INTO THE LIGHT
Half-Century as Missionaries in Brazil
by Tom Latham
Latham reflects on his conversion and subsequent life as a missionary in this memoir.
In the author’s own words, this is a story of a married couple who were “crazy in love with Jesus and willing to serve Him anywhere in the world.” The book’s opening chapters note that Latham’s upbringing in postwar Oregon bore little resemblance to the stereotypical narrative often associated with nuclear families in the 1950s. Excepting the author’s grandfather, many of the male influences in his life were emotionally neglectful, absent, petty criminals, or imprisoned. Latham graduated high school in the early 1960s and shortly after enlisted in the U.S. Navy. It was during a naval stop in San Francisco that he attended a Baptist church service—just hours later, he would convert to Christianity. Immediately after, he “prayed a simple prayer of salvation,” and the author declared, “I’m going to be a preacher.” Presenting his story (mostly) chronologically, Latham recounts his journey to becoming a pastor, which included a stint as a wrestler in college before he eventually obtained a doctor of ministry degree. While he served a short time as a youth pastor, the author believed his true calling was to undertake overseas missions alongside his wife, Penny. In a series of short chapters (each only a few pages long), Latham recalls his 50-plus years living in Brazil as a missionary, where he and his wife led youth outreach programs that included a freestyle wrestling ministry and an “evangelistic mime drama team.” He provides readers with glimpses into Brazilian culture and bracingly describes his encounters with vigilante death squads. Unfortunately, the memoir’s narrative, while occasionally engaging, too often makes for a dull read. The text lacks meaningful spiritual insights beyond standard evangelical Protestant doctrine, and the author fails to contextualize Brazil’s history of colonialism and racism. Rife with typos, the text could also have benefitted from a closer editorial eye.
A worthy but rarely thought-provoking chronicle of the life of a missionary.