right up close. We got to be front and center keeping the screaming fans off the stage for Alan Jackson and another famous Brazilian singing duo. That was a once in a lifetime kind of experience! 

Many other things happened, we talked with many people, shared the gospel, loved people,  uplifted each other and God was glorified even in that place with so much darkness and sin.