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..