Among those I helped was Joaquim Melo, whom I met in the door-to-door ministry. I was talking to three other men who were listening but without much interest. Then I noticed a young lad who had joined us and was listening intently. Seeing his interest, I directed my attention to him and, after a good witness, invited him to the Congregation Book Study. He did not attend the study, but he did show up at the Theocratic Ministry School and thereafter attended meetings regularly. He made good progress, was baptized, and for several years served as a traveling minister, accompanied by his wife.

Then there was Arnaldo Orsi, whom I met at my place of work. I regularly witnessed to a fellow worker but noticed that a bearded young man always listened in, so I began to talk directly to him. He was of a staunch Catholic family but asked many questions about such matters as smoking, watching pornographic films, and practicing the martial art of judo. I showed him what the Bible had to say, and to my joyful surprise, the next day he called me over to watch as he broke his pipe and lighter along with his crucifix, destroyed his pornographic films, and shaved off his beard. A changed man in a matter of minutes! He also stopped practicing judo and asked to study the Bible with me daily. In spite of opposition from his wife and father, he made good progress spiritually with the help of the brothers who lived near him. In a short time, he was baptized and today serves as a congregation elder. His wife and children also accepted the truth.

In those days the Catholic Church had long processions in the streets of São Paulo, often with men out in front clearing the way. One Sunday, Father and I were offering The Watchtower and Awake! on the street when a long procession appeared. Father, as was his custom, was wearing his hat. One of the men in front of the procession shouted: “Take off your hat! Don’t you see that a procession is coming?” When Father did not remove his hat, more men came, pushing us aside against a store window and creating a disturbance. This caught the attention of a policeman, who came to see what was happening. One of the men took him by the arm, wanting to talk with him. “Take your hand off my uniform!” the policeman ordered, slapping the man’s hand. Then he asked what was going on. The man explained that Father would not remove his hat for the procession, adding: “I am an apostolic Roman Catholic.” The unexpected answer was: “You say you are a Roman? Then go back to Rome! This is Brazil.” Then he turned to us, asking: “Who was here first?” When Father answered that we were, the policeman sent the men away and told us to continue with our work. He stood beside us until the whole procession had passed​—and Father’s hat stayed on!

Incidents such as this were rare. But when they did happen, it was encouraging to know that there were people who believed in justice for minorities and who were not kowtowing to the Catholic Church.

On another occasion, I met a teenager who showed interest and asked me to return the next week. Upon my return he received me well and asked me inside. How surprised I was to find myself surrounded by a gang of youths mocking and trying to provoke me! The situation worsened, and I felt that they would soon attack me. I told the one who had invited me in that if anything happened to me, he would be solely responsible and that my family knew where I was. I asked them to let me go, and they agreed. However, before leaving, I said that if any of them wanted to talk to me alone, I would be available. Later, I learned that they were a group of fanatics, friends of the local priest who had put them up to this meeting. I was happy to be out of their grasp.