International Migration In Brazil

"One thing that's really cool about my area, Belem, is that there are many Bolivians that live in this area. Like probably 1/3 of the folks in this part of Sao Paulo are Bolivians. We teach quite a lot of them. They speak Spanish to us and we can understand for the most part, and we answer in Portuguese. There are so many of them. For example, the other elders in my ward, Elder Stoddard (Syracuse, UT, dated a girl I know) and Elder Klingler (Iona, Idaho), have a teaching pool that's about 80% Bolivians. We teach less, but a lot still. One of them is this family who live a stones throw away from the church. So close that, some one with a good arm, maybe Elder Stephens, could throw a stone OVER the church. But anywho, the family is way cool. Javier and Reina, we usually teach them about 3 times a week since they are so close. They are gonna go to the 2nd session of General Conference with us today. We are gonna try to mark their baptism tomorrow during our appointment with them. They always make us good Bolivian bread and arroz doce, which translated, I think, is rice pudding."

The Brazilian southeast is the main destination for immigrants to Brazil. This region is home to 73.4 percent of the total immigrant population (683,830). Over half of these immigrants (343,944) are in the state of Sao Paulo. Other states with high levels of international immigration include Rio de Janeiro, Parana, Minas Gerais, and Rio Grande do Sul.

Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration