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My mother left me some insurance money when she died in 1984.
So I decided to sponsor a child through the Christian Children's Fund
with some of the money she had left me.
I received this photo of my sponsor child, Cintia (pronounced Seencha).
I quit my job and took a trip across country to visit my roots.
I went to Oklahoma and Texas, visiting relatives I had never even met.
I also went to cemeteries where my deceased relatives were buried.
In November of 1984, I went to Belo Horizonte
(pronounced Belloo Oorizontai)in Minas Gerais, Brazil to visit Cintia.
It was Spring south of the equator so everything was in bloom.
We went to the Zoo one day. They had very few animals.
It really made me appreciate our National Zoo in D.C.
This photo is of Palmira (another sponsor child), Zezé (our Translator) and Cintia.
We also visited the Church of St. Francis in Pamulha.
It is a very beautiful, modern church.
This is the interior of the church.
I was amazed that eventhough they were poor themselves,
the girls' mothers put money in the poor box at every church we visited!
We went on a trip to Ouro Preto (pronounced Ooroo Praitoo) to visit churches.
Ouro Preto is known for its many old churches.
This is the Church of St. Francis in Ouro Preto.
Quite a contrast between the two churches named for the same saint.
This is a picture of our little group. From left to right:
Me, Cintia, (her mother) Vera, John (another sponsor), Palmira (his sponsor child), and her mother.
I had a lot of time to think about my future while in Brazil.
I spent a week in Rio de Janeiro after I left Cintia.
This a view of the mountain at São Conrado (pronounced Sow Conradoo) in front of my hotel.
On the other side of my hotel, was a view from my balcony of the favellas (or slums) of Rio.
Above the favellas was the statue of Christ the Redeemer.
I had a religious conversion looking at that sight every day and night for a week.
It convinced me that I should dedicate my life to serving God and His people.
Which led me to the Catholic Church and the Franciscan Monastery.
Postcard at the top of the page is of the statue of Christ the Redeemer
at the top of Corcovado Mountain.
The day we went to visit the statue it was so foggy, all I could see was Christ's feet!
So I had to buy the postcard to see what it really looked like.
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