First Amazon Outreach Operation Christmas Child Trip

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

 

Merry Christmas from the Amazon Jungle!

 

Our team has been sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and distributing Operation Christmas Child gifts to villages along the Rio Negro for the past 3 days.  A typical presentation consists of singing songs with the children, puppets, an amazing reinactment of the Christmas story, more puppets, a time of sharing with a Brazilian pastor and the distribution of gifts to the children.  Tuesday morning, our first stop was Santa Maria Village where we exteneded our programming to accomodate more children as they arrived by boat.  When the second group of children arrived, we let the children  reinact the Christmas story in full costume .  Just as our team were perparing to go to the next village, another boat filled with children arrived and our team shared Christ and distributed gifts to the children on the beach during a special time.  We presented gifts to approximately 225 children today.  The excitment of the children opening their gift bags has been amazing.  The best part the eternal gift of salvation thru Jesus Christ our Saviour is offered to all people we are in contact with.  I can think of no better way to celebrate his birth.   

 

The water levels here are at record lows so many villages are difficult to get to with the Amor.  Our team is transported via speed boats to the villages that are harder to access.  The team is having a great time serving.  We are looking forward to the upcoming days of ministry.

 

Following Him,

Dan Madsen

 

 

First Amazon Outreach Operation Christmas Child Trip

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

 

Merry Christmas from the Amazon Jungle!

 

Our team has been sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and distributing Operation Christmas Child gifts to villages along the Rio Negro for the past 3 days.  A typical presentation consists of singing songs with the children, puppets, an amazing reinactment of the Christmas story, more puppets, a time of sharing with a Brazilian pastor and the distribution of gifts to the children.  Tuesday morning, our first stop was Santa Maria Village where we exteneded our programming to accomodate more children as they arrived by boat.  When the second group of children arrived, we let the children  reinact the Christmas story in full costume .  Just as our team were perparing to go to the next village, another boat filled with children arrived and our team shared Christ and distributed gifts to the children on the beach during a special time.  We presented gifts to approximately 225 children today.  The excitment of the children opening their gift bags has been amazing.  The best part the eternal gift of salvation thru Jesus Christ our Saviour is offered to all people we are in contact with.  I can think of no better way to celebrate his birth.   

 

The water levels here are at record lows so many villages are difficult to get to with the Amor.  Our team is transported via speed boats to the villages that are harder to access.  The team is having a great time serving.  We are looking forward to the upcoming days of ministry.

 

Following Him,

Dan Madsen

 

 

Amazon Trip Update

Wed Aug 5

 

As we awoke, the moon was so bright that we thought it was already sunrise but it was only the shimmer of moonlight reflecting off the water shining into our boat.   Off the side of the boat was a school of large fish jumping out of the water.   One of the crew told us they were Boto, a large fish.   On the shore you could hear thousands of birds telling each other it was time to wake up, it was the beginning of a new day.

 

 

We are half way through our trip as we go into another small village.   Pucusal is on the Lake and has only accepted Christians other than Catholics for about three years.   The pastor, his wife and baby daughter joined us for the next 2 days of our journey and explained to us the history and the hope of the new believers.    They told us that most knew how to be saved but few had accepted Christ into their lives.   Bill, Chip, Wes and Doug walked door to door meeting people in their homes and talked to them about Jesus.   It was no coincidence that Sue struck a conversation with one of the teachers of the school.   They walked to the classroom, and drew pictures on the chalkboard for the students when they returned that afternoon.

 

After our lunch and daily nap, we trudged into the next village with all our supplies up a very steep hill and a long way along the trail.   As we arrived the children emerged from the school house and followed the Bible school team and sat under a big shady tree.   Julie has done an outstanding job of providing quality education with the lack of equipment and all the crafts that we put together for the kids.  (We have not yet gotten our suitcases.)

About 5:00 the pastor invited some of the villagers to come worship with us.   We sang a couple of songs first in Portugese then in English.   David M was the first to give his testimony followed by Kaylaynn before the pastor gave an inspirational message to the people.   We pray that the hearts and lives of the people have been changed.

 

 

The evenings come in early as the sun sets by 6:00.   Our meal, as always, was wonderful but afterwards, we were in for a surprise;  allegator hunting!   I thought we were only going to try and SEE some.   No, we actually caught four of them and brought them back to the boat.   This we can verify because we all took turns holding them while everyone took pictures.   What an awesome, inspiring day.

 

 

In Christ,

 

The Team in Brazil

 

FBC and Prestonwood - City of Parintins Day 2

Tues Aug 4

 

The mornings are special quiet times; some awake to watch the sun rise while others continue to sway gently in their hammocks.   Individually we spend time in prayer and Bible study or trying to spot pink dolphins.   Now, you might ask us for proof of one of these beautiful animals but they are almost impossible to get a picture of.   (They are not pink elephants.)   I assure you they do exist, if you want to see one, well, we welcome you to come with us next year.

 

 

Once again we headed to the Good Samaritan to share with the beautiful children from the poorer side of town.   Today, David S. shared the plan of salvation using soccer balls to over 300 wide eyed students.   The kids are so loving that Kaylaynn and Laurie could hardly be seen because of all the boys and girls surrounding them with hugs.

 

 

One of the many aspects of going on a mission trip is allowing yourself to step out of your comfort zone and do things that you have to rely on God to help you with.   Doug shared with us his victory over fear of sharing his testimony.   He was able to allow God to use his past to help about 30 gang members make better choices for their future.   What a marvelous Lord we have to equip us when we need it and we know Doug will continue to be used to minister to the hearts of young men.

 

 

Although these kids have very little worldly possessions they are rich in joy and love.   "Lay not up for yourselves treasure on earth where theives can steal but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven."   As we travel to Lake Carara we know that these experience on the Amazon are treasures in our hearts that one day we can lay at the Shepherd's feet.

FBC and Prestonwood - City of Parintins Day 1

Mon Aug 3

 

Before coming on this trip there were three things that concerned me: the bugs, the heat and the hammocks.   I decided that being eaten up with bugs, overwhelmed by heat and lack of sleep was a small price to pay for serving God, so I trusted He would see me through it.   So far we have not had any bugs, well, a couple of tarantulas at the village and these hugh ants at the school, most of us are getting plenty of sleep in the hammocks and . . .  well, two out of three isn't bad.

 

Today we went to the Good Samaritan school in Paritins.   This Christian school is funded by the government and has three separate groups of students, morning, afternoon and evening.   Out of the rows of blue buildings we saw faces standing in the doorways waiting for our arrival.    Soon the auditorium was filled with yellow tshirts and excited children.   Once again, Julie did a fantastic job of organizing the presentation to the elementary students, Ken and Tom were our star performers and Priscila controlled the bunch with children's Bible songs.

 

 

While the little ones were having a great time, Clayton spoke to the teenagers, some who were former gang members, and played ping-pong.   Sue and Nadyr painted the older girls fingernails while talking about Jesus, school, and, of course, boys.   We had a great time and the students asked us lots of questions about the Bible, our families, and things in America.

 

 

After lunch and a nap, always a welcomed repreve, we returned to the school to experience once again the joys of the morning.   One of the interpreters overheard a young boy saying negative things about Jesus, so she and Vi found a salvation bracelet and shared Christ with him.   After they were finished, he turned and gave them a big hug and a smile.   Who knew that planting seeds in a hot and humid land could produce so much fruit! 

 

FBC and Prestonwood - Castanhal and Parintins

Sun Aug 2

 

We awoke to see the river smooth as glass as if sleeping before the excitement of the day.   The stars and the trees used the river as a mirror and hovered over it with anticipation.   The smell of coffee, bacon, and french toast called us to breakfast as we rolled out into the coolness of the morning.   As we ate, worshipped in song and had devotionals, we headed toward Castanhal, our first small village.

 

The big three decker boat signalled to the people that it was time for them to head to town.   It didn't take long and children were everywhere.   Bible School became a major theatrical production of the Good Samaritan and the Healing of the Deaf Man.   The gospel was presented using soccer balls and salvation bracelets.   Most of all there was lots of fun and pampering; with bubbles, animal balloons and combing hair- turning all the little girls into princesses.  The boys could be heard all over town proudly showing off their squawking chickens.

 

 

Over 50 men, women and children had their teeth pulled.   Rita, one of our dentist, and Sue had the "tooth is now pulled" dance, which made everyone watching laugh.   35 people received new glasses and 64 were able to get much needed medication.   Jeraldo, Doug and Wes witnessed with a pocket knife to the men of the village and 5 accepted Christ; afterward they spent time in discipleship.

 

 

That evening we were treated to a Youth Worship Service in the city of Paritins.   The spirit of joy abounded as the kids from youth camp literally jumped up and down into the auditorium.   They danced, clapped, hugged and smiled to a room of about 1,000.   The pastor spoke on how to be saved and used a pciture of a credit card: Mastercard is everywhere!

 

 

To conclude the day we all headed for McDave's (no joke) to experience new flavors of ice cream.   Heather is going to be their new spokes person for Avocado ice cream.   I was not brave enough to try it.   What af fantastic way to begin our week.

 

 

Day 1 Blog Entry - FBC and Prestonwood

Friday, July 31

 

It is said that the most exciting adventures start with the greatest challenges.   If that is the case, we are all expecting our mission to be miraculous.

 

Starting with a call late into Thur night, our group had been divided onto two different planes going at two different times.    Of course it was too late to call anyone so we all met at 8:30 to find out who would be waiting at DFW or who would wait in Atlanta.   It really didn't matter who because the 10:40 flight ended up not taking off until 12:05 from DFW and the second flight was not far behind.   The good news?   Our Atlanta flight wasn't until after 5.   Praise the Lord!

 

 

 

We all made it safely onto our flight and into Manaus only to find to our horror that we had made it but half our luggage had not!   It contained most of our Bible School supplies.   Unfortunately, there is only one flight to Manaus every day and it is at midnight!   The good news?   Hopefully we will see our luggage in 36 hours.

 

Long into the night, we finally made it to what I saw as Cinderella's Coach ; beautifully lit in the dark night as a jewel beaconing for us to come aboard.   The good news?   It didn't take us long to carry only half the intended luggage to the boat.

 

We were all so excited that for several hours as we began to travel down the river, we stood amazed at the awesomeness of the River and the beauty of God's handiwork.   I personally must express a gratitude to the Lord God, King of the Universe for all He has done in His creation and all He will do in our lives and the lives of the people of Brazil.   The good new?   It is a new day and we are headed for Parintins.

 

 

Sat, Aug 1

 

What a difference a day makes.   The river rocked us to sleep as gently as a mother would rock her child, and we awoke to a leisurely day of Sabbath rest.   It was no wonder that those of us who were experiencing Brazil for the first time approached the morning with childish glee.   All along the river we saw amazing sights; children playing on the decks of wooden houses with thatched roofs, fisherman in dug-out boats, bardges loaded with trucks filled with supplies and boats of various kinds, some filled with tourists playing festive songs.   The mighty Amazon embrassed both the old and the new with equal dignity.

 

 

 

 

Aboard the Amor E Esperanca, we were introduced to the coming week.   We met our Dentists, Pharmasist, our crew and Captain, a local pastor and our RULES.   We made friendships with our interpreters and loudly applauded the woman who would do our laundry.   The most flavorful introduction was meeting the Queen of the trip, the cook and her royal court.   I can tell you now that we have all thrown our diets overboard and we will not be losing weight.

 

The Lord must foresee in His glorious wisdom, that we will need our strength for the days to come, so we praise Him for the great food and the first day to just feel His presence and to rest!  

 

Our current GPS coordinates are:  S 002 47.607  W 056 50.643

 

In Christ,

 

 

Your Friends in Brazil

 

 

 

 

Amor E Espiranca blog 7/14

    It is Tuesday early morning, Bom Dia! 
The Amor E Esperanca medical clinics are up and running at a brisk rate.  We are averaging 150 patients every day, in villages that are relatively small.  People are coming from all over.  Today we will be at a larger village with several hundred people. As always God is keeping us supplied with the exact medicines we need to treat the illness we are seeing. The medical needs in these villages are great.  We are seeing many infected wounds, and respiratory infections, as well as the usual parasites, worms and rashes. We have made numerous "house" calls to people who are too sick to walk the short distance to the clininc area.  Pray for healing for these sweet, appreciative people- that they see the power of God first hand.
"Kay"
     Monday was the best day yet for VBS.  We had beautiful outdoor classroom and over 70 children attended with open hearts.  There were fun games and crafts including newly decorated foam visors. Several of the teens helped with VBS and helped make the songs and games fun for the children.  Most of the children prayed to receive Christ in their hearts.  After the prayer of salvation the children made irridescent butterlies to represent how they are changed into new creatures in Christ just as the caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly.
"Sue and Barbara"
     We have also had some free time and several brave teammates have gone alligator hunting in the evenings after worship service.  Yesterday we also had some free time in the afternoon and went swimming in the river near the village.  It rained last night and this morning at sunrise we woke up to a beautiful rainbow to remind us of another of God's promises to us all. 
     Please continue to pray for our health and that the Holy Spirt will soften the hearts of these  beautiful people.
"Deb" from onboard the "Amor E Esperanca"

blog 7-12

Bom Dia.  It is Sunday morning and we arrived safely Friday very 

early morning with all our luggage and supplies.  We spent the

first day on the boat traveling all the way to Mounte Sinia,"Mount

Sinai," which truly did feel like the ends of the earth. While

traveling down the river we organized our supplies and started

bonding as a team.  We are all from different churches and at

different places in our walk with God, but the one thing we have

in common is our love for God and the desire to share his love

with others. Saturday we stayed in Mount Sinia and had 25 men

attend the mens ministry and 25 women in our womens group. This

village has a sweet spirt and beautiful view. The people expressed

gratitude for the love and services we could offer.  There were

several salvations in VBS with the children. The doctors on our

team noticed several of the villagers were ill with amoeba and

discovered the well with the clean drinking water had been broken

for over a year. Amazon Outreach will be sending back a well

drilling team in a few days to see if they can repair the well or

dig them a new one.  Two years ago on this trip a well was built

in another village and dedicated to George Oakes who spent many

years as a missionary in Brazil.  His son, Tim  was on that trip. 

Another son and grandson, Philip and Caleb, are with us this time.

 We can see first hand how seeds planted can bloom and grow. 

Please continue to pray for us and our safety and health as we

travel.
Deb from onboard the "Amor E Esperanca"

 

 

Bon Dia

Bon dia from Terezinha in the Cubari area! 

 

The amazing Amazon team has witnessed our Awesome God in action.
Where to start telling you about the trip so far - alligator or boat donkey or lots coming to Christ or sewing machines?? Our first task was to sort through all the donations, put away the various medicines and vitamins.

We have visited three villages. 

The first was on the Rio Mamaru beyond Parintins.  Early morning, a fisherman cast his net on the still water and it was a visible example of God casting His net on the Brazilian people. Our fun highlight was a donkey arriving in a dugout.  The owner said the donkey balanced the boat! We held medical and dental clinics, eye testing, VBS, Mens and Womens ministry and the hair/nail ministry. A beautiful 90 year women had a minor complaint of pain in joints - she looked great.  We saw a very tiny baby - less than 5 pounds. We were all busy morning to night. In Parintins, we picked up Abimael, the mission pastor from the First Baptist Church of Parintins. He has been turning the fields and planting seeds of faith in this area for Christ. We were the watering can.

The second two villages were upriver from Parintins on a tributary that Bent Tree has adopted but not yet visited. First village was Pal Hal in Caburi. The village president came to medical and asked us to visit his 99 yr old mom.  All ministries set up and slaved in God's vineyard.  Men's ministry had a great turn out and many were saved.  This is so excellent because if you save the dad, he will become spiritual head of the house. Women's ministry had many women come and they were very receptive to the message. Hair ministry cut many heads of hair and gave the little girls hair adornments. 

The last village was Terezinha.  The sunrise that morning was so incredible.  As a boat left to fish, the ripples spread across the calm water - my prayer was that our visit would spread ripples of belief across the village. These villages were well established, people healthy, and a joy to visit.
Two hand operated Singer sewing machines were brought down. The first receipent was a pastor wife (sews a lot by hand) and her daughter.  They will teach others how to use.  The second will be given to another village.
We went alligator hunting on two different nights.  The first night, we got a small gator less than two feet (released).  The second night, a 10 foot one was caught and brought up to boat but not in as too big. The highlight of these boat trips was the stars in the clear sky.  We saw the Southern Cross and Big Dipper, Milky Way, and many, many more.
Our boat team has been such a great support in translating, feeding us (way too well), doing our laundry, and just keeping us safe on the river.  We thank them and pray for their continued presence in the ministry.   
Continue to pray for us as we finish our visit Terezinha and head back to Manaus. 
All the team members will have great experinces and stories to relate when we arrive home in Dallas area, California, and Ohio.

 

In the beginning

Boa Noite (good evening).

 

We all know to be flexible when heading to Brasil, and this trip has been a real testimony as to why.  God delayed our flight in Dallas which made us miss our connection in Atlanta.  We spent a night and half a day exploring Atlanta and growing together as a team. 

 

We arrived in Manaus around midnight on Friday.  The crew and translators were waiting for us in the airport with a warm welcome.  We all hardly had time to pick out our hammocks before passing out in them.

 

The experience moved from surreal to intimate when we woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the Amazon shoreline.  We had been 'boating' all night towards Parintins.  We will need to travel another 12 hours to Parintins, which gives us just enough time to organize our supplies which had been divided among our luggage.   Pills were counted, assorted, and bagged.  VBS supplies were gathered and prepared.  Fish hooks, hygenics, clothing, toys, and candy were all on the list.

 

We stopped in Parintins long enough to pick up abimael, who is one of the pastors and guides for this region.  We then had to travel another 6 hours down the Mamuru River to Mocambo.  We had another delay the following morning because of an intense fog.  Although beautiful, it was too thick to navigate for several hours.

 

Hearing that we were going to Mocambo brought joy to many of the "veterans" on this trip.  Myself and several others had visited this village in the past and had already made many relationships with people they cannot wait to see again.  This joy was soon experienced by everyone as we begin describing some of the previous experiences and people at this amazing village.

 

One thing we know for sure on this trip is that we know nothing for sure.  Our plans have changed so many times already, and we have a feeling it will continue to do so.  God has an amazing plan for us the next week and we cannot wait to see what He will do.

 

Because the Amazon is flooded at the moment, many families have been driven from their flooded homes.  The church has started a small village right outside of Mocambo where 40 families will live.  We spent our entire day serving these families and many of the other families of the surrounding villages.  VBS and Medical and Pharmacy were all crammed into the only building that has a roof at the moment.  This village is so new that the walls of this building were not even built.  (this kept us cool!). 

 

Dental setup shop in the boats surgical (air conditioned) room.  Brandon said "This was the hardest I have ever worked in the Amazon without even stepping off the boat".

 

It is starting to rain now, so I have to stop, but we will write another as soon as possible.

 

We love you all, and thanks for keeping up with our trip!!  Enjoy the pictures!

 

-Brian Reinhart

(We will try to rotate "bloggers" every day).

 

Flooding.  40 new families, bela Vista..

Hello From Brasil

Hello to all of our awesome friends and family!  We are able to get a GPS signal at various spots will try to keep you all updated with pictures and stories.

 

Currently, we are on the Mamuru Riber at a village called Mocambo. 

 

We will have stories and pictures to follow. 

 

Love,

Amor e Esparanca.

Amazon Outreach PCA Mission Trip - Final Update

We are traveling back to Manaus, enjoying a very relaxing day!  As we travel down the river we are throwing soccer balls and balloons filled with candy and a Bible verse (thanks to the 3rd graders) to people along the river.  This week has been incredible.  We have grown closer as a team and as a body of believers.  One of my favorite experiences this week was going to the church service in El Shadai.  God's pressence was immenent as we worshiped.  At one point in the service, we sang "Come, now is the Time to Worship" and the Americans were singing in English while the Brazillians were singing in Portuguese.  It gave us a tiny taste of what Heaven would be like. 

 

As Mr. Ellis mentioned in yesterday's blog, the things we were able to do in the villages, by God's grace, were much like scenes from the Bible.  VBS and love were wonderful methods of communication for the children.  The men's ministry was more successful that we could have imagined thanks to God's greatness.  Dentistry, healthcare and eyeglass fitting was also great.  One woman that Mr. Green fit for glasses said that all she wanted was to be able to read her Bible and she couldn't because of her poor sight.  Needless to say, she was so excited when she got her glasses.  The iShare was a great tool as well.  Many people were open to watching the presentation of the gospel.  

 

We were sad to say goodbye to the village people, but our mission field is not only foreign countries or remote villages.  We cannot wait to see all of you.  Thank you for all your prayers, continue to pray for a safe trip home! 

 

Blessings - Blair (Senior Student at Prestonwood Christian Academy}

Amazon Outreach PCA Update

We are on our way back to Manaus.  We will first stop in Parintins to fuel up and Lord willing will be back to Manaus by late Friday night or early Saturday morning.  This team has worked from dawn until night every day.  The last two days in the villages were right out of the Bible!  We had the blessing of working primarily in Varrevento and also El Shaddai.  The water well in El Shaddai was completed and we had a phenomenal praise and worship service with the church there last night.  Rick Briscoe, Landen and Heather sang Revelation Song A Capella + Rick sang How Great Thou Art.  The people in the village were Blown Away by that level of talent.

 

Yesterdays ministry included VBS, giving out eyeglasses, powerful ministry to men (best I have EVER seen - as many came to Christ - this is rare in a village for the men to have the courage to profess faith in Christ), dentistry, medical statuion, manicures, completing the water well...  One of the other special things that happened was that there was a woman that was extremely ill and needed to be transported to Parintins for us to care for her.  She was in a very difficult place to reach - up on a hill so Brandon Briscoe, Mike and Michael Shell had to hand carry her on a stretcher down a pretty treacherous hill.  It was a scene from Scripture.

 

We had a special time of prayer for Cody Novak today as he has his chemotherapy treatments.  We have a special video greeting from the kids in the village for Cody!!!

 

We have thousands of pictures and it hard to capture all of them for you over satellite so I am sending one of our trip leader Landen Ellis with a girl in a village today.

 

God has been very faithful.  We are so thankful for each and every prayer.

 

Christ Is Life!  Johnson Ellis

 

Visit www.amazonoutreach.com to learn more about this powerful ministry of Christ and to see how you can be involved!

Amazon Outreach PCA trip Update

Hi everyone!  Today was a great day filled with VBS.  This time, we got to play with the kids after doing the VBS session.  This was my favorite part of the day.  The children are so precious and have the sweetest spirits.  They love when Americans play with them and hug them.  We played soccer, tag, blew bubble and threw frisbees.  I got to play with two little girls, Natalia and Gabriella, and they were so sweet.  The girls took joy in such simple things as crayons, hugs and bubbles.  Today I (and the rest of the team) were able to fully grasp the reason Jesus calls us to have a childlike faith, full of joy, purity and love.  Mr. Briscoe had a unike opportunity tonight.  He was able to talk to the praise team and choir of Pastor Elmer's church and share his heart about worship.  Each day I am falling more in love with Brazil, particularly the children and I believe I can speak for the whole team and say that we are having one of the best experiences of our lives.  God's creation is incredible; the scenery, they people, and the relationships he is allowing us to develop with each other as well as with the Brazilian people.  Our translators are such a special gift!  They all have different personalities and strive to serve us.  It is awesome to get to know them better as the trip goes on.  They have such a heart for God's ministry and their joy is contagious.  Please pray for safe travel to the village and for energy and strength as we continue our mission.  We miss each and every one of you!

Blair    

 

 

Please go to   www.amazonoutreach.com   to read more about this exciting ministry and how you can get involved!!

Good News from the Amazon!

One of the reasons that I love coming to the Amazon is that we have no access to television, internet and newspapers and all the bad news that we have been inundated with in the US for the past year.  I attached a picture of the PCA students that are working their hearts out on this trip!  I have been amazed at how the students have fully stepped up to the leadership plate and they are the ones taking charge of getting the task done.  This picture is in an auditorium where our students ministered to 500 high school students in Parintins yesterday.  They led in some powerful worship and gave their testimonies.  Thank you so much for you gifts to make it possible for this team to go.  We leave this evening for the villages where we will spend the next few days in Varevento Village (which means Whirlwind in English).  Rick Briscoe spent some time this evening pouring himself into training and encouraring the key music leadership team here at the First Baptist Church of Parintins.

 

The Good news is that God is rocking through these students here in Brazil as they boldly proclaim their passion for Christ!!!  Keep us in your prayers!

 

Christ Is Life!  Johnson Ellis

Amazon Outreach - PCA Update

Dear family and friends,

Today was our first day of ministry.  In the morning after a yummy breakfast, we went to a school and did VBS with the young kids.  They were precious!  Some of our students did a skit about the lame man who was healed, we sang songs (some in English and some in Portugese), and the kids made frisbees. The kids were so sweet, their smiles made me so happy.  When I got to play with them, even though there was a language barrier, we could understand each other because love is a universal language.  We were all able to understand smiles and hugs.  After VBS we came back and ate lunch and rested.  Then we got to go back to the school and do worship with the middle and high schoolers.  EJ, Heather, and Sheridan helped lead worship and Michael Shell and I gave a testimony.  It was awesome to get to hang out with the high schoolers because although they live in a different country, they are just like us.  Their worship and overall spirit impacted me.  They were so excited to sing about God, and when I looked out at the crowd, their worship and excitement blessed me.  One of the most powerful things we did today was going to the stadium where the satanic festival is held each year.  We spread out around the stadium and prayed and after we finished praying, there was a rainbow.  It was an incredible symbol of God's faithfulness.  Just as God gave Noah the rainbow as a promise, it was wonderful to see it and be reminded of God's presence.  The team sang some worship songs like God of this City, Revelation Song and How Great Is Our God in the center of the stadium.  It was a moment I will never forget.  The power of God and the love His people were singing about was so evident.  After dinner, we got to get ice cream...it was delicious.  Today was truly a blessing and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the week holds, so far this is one of my favorite experiences. Please keep praying for us to show God's love to the people of Brazil. Specifically pray on Tuesday for our VBS ministry at Samaritans Village in Parintins! We will be working with around 500 kids and need prayers for physical stength and endurance!  I'll keep you updated!  We miss all of you!

Blair

 

[Blair is a Senior at Prestonwood Christian Academy.  This is her first mission trip to Brazil]

Amazon Outreach email from the Amazon - Johnson Ellis

We are making our way down the Amazon to Parintins.  As I look out on the water I see the Linda Esperanca (Beautiful Hope) which is the other Amazon Outreach boat that is carrying a separate mission team from SMU and Watermark Church.  It was a great experience to fly down with their group.  So far everyone from both of our groups are doing well by God's Grace.  Chris Malinowski seems to be feeling better!  As I understand it from Pastor Elmer - the Aguas De Amor (Waters of Love) - the water well drilling boat - is in front of us up the river a bit.  Our prayer is to drill a water well in the village of Abrao (Abraham).  Please pray for this because we have been facing challenges in even having the possibility of drilling - but God knows what is best!  Pure water from a well allows the precious people in the villages to not get sick.

 

Only a God like ours could provide for 3 missions boats to be humming up the Amazon to do His work!!  It continues to show me the Love in His Heart for these people.  It takes so much for us to get to them but I have never regreted any efforts to do so over the past 19 years.  This trip has a special place in my heart because my 18 year old daughter Landen is the leader.  When I led my first trip to the Amazon in 1991 - she was just a one year old.  There is no greater joy in this life than to see your children grow up to love this same Wonderful Savior and to see them serve Him with Passion.

 

This is our first official time to send an email from our brand new satellite systems that Len Benckenstein so graciously has donated to Amazon Outreach.  Our hearts desire is to keep those of you who are back home praying and those of you who sacrifically donated so that we might be here - more  aware of what God is doing each day on the river.  It has been somewhat "comical" that I carried the satellite system down here on the plane with me.  In order to do that I was only able to bring just a handful of personal belongings.  I packed my clothes in a checked bag.  Wouldn't you know that out of 44 people and about 75 bags - mine was the only bag that did not make it down here!!!!  If you see pictures of me from this trip I probably will be wearing the same thing every day!!!  I know God is teaching me something from even this lost bag.  Do I really NEED all the things that seem to make me "comfortable" in this life?  As we pass by some of the thousands of villages down here I see people who only have one pair of clothes period - at best.  They frequently seem much more happy and content than me.  I am reminded today with as I look at my handful of personal belongings that I have - that Jesus carried out His ministry without all the STUFF that seems to weigh us down.  It is somewwhat fun and freeing to not have a bunch of things to keep up with...  Maybe I should put that more into practice in my every day life...  Simplicity.

 

Pray for us that we would bring Hope with there is no Hope.  Christ is the answer to all the world's needs and cares.  We simply want to make His Name more famous this week. 

 

With much love from ALL the group!    Christ Is Life!!!  Johnson Ellis

Amazon Outreach Blog Test Email

Good morning. This is Johnson. This is a test of the blog we will do from the Amazon. Sign up anyone you want to have an update from our mission!

Christ Is Life!