Having just completed a profile on someone where I had to find out what their story was, I'd say that the guy I profiled is the most interesting person I've met thus far.
He got his arm pinched off when he was 13 years old. He had numerous surgeries, spent years in physical therapy, had a huge amount of bills to pay and has now regained 80% of the strength in his arm. Along the way he was also interviewed in New York for a talk show and has had multiple news stories written about him. In interviewing him the general vibe I got was more that it was an inconvenience not being able to use both hands than a limitation. Despite everything he's maintained a cheery outlook and sense of humor and feels that the Lord has blessed him in other ways.
His mission to northern Brazil wasn't completely typical either - his first two mission companions were fooling around with the local girls, the people lost their trust in the missionaries because of it, lots of people encouraged him to just go home and at one point his companion's girlfriend's ex-boyfriend punched him. His mission got better after the rough start but it was without a doubt the "hardest two years." He went fishing occasionally in the Amazon but didn't catch any piranha, he walked around in sandals, there wasn't any carpet or cars and the "laid back, lazy life style" of existing just day to day got to him after a while. As he told me he couldn't live there long-term, a visit would be fine but he enjoys the conveniences and comforts of home and he didn't like how the people he met wouldn't do anything to really better them selves intellectually.
In addition to serving in Brazil, he was born and raised in Oregon, visited Florida and New York, sold for Apex in Texas, Utah and Tennessee and is in Idaho for college. Throughout his travels he has reached the conclusion that the “United States freakin’ rocks!” and that everyone would benefit from spending at least a year and half living in a foreign country to appreciate what we truly have been blessed with.
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