In the Hands of God

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This work explores how evangelical churches in the United States transform migrant distress into deep religious devotion. It investigates why migrants become more evangelical and how this identity reshapes their self-understanding. Drawing from extensive fieldwork with Brazilian migrants in the Washington, DC area, the author emphasizes the importance of affective experience in understanding the migrants' shift toward intense religiosity and commitment. The challenges of migrant life—such as family separation, geographic isolation, legal precariousness, workplace vulnerability, and uncertainty—give rise to specific emotional struggles, including loneliness and despair. These feelings trigger new religious yearnings. Evangelical churches skillfully articulate and reinterpret these distressing emotions through affective therapeutics, aiming to "heal" the psychological pain of migrants. The author provides insights into the emotional aspects of migration, the strategies employed by evangelical churches to attract migrants, and how belonging to these communities helps them cope with negative emotions. This examination reveals the adaptability and resilience of evangelical Christianity in addressing the needs of migrants.