Pierce, Floyd & Helen

Helen and I were born in Springfield, Illinois and met in High School. The assembly here began in 1953 where we helped in children's work, camp work at Lake Geneva Youth Camp in Wisconsin, literature distribution and teaching the Word of God in Sunday School and regular meetings. We were commended to the work in Brazil in 1960. In 1961 the assembly in Champaign, IL joined in our commendation. We arrived in Brazil in September, 1961. We settled in São Vicente, twin city of Santos, in the State of São Paulo, where we learned Brazilian Portuguese. In December, 1962 we moved to Curitiba, capital of the State of Paraná in Southern Brazil. From this center we helped establish assemblies, launched a ministry magazine, printed and distributed gospel literature. We cooperated with the camp work in Sousas, where the Lipsi family labor. In 1976 we returned to the USA for the education of our sons. In 1982 we were commended by two additional assemblies, one in Peoria and the other in Carbondale, Illinois. We retired from Brazil in 1996 due to health concerns for Floyd due to a colon resection and heart problems. Since then we have given help to Brazilian assemblies in the USA as well as distributing Bible correspondence courses in Portuguese and English by internet attachment and normal postal service. Three Christian schools were begun in Curitiba in 1997, one named in honor of Helen.