Former Armagh missionary passes away in Brazil aged 94

WELL known preacher and missionary originally from Dernasigh, Armagh, Harry Wilson, was called Home to Glory on 13th August, 2023, after a brief time in hospital in Porto Alegre city, Brazil.

His funeral service was in the Porto Alegre Gospel Hall and interment in the Municipal Cemetery São João in Porto Alegre on August 15, 2023.

Harry was born on 29th June, 1929, to Joe and Minnie Wilson from Dernasigh Road, the youngest of five children, his brothers being John, Tilly (Orr), Joe and Jim.

Harry went to the local school, Drumsallen Primary School , from he was four years of age where the main subjects were English and Arithmetic. Some of the local men (most have sadly gone now) remembered playing Hares and Hounds with Harry during school breaks. Harry left Drumsallen School at fourteen with a Public Elementary Leaving Certificate with Honours.

Soon after leaving school, in August 1943, Harry started as a draper’s apprentice in the well known Armagh store , A Lennox & Son.

Harry was brought up going to Knappagh Presbyterian Meeting House and also frequented a Sunday School in Killymaddy Methodist Church where a Miss Mary Lester taught him.

Harry’s Dad , Joe, also took the family to hear the Gospel preached in cottage meetings local to where they lived , for example, in Mr Sam Lester’s House (Drumsallen House) where men such as Mr Leathen and Jack Lennox (from A Lennox & Son and from Armagh Gospel Hall) preached. The value of these cottage meetings were fundamental for the local community to hear of their need of God’s Salvation which many times, sadly, was missing for the local church ministers’ sermons.

On 1st March, 1945, at the end of a Gospel meeting in the Lisnafeedy Orange Hall, Harry trusted Christ as his Saviour and Lord and took the first step on his way to heaven. As soon as Harry got saved, he had a desire to read the Bible and to please God.

While reading the Bible and discussing the Christian pathway with other believers, eg Stanley Wishard from the Armagh Gospel Hall, Harry discovered that it was God’s desire that he should be baptised by immersion and to meet with other Christians in the pattern laid down in the New Testament.

Soon after this Harry was baptised in the Dungannon Gospel Hall and was received into the assembly of believers who gathered in the Battleford Bridge Gospel Hall (sadly no longer there).

God gave Harry the desire to tell others of this wonderful Salvation that is obtained by simple faith on the work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary.

Encouraged by Mr Sam Lester, Harry helped with the children’s meetings that Sam conducted on Friday nights in the Drumsallen Dispensary .

Sometime after serving his time with Lennox’s, Harry got a job in Wright’s of Strabane during which time he was associated with the Christians who gathered in the Strabane Gospel Hall. Harry’s interest in the spread of the Gospel was such that he spent many a train journey from Dungannon to Strabane and back giving out gospel tracts. He also helped out in cottage meetings in Strabane and surroundings.

After reading the book by Mr Frederick Glass “Adventures with the Bible in Brazil”, God gave Harry the desire to preach the Gospel in Brazil.

Having received the commendation from Strabane, Battleford Bridge, Sion Mills and Newtonstewart Assemblies , Harry left home on 13th February, 1952, to head to Brazil via Newport, Wales .

Harry boarded a ship called “Potaro” on 15th February, 1952 , the day King George VI was buried , and sailed on 16th February arriving in Salvador, Bahia , Brazil on 1 March, 1952.

During his first furlough back home in 1957 he proposed to Beth McKinley from Dungannon and invited her to go back with him to Brazil . They got married in May 1958 and headed back to Brazil soon after that.

For 71 years, Harry preached the gospel faithfully to the Brazilians, seeing many of them converted to Christ from their futile religious traditions passed down from their ancestors and saw many of these new believers gathering simply to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and following the doctrine of the Apostles.

On his various furloughs home, Harry would also preach up and down Northern Ireland but he had a special interest in the souls of those in and around where he grew up. Only Eternity will reveal how many of those he tirelessly and persistently invited to hear the Gospel got saved.

Harry’s earthly labours are now over and he leaves a grieving widow and six surviving children. There are many friends, neighbours, cousins and nephews who have lost one who was faithful in lifting their names daily to God for their salvation. It would be wise for all who are yet without Christ to seek the Lord while He may be found , to call upon Him while He is near, and accept Christ today. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2