It's a Small World After All

In 1996-97, I served an LDS mission to the Brazil Marilia mission.  I was fortunate to live in four cities there:  Ourinhos, Tupa, Marilia, and Londrina.  The first three cities are located in the interior of Sao Paulo, about 6 hours from the city of Sao Paulo.  At approximately the same time, my husband Sam was serving about 2000 miles to the North in the Brazil Fortaleza mission.  

We had the wonderful opportunity to return to Brazil for 10 days (we left June 28, 2009) for a wedding of Sam's uncle, which was in the small city of Aracatuba, about 1 1/2 hours North of Marilia, where I had served.  

The third day after we arrived, I had arranged to drive down to Ourinhos to have lunch with Rose Vaz, a member I had known on my mission.  So Sam, my father-in-law Art, and I drove two hours to get to her house.  What a reunion!  She mentioned to us upon our arrival, that a girl who knew my husband on his mission (2000 miles away) was coming over.  Lo and behold, Angela walks in with her husband and her youngest child, and said to Sam that it was he and his companion that had found, taught, and baptized her.  My husband didn't recognize her until she showed him a photo of them on her baptism day.  Sam had given it to her a few months after her baptism.  He remembered her after he saw the photo.  What a wonderful reunion that was.  She had moved down to Ourinhos shortly after her marriage.  Her husband thanked Sam for sharing the gospel with his wife.    

Angela, her husband Anderson, Sam (holding picture on baptism day--below), and Angela's son Saulo.

       

Baptism day, Feb 1996

Sam, Dana, Rose Vaz, Angela, and Saulo, her son.

Now fast-forward to today.  I am in a new ward in Thetford, UK.  After church I met a guy who had served in the same mission as I, at the same time.  We actually never met on our mission, but he had served in both Ourinhos and Tupa, two cities I had served in.  I asked him if he had known Rose Vaz (the beforementioned friend who we ate lunch with), and he said that it was he who had taught and baptized her.  So immediately after returning to our temporary lodging, I emailed Rose with the wonderful news, that I had met the missionary who had baptized her.  She was overjoyed to learn that I had met him, because she had lost contact with him.  

I am so excited to be here.  Today I also met a few people who are from Portugal.  There is a very large population of Portuguese here in the town of Thetford, our new home for the next 3-4 years.  I look forward to meeting many of them.  I feel strongly, despite all the trials we had a few months ago with Roger's and my health, that we are really supposed to be here.  The head of pediatrics that gave the "okay" for Roger to come happens to be in our ward, and his wife was one of the first people to introduce herself to us.  The ward is super friendly.  I've never met so many people in a ward in so little time.  I think that being military AND being overseas, there's a great need to really become a "ward family."  We are not in our new home yet, but I can't wait to get settled.  The Elders Quorum Presidency is visiting us in our temporary lodging this week.  I have already made a few friends, one of which just moved here before me.  Her household goods come tomorrow, so I am going over to her house on Tuesday and Wednesday to help her organize.  I have nothing better to do, and my kids can play with their new friends, who happen to live in her neighborhood.  After all, she has a broken foot, and can't get around much.  It will give me something to do--those of you who know me well, know that I can't sit still for very long.