Miracle on a Brazilian Street

So much happened during Hardaway’s time in Brazil. It was a miracle that she and her family survived, that so many people heard the Gospel and were catechized, and that hearts and lives were changed by the good news of  Christ and His redemption.

Renate Hardaway loves church workers. She encourages them, prays for them and even supports them with her financial gifts. It’s no surprise that she holds church workers so close to her heart—Hardaway is the daughter of a pastor, and God has blessed her family in more ways than she can count.

Renate Hardaway

In 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression, her father, Walter Streicher, took his first call as a Lutheran pastor. He wasn’t going to small town Iowa or even to the bustling city of Milwaukee. Hardaway’s father was sent, alongside seven other missionaries, to the middle of the rainforest in Espírito Santo in southeastern Brazil.

Danger on the road
For 13 years, her father would trek to and from 12 different preaching stations, traveling on horseback to bring the Gospel to new believers. This wasn’t a safe endeavor—it was well-known that there were dangerous thieves in some areas who would rob and even murder riders who were traveling alone.

With a wife and five children in his care, Hardaway’s father would always be sure to take a local man along with him whenever he would travel along an unsafe route. That way, if a criminal saw two riders, they were more likely to leave them alone rather than attempt to kill both men. But this plan wasn’t always foolproof.

“My dad thought he was going on a trip to a safe mission station,” explained Hardaway, “and he went alone and did get back home alright. But a few years later, a man—a new [Christian] convert—came up to my dad and said, ‘I saw you riding at such and such a time. I had planned to kill you, but then I saw another man riding with you. So I did nothing, because I didn’t want to kill two of you.’”

Renate’s father (Walter), mother (Elizabeth), and their firstborn son (Ralph) pose for a picture in Espirito Santo.

Her father insisted that he had indeed been riding alone that day, at that time, but the man maintained that there were absolutely two men riding together on the road. And because of that, her father was safe. He had made it to the preaching station and back, allowed safe passage to proclaim the Gospel and teach the people as he was called to do.

“My dad said that this man must have seen an angel, or the Holy Spirit in the form of a man, riding with him,” explained Hardaway. It was a miracle. And it wouldn’t be the last one.

Through hardships
During the family’s time in Brazil, illness was a frequent visitor.

“We had a lot of hardships in our family, and our faith meant a lot because in the jungles of Brazil, there were no doctors around,” recalled Hardaway. “We had a wooden chest full of homeopathic medicines, and that’s what we depended on to get us through illnesses. That, and prayer for God to heal us; and sure enough, He did.”

Eventually the family moved back to the United States so that the children could fully recover from malaria and smallpox, and Hardaway’s father went on to serve parishes in Ohio and Texas.

Freed up for the same mission
Because of her father’s service as a pastor—and her mother Elizabeth’s dedicated service as a church organist—Hardaway was inspired to support church workers in any way she could. So, in August 2023, she made a generous donation to Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) and chose the Church Worker Loan Pool (CWLP) for her designation.

“It’s important to support church workers because they have a lot on their plate,” said Hardaway. “They comfort people when there’s a death; they’re joyful with people when a new baby is born. But they’re human beings as well—and they need our prayer and help.”

Hardaway’s prayer is that her gift, and gifts like hers to the CWLP, will help church workers as they plant new churches and spread the Gospel, just as her father was able to do.

“I hope that [church workers] will be able to borrow money and extend His kingdom, so that we can have more people learn about Jesus,” said Hardaway.

Through her gift, more church workers are allowed safe passage, an opportunity to focus not on financial concerns, but on the mission to which God has called them. 

Church Worker Loan Pool

One step toward improving the financial well-being of our church workers.

LCMS church workers dedicate their lives to preaching, teaching and serving, often facing challenging financial situations. With your help, we can make a difference. Join Renate Hardaway in supporting the Church Worker Loan Pool.

Visit lcef.org/dedicated to see how you can take action today!