It happened that one day he was called to visit a boy who had been shot.  As he rode along through the open fields he was burdened with prayer to God.  Suddenly he felt a strange feeling and he seemed to hear a voice saying, “You are saved.”  Immediately he knew that the Lord had visited him with His blessed salvation.  He shouted as he rode along the way, “Glory to God.  I am redeemed.”  He rode on in this state to the home of the boy.  Seeing the boy could not live, he began to exhort him to look to Christ for salvation, and just before the boy’s spirit passed out from him, he made confession of his Lord.  The Captain returned to his home overflowing with joy.  He galloped his horse up to the door, shouting, “Glory, hallelujah, I am saved.”  He embraced his wife and children and all stood back staring at him.  Finally the mother cried:  “Poor man!  Children, your father is mad.  Get the scissors and let us cut off his hair; let us rub some liniment on his head.”  “All right,” he said, “only do not cut it too close,” and he suffered them to rub the liniment also upon his head.  Seeing that there was no change in him, they also administered to him one of their homely medicines, a small portion of which he was willing to take to pacify them.  Their opinion of his sanity was not changed.

Not only his family, but his neighbors suspected him.  As he engaged in business—­and he was a very busy man—­people were watching him to see if something was not dreadfully wrong.  Finally all realized that a great and beneficent change had taken place.  He never became a preacher, but he did not allow to pass an opportunity to tell the story of his newly-found Savior.  His Bible was constantly in his hands, and he read the marvelous news to all.  His family soon became interested in the gospel and they, even to his son-in-law, became as crazy upon the subject as he.  Thirteen of them were baptized at one time.

For activity in evangelization his equal was scarcely ever met.  He kept for distribution boxes of Bibles and tracts.  While at business he witnessed for the gospel.  He traveled extensively.  Some of his bosom friends became his worst enemies, but many of them he led to Christ, or at least to a friendship, for the gospel.  He did not preach, but invited many preachers to come to his community and was always ready to accompany them whenever they needed his presence.  His life was the greatest sermon he could preach to the people.  They had known him once in the old days when one of his sons fell sick he promised to carry his weight of beeswax to the miracle working saint of the Lapa shrine, 100 miles away on the San Francisco River.  The son recovered and the father kept his word.  Now they saw him discard his old superstitions for the truth in Jesus.  The gospel that could produce such a marvelous change as this had its effect upon his neighbors.  He organized a church upon his own fazenda and it held its meetings in his own house at Casca.