It is 1932 and we are in the North East of Brazil. A young missionary is facing a very hostile crowd which has been summoned by the Roman Catholic priest to stop him preaching.
The priest calls out: ‘What bishop ordained the preacher?’ The firm reply comes back: ‘The Lord Jesus Christ who said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel”, it was the Lord Jesus Christ who ordained me’. This is provocation enough for the priest and the stones begin to fly in response, forcing the missionary, together with his Brazilian colleagues, to leave town.
William Bannister (Ban) Forsyth was that young missionary. Born on July 30 1906, he had been in Brazil for just four years, but he was to remain there another 42, faithfully preaching the gospel. Called to missionary service quite dramatically while singing a hymn during an evening service in February 1925 (he did not know the Lord at the time and only came to saving faith several months later!), he completed two years of training at the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow.
