A Small Miracle: From Indiana to Brazil

Brother DeWees and Elder Loveless

We wanted to share parts of a neat email we received from a member in Indiana, and the miracle he and Elder Loveless experienced.

Hello,

My name is Jim DeWees, I have sent you a few emails in the past, photos of your son here in Indiana.

I have several friends around the world on Facebook.  I make prosthetic limbs here in Bloomington, and have a clinic here.  I also have a clinic in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (where I served my mission a few years ago).  I have amputee friends from all parts of the world, and chat with them online at times.

Last week, I sent a message to a friend in Brazil.  I have not talked with him for about a year probably...we have chatted a lot about prosthetics, and he actually has a really nice leg that was made in Brazil, BUT it costs him a LOT of money, and they don’t have insurance or anything to pay for their prosthetic limbs.  His leg cost him over $20,000 US dollars, which is over $40,000 Brazilian dollars (I cannot pronounce the name of their currency).  But that is a LOT of money.

I sent him a simple message saying “Merry Christmas” and also said something like I hope things are going well. 

Sunday, at church, I was asking Elder Loveless where exactly he was going in Brazil.  I have a Facebook friend who is a member, and was wondering IF by chance this amputee member of the church would be in his mission, and IF he might run into him.  That is when I learned that he was going to Campinas.  I had never heard of this city before, but we looked at it on Google Earth on my tablet, and saw where the Temple is, and the mission home, etc.  It is amazing that we have technology to see these things.

Anyway, on Monday  I got a reply from this other amputee, Vinicious, (he is NOT the member that I was looking to find where he lived....but this is another amputee)  and he told me that things are good, BUT he was sad that his leg is broken, and it is going to cost over $5000 US dollars to fix it.  I chatted with him again and asked what was broken, and he said that the foot broke.  He has NO idea that I do “free” work at times, or that I could possibly have a NEW foot that I could provide for him or anything.  He didn’t ask me for ANY help or anything.

But I then asked him WHERE he lived in Brazil, his profile says Sao Paulo.  And so I assumed it was the city.  I told him that I have a friend who will be in Campinas on Thursday....and he told me that HE LIVES IN CAMPINAS.  We used Skype to chat easier, he speaks perfect English.   We went to Google Earth and he showed me exactly where his house is located.  It is literally 5 minutes from the Temple, and he has seen it MANY times as he passes by it.  The Mission Home is also located right next to the Temple.  That is where Elder Loveless is going to be on Thursday morning.

Vinicuious was SO excited, and could NOT express his appreciation enough!!  I am sending him a foot that would cost him $5000 in Brazil.  He got emotional and kept thanking me.

What are the chances that I would have a foot, exactly what he NEEDS, and then also know someone that is going to the exact same city where he lives!    

So, Elder Loveless came to my office yesterday afternoon, and I called Vinicious again on Skype, and they got to chat for a good while here.  Vinicious also had his father join the chat, he wanted his father to see me, and Elder Loveless, and also express HIS appreciation for me sending a foot and saving them so much money.

Have a great New Year! 

Jim DeWees