However, he faithfully followed all his advice and even so he could not count on his help, when he needed it most. Disappointment, especially in this case, kills any sign of confidence we have in anyone or anything. Jesus Christ left it written in his gospel that he would never allow the gates of hell to prevail over his church, both in the present and in the future. However, that was not what the dedicated pastor witnessed in practice. He was forgotten on the battlefield, abandoned by his general while fighting his worst fight.

The greatest tragedy for the human soul is to completely lose confidence in its Creator, as this condition signifies its spiritual death. The permanent withdrawal from God will lead man to a deep and irreversible darkness, the more he distances himself, the less the chances of avoiding eternal condemnation. Carlos França considered himself more than a failure, he saw himself as a son betrayed by his father who before imagined him as a loving and protective being.He always faced the threats ahead of him with limitless optimism.

 For blindly believing in the possibility of divine protection that made him invincible in the face of his oppressors. And when the time finally came to put that trust into practice, everything happens differently than expected. Killing the solid faith that has grown inside your being for so many years. Many other Christians have already been disappointed by waiting in vain for divine providence and similarly revolted. Allowing evil the power to dominate and enslaved them they followed in the darkness that for some meant an end impossible to avoid. In the case of Carlos, who after his failure succumbed to the feeling of guilt for being so naive.

 To the point of not realizing the malice in which his false brothers in the faith acted in secret to destroy him, there could still be hopes of restoration if it started to happen in a hurry, through someone who really loved him. May it arise in your life and try to help you, a true love to the point of being willing to sacrifice part of your time and life to rescue you from that sad situation.

And luckily for you, as the Holy Scriptures say, God never fails in his purposes. A person would appear in the future willing to extend his hands to him with enough strength to pull him out of that swamp of sins. He would be again enlightened and would become a powerful instrument in the hands of the God who one day did not spare even the life of his only son to give the lost the chance to be saved from eternal fire. It was morning with a cloudy sky and the splashes of fine rain slowly wetting his gray hair as he walked aimlessly down the street.

The avenue located in the center of the neighborhood was wide and very busy. The city with a population of approximately thirty thousand families and the hundreds of vehicles that came and went every second.The noise tormented his tired mind and disturbed by the unhappy memories of the past that he lived a short time ago. Tired, he went away somewhere to rest. Suddenly he saw a large vehicle parked in front of him, which had four men inside, all of them dressed in very thin suits, with red ties and black leather shoes.

 Velvety, as required by the tradition of the highest elite of shepherds. Who usurp money from their faithful, enriching themselves at the expense of their naivete. As soon as they got down from the diplomat, they went to the beggar to see him up close and prove his misfortune. Carlos was sitting on the curb located on the side of the asphalt and did not understand how they recognized him. The four passengers approached and asked the bastard's name, as if trying to confirm his identity:

— Pastor Carlos, is that really you? — Carlos remained silent, denying him any answer, which led the investigator to insist:

 — Shepherd Carlos, we have been informed of your situation and we would like to give you any help you need

 He finally raises his head and faces his opponents:

— Damn butcher, wasn't everything they did to me and my family enough? Did you destroy my ministry and put me here, in this gutter, and now come here to offer me mercy? For know that I curse you for all the evil you have done to me, I condemn you to the fires of hell!

— Calm down my brother, we came in peace!

 — Peace? After everything you did against me, do you bastards talk about peace?

His words startled the four corruption workers who decided to return to the vehicle and left in a hurry. The news of that meeting spread by word of mouth to all corners of the extensive evangelical community. Carlos França's sad situation made news in the Christian world and while some thought the terrible end he was in was deplorable, others scoffed at his fall.

However, that was not yet in its final stage, much still had to happen and its name would certainly return to great importance soon. Now unemployed and with nothing important to do, he wandered up and down the streets and avenues of the city, he became one carrying a bottle of drip and a pack of cigarettes in a bag tied to his waist. With each new morning he became more and more accustomed to that miserable routine and rarely returned home, leaving his children worried. When he was slow to come back, they went looking for him, fearing that something terrible might have happened to him.

Meetings with others of his equal status were frequent in the alleys and alleys of the neighborhood. And whenever the Christians saw him lost in drunkenness and among the drug addicts, they interceded on his behalf for God to have mercy. However, not everyone came to their deplorable state, a large majority chose to criticize their spiritual poverty and laugh at their misery. Carlos dedicated himself to the church with his body, soul and wholeheartedly. He was a religious fanatic. He defended his faith in the dictates of belief that he was taught from an early age to believe.

The Holy Bible was his compass and his teachings his unquestionable guide. The advice left by Mestre Jesus, in his view, could not be contested by anyone, not even by doctors and even less by lay people. He was a cruel enemy of those who doubted the sacred truth. He studied the divine Law in depth in order to understand the perfect and indisputable will of the one Lord of the entire universe.

He knew his faithfulness to those who served him with a complete spirit. He was a true warrior for the saving cause of Christ. He never thought that one day he would be abandoned and handed over to his worst adversaries. It had been days since he left home and wandered from corner to corner like a lost soul, with a mind full of absurd ideas and devising evil against the dome that threw him at the bottom of the well. Hiding from those who wanted to help you. In a region where rainfall is frequent. It squeezed into a narrow space in front of a commercial establishment, merging with the various cardboard boxes scattered around it, trying to keep warm from the almost unbearable cold.

With each thunderstorm heard and flashing as he saw the thick clouds in the sky rip, he cursed everything that it represented for discrediting divine fidelity. According to the revelations passed on to the prophet John in Revelation, the sound of thunder represents the prelude to Christ's second coming to this world. Informing the exact day and time of the second advent, an alert for humanity to wake up and abandon their lives of sins, preparing to receive the Savior who will come in search of his elect.Aware of this, Carlos murmured against the sound of thunder that was manifesting at that moment.

When falling from that heavy rain. For at the time he most needed that such claims of deliverance to those who were entitled to the merit were simply helpless. What were the thunders saying to him? Accusing him of being worthy of that punishment? Perhaps because you have devoted yourself too much to the wrong religion? For having become an inveterate fanatic? For wanting to be too perfect in front of men? Who knows what were the reasons for his helplessness, the truth is that his opponents came at him like bloodthirsty jackals. And they devoured him, tore his flesh and gnawed his bones, and then threw what was left of him into an endless pit.

So, to still expect some reward for his intense dedication to a celestial being who despised him and refused to extend his hands to him in his worst anguish. When did you find yourself in an impassable siege and you were offered no way out? No, from that moment on, when the angry wolves ate their flesh and licked their bones, he decided never to believe in the God of the Bible again. Before he had a vast purpose, at that moment he saw tomorrow with pessimism and doubted that anything better could happen to him.

 Its interior was increasingly empty and only the smell of death burned in its nostrils. Between a sip and another of cachaça. Everything around him was nothing but his eyes, he lost confidence in a superior force, in people and in himself, he lived with a mind numb by the harmful effect of alcohol. He was no longer able to reason intelligently and remained stuck in his sorrows. Sinésio was a black carter who lived right next to his house. And he was always in trouble with the police, the father of four children lost to drugs.

They lived practicing small thefts in the area and did not free even the closest neighbors. However, they were warned not to touch Pastor Carlos and his family. Despite what happened, he still respected him, as he helped him several times, freeing his boys and himself from jail. During his stay as a spiritual guide in the neighborhood he knew how to make great admirers. However, more outside the church than inside it. Even the traffickers who infested the streets with drug sales had admiration for "Pastor França", as they called him. This was somewhat useful, because both he and his children could walk freely without being harassed by anyone.

Not even his decadent state made him lose such credibility, and several times he found himself sitting on a sidewalk or on the corner of a street among alcoholics, as he did before his fall. He took advantage of it to announce the Good News of salvation to them, through the person of Christ and his gospel. Now, after losing faith in God and everything he taught them before, they just listened to their meaningless conversations and savored the intoxication of a good whiskey, which he insisted on taking to drink with his new companions. Always full of bitterness and the spiteful type, the old carter grumbled about the betrayal suffered by his neighbor.

Countless times he asked for permission to send his boys to stick a bullet in the heart of the infidels who caused his expulsion from the church. I wanted to be useful in some way, helping him to fulfill the vengeance that he thought was just and could not hide an immense desire to accept such a proposal. In his moments of revolt, he thought he would agree with Sinésio. He even imagined giving him the authorization he hoped to execute them.

 But a greater force prevented him from acting. It was as if a greater power defended those scoundrels or had pity on him. How many times have they seen him in the gutter of the neighborhood streets or in bars and taverns, sharing a bottle of beer or a glass of strong drink with the lost, and criticized him.

 Once he came home drunk and stumbled, falling on the asphalt and seriously injuring his knees, and there was no one to help him get up, they just laughed at him. After drunkenness he still remembered the shame that struck him that day, but he endured it firmly. He held back the tears and overcame the affront with what little pride he had left. In the following days he did not stop to correct himself or see if his path was right or uncertain, he went on, determined to destroy himself.

 He punished himself for the evil that his enemies had done to him, it was as if he blamed himself for something, perhaps for not being able to perceive the malice of his opponents. And to have blindly trusted the false illusion of sanctity of those around him. The strong drink dulled his mind, confused his thoughts, but he was unable to make him forget the past. He saw himself every second before the council, hearing the harsh words of accusation about him.

Taking the blame for responsibilities that were not on his shoulders, as he did not know the mistake his followers made on the sly. What hurt the most was that it had been a farce, armed to remove him from his post, the two couples accused of committing prostitution inside the church were complicit in a larger plan. The main purpose of which was to incriminate him, after his departure they were forgiven by the council and replaced in their former positions. In the end, only he was removed and expelled from the ministry.

It was sarcastic to be approached by some of them while getting drunk. To try to convince him to return to sit on the bench of the congregation, in order to be reconciled with a God who abandoned him to his own luck and with a cowardly church that did not defend his innocence. Before, they should have the cadence to at least leave him alone and stop pretending that they cared about him, as they had already proven otherwise.

He remained a drunk for a long time, his two sons went on, sustaining the faith they received from him as an inheritance. They saw their father's spiritual and moral fall as an example to be avoided, they did not point a finger at his mistakes. Nor did they admit that someone mocked his weakness, they were true defenders of what he once was and did best. Regardless of your current situation. They believed that one day the God they learned to believe in would finally raise him from the ashes.

 Despite becoming an alcoholic, he still worked as a metallurgist at the same company for thirty years. It was his first and only job, he had stability and was able to retire, but before he did that he was fired because of several consecutive absences over the months. And with that loss he sank completely into the addiction that enslaved him. Friend of drunks and partner of the unemployed, this was the title he won after living for so long among drunks.

Since he no longer needed to wake up early to go to work, he spent all day and night in their company, rarely returned home, he was completely lost. The worst darkness experienced by someone is when they can no longer find themselves, or perceive the opportunities that arise from change. Chances to restart a new existence, to get up and Carlos gave in to negativism and hopelessness.

he, losing his pastoral ministry was the end of everything, and because he did not look around to appreciate what was still best, he lost everything of what was left: the family. Even though he could still count on the company of his two children, his girl was gone and his wife was now sleeping in the arms of another. She was fine, had as much fun as she could, and snubbed the apparent happiness of those who seek pleasure in sex and the illusions the world can offer.

It's him? The poor devil didn't even have that in his favor. It was his birthday month, the children went to the corner bakery and bought a small corn cake, topped with a sweet strawberry cream. Green grapes all around, resting on a narrow shiny paper tray placed on the kitchen table. Together, two bottles of soft drinks and three colored plastic cups.

There was no need for a larger amount, as no one else would be present. They waited for their father until midnight, tired and aware that he would not return home that night, went to sleep. It was six in the morning, when the doorbell rang and Daniel answered the neighbor with the husband who invited him to open the door.

He receives his father completely drunk and dirty with mud, they found him lying in the ditch near the main avenue of the neighborhood. He drank too much and was stolen by his dying partners. The two boys regretted the situation and thanked the neighbors for the kindness of bringing him home, what a great birthday present he had given himself, that ridiculous episode would be forever recorded in the memory of the two young people. Janaina was informed of what happened and just saw the situation as something funny, mocked the misfortune of others and the children were irritated by their neglect.

From that moment on they decided to keep their distance from their mother because of their insensitivity. Denise continued to live with her uncles in the neighboring city, it was only two hours by car until then, sometimes she came to visit her grandmother and other relatives with her two cousins ​​and Aunt Janete. But he refused to go to see his father, mother and two brothers. He felt contempt and disgust for his family, he kept his distance from them all, as he promised the day he left.

 Every time he became aware of his daughter's presence nearby, he had a vague hope of being visited by her, but that never happened. The years passed and the girl with red lips, full eyebrows and curly hair became a beautiful woman, striving more and more to forget that she once belonged to that family. For her, her parents and siblings were nothing more than worthless, unworthy of her attention. While she allowed that kind of feeling to dominate her heart, her two brothers fully fulfilled the mission of taking care of their father during their time of penance or punishment.

Hopeful that soon he would wake up from that destructive sleep and return to reality, see the color of the world around him and renew in his heart a new desire to live. That Sunday morning the streets were deserted, Carlos was very intoxicated, as he had been drinking all day with some idlers.  Then they each went their own way, embarrassed by the critical state in which they found themselves at that moment, decided to stay on the streets, instead of returning home and causing more shame to their children. He settled down in some alley, the rain was falling insistently, he didn't seem to want to stop.He was wearing blue jeans, soiled by the many falls he suffered during the walk there.

He also wore grates on his body and his shoes were old and covered in mud, despite the famous brand stamped on them. They were not his, he belonged to one of his sons, he always gave the best he could to them, while squeezing himself in the tight place to escape the strong gusts of rain that flooded the place. Tucked between two walls and wrapped in an old plastic he found along the way. His eyes blurred by the effect of the drink, they could barely notice the streetlights and he heard very little, as if he were far away, the dripping of the roof covering the small shelter. He had no intention of returning home that night, so he settled down to sleep.

The boys would be worried, but they knew he would survive another rainy night on the neighborhood streets. While waiting for sleep to come he still had the strength to remember the past and feel in his mouth, even with the effects of drunkenness, the bitterness of the accusations, as well as everything that was taken from him, when he was overcome by the false teachers of the church. Balaam's followers, dominated by ambition and guided by darkness, the damned destroyed his life and took everything that made sense to him, swore that one day they would all pay for their mistakes, they would not go unpunished, they would receive the just reward. T

he images of the psychological torments that had occurred for months were a terrible anguish, every time he was pressured to confess mistakes that he had not made before his superiors. So many accusations, undue guilt, everything still plagued him, his act of infidelity, the abandonment by his wife.The abandonment of the youngest daughter, the countless persecutions ... So many failures were a real martyrdom.

Reasons why he gave himself more and more to alcohol, in order to try to forget. He felt cold and wrapped himself in the plastic sheet he had at his fingertips and warmed his tired and weakened body as he could, he lived his worst moment of poverty, he made misery his permanent companion and nothing else seemed to be able to do to change that reality.

 Even his love for his children was not enough to rebuild his strength and make him fight his limitations. His soul died, within his being the last light of reason was extinguished, everyone who saw him considered him a hopeless case. In the morning someone wakes up the drunk who took up space in the narrow alley between two buildings, the owners needed to leave the place and he was hindering the passage.

 One of them acted harshly and beat him violently, however, he was restrained by others who saw no need for such an attitude. One more among many other wounds scattered throughout the body, it made no difference. He returns home almost sober, at least he could walk on his own feet, he would not come home being carried by others, as he had last time.

He was received by the children who were very worried, after a bath they put him in bed and in his nightmares he relived all his past. Sleeping was not a rest, but a permanent reminder of everything that went on until he reached the complete miserable state in which he found himself, nightmares in the form of dreams constantly tormented him, leading him to relive what he needed to forget. This was yet another day when he would be absent from work, on a Monday. The next morning, he seems awkward to work and is immediately called to the office to explain to his superior:

 — Carlos, what's going on with you, mate? This must already be the hundredth time that I am obliged to call you here to warn you about your absences from the workplace at the beginning of the week, so I will be forced to fire you! We know about the difficulties you have faced, but you cannot mix your personal affairs with the professionals, or you are serious about your commitment to this company or you are out!

— I understand, Junior, you are absolutely right to impose such conditions, I am sorry for not having fulfilled my professional commitment correctly. And now I leave my place at my disposal, in case I fail you again

— But that's not what we want from you, my friend, if our intention was to fire you a long time ago we would have already done it. After all, there are years of tolerance for this situation, but it is that the board has changed and the new directors do not recognize the length of service that you have dedicated to this company in the past, nor how much it contributed to it reaching this position. What they require is punctuality from all their employees and those who do not fit this new condition must be dismissed

— Junior, we have known each other for many years, you have always been my best friend and I know you will not be happy to harm me. Don't worry, if your new bosses are demanding my resignation, then do as they have authorized, I won't hold a grudge for it, you will only be obeying orders

— They ordered your resignation several months ago, my friend. I have been trying my best to keep you here. Is there really no way for you to put your life back in order and save your job?

— There are only a few months left before I can be entitled to enter my retirement for length of service, a dismissal now will not affect me in any way in this regard. You can carry out your orders, my friend, and don't worry, because I'll be fine

 — Okay, I'm glad it isn't doing you any harm. Then go to HR and sign your notice, and in three days, come back to complete the process of leaving the company and have access to documentation that will allow you to withdraw your indemnities, as determined by labor laws.

After a strong hug, which symbolized the end of more than thirty years together in the same place of work. Carlos and Junior say goodbye. From then on, he was a man free of the commitment to wake up every day at five in the morning and face a long journey in four crowded drives, the heavy work in the workshops and the uncomfortable return home, with a miserable salary that paid nothing so much effort. Now he would have all the time available to make small talk with his friends while drinking. After losing his job things were not going very well financially and he had to sell the house where he lived to be able to pay for the education of his two children, which are quite expensive by the way.

 They went to live in a four-room cubicle, located in one of the many alleys that were in the lowlands, the place was low ground in relation to the main street and flooded during the strong winter, typical of the region.  It was barely raining and Carlos, when he was sober. He had a duty to place buckets in the corners of the walls of the shack to trim the water that fell from the leaks in the roof whose clay tiles.

That because they are old and partly broken, they did not contain the storm. If the rainy season was long, then the worst would happen. The mud that formed on the street without any type of sanitation accumulated to the point of overflowing and flooding the floor. Not to mention the infiltrations that soaked the walls made of poorly prepared bricks, bought at a low price by residents of poor neighborhoods like that.

While it rained and the children played, running through the mud from one end of the street to the other, they and several others tried to dry out their homes from the flood. Sometimes the water storm came to an end and they stayed in that penance until the wee hours of the night. Completely depleted and at serious risk of serious illness. They finished cleaning and slept almost without strength to go to school the next morning.

The boys endured such a struggle without murmuring and still found it amusing of the current situation in which they found themselves next to their father. They were two golden children that God, in his infinite mercy, left to take care of him, even though he had already lost the faith he previously had. They admired their father's effort to invest what little he had left in his studies.

When he left his job, he applied a large part of the compensation received to pay for the best schools. He did this so that they could prepare for the best courses and obtain the necessary experience to face the competitive job market. The new neighborhood was hostile, but it also admired his efforts and did not criticize him for his excessive alcohol addiction, since most of them were also drinkers or addicted to some drugs. His biggest concern was that his children were influenced in some way by young users of marijuana.

Crack or mules from the drug trade. But the old Scriptural counsel that says: “It teaches the way the child should go and, when he grows up, he will never deviate from it”, fulfilled its effect on their lives. Carlos showed Danilo and Daniel the paths of light and they remained there, they never went astray. On the contrary, as soon as they moved to the new neighborhood, their attitude was to look for an evangelical church. In order to meet there with their new brothers in Christ. In a short period of time, the humble house with stained walls, due to infiltrations, filled with visitors.

 They were teenagers and young people of all ages from various churches in the neighborhood. Friends they conquered and truly loved by them. Since the two boys were good musicians, they often received invitations to play in congregation bands. And, with the encouragement of pastors and the Christian community, they began to give classes to those who had a vocation for this office, which they readily accepted and with deep satisfaction dedicated themselves to teaching. Carlos remained stuck in the darkness of addiction and revolt, sometimes going to the temple to see his children in their performances.

 In one of them, he even reconciled and stayed there for a while. But then he was overcome by discouragement and went back to the bar tables. But everything was a divine project that never gave up on him, despite his bitterness of spirit. With all the freedom won by the recent unemployment.  He spent the whole night wandering the streets in the company of other drinkers and slept during the day. His appearance was horrible, few who accompanied him at the height of his herding recognized him.

From an important man, he came to be seen only as a poor man, defeated and with no chance of getting up. Always wearing the same broken pants and long-sleeved shirts, when very drunk he shouted out biblical passages. Condemning his enemies and affirming that soon divine wrath would fall on their heads for the evil they did to him. Of course, for those who listened to it, it was just delusions stemming from the high amount of alcohol he ingested, but some who knew his sad life story understood the real meaning of those words.

 And they hoped that one day they would be properly heard by God and be fulfilled. The youngest were hostile and mocked him, told him to shut up, called him crazy, sometimes stoned him and had to be taken to the neighborhood medical center to take care of his injuries. And in this hellish journey, the two children who suffered the most were the ones who insisted on staying by his side. Contrary to the rest of the relatives who agreed to abandon him. During the carnival period of that year, the whole country was celebrating.

Everyone who lived far from the divine light enjoyed themselves in the spiritual darkness of lust, in search of the momentary pleasure offered by drink, sex and all forms of moral debauchery. Carlos, as usual, was unable to stay at home during the day and left to feed the addiction on which he became a constant dependent. For him, it seemed like a normal night like any other on which he drank and relaxed beside his companions. But it was a dangerous time and the danger was hidden at every corner. Daniel and Danilo recommended that he stay at home, but his stubbornness was uncontrollable.

While in the church praying together with the brothers in the faith, the father wandered who knows where and something was bothering them.  Carlos always left and returned only in the morning. They were used to it, but that night it was as if something warned them that the worst could happen. After the service they returned home and were unable to sleep, it was after two in the morning and they only listened to the various sound systems playing mundane music. The intoxicated people walking down the narrow street with their cachaça bottles in their hands.

They uttered endless curse words. Where would Carlos be, lying on a sidewalk, thrown in some alley. Or maybe being beaten up by the many intoxicated and drugged people who infested the neighborhood at that time of carnival orgy? The two boys heard the first song of the new dawn and soon got up to go looking for their absent father. In full agreement they left aimlessly, trying to find him somewhere in the various places he used to go to to quench his thirst for alcohol. Bars, taverns. Small shops and even in the shacks of the open market. The farther they went the search seemed useless, no sign to guide them to help him locate it.

As the hours passed, they began to lose hope, someone advised them to go and search for hospitals, police stations, and wherever he could be found. During the searches, they were informed that the father would be admitted to the medical center. After being supported by popular people who freed him from the hands of individuals who beat him. The bad feeling that warned them about the danger was true, in fact the father was facing difficulties and almost lost his life. No doubt there was a strong connection between them, as it should be in a family.

The boys lived moments of intense concern and swore from that day on to act more severely with their father. In order for him to free himself from alcohol dependence, they did not bring the episode that happened with Carlos to the knowledge of his mother or sister. For they knew that they would give little importance. After a while recovering from injuries all over his body, he was prevented from drinking alcoholic beverages. And at times, there was a withdrawal crisis that was controlled by medications prescribed by the doctor, which in fact did not have great effects. It was a period of intense struggle faced by young people, who in no time thought of giving up. They changed dressings and prepared meals accordingly.

Both studied, so they took turns to attend to their father's needs. As a result, they had to suspend music classes at the church and were understood by their students and leaders, aware of the situation. Finally, when Janaina became aware of what happened, she was not touched. And she still had the nerve to strictly charge her children for the fact that they kept the case a secret, as if she really had any interest.

To try to earn respect as a mother, she spent a few days helping Carlos recover and then, when he showed improvement, she disappeared. It was nothing new, Daniel and Danilo knew Dona Janaina well, she was a self-interested woman and did nothing without wanting something in return, since the first time she neglected her father's sad situation that they ignored her. That is why he decided to come and help him with the aim of easing indifference and regaining them. Janaina achieved her goal, as they were grateful for the gesture of mercy and the couple, even with their ties broken.

It seemed to give hopes of unity and companionship in the future. Carlos recovered and as soon as he felt strengthened he returned to the streets in search of bad company and drink. To the sadness of the children who insisted that he try hard and give up addiction. It was sad to see him sitting on those sidewalks, sharing glasses of strong drinks with other drunks. The situation only got worse after he started consuming cachaça instead of a simple beer, the drunkenness was bigger and more harmful, taking him to a worrying stage.

In the church, Daniel and Danilo asked the brothers in faith to pray for their father. With the intention of seeing you freed from alcohol dependence. Men and women, young people and teenagers joined in a campaign. They prayed for this purpose for several weeks, fasting was constant in order to be heard and answered by God. Meanwhile, Carlos only sank more and more into the sad existence he chose. Planning the end of life itself. But, little by little things would start to lead him in the right direction and that evil would be dissipated, the divine light that the church asked him to come to his aid would finally arrive and hold in his hands.

It would support your tired knees and divert you from certain death. For he had not yet fulfilled all his mission on earth as an announcer of the Good News of salvation. On his crazy journey with other alcoholics, on one occasion he met Leopoldo, a grumpy old man with whom he became very close and liked to talk, listened to his stories with pleasure, as he learned a lot from his comments.That morning the two were seated on one of the numerous sidewalks of bars that existed on Independence Avenue, and the friend started to tell him something new:

 — Did you know that these five bars located in this place were once mine?

 — How, like, yours?

 — Yes, my friend, this is a sad reality. For a long time, I was a prosperous businessman and owner of several properties. But I lost everything after my wife left me for another one and I took refuge in drinking and drugs. I ended up selling everything I had to support my addiction and ended up as you can see, in the gutter

 — But why didn't the friend move on? Surely he would find another woman who would know how to give him the deserved value and be happy again

 — Talking is easy, when we look from the outside everything seems simple, but I deeply loved that woman and I thought it was impossible to live without her. It was difficult to see her walking around hand in hand with that kid who was old enough to be our son, mocking me in front of everyone who knew us. I swear that after a while the love turned into a bitter hatred and I started to want to take their lives, I didn't do it because I never tended to become a murderer

— You did well, dear friend, otherwise you would be in prison today and without your freedom

— And do you really think I'm a free man, Carlos? Do you happen to be free in this miserable life in which we find ourselves? Do not confuse freedom with the fact that you can go around with a bottle of cachaça in your hands, drinking until you fall down the sidewalks, accompanied by the scum of the streets, without anyone who condemns you or rebukes your actions, like an imprudent who does not realize the madness you're doing, destroying yourself in this damn addiction. No, mate, you and I are not free men, but slaves to the circumstances in which we place ourselves from the moment we lose our self-love!

 Leopoldo's words made Carlos reflect for a second and realize the great truth they expressed. Yes, he was the one to blame for living in that misery, no one else. His enemies pursued him, trapped him, and managed to tarnish his reputation and throw him alive into a deep grave. They took away what he loved most, turning him into a renegade man for those who once admired him. But if at that moment he was a loser and was in the gutter, that was his choice and not theirs. His opponents could even have the power to take everything he has achieved in his career, the pastoral ministry.

And even who knows, influences the church against him, but never steal his dignity. He became a loser and lived thrown on the streets like a human rag on his own, it was his choice, no one was to blame for it. The truths spoken by the friend seemed to have dropped the poor man's mask. That Carlos had insisted on putting it in front of his eyes for so long, and at that very moment he realized how cowardly he was being. When he learned about Leopoldo's story, he wanted to encourage him to move on, get up and turn around.

 But he was reprimanded and realized that he could have used those same convictions to continue his journey. When your enemies confronted you. But what he did was flee scared into the shell, where he remained like a coward. After a long chat and hearing from his friend many things that served as an awakening, they moved on. They had no right direction and remained so until nightfall, always reminiscing about the past that tormented them.

the day and there they were in front of one of the bars that Leopoldo said he owned and the current owner invited them to sit at one of the corner tables, greeting him. That old man in ragged clothes, with long hair and a beard stained by the smoke from his inseparable pipe, where he burned his favorite smoke. She received him with great attention and served him drink whenever he appeared there, Carlos was amazed that even in those conditions Leopoldo still received such treatment, so he explained the reason:

— This is Meire, my niece. When I learned what happened to me and that I would be selling everything I had, I immediately bought these properties in order to keep them as family assets. And since then she has been trying to take me off the streets, take care of my health and make me go back to the old life I had, but it has been in vain, because I no longer feel any desire to live

— I understand, I also have two wonderful children who struggle to see me react, get up and move on, but I lost the will to live

 — We are actually two ungrateful, my friend. We have people who love us and fight to help us, but we prefer to stay in the sewer. We do not deserve the love we receive from them

— You are absolutely right, we need to stop and reflect better on how we are treating those who still value us, despite the little importance we have today

— Maybe you should start doing that, Carlos, I'm already at the end of the journey and it would be a waste of time to think about rescuing something in this miserable life I chose

— Don't say that, my friend, you are still alive and you have this dedicated niece who strives to help you. Try to give yourself a chance!

— I am seventy years old and suffering from prostate cancer at an advanced stage, it is too late to think about starting over

— But why did you never tell me about it, old friend?

— And since when are you a doctor, Carlos?

— He smiles and pats hard on the shoulder

— What matters is that we met before my departure and I am grateful for your friendship

— I'm sorry about that, Leopoldo. I'm really sorry!

— Now, stop these lamentations, my friend. Let's enjoy all the time I still have!

— Yes of course!

— And from now on, please do me just call me Leo, as I like to be called

— You can leave Leo, I'll do it

A strong friendship has now established itself between the three. Although he is living in a world where light and darkness remained close to each other, but on totally different planes, there was hope that in the near future everything could change in the lives of those injured by fate. The friendship of the two men lasted for a long time, Leopoldo started to visit Carlos' house and was well accepted by his children, Daniel and Danilo laughed at the stories that the old man told and the peraltices that he did, as a child. It was the first time that the father decided to take one of his glassmates to meet his family, and he nailed it, because even though he was a drunk, he knew how to respect her and behaved properly.

  Sometimes he even visited the church and participated in some events, the brothers liked him a lot and gave him new clothes, cut his hair and trimmed his beard. The young women played with the visitor and enjoyed their conversations. However, all that joy and sudden happiness of Leopoldo meant a farewell that fate seemed to be in store for him. It was his time to say goodbye. Despite the cancer that devoured him inside, his health seemed to be on the rise, at seventy he faced a good football game with the kids in the street, even if only to get in the way. It didn't take long and I was tired, but they loved the old bastard who wanted to be young.

And it made them smile a lot. Carlos walked away from the other drunks and only hung out with his new friend, in fact they even abandoned the streets and drank at home. Daniel and Danilo liked the change and supported their friendship. For they saw that it was beneficial to the father. One of the many nights that met at home to chat, exchange ideas or even watch the football championship. There were the four of them, when Leopoldo is sick and they ask for help from a neighbor who had a car to take him to the nearest hospital.

Where he was promptly attended and subjected to various examinations. Carlos left the doctor on duty aware of the situation in which his friend was. He explained about prostate cancer, and all procedures were done, taking this information into account. After returning home, the two young men informed the church about the episode and started praying for the patient's brief recovery, but this time their prayers would not be answered.

Because it was God's purpose to end his journey, the elder was still an alcoholic, but alcohol consumption had decreased. Due to the insistence of evangelicals and the two young men for whom he learned to be very fond. And that was something immensely positive, as it influenced Carlos, who abandoned the streets, reduced drunkenness and followed the same change as his friend. Leopoldo became loved by all, who were very sorry for his serious health.

Carlos was uneasy on the third day after admitting his friend to that hospital and decided to go there to see how he reacted to the treatment, but, being a poor guy, little was done to help him recover. He stayed the same, very badly. The way out was Meire, his niece, to collect resources. And transfer him to a private oncology clinic, where a medical team went to great lengths to save him, but on the fifth day of hospitalization Meire and Carlos were informed of the patient's death.