The World Needs Your Light

so this week was better and..... not so better for me. 

I'll start out with the more solemn, pensive experience first and end with the good news/funny stuff.

1. Had an experience this week that changed me, again. Me & Sister M are working in an area called Antares. I thought it would be pretty much the same as Centro Civico since its in the same area, same zone, same city but Antares looks like a completely different place from my last area. To start off with, there are more bars here than grocey stores. You think Im exaggerating, but oooooh Im not. This is just the beginning. The other day, me and Sister M were tracting and came across a little 9 yr old boy with a cooler strapped to the front of his body. He told us his name was Joao Vitor and that he was working selling chocolate truffles his mother made for ,50R$. He had one red eye, and he had been working in the street since he got back from school in the suffocating heat. As I looked at this little boy, exhausted, thirsty and hot I felt like my heart broke into a million pieces. I saw my nephews in the eyes of this little boy & I realized I had nothing to give him. I left my water bottle in our house, so I couldnt even give him a sip of water he mustve been longing for. As I watched him walk away I felt incredibly guilty for not telling him to wait for a few minutes so I could buy him a bottle of water at least. 

This leads me to my invite for you, my dear friends and family. Be grateful. We are so blessed. Your childhood, the childhood of my neices and nephews did not consist of them working in the streets in order to help their single mother buy bread and milk. This little boy shouldve been playing or reading not working. So remember to be grateful. And to give more. Serve more. Look for opportunities to bring hope to the hopeless and to give rays of light to those afraid and sitting in darkness. 

Now to the little happy news! Valdemar got baptized this sunday! Really Sis M was working with him with her other comp, Im just enjoying the fruits of their labors but still wonderful news! 

We also passed by a less active members house this week, and these are some of the things that happened:

1.) Leonardo (the crazy brother) told me that "Eu estou MUITO APAXIANADO PARA VOCÊ!" which translates to: "Im madly in love with you." 

2.) Teodor (the OTHER crazy brother) told me that this sunday hes going to come to church and ask me for my hand in marriage. i thought he was kidding until I started busted a gut laughing but looking at his face he was being completely serious.

That makes 2 marriage proposals in the same day! By 2 men who could be my father.... ohhh yayy!!! Just what I always wanted!!!! -_-

and thus ends the adventures of an gringa in brazil.... 

peace out! love yall!

xoxo

beijos abraços

Sister VerHoef