Documentary Recounts Mission to Indigenous Peoples in Brazil

In 1911, Seventh-day Adventist pastor and missionary Ovid Elbert Davis traveled to Brazil’s remote borders with Venezuela and British Guiana. In the region of Mount Roraima, despite very poor health, he opened the Word of God to the Taurepang, Macuxi, and other ethnic groups, teaching them about the “Great God.”

To relive the historical story of evangelizing indigenous peoples in that region, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in northwest Brazil, which covers the Brazilian states of Rondônia, Acre, Amazonas, and Roraima, produced the documentary O. E. Davis – The Legacy. Based on Davis’s diaries, the film brings to light the challenges of his pioneering mission, church leaders said.

The documentary project, which took about eight months to complete, highlights the value of Davis’s missionary work and its relevance to the present day. “I am passionate about stories, and God was guiding all the research for this project, sending people to bring the richness of details,” said Ivo Mazzo, executive producer and Northwest Brazil Union Mission communication director.

For the documentary’s screenwriter, Luciana Costa, one of the challenges of the project was to do thorough research in magazines, articles, and books, and conduct interviews with relatives of those who knew Davis. “The historical recovery of Davis’s life and actions shows us how evangelism can transform lives, and that God has much bigger plans than ours,” Luciana said.

A Tool of Adventist Identity

For Márcio Costa, who holds a doctorate in religious studies, the initiative of the regional Adventist Church to produce content that reinforces the Adventist identity is very important. “Our message is not just another message. Our message comes from heaven; it comes from God,” he said.

Historian Ubirajara P. Filho, who holds a PhD in Social History from the University of São Paulo, learned about Davis’s story in the mid-2000s. As part of a research project, he visited the archives of the General Conference building, the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in the United States in 2001. During this visit, Filho found records related to Davis: a brief diary, the last letter written by him, and the accounts of the missionaries who continued his work.

“It is one of the most impressive missionary narratives in the history of the Adventist world church,” Filho said. “The work Davis began, and all its developments, reveal great dedication, love, faith, and willingness to do mission. These are values that the Adventist Church must continue to celebrate and promote.”

A Dream Come True

Davis had previously worked among Native peoples in Canada and Alaska and had been working in British Guiana since 1906. In April 1911, he began the journey to Mount Roraima.

According reports from natives over the decades, Márcio Costa said, in 1890 the leader of one of the indigenous communities had a vision in which he saw a missionary arriving with a black book.

“After he came out of this vision, he began to give instructions to his people, that they should live differently, so as not to get into conflicts. And he said that before he died, someone would come who would teach them more about that book,” Costa said. Through information that had reached Georgetown (the capital of British Guiana) through gold prospectors, Davis was drawn to the story and began his missionary journey.

The receptivity of the indigenous communities to the work of Davis and the missionaries who succeeded him impresses Filho. According to his research over the years, many indigenous people have not only adopted the Adventist identity but have also become missionaries in other communities. The influence of these indigenous missionaries reached a radius of more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the region of Mount Roraima, with people converted in Brazil, Venezuela, and British Guiana, he said.

The Documentary and Mission

The documentary O. E. Davis – The Legacy revives the story of the pastor’s faith and sacrifice, producers said. “It highlights the impact of his mission and boldness in exploring a territory hitherto unreached and surrounded by the challenges of the immensity of the forest, its rivers, and tropical diseases,” they explained.

The mission that began in 1911 continues to inspire generations. Currently, more than 30 Adventist congregations are spread across indigenous communities along the border between Brazil and Venezuela.

One hundred and thirteen years after Davis’s arrival, the Adventist Church recently inaugurated its 2,000th church building in the region. That 2,000th congregation is in the Aleluia Community, in Pacaraima, Roraima, the region where Davis began his mission with the indigenous people.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language new site.