Good morning, Bishop!

At this very moment, with tears rolling down my face, I have finished reading the book “Nothing to Lose” (in the process of being translated to English). My name is Janiere Mendes Nunes de Freitas and I’m 37 years old. I came to The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God on July 13, 1989, at the age of 14. I was skinny, asthmatic, shy, had an alcoholic father, came from a broken home, felt like an ugly duckling and the most despicable of all creatures – I felt like garbage…

It was impossible to stop after I started reading your book. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. It’s as though I was slowly eating the most delicious plate of food. I read the entire book over the weekend. When I wiped the tears from my face, thinking that I wouldn’t cry anymore, I would come across a section that called my attention because it was similar to my journey of faith in the Church, and once again, warm tears rolled down my face.

Some excerpts from the book, like when you were arrested in 1992, your baptism with the Holy Spirit and the burning desire to win souls, your daughter’s illness, the moment when Coutinho said, “Young man, I don’t think you have the calling to do the work of God”, the trustworthiness that Mrs. Geninha, your beloved mother, had in you when she agreed to be your guarantor, the inauguration of the Church at the former funeral home (the beginning of everything) and the prayer that you did at the end of the book were all outstanding passages.

With every word I read, my mind would mix your experiences with mine and those of my family, from when we first came to Church. Of course everything that you went through, lived, suffered and conquered does not compare to my experiences, but it was impossible not to recall everything we went through.

I’ll try to summarize it as much as possible. In fact, the purpose of this letter is to thank you…

Thank you, Bishop!

My father was an alcoholic. It was custom for my mother, two sisters, brother and I to wait at home for my father on pay day. We waited for him to come home with groceries, because our stomachs would start growling, but he always came home empty handed. He would be completely drunk, and without shoes and other articles of clothing, because he would exchange them for one more drink. Sometimes, he would have a broken nose, because he would stumble and fall on his way home. Once home, he would urinate and vomit everywhere, break things, climb the light post to turn off the power supply and leave us in total darkness, so he could terrorize us all night long… It was hell!

My mother wanted to drench him in alcohol and light a match while he slept, and end the suffering that lasted for years. It was during one of these nights, while she was unable to fall asleep, that she turned on the television and a pastor from The Universal Church, who we didn’t even know, made an invitation: “Those of you that can’t sleep because your husband came home drunk and is breaking everything, know that there is a solution: the Lord Jesus.”

So my mother thought: “It’s like someone told this pastor all about my life.” She wrote down the address of the Church and couldn’t even go back to sleep that night. She counted down the minutes until morning, so she could go out to look for the Church. Today, 24 years have passed since that day, July 10^th, 1989.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit and everything that you went through, all the struggles, experiences, determination, courage and boldness that you talk about in this wonderful book, and will continue to talk about in the upcoming editions, our family found the True God. We were delivered and are in the faith, overcoming one obstacle at a time to conquer the greatest of all treasures: The salvation of our souls.

Thank you, Bishop.

Of course, first of all, I thank God, because without Him we wouldn’t even exist, but if it weren’t for you and The Universal Church, one more family would be destroyed and in the devil’s clutches.

My parents, Antonia Nunes Bezerra Mendes and Jose de Jesus Sousa Mendes, have been Assistants in the Church for 22 years. They went through many struggles but remained firm. They are great examples. If I hadn’t left the work of God, I would also have been an Assistant for 22 years. I left, but because of God’s infinite mercy, I came back.

I’ve been an Assistant for five years. During the past 24 years in the Church and in the presence of God, there have been many battles, many tears…

I love the work of The Universal Church, and support it entirely because during all these years, God has revealed that this Church was truly raised by the Holy Spirit!

Regards!

Janiere Freitas, Águas Bonitas – Goiania, Brazil.