Samuel Curran and
Eleanor May Curran
Correspondence provided and edited by Samuel Curran (Jr.)
Dear Richard (Grandson - ed.),
It was good to see you in such good form and to chat with you recently. I was thinking over your inquiry regarding how we began to think about going to Brazil and wasn’t happy with the answer I gave you. Not many ever ask me that question and it’s something you wouldn’t press on other people. On reflection, I think my answer on the spot to you was pretty “lame” so I decided to write you this note.
Really, my first thoughts about seeking what I should do with my life came after I was married and had David¹. I must have been about 25 years old. They were very private thoughts and were more of a searching type as to how I was spending my life. I thought: “I’m happily married, have a little son, my husband earns enough to keep us reasonably comfortable. I have friends and family, am in fellowship in the local assembly but what is God getting from my life." Eventually I shared my thoughts with your Grandad and… surprise, surprise… his response was, “strange you should be thinking that way for those are exactly my thoughts”.
From that on your Grandad began to spend his Saturday afternoons (he had to work a half-day on Saturdays then) going into the countryside; talking to people and distributing literature. He wasn’t always well received!! On one occasion when a farmer’s wife opened the top leaf of the ‘half door’ he said he knew by the “sour look” on her face that he was in for a “tonguing”. She said, when he offered her a tract: “You are ill employed on a good day like this with all the harvest to be gathered in”. He replied, “Ma’m, I have worked five and a half days this week and am spending my free half day doing this”. Her face softened and she asked, “are you from the Presbyterian church up the road?”. He answered: “No I gather with the Christians at the Ballywillwill² Gospel Hall” and she said: “Oh! They’re alright" and reached her hand out and took the tract.
(After being in Brazil for a few years your Grandad was going around doing the same kind of thing and a similar occasion cropped up. The lady, a stern looking person answered the door and said: “No! We don’t want any more religions here. There are too many already”. Your Grandad answered: “But I’m not here to talk about religion”. She asked: “What are you here for?” “I am here to talk about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ”, he said. “Oh!” She said, “That’s different” and reached for the booklets.)
Back home before going to Brazil – Some years past and we still talked about it and the convictions continued. Eventually after a few more years we felt we must do something definite. One day your Grandad, while working in the furniture factory in Portadown came across a few magazines that were used for packing and he discovered some most interesting stories and pictures of South American Indians and this seemed to take his thoughts to the need in so many places in South America.
For a time we prayed a lot about it and wrote to missionaries in South America: Peru, Venezuela etc.. Still, we felt no one could advise us. Your Grandad wanted to be so sure that he wasn’t just forcing the issue and though some to whom he wrote would gladly have welcomed us – still he was unsure.
I said to him one day, would you not be happy to go to south Brazil where John McCann (Snr., ed.) works, but he answered, “No! I would be afraid that I was going just because I know him”. So that was that. I said there is only one young man of about 22 years with him. He said, “No, it would seem as though I was forcing the issue”. I said, “At our age (myself 33 years and he about 35) and with 3 children (youngest 31/2) would we not be better working with someone like the McCanns?”
After a few days J. McCann who before had never tried to influence us either way wrote to us and said: “Sam, are you sure God is not directing you to south Brazil, we would gladly welcome you here”.
I read the letter when it arrived and it seemed such a right thing to do that I went to the bedroom, shut the door and kneeled down and thanked God for the answer after such a long struggle.
When your Grandad came home his first question was, “Any mail today?” I casually said yes there was one and he said, “From whom?” I, trying to be calm said, “Just one from John McCann” (I didn’t want to influence him with my thoughts). He took the letter and went into the living room and read it. I was keeping an eye on what would happen. He walked down the hall and entered the bedroom, closing the door. A little later he came to the kitchen and looked at me and said, “Did you read this letter?” and I said, “I did”. He said, “What did you think?” I said, “I did exactly as you have just done. I went to the bedroom, closed the door (to keep our youngest, Andrew³ from disturbing me) and thanked God for the answer”. He said, “That is exactly what I have just done.” We embraced and the tears of thanks and relief flowed. (This must have been early 1958).
Eleanor May Curran
21-10-03
P.S. Within a few months we left for Brazil on the 18th June 1958.
Editor: Sam and Ellie Curran took with them to Brazil their three boys: David, Samuel and Andrew. Daughter Carolyn was born during their first furlough home in 1963.
¹ David Curran spent four and a half years in Brazil. He made friends easily and was very popular in Osorio, RS where the family settled after two years. He was a natural “Gaucho” as he took easily to horse riding. He later married Jennifer back in Ireland and they had daughters Lesa and Jaimie. He suffered a fatal road accident on 7 April 1978 – the day of his 32nd birthday.
² Ballywillwill – name of town land (Bal-ly-will-will, ‘oxitone’)
³ Andrew Curran remained in Ireland after a trip home in 1969. He was the tallest of the family at 6’-2” (1.88m). He also made many friends in Osorio and was well known for his sense of humour. He married Ruth in 1974. Andrew succumbed to ‘malignant melanoma’ on 10th June 1977.
Sam Curran (Snr.) worked mainly in Osorio and surrounding region - RS - Brazil until taken home to be with The Lord, with a massive coronary on 25th July 1987. His remains were buried in Osorio. He had a heart for the Gaucho and was Gaucho at heart.
Eleanor (Ellie) Curran returned to N. Ireland shortly after her husband’s death. She lived alone for 17 years during which time she made several brief return visits to Brazil, the last being ‘solo’ in 2000. She suffers from Parkinson’s disease and has been staying in ‘Faith House’, a Christian run home for the elderly in Belfast, Northern Ireland since March 2004.