Bauro, Brazil-Part 2

The second part of our Bauro trip was one of my favorite parts of the trip-we got to hear a really fantastic life story. This is Bishop Stefanelli of the Geisel ward in  Bauro. After we delivered clothing to everyone he invited us back to his home for some refreshments. When we got there we noticed there was quite the contrast between his home and the people of his ward. In fact his home was very wealthy and big even for U.S. standards. 

As we began to talk over ice-cream, he told us that serving in the kids in this ward brings him joy because he used to be a poor kid from the favelas himself. He said that as a young boy he always had a desire to make something of himself. He wanted to rise above his poverty. He joked that he was always made fun of for this. He has memories of being in the "day care" (basically a big pen) and the ladies in charge laughing at him for his dreams. They would say, "You were born in the favelas and you are going to die in the favela!" This only made Bishop Stefanelli want to try harder.

His life changed when he was about 10 years old because his father was transferred to a new city for his job. It was while in this city, that the Bishop was chosen to receive a scholarship at a very prestigious and expensive Brazilian school. The bishop struggled there because he was constantly being made of for being poor. When it would rain he was unable to attend school because of his difficult living conditions at home and then in order to keep his scholarship he would have to notify the school that he missed a day's attendance due to the rain. This was the means of a lot of teasing and bullying because the kids thought it was funny that he was so poor that he couldn't come to school in the rain. The kids and faculty were additional voices telling him that he was born poor and was going to die poor. 

After he finished high school (an average student) he decided that the only way he would get to college is if he took the Brazilian vestibular (similar to the ACT/SAT) and got into a public school. In Brazil the public colleges are incredibly prestigious, difficult to get into and if you do, the tuition is free-paid by the government. 

Stefanelli learned  that the only day to take the test was Sunday and in another city. He decided that the only way he would pass would be a Miracle from God so he told Heavenly Father that he would honor the Sabbath day by not purchasing a single bite to eat if he could only pass the test. Not only did the bishop pass but he did so with flying colors and was accepted to the best public school in all of Brazil into the mechanical engineering program.

After he had been in school for a couple of years, the bishop of his ward told him that it was time to start thinking about a mission. Stefanelli approached the school and asked what would happen if he left for two years. He was told that he would lose his enrollment at the school and would have to re-take the vestibular when he returned home. This was a HUGE blow because, he felt like it was a miracle he passed in the first place and he couldn't afford to be kicked out of the program. As he discussed his plans to serve everyone told him he was crazy. His dad gave him a car as a way of bribing him to stay home, classmates told him this would be the biggest mistake of his life. It took the bishop an entire year to make up his mind. In the end he sold the car to pay for a mission and was called to serve for two years in Recife Brazil.

While on his mission he was sent a letter and picture of the young women from his the ward he attended while at school. There was a particular girl that caught his eye and he cut her face from the picture and put it in his scriptures and announced that she was the girl he was going to marry.

When he returned from his mission, the first thing he did was contact his college to see if they would allow him back in. He sat with one of the directors who was touched by his decision to serve a mission and the director changed the policy and allowed Stefanelli to return to school. He was also called to be the new executive secretary in his ward and the bishop was none other than the father of the girl he had cut out and put in his scriptures. As luck or providence would have it, she stayed after church every day to wait for her Dad and Stefanelli had obligations after church so they spent a lot of time talking together and soon fell in love and were married in the Capinas temple. 

Upon graduating college in 2008, a professor of Stefanelli advised him to stay in school and get a masters because the economy was so bad at that time. He chose to do so,  and while studying the science of solar heat which was fairly new to Brazil, he contacted a company selling solar heating panels and the company convinced Stefanelli to work for them. They explained that there was no one in his area selling them and he could do very well. Stefanelli did so well (because of a short lived housing boom) that he was able to buy land and pay for his large home in cash.

Stefanelli and his new bride thought they were building in a wealthier stake (the stake his wife grew up in) but when they took a closer they were actually in one of the poorest stakes in all of Brazil. He was called to be Bishop and told us that he felt like God had specifically prepared and shaped him for his role as bishop in his ward. He and his wife are the only educated people in their ward, every Sunday he uses a bus and picks up kids from all over the city who don't have a ride to church. Our friends jokingly told us that he looks beat up after church on Sunday. His tie is backwards, his hair is messed up and he has a million kids hanging on him at all times. 

One of the best parts of the story is that never once did this humble bishop of 33 years old say something about proving all of his doubters wrong and showing the world he is worth something. He just humbly said, "God is so amazing! There is no way I should have the wife that I have. There is no way I should have passed that test and gotten into college. I owe him everything I am!"

I was so inspired! This story made me cry and still does as I write it....

Here we are in front of his house that he designed and had built.

Here is the bishop with the kiddos wearing new clothes that we brought them!

Bauro, Brazil -Part One

Our friends Sylvio and Norma Guimaraes, mentioned several weeks ago that they wanted help with a service project in Bauro, Brazil. They had recently returned from a visit to one of the Wards in Bauro and they witnessed so much need. One of the young men receiving the Aaronic Priesthood was barefoot and in shorts and a tank top for the blessing. Sylvio asked if we could gather clothing and deliver bags to children in this ward. Fortunately here in Sao Paulo, there is an amazing community at the kids' schools and I sent out messages asking women if they would like to donate clothing and we received such a positive response.   

The bishop in  the ward, gave us the names of about 10 children that were specifically in need of clothes and shoes and Norma and I sorted the clothes into bags and made name tags for each child. We were able to make a bag for each child except for Dabu, the only Aaronic priesthood holder in the ward. This meant a quick trip to the mall the night before were supposed to travel to Bauro (about 3 hours from Sao Paulo). We got him a pair of church shoes, church pants, two church shirts, one pair of jeans, two t shirts and these boots. Something told me this 12 year old boy would love to have these boots so I purchased them as an extra surprise. 

The minute we arrived 10 children ran up to our cars with so much enthusiasm and love. The family had eagerly been awaiting our visit and it was so neat to see my kids introducing themselves in Portuguese to them, and witness the true excitement the children of  this family felt to receive clothes and meet foreigners.

We took the bags inside the house to sort through everything and give each child their bag. My first impression is the wave of humility that you feel when observing a home and circumstances so humble. The house is tiny- not even sufficiently big enough to hold enough beds for the 9 members of the family sleeping there. If I had to guess, I would say it was in the high 90's that day and there is no air conditioning or cooling mechanism-the sweltering indoors is not a comfortable way to live. The thought crossed my mind several times that Americans are so spoiled! After living in the Detroit area for two years, I thought I had witnessed poverty that doesn't get much worse, but the places I have seen in Brazil have made Detroiters look like kings. The United States is a country where even the poor live well.

Thais instantly bonded to the girls there. They were fascinated by her speaking English and even started recording her say things like, " Hi, my name is Thais and I am from the United States!"  The happiness of this family was infectious and we loved hugging them and getting to know them.

This dress that we gave them was special because it was a dress Thais had received from her cousin, Rylynn. We told Rylynn we wish she could have seen their eyes when they saw the dress. It's neat to think of a dress you loved being worn by a darling girl all they way in Brazil.

Here is the entire group in front of their home! It was such a memorable visit with this family and it made my heart swell to hear my Skyler Boy tell us in the car that he loved visiting with the family, playing with the kids and that it made him feel grateful for the things that we have. I pray that my children never forget these experiences-they can be life changing and soul shaping. I want gratitude to be a huge part of our characters.

Our next visit was pretty humbling. We drove into a community of "houses" that made the first place look large in comparison. Most dwellings were just thrown together with pieces of scrap metal and barely worthy of being called a house. This little girl named Julien, was covered from head to toe in chicken pox. I remember having chicken pox as a child but felt I felt sad that Julien's situation was so much harder. She smiled for us all despite feeling miserable and living in the sweltering heat in a place barely able to hold their one bed. Her mother sat and rubbed an ointment all over her face to try and relieve the itching.

This is Julien's new baby sister. I smiled at her and looked at her deep brown eyes and wondered if she would every be able to leave this situation. What are her chances for education and rising above the circumstances she was born into? It's hard to see. You want to give these children so much more.

This is my darling friend Norma! I just posted this because I love her and I was so grateful she let us be part of their service project. 

These houses are just a few examples of the poverty that exists in this part of Brazil. Perspective!!!