We had a plan for the sister missionaries to pick me up about 6:45 in their Uber & go to the church to meet w/ Pres Rocha. Most of the team members were going out to a steak restaurant for dinner & if I got back early enough, I intended to meet them. But…I got back about 9:30 pm and had just enough energy to post my Part #1 blog for the day & send a few texts & go to bed 😊
The Ubers were running slow, so we got to the church about
7:15 & as we arrived, we were greeted by a woman who does the cleaning
there. The sisters chatted w/ her & introduced me & she got very emotional
sharing with me (since I was from the US) that her son from here in Brazil
served a mission in Salt Lake City & while he was there had a terrible
accident & for some time his mobility was limited. She said it was hard as
she could not get him back to Brazil & care for him and when she told his
mission president that he said “your son is now my son” & the mission president
cared for him for months until he could walk & return home…he is now doing
well and working in Sao Paulo. It was a very emotional memory for her and such
a sweet story about a SLC Mission President.
We were then greeted by Lucas who is the Stake Clerk &
speaks good English. He took us to Pres. Rocha's office where I met him &
his wife. I was also introduced to Sister Nacimiento the Stake Relief Society President
who is in a “high position” at a finance company & was just released from
the hospital on Sunday, Sister Gabriella who is an attorney & the stake 1st
counselor and a Stake Communications person. After the emails & video call
meeting Pres Rocha was like meeting an old friend – he is very energetic and so
positive!
He started by asking me if “I had a plan” for the sacred
funds. I explained that typically I do not as is the case here – that my generous
friends & I simply want to help wherever is needed & I gave him
examples of how we have helped in various ways in other countries. Then he said,
“after hearing from you we have been praying and we have a plan”. There are
many families in the boundaries of our stake (which is very big) who struggle to
have enough food every day. Even last week a ward Relief Society President who
is a single mother with two children called to see if there was any help for
her family as they had run out of food. While Sis. Nacimiento was in the
hospital Sis Gabriella called all the ward Relief society presidents to ask
about needs and food was the highest need for church members and others they
know in the area. As they gathered up the names and total number of families
Sis Gabriella priced out how much money for food was needed to give families “the
basics” that would last one month. The basics included: rice, beans, spaghetti
pasta, flour, oil and lard. It would be about $30 per family & they were
concerned as when they totaled up all the struggling families in their
boundaries it would be 50 families & that amount would be R$6550. Well,
that is when my tears started flowing abundantly & I knew that is why God
sent me to Porto Velho to help feed his children 50 families here specifically.
You see at the Sao Paulo airport I had exchanged $1500 in US
dollars & with the exchange rate of R$ 4.4 to 1 US dollar & the
associated fees I had received from the exchange & had in my envelope from
the exchange bank R$6525 the R$25 difference was equal to about $6 US. As I
pulled out the money & gave it to him there were many more emotions and
tears of gratitude in that room. Pres. Rocha stopped us then to offer a prayer
of thanks for this “miracle” and when he said that prayer it was a very long
prayer of expressing gratitude….that I was sent to this country and the state
of Rondônia and the area of Porto Velho specifically. He expressed gratitude for
the generosity of the individuals who selflessly gave money to help people they
do not know and will never meet, gratitude for their pure hearts, that by doing
this they will be feeding the hungry and blessing the sick there will be tears
of gratitude from these families.
After the rest of that prayer – I don’t remember all of it
just the beautiful spirit of it & we all were emotional I told them we all
needed to pause to remember this moment and recognize the many steps we were
all a part of in this miracle-
1.
I was asked to come to Porto Velho by Op Smile
2.
I said YES to the mission despite some rough travel.
3.
My stake leaders got me Pres. Rocha’s email.
4.
I have generous friends who care about their
brothers & sisters in Porto Velho & I was given these sacred funds – the
most I have ever brought on a mission.
5.
I contacted Pres. Rocha 2 weeks ago & he replied.
6.
When I had some anxiety over the travel, I
reached to make flight changes & Op Smile made the changes.
7.
Pres. Rocha brought his leaders together &
they talked about these sacred funds.
8.
I exchanged my cash in Sao Paulo
9.
The church leaders together decided on providing
food-then prayed over the list of families to find the 50 families.
10. The
amount of money needed was almost the EXACT amount I had exchanged.
11. To
me it is clear the Lord is in the details of our lives and in this work
I also said this is a lot of work for them to do all the shopping & out together all the items. They plan to get baskets for the food & wanted to know if we wanted to have a message of who it was from…I was a little unsure about that & then said to just tell them it is from their brothers & sisters in Southern California who care about them and love them. They liked that idea because the farthest point in their stake in Nueva California – (New California)
They continued to share some of the unique situations people
were in…widows who were older women, single mothers trying to work and care for
their children, families with significant health conditions prohibiting them
from working, and a myriad of other struggles. He said the poverty rate is high
in this area and this will make such a difference in so many lives and it will
be delivered as if it came from the hands of the Savior. I did mention that I received
another $200 I did not bring in cash but could use a credit card if they needed
to buy the baskets other items.
Pres. Rocha again said he was so touched to know there are other
people far away worried about his people – in a time in the world when most
people only think of themselves, He also said that for weeks and months there will
be many prayers that those who gave so generously will be blessed for their
kindness and will feel and know that they are literally saving lives and
spirits in Porto Velho.
Pres Rocha concluded by reading Helaman 10:4-5 where in
verse 4 the Lord points out the qualities of Nephi - that he was not thinking
of himself, he was taking care of people he did not know he was not worrying
about his own life and because of that in
verse 5 those traits were identified – kindness/goodness/loving and he was
promised many blessings and that I and my friends have these qualities –
worrying about people we do not know, seeing that there are children of God with
needs blessing other people and will receive the same blessings that were
promised to Nephi.
He then handed the envelope of money to the Stake RS
President and said my contact would now be with her, based on my weekend mission
schedule & her schedule she said she would come for me at my hotel at 1 pm
on Monday (I am just here that day waiting to fly out that night). so, I will
see her then with the sister missionaries too so we can get any other items to “package
or prepare the food”. They will get together with the ward Bishops and Relief
Society Presidents next Saturday to assemble these “gifts from God – like manna
from heaven”.
When we finished at 9 pm I felt soooo drained because of
this experience and also soooo overjoyed. I could visualize & hoped that
these people who will receive food will feel the love and support with which
it is sent. That hunger will be relieved for 50 families, the hope and joy they
perhaps will feel. These faithful leaders in Porto Velho (some of whom themselves
struggle) are being our “long distance hands” from California.
I am still processing all of this but one thing I am certain
of is….GOD OUR FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST ARE IN THE DETAILS OF ALL HIS CHILDREN'S
LIVES! That does not mean we always get our miracles or life is easy, that we don’t
experience grief, heartache, loneliness pain, or sickness, It just reminds me
we are never alone & they are always there…I am so very humbled to simply play
one small part and be the conduit thru which this miracle in Porto Velho has
happened.
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