That could have been one of many other nights when the Castelo Forte church would meet to hear the praises sung by the choirs of young people, children, teenagers and ladies who celebrated the name of the God of the whole earth on Sundays, and then would be guided concerning the Holy Scriptures, through the pleasant sermon of your pastor.

However, on that occasion something very sad awaited those present, the departure of his guide and his spiritual death, when he was finally overcome by the envy and persecution of his enemies. “My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to once again be reunited with you just to worship the name of our God together, and finally to rejoice in the certainty of the salvation we have received from him.

However, it is with regret and deep sadness in my soul that I address you to announce my farewell to this temple and to live with this beloved church. Where one day I was converted by the gospel and confessed to the Lord Jesus as my eternal Savior. Everyone is aware of the struggles I waged against the strong adversaries who live among the elect disguised as sheep.

 But who are nothing but voracious wolves. They are open enemies, whose hearts are bitter with envy and dissatisfaction. In the work of the one who chose me to lead his flock, as we know, the children of darkness exist and are present everywhere. Seeking to swallow the lives of those who are enlightened and called to announce the Good News of Salvation to the captives of Satan.

Today, my family and I are forced to leave this pulpit and the mission to proclaim the coming of the Lord and his warning cry for the deaf to sin to hear his voice, however, others will rise and continue this important mission, because even if they silence us on stones, they will cry out and the name of Christ will not fail to be announced. I say goodbye to all of you with eternal gratitude for the time we spent together and side by side.

 We were fighting the same battle against evil, even though from this moment on I realize that I have been won and what awaits me outside is just an inevitable destruction. We do not know what awaits us out there, we understand only that we will never be forgotten or abandoned by our God. And even if we pass through the valley of shadow and death with us, it will be until the end. It does not matter whether we will stand or fall into our wrongs and sins.

 But surely one day he will come to our rescue and rescue us ”, the last words of the thirty-nine-year-old evangelical pastor, when saying goodbye to his flock, were sad and full of bitterness, it could be seen that from that moment on he would become another person, completely unbelieving of the faith he once chose to follow. Accused by opponents of embezzling resources from the temple where he presided for his own benefit and of several other ministerial crimes. His once-praised reputation was thrown in the mud.

 And those who revered him began to see him with different eyes. Doubting his moral character and criticism became constant wherever he went. His family became the target of ridicule and, as always, false friends manifested themselves. Taking off his masks and revealing his cowardice hidden behind the false appearance of Christians, even those whom he has helped with immense sacrifice several times have turned their backs on him.

 They didn't even greet him when they saw him in the neighborhood streets, where he lived, from a renowned Christian speaker, a renowned spiritual guide and admired by everyone who met him at the height of his ministry, he was reduced to a shameful shadow that no one else gave any importance to. , no value. From the moment that pulpit came down and walked with his face buried in the accusations that had been raised against him in the bank aisle.

Where his former admirers watched him with indifferent looks, holding tightly the hands of his three young children. Completely defeated before his accusers, the ancient man of God died bitterly within himself. He vowed never to return to that world of pretenses and deceptions that was that of religions. His wife and children still insisted for a few months, then she went astray.

Only they persisted in the faith and did not abandon the congregation, despite the countless times they heard indirectly from other boys their age. And also of the elders who mocked their parents, they had a strong conviction of what they sought, salvation, as he had taught them as a minister of the gospel. After a life full of alcoholic drinks and parties, the couple went down day after day to the bottom of the well, discord took the place of love and understanding, the discussions were constant and the most affected were his children.

 Who witnessed verbal and even physical aggressions inside that house that was once a blessed home. The two made friends with unbelievers. People completely opposite to the Christian customs in which they were raised and lived throughout their lives. From the new relationships with individuals accustomed to the practice of sin came the mistakes.

The mismatches of ideas and goals, were lost in the darkness of the revolt and became easy victims for the enemy of God, who hates the family and does everything to destroy it. Keila was a young and happily married woman, who claimed to be a Christian, but in fact she was a prostitute without the slightest fear of divine vengeance and who was previously Carlos' sheep, when he was still shepherding, even during that period she already insinuated herself to the guide spiritual. And she had revealed her shameful secret to him, but he nevertheless chose to keep it and try to convince her to fix his tortuous path.

Now, after having fallen into the misfortune of losing his ministry and becoming a reproach before the entire evangelical community. He reappears and tries to convince him that nothing else would stop him from going to bed with her who always wanted him. For months he refused to accept such a proposal, however, away from the light and enslaved by the desires of the flesh weakened by the rebellion.

 He ended up surrendering to what was asked of his human side, corrupt and sinful. They became lovers, were on the sly and betrayed their partners, everything was going great, when Janaina, his wife, discovered everything and once again he saw the gates of hell triumph over his decadent life. Full of hatred, that betrayed woman did not contain her hatred.

 And he badly beat his rival. Then, still not satisfied, she tried to kill him. After so many scandals that the unpopularity of the two in front of the church increased even more complicated. Then she surrendered herself to another man, fighting back the betrayal, which resulted in an attitude of extreme violence on his part, since she almost committed a homicide in front of her three young children.

That horrified they just screamed and asked for help from neighbors who intervened and avoided the worst. The days that followed after that terrible episode were more disagreements and threats between the two, even though he had received a threatening subpoena from the police so that he would never again attempt to even attack her with offensive words.

 At the risk of being arrested. Always intoxicated and attempting the worst against his wife, he still had no right destination, lost in the bitterness of spirit caused by frequent failures. While she felt protected by the authorities, she launched herself into a promiscuous life and alarming immoral levels.

Getting to the point of circulating through the streets of the neighborhood in the company of other men. He prostituted himself openly with them, in order to further demoralize his partner. Shame the one who insisted on living in the same house. Then she passed from a daughter of the Most High.

 Whom many others respected and mirrored as a wife. Christian mother and woman, shameful for those who defended the holy name of Christ's church. Perhaps wounded pride or materialistic ambition prevented the two from giving up material goods and persisted and lived together in the same place, despite sleeping in separate rooms.Furthermore, also, there is no longer any feeling between them that was not hate and disgust.

 They remained in that situation for several years. Soon after they were expelled from the ministry of one of the largest and most important Pentecostal religions in the country, whose birthplace took place in 1911, in the city of Belem do Pará, a place where both knew the gospel and became Christians. Carlos França and Janaina hated each other, lived in the same house.

However, they didn't even exchange friendly looks. The three children grew up under that cloud of disunity between their parents, they were equally unhappy and revolted. She, however, because she spent most of her time with them, about at least twelve hours apart from her husband.

 Because he worked outside, he ended up gaining more attention and support from them, pitting them against his father, encouraging them to believe that he was the villain and she the victim, when in fact both were equally wrong. Little by little, Carlos lost the affection of his children who began to disrespect him.

 When he got sick he was isolated in his room without any assistance. Neither Janaina nor the teenagers were helping her, her situation couldn't get any worse. On one occasion he suffered an accident at work, an iron rod fell on his right foot which was badly bruised, swollen and unable to walk.

 Lying in an uncomfortable bed, he was abandoned and without anyone helping him with bandages or food. Meanwhile, his wife was walking with her lovers in motels or even, traveling with her children on weekends on the beaches or having fun in swimming pools in the clubs near where they lived. He, after some time, realized that he had been the cause of all that disgrace in his home, the infidelity committed contributed a lot. Regardless of the consequences of his actions, he was so lonely, so he decided to try to start over.

 To repair all the damage done to his marriage. And, in a way, recover the love and respect of the children. But it was too late to at least remedy the harm he had done to himself and his family.  The poison of wickedness, the stain of discord and worldliness had completely dominated his companion, who as a madwoman caused rebellion among her children against her father.

 Was increasingly contaminated in the lust that worldly depravities offered him, he looked around and he saw all the destruction his acts caused. He remembered the good times when he could get home, tired of another day at work. Get together with the family around the dinner table.

Then sit together on the sofa in the living room and teach each other the lyrics of beautiful songs from the church's Christian hymnal. So many wonderful things lived in a happy time that they would not repeat themselves, because they were interrupted by darkness, the devil or whoever, finally managed to put before him a stumbling block capable of diverting him from his purposes. So he launched his dreams into the bottom of a deep well, from which it seemed impossible to submerge.

Even with countless unsuccessful attempts to achieve a reconciliation with Janaina it was all in vain, she joined with bad companies. He lost the desire to save the relationship, especially when he met Sandra and Juarez, a couple with immoral habits above all he had seen. Beside these two new friends, she plunged into the paths of perdition, changed from alcohol to drugs and he realized. Too late, that he had lost his mate forever. At least he could still see three lights shining in the house, his children who remained steadfast in communion with the brothers in the church, praising God in the congregation choir.

And persisting on the path that, in a time before his moral and spiritual decline, he taught them to follow. However, Denise, who was his youngest daughter, despised him, perhaps because he had followed the dozens of times when he and his mother physically assaulted each other.

On the occasions when she saw him with a gun drawn, threatening to kill her or for the rude way she was treated during her drinking, together with her brothers. Well, it didn't matter at that point in time, the ten-year-old girl had a black heart with hurt.

 She, unlike the older ones, held a grudge and could not forgive them. She was visibly dissatisfied with having to live with them, she wanted to distance herself, but she knew how. To complete her state of revolt her mother decides to leave to live with her lover, leaving her with Carlos and her brothers. For two years the teenager remained in that hell, watching her father arrive drunk, pouring out the bitterness of a betrayed and abandoned man on her and her older brothers.

There were only three children unprepared to live with that situation, a lunatic father and a mother with no compassion for them, to the point of having left them there. Seeing the suffering of nephews. Especially the girl, Janete, Janaina's older sister, intervened and planned to free Denise from that situation, however, she knew that it would not be easy to convince her brother-in-law to agree to such a decision.

 It was then that a secret meeting took place at the home of Arlete, the children's maternal grandmother, in order to find a viable way to take the girl out of her father's power without having to resort to violence. Or to the legal means available.

They already knew his temper and knew the consequences that would come from such an attitude. He was a man full of defects, but he was attached to his children in order to do anything to avoid losing custody of them, and that was worrying:

— We need to act immediately, my niece is at great risk by being close to that man, drunk and violent!

— It turns out that “that man” you are referring to is her father, Janete, and has legal rights over her, don't forget that!

— And because you are a father, do you also have the right to mistreat her?

— And can we prove, judicially, that he does this? From what we can see, despite the drunkenness he continues to give everything that children need for a good survival, there is no lack of school, food, clothes, shoes and they are off the streets. What would we rely on to convince a judge to side with us and take custody of his girl?

— Okay, Janaina, you're right. However, we have to find a way to achieve this, finding a weak point in which we can achieve this goal. After all, it was for this reason that we met here today, wasn't it?

— Do you want to know my opinion? Particularly, I think this attitude of yours is quite hasty. In my opinion we should call him for a formal conversation, we would highlight our concern for the current situation of the girl and we would try to convince him that leaving her in our care will be the most sensible thing to do

— Mother, I am surprised to hear that from you,

do you think that monster can really maintain a healthy dialogue with someone?

— Look here you three: Carlos was among all the other sons-in-law that I had, until now, the most dedicated to his children, his wife and me as a mother-in-law. Without taking into account the immense affection that your father had for him until the day of his death, for understanding that he respected us. So, don't try to convince me that my granddaughter is in danger of living next to him, because that is untrue. Carlos may have changed, became aggressive, drunk and lost his focus of reality, due to everything bad that happened to him, including because of his madness, Janaina. But he remains a great guardian of his children.

— As always, defending the preferred son-in-law, isn't it Mom? No matter what he does right or wrong, for you it will be forever perfect!

— Think as you wish, Jacira, but I will not condemn you without reason. If you intend to take my granddaughter from him and do it with dignity, find a fair way to do that, but don't frame him with lies!

— Okay, people, enough to go over the past, we didn't come here to get into disagreement with each other, let's focus again on the mission to get our girl out of that house!

— Okay, and who could show us a way out of this impasse, since we are back to square one?

— I think I know how we will achieve this!

— Oh really? Then explain it to us!

— I remembered something that I find very useful to be used against that scoundrel and force him to deliver my daughter to us. It turns out that after his departure from the ministry, during the revolt that made him throw himself intoxicated, he started to access social networks and interact with all kinds of people, including ordinary women who sent him nude photos. Several times I woke up in the morning and saw him on the living room sofa talking to them on his cell phone, sending or receiving such images

— And do you know for sure if at some point he, too, posted a photo of him naked on the internet?

— Once I woke up at night and sniffed him in the bathroom, naked, with the camera on my cell phone on. I think I was preparing a photo to send to someone, but I'm not sure about that

— But it is logical that he could only be there for that purpose, I believe that this is the way, we will investigate and try to find something on social networks that we can accuse him of being an immoral person and unable to keep a child in his custody

— And will that be enough for me to ask for permanent custody?

— Of course, my sister, which judge would trust to leave a girl with a father, at the risk of being sexually abused?

— Okay, so let's start investigating!

In the following weeks the three women, counting on the help of other younger. And well-informed relatives on how to carry out all types of research on the internet, searched the social networks looking for traces that would allow them to obtain evidence against Carlos França, in order to force him to renounce the right to parental custody of his daughter or to be denounced for practicing libidinous acts before justice. It was not long before they found strong evidence on one of its public pages that would put him in a bad spot if it were to be presented to the authorities, and Janaina used it to blackmail him:

— Here is the greatest proof of the kind of man you have become, Carlos, an immoral! We found a huge amount of photos of you and other women, completely naked, not to mention that among them were teenagers with whom you have relationships on social networks!

— And am I the only man in the world to exchange this type of material with women on the internet? Since when do you have any morals, after the immoral life you have been leading since we separated, to come here to scold me for my personal attitudes, which in reality do not concern you? Maybe I am wrong to have a promiscuous relationship with all these women, but I do it virtually, and you practice your immoral acts live, directly in motels with your lovers!

— Now I understand the reasons that led the church council to exonerate you from the position of pastor, you are really just a pedophile!

— Do not be hasty in making such an accusation, woman, today I may be a lost man, but at that time I lived in a dignified and just manner. And if you're wrong to think that, I would never get involved sexually with minors

 — Your explanations do not matter. Just know that I intend to take my daughter with me, she will not stay in this house for another day!

 — Are you crazy? I will not even allow this to happen, our daughter will remain where she has always been, beside me!

 — Oh really? For if you don't give me the girl, I'll take the case to justice and I will see which judge will have the courage to allow you to keep her guard after seeing these immoral pictures!

 — This can only be a joke, did you freak out, woman? The girl is right here, she has everything she needs, you don’t even have a home of your own, she lives on rent and spends the weekends at parties or on walks with her degenerate friends, as she thinks about being able to give comfort and education does it deserve?

— She will not stay with me, she will live with her aunt

— What's this about aunt? So your plan is to put our daughter in the care of one of your sisters? Don't you realize that they already have their own children to educate and that this responsibility is mine or yours?

— As I said, I am in no condition to educate you, so I will pass this responsibility on to Janete. She is the oldest aunt, married, well-structured financially and is willing to accept the girl in her house until she reaches the age of majority and decides who she wants to stay with. Whether with me, you or staying with her uncles. But one thing is certain, here she will not stay while she is underage.

The conversation ended without the two reaching an agreement. Janaina and Carlos gave a truce until he decided how he was going to resolve the issue, if only between them, yielding to her demands or before a judge, which would jeopardize his freedom, due to exposure in photos with minors.

When asking a lawyer friend for guidance, he was informed that in the face of such accusations, provided they were proven, he would not only lose custody of his daughter, but of the other two minors. Therefore, when he got home sober after so many months consumed by alcohol, he talked to Denise and asked her to be sincere when giving her opinion about the idea of ​​going to live with her aunt:

 — I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm in full agreement with Mom. I can no longer stay here by your side after all the hell I lived in all these years in this house, before with you and her attacking each other, and now living with that damned drunkenness that seems to have completely overwhelmed you! I want to move in with my aunt Janete, get away from all of you! Everyone, without exception!

Denise's words were harsh and deeply hurt the heart of that poor man who, having failed to obtain the necessary strength to deal with defeat and failure, succumbed within himself and from time to time seemed to be losing everything he loved most. Firstly, his pastoral ministry and the respect of his followers, love for himself, his wife and now his daughter.  What more terrible could still happen to him, to be abandoned by the other children he still had? Health, employment, your assets and ending up in the gutter? Perhaps the God who once accepted to serve had despised him, perhaps he supported his enemies!

Yes, because none of them were punished for the betrayal with which they destroyed him, on the contrary, according to the news that came to them, they only prospered. He began to revolt even more when he realized that the faith he once embraced had been dedicated in vain. He was a man of great intelligence and gave up attending several colleges, achieving social status and being someone really important at that time. Perhaps a renowned politician, to dedicate himself to serving an empty ideology regarding a sacred and eternal Being.

 That he would recognize his sacrifices for that cause, yes, for the gospel and for the salvation of the lost. And now that he had tripped over the traps that his enemies had set before him, that he was lying on the ground, wounded and bleeding. Scorned by all those in whom he placed his trust, where was the God who said in his Word:

 I will never abandon you? Would biblical texts be invented, created and written by ordinary men and without any divine inspiration, as you learned during your theological formation and in the studies of the Holy Scriptures? If so, then would it mean that you have lost most of your existence believing in a purely religious and humanly empty theory?

An illusion created by the Jews and their beliefs in an eternal and perfect creature capable of caring for mere mortals like the human being, full of flaws and defects? Doubt ate at his soul like rust on iron, he died inside with every passing second, he surrendered to Janaina's whims and Denise's willingness to move in with her relatives, the youngest daughter's goodbye was the last straw. so that he fell to the bottom of the well.

 He went into depression and because of that the two oldest children, with thirteen and fourteen years old. They decided to stay by his side and rejected his mother's proposal to go with her and leave him abandoned. They understood that, despite his mistakes, he had once been a great father and friend, it would be cruel to abandon his luck at the most difficult moment of his life. From that day on Carlos started to return late at night.

drunk and giving a lot of work. But they were strong to endure the drunken man's deplorable state and welcomed him home. Inexplicably, the next morning, at the usual time, he woke up ready to return to work. Daniel, the eldest son, was less psychologically mature than Danilo. And he was commanded by him, who dictated the rules at home, took over the reins, when his father was not in a position to do so. They were, however, close friends and great friends.

 From a very young age, their mother got used to sleeping together, in the same bed, in order to obtain space in the narrow room. And this habit lasted until adolescence. The father did a renovation of the house and insisted that each one had his own bed, but they chose to continue sleeping in the double bed where they had been for so many years.

This friendship between the children who bet on his recovery made his heart hurt. Their permanence in the faith that he lost, in the future, would serve as a force to leverage his feet from the deep hole in which he fell and make him rise again. As a drunk he became, he had no friends, he was lonely and bitter in his dealings with people, he lost hope and did not trust anyone, started to hate his fellow men. In the few times that this sober one.

 He tried to give attention to his children, he tried to supply his basic needs. And immediately afterwards he surrendered to the domain of addiction without the strength to break free. His value as the most upright and just pastor for those who once admired him was lost, when he was seen as a prisoner of the accursed vice, he lost even more popular credibility. The chances of restarting his story in another field of work ran out with each new morning.

 He became a compulsive alcoholic, made alcohol the water that quenched his thirst, on weekends he woke up at bar tables drinking alcoholic beverages and only returned home after spending all the money he had. This caused their children to take immediate action to withhold part of their salary. Giving him only a certain amount to maintain his addiction. Several times he was approached by former “brothers in the faith” who encouraged him to return to the church, to be reconciled with God, but his response was harsh about this possibility:

  — Hypocrites! Today you approach me on the streets and invite me back, but where was I before, if not with you? And what did they do when those traitors stabbed me in the back, accusing me of the worst things? Did any of you come to my defense? Was I not always faithful and dedicated in the ministry I received, visiting widows, taking care of your illnesses, distributing food to the needy and fulfilling all my obligations as the shepherd of a flock? Now that you see the mud of sin you threw me into, do you repent and try to help me? Stay away from me, I don't need your pity!

Such a reaction led Christians to distance themselves from Carlos and to avoid giving him advice to divert him from the evil. Path that followed blinded by the revolt, with each passing day he became an isolated man with a heart for revenge, wishing to return to his enemies the same dose of the poison they received. His old spirit, enlightened by love and compassion, died crucified in the betrayal that came upon him suddenly. What he now brought alive inside him, although he was very hurt by the stabbing he received.

He was a bitter and merciless soul, crying out for the evil of those who threw him into the abyss in which he found himself. In the darkness of the drama where he was placed he was no longer able to forget the pain he felt when he saw everything he had built with such effort to collapse before his eyes without anything he could do to avoid it. That group of corrupt pastors came together for the sole purpose of throwing mud at their incorruptible character that won popular admiration within the church.

Something they could never achieve by legal or dignified means. For their minds were tainted by the ambition that led them blindly in search of earthly treasures. Which certainly corrupted their good manners and the love they once had inside their hearts. For people experiencing similar situations, drugs or alcohol were the only ways found to withstand enormous disappointment. But as a disastrous result they reap even more destruction for themselves.

 The dream of becoming a recognized minister of the gospel had become impossible after having his name tarnished by the infamous slanders of his accusers.  He looked around and it was no longer possible to find the slightest hope of a new beginning, he lost confidence on the part of Christians who rather.

 They would be blindly followed. As he brooded over his failure outside, criticism of him increased, commenting on how sad his current situation was. The name Carlos França ceased to be seen as an example of a spiritual guide in the evangelical environment and became a form of shame or curse for those more superstitious, they believed that God had abandoned him because he was truly guilty for all the accusations that were imputed to him .

 Apart from his two children, no one gave him attention and support, he was condemned to loneliness and contempt. Sitting on a sidewalk damp by the heavy rain that descended on the roofs in the afternoon that came to an end, he curled up against a wall with a claw of strong drink attached to his hands, in which he took strong sips, trying to erase his bad memories through drunkenness. .

The inevitable dizziness caused by cachaça was not enough to transport him to a world far from that sad reality, he was condemned to live in complete shame for the rest of his days. He heard footsteps and voices around him, it seemed that a crowd was walking around just to contemplate his ruin. It didn't matter if it was exactly as he thought, but their presence in the vicinity bothered him. He felt like human garbage, being trampled on by those who judged his cause without considering the possibility that he had a minimum of reason and innocence in the face of the accusations that were thrown at him.

Carlos was defeated, he was defeated and he was gradually losing faith in biblical promises. For he saw them as mere indecipherable and fanciful enigmas, with no result for anyone who trusted them. How many times did he read the phrase "I will never abandon you" on the pages of the Holy Book and put all his trust in it, but when he needed help he found himself alone and abandoned. No, the Bible and its sayings are nothing but a grotesque fantasy that has eluded thousands of people around the world. That was his current way of thinking