I met Paulo who is from Brazil and asked him if he’d like to join me for lunch since we were both alone. He had just arrived from Brazil for the second time. He had returned to go back to Stanford to attend their medical school and complete his medical degree. He already had six years and was being sponsored by one of the professors he had met the first time around.
I was thrilled to meet someone from Brazil. I am always excited to meet international connections.
The conversation at first was about how he had come to the US and why he choose Stanford, (who has an excellent reputation even in Brazil). He plans to bring his mother to the US once he is settled into housing in Palo Alto.
Of course I had to ask him if he had heard of John of God (he has been curing people of all types of illnesses, since he was 15, about 40 years and only has a first grade education) and was pleased that he had but less than pleased the medical doctors in Brazil have now labeled him a Charleton. They had obviously felt threatened by his ability to heal people without drugs or surgery.
Treading very carefully I asked Paulo what he thought of it all. In a very somber tone he told me he believed John of God had healed many people and it was through fear the other doctors are attempting to discredit him.
So off to the races, our conversation went on for nearly two hours covering alternative health practices, herbs verses drugs and ancient remedies to cure many multitudes of current disease.
It was invigorating to have such a stimulating conversation with such a well educated and open minded young man.
I gave him my UBU business card and extended an invitation for him to visit our schools whenever he was on break or wanted to visit. I look forward to having such open mindedness for our schools.