Josiana Martinez (photo) was born in the Brazilian city of Paraisópolis, in the state of Minas Gerais, and lives in Espírito Santo do Pinhal, in the state of São Paulo. She has a degree in Gerontology and is a trained physiotherapist. She is an active member of the local Spiritist Movement and is a volunteer worker at the Estrela, Luz e Verdade Spiritist Association. She has also taken part in the Global Campaign for the Gospel in the Home, as she explains in the following interview.

How did you become a Spiritist?

It was through my husband. When I first met him I was a practicing Catholic. After we got married, I began attending Spiritist meetings and talks with him. Everything happened gradually, as my family then had objections to Spiritism, which they didn’t know much about.

Which aspect of Spiritism strikes you most?

The studies about the physical, mental and Spiritual aspects of human beings. Also, the natural manner in which it deals with spirituality. Before I found Spiritism, I was stuck with a few questions in my mind: How would God decide the aspects of everyone’s lives? Where and who would we live with? I found in Spiritism the answers to those questions: we are here in an individual and at the same time a collective mission. And all we do can have an impact on our lives and on the lives of other people. I am comforted by the certainty that our lives won’t end with death, which is merely a transition. Spiritism helps us understand that we have chosen the people who will be near us in this life being close to them will help our spiritual development process. We are here to learn and God wouldn’t be unfair.

What is your assessment of the Spiritist Movement?

It is dynamic, it has a rich literature but it needs to make a bigger effort towards unity. There should be no room in it for personalist initiatives.

How did you get involved with the project of disseminating the practice of Gospel in the Home?

Living in Espírito Santo do Pinhal, I had the opportunity to meet Maria Tonietti Compri, a well-known campaigner for the dissemination of the Gospel in the Home in Brazil and abroad. She was a Spiritist speaker, a writer and she organised meetings in the city before returning to the Spirit World in 2016. During one of her talks, she received an invitation to begin a radio programme. It went on air for the first time on November 30^th, 2002. My husband used to take part in it in its the early days and I often went along. That’s how my friendship with her began. Eventually, we got closer spiritually and she treated me like a real daughter.

How did the Global Campaign begin?

It was during a Spiritist Congress in Brasília in February 2000. Maria Tonietti Compri tells the story in one of her books. She said she was signing copies of her book and talking to those around about the importance of the Gospel in the Home and came up with this thought: “A society is made up of people who are formed in their homes.” Many friends from both sides of life were present at the meeting, including Dr Edwin Genaro Bravo, from Guatemala, who was then a member of CEI, the International Spiritist Council. He said: “Maria Compri, let’s launch, here and now, the Global Campaign for the Gospel in the Home.”

The campaign was formally launched in February 2001 by Maria Tonietti Compri, during an event that took place simultaneously in the cities of São Paulo and Ceres (in the state of Goiás). She highlighted then the importance of everyone uniting in order to implement the Gospel in the Home wherever people were, but especially inside their hearts.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I have noticed a growth in fraternal movements that bring together different religions. I hope that becomes more frequent, as it will help promote fraternity among all nations. With the advances in technology, we are getting closer to each other. So we can put together the different ideas, philosophies, sciences and religions for a common good. We are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Father, united in love and for love so we can progress spiritually.