Late-in-Life Couple Left Comforts of Home for Adventures in Brazil

Most people in their 50s wouldn’t even think of moving to a remote area of a foreign country with only minimal language skills. Retirement, relaxation, and enjoying grandchildren would be on most people’s minds.

However, Van and Paula Edwards left the comforts of their home, their church, and their culture and set out on a missionary adventure in Brazil, as described in the new book, Misadventures in Travel: A Misadventures in Travel.

The book, by Paula Edwards, is a collection of stories from her and her husband’s three years in Brazil, during which they studied the language, traveled the coastline in search of villages that needed a Baptist church, and helped plant churches in Minas Gerais.

Misadventures in Travel describes an intriguing journey as the Edwardses attempt to be God’s ambassadors in a foreign country with only a rudimentary understanding of the language and a lone map book as their guide. Naturally, the experience is one of adventure, misadventure, and a few laughs along the way. From numerous bureaucratic snafus to hair-raising traffic to countless scary vehicle breakdowns, Paula and Van press on to fulfill what God had called them to do.

Their escapades weren’t always challenging. They encountered numerous gracious Brazilians whose hospitality knew no bounds. Often, Van and Paula stumbled upon surprisingly pleasant pousadas (lodging) and came across fellow believers whose unbridled joy in the Lord motivated this American couple to push on so all Brazilians in these remote areas might know Jesus.

Paula’s warm humor and unrelenting optimism will amuse readers, while her candid honesty will give a glimpse into real missionary life.

Paula Edwards, a native of the piney hills of north Louisiana, received her bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Louisiana Tech University. Besides having served God on the mission field, Paula also has been a schoolteacher and enjoys riding and training horses. She and her husband, Van, are parents of two grown daughters. The Edwardses live in North Louisiana, in which Van serves as pastor.