The select choir of Puget Sound Adventist Academy (PSAA) recently performed on tour in Brazil. Impact gave five full concerts and seven other appearances.
Attendance for concerts was staggering by American standards. A Rio de Janeiro church with a capacity of 1,200 was packed for both a morning and afternoon concert. At a Friday night communion at Universitario Adventista de Sao Paulo, PSAA students were awed as the service was performed twice to accommodate 2,800 people.
"We were amazed at the response to our music," said Meghan Kay, PSAA sophomore from Kirkland, Wash. "No polite golf claps here—the applause was thundering. It took us by surprise!"
Impact also participated in an all-night "Prayer and Praise" assembly where quartets to 500-voice choirs performed between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. More than 3,500 people were still in attendance by the conclusion of the program.
"What a difference in the attitude of the Brazilian people toward spiritual involvement and lifestyle," said Estyn Goss, Impact's director. "It was refreshing and affirming for this group of young singers to see their belief system accepted and practiced without hesitation. It made us all aware of the laissez-faire approach we have to our religion here at home."
