Recently, I finished reading the Nothing to Lose 3 book, and it is impossible to hold back the tears… We can clearly see your sincerity. Do you know what I felt? That you were by my side as I read; it’s truly very strong!

But what strikes me is your zeal for the bishops and pastors of the Universal Church. You are careful to teach and exhort us, like a father does with his children. Bishop, you have repeatedly told us that in the beginning you weren’t given an opportunity to preach the Gospel, and we know this is true; however, you give us this opportunity, thanks to this zeal, this dedication with our souls. I can say this because I’ve witnessed it since I began coming to Church 25 years ago, and now as a pastor for 23 years. In every meeting, your focus is the same: our soul, this is, all of your messages are centered on our salvation.

I remember, during the prayer at the inauguration of the Temple of Solomon, you mentioned a college friend that you wanted to save and his rejection left you feeling upset, so you asked God: “Why didn’t he accept You? I just wanted to save him…” And God, seeing your dedication, your commitment to one soul, didn’t only make you a soul winner, but a GENERATOR OF SOULS WINNERS, which are the bishops, pastors, assistants and members of the Universal Church, spread throughout the world, whose lives are immersed in the Altar of God.

We see you and have you as our father, physical and spiritual, because we had the opportunity you did not have in the beginning, as I’ve mentioned. We have traveled to new countries, learned about their cultures and beliefs, and we have found men and women who live a true renunciation in pro of those who are lost and are being taken by the devil to hell on a daily basis. We are men who consider you as our father and uphold the principles of faith.

I thank you for having such care with us, who are perhaps unknown to this world, but known by the Most High. Men whose purpose is only one: win souls for God. Men that are often considered the least in the world, for suffering everything for the love of the Gospel, but are valuable in God’s hall of fame. Men who left everything – family, customs, homeland, with their focus on the heavenly reward, with one goal: reaching those who are lost. Men that this world is not worthy of having. Men who’s true home is in Heaven. We leave without knowing how to speak the native language, without knowing their customs, without worrying about how we are going to live, because we just want souls, and when we see a person being delivered and born of God, this is our joy, this is our salary.

I remember once you said, which by the way was years ago but I still remember very well, that the Church’s greatest assets are not the cathedrals, the beautiful churches, the means of communication or the Temple of Solomon, but the CHURCH GREATEST LEGACY ARE THE PASTORS, BECAUSE WITHOUT THEM IT WOULDN’T BE POSSIBLE TO GET WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE ARE GOING, and this is the only inheritance we want and strive to multiply millions of times more, THE DISCIPLES.

The Bible teaches us that we should look to Abraham, but we also look to the man we consider to be our Abraham and our reference; we cannot associate to faith nowadays without including you.

Bishop, I’m sure that all of these men of God would give you a big hug if they could, men who may never get a chance to meet you, because we are so many spread throughout the world. As a son does with his father, certainly the tears would roll down our face, not tears of sorrow but of gratitude for your existence, which had a huge importance in our lives and led us to know the Lord and Sublime God, who used you to reveal supernatural faith to us, since we were all in darkness but through the UNIVERSAL, the Light of the Gospel delivered us and made us new creations and, most importantly, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. But we embrace you every day, do you know how? Through our prayers before God, so that He will save and protect you. Know that we love you very much.

May the Spirit of God strengthen and enlighten you every day, thank you for everything.

One, among many servants throughout the world.
Socrates Alves – Uruguay