I’ve been ‘evacuated’ to São Paulo for over a week now. I understand why they got the “non-essential” gringos out but it is still hard not being there to help.

One positive experience to share with this mess (there have actually been a lot of positive things in the midst of tragedy as there usually are).

We had a family, not members of the LDS church show up at our church looking for shelter, not sure how they found us but that’s not important. A couple with two boys, the wife 8+ months pregnant with gestational diabetes.

They were worried that after the adrenaline of escaping the flood wore off that she would go into labor in the middle of the night at the church. Fortunately the baby waited and they got her to a hospital the next day for a C-section. (If I remember right that was the day before we got evacuated)

After the baby was born they came back to the church and have been there until this morning when they were able to find a more stable place to stay.

Everyone rallied around the family and that newborn became a bright spot in the midst of a lot of suffering and uncertainty.

My ‘sources’ tell me the family is interested in the church and I would not be surprised to see them back at the church dressed in white.