In this episode Marcelo and Sandra share their remarkable journey as members of the Mormon church from Brazil. Raised Catholic, they embraced Mormonism in their late teens and early twenties. Marcelo served a mission, and after their marriage, he took on significant church roles including bishop and stake president by his early thirties. Their story takes a challenging turn when Marcelo was diagnosed with cancer while attending BYU. Among other things, his fight with cancer led him to start questioning church doctrines. He sought answers from his bishop, stake president, and even CES leaders. He even faced potential excommunication for starting a YouTube channel to help others in his same situation. Tune in to hear their inspiring and emotional Mormon story! For Marcelo and Sandra's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MormonismoSemCensura To email Marcelo and Sandra: mormonismosemcensura@gmail.com For their Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/EHGvu3KTa3AKPKmT/?mibextid=K35XfP Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/brazilian-mormon-story-ribeiro/ 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:30 They host a podcast called “Uncensored Mormonism” 00:01:45 Intentions for coming on Mormon Stories 00:05:10 Marcelo was raised in a non-practicing Catholic family 00:12:00 The very first time he saw a missionary was on a bus 00:16:50 What was his baptism like? 00:27:35 Sandra grew up Catholic, born in Varjota 00:35:30 What made her interested in the Mormon church? 00:45:20 Marcelo’s church mission 00:51:55 Were they taught about the priesthood and temple ban for black people? 00:55:10 The church does not provide its members with informed consent 00:58:30 His mission hurt his family relationships 01:11:23 She was called into a worthiness interview 01:17:50 Going to the temple for the first time 01:27:05 He served as a bishop in Brazil 01:30:15 He was called as a Stake President at age 32 01:38:40 What was it like coming to BYU after Brazil? 01:49:20 When did their faith start unraveling? 01:57:20 The first time he had a real encounter with racism 02:01:10 No one should be baptized into the church without being taught these things 02:06:20 Marcelo went with Sandra to talk to the bishop 02:14:30 He reached out to a CES leader and asked for answers 02:25:45 Asking his questions to the Stake President 02:39:00 The story of Marcelo being brought in to be excommunicated 02:52:20 How does he balance his love for the church and the betrayal? 03:07:15 What is the active membership in Brazil? 03:12:20 Are they happy now? 03:20:00 What is life like now since leaving the church? ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117