Two of the first people we met in Bocvaiúva do Sul were Ozair and Rosicler Ribeira. They were the spearheads and main supporters of the Church Grupo in Bocaiúva, which opened with missionaries in November, 2013 (7 months before we arrived). Our friendship was immediate. They probably will never know how much they helped us the first few months of our mission, or how much we appreciated all they did for the Grupo. The first time they invited us to their home in the forest, I was impressed with all the shrubs, trees and flowers that had been planted. They love flowers! Within a month, I planted two huge avocado seeds, hoping that some day I could give two beautiful, leafy plants to Ozair and Rosicler as tokens of our friendship. Meanwhile, the Ribeiro's left on a mission to northern parts of Brazil; when they returned for quick visits, we had very little time with them. The seedlings grew very slowly, and were still too spindly to give as gifts when we left Bocaiúva. I left them with a message to Dani Dal'Lin, asking her to care for them until Ozair and Rosicler returned from their mission. I think often of those little friendship plants, and hope that someday we can meet Ozair and Rosicler again.
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