sau·da·de

     I have been making jewelry for about 10 years now, and I really enjoy it. Creating is a process, the main reason why I love it so much. It reminds me that what you have in front of you may not look like much, but with time, work, care, and creativity, something beautiful can be made. I also enjoy how making jewelry reminds me of the magnificence of God in how creative He is in making the universe. He is reflected in His Creation, and we reflect Him and how He made us as we create. It's truly an amazing thing.

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     Saudade is the name of my jewelry site! It is a Portuguese word that carries a lot of meaning to me. When I was in Brazil in September 2017, my Brazilian friends taught me some new words. This one was the most beautiful of all (even though abacaxi is still a pretty great word). There is no word that equates to it in English. It means a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia that is characteristic of the Portuguese or Brazilian temperament. In Brazil, I saw and felt its meaning from those I met. It seems like the perfect word to communicate why I named my jewelry creation business Saudade.

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     I have saudade for Brazil and the people I met there. When I first went to Brazil, I would have never thought that I would be planning to move there to help with a church plant! But God's ways are not our ways. That's a good thing! When I left after my second trip, I realized Brazil had become my second home. Sometimes you have to grow to love a place and other times you just love it for all it is and all that is there. This is what God grew in me for Brazil. I know that once I move to Brazil, I will have saudade for all my family and friends back in the U.S. No matter where I am, I will carry saudade with me.

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     All Christians carry it. Why? Well, we are longing and looking forward to our heavenly home where our Father is. All of this saudade is a shadow and dim reflection of the saudade we hold as we await the day that we meet Jesus face to face. I want others to know this beautiful hope in Christ's forgiveness that He so graciously showed me. That's why I'm going to Brazil. All the money that I raise from selling my jewelry will be used to help me move there as a missionary. If you have any questions about Saudade, Brazil, Jesus, or anything else, please use my contact page to reach out. I also have an email update that I send out if you would like to be added to that as well. Thanks for taking the time to read about Saudade and the mission of it.