Day 3 - Sol Nascente

Praise the Lord... finally a rain-less morning!

      Another great day in Sol Nascente... such a blessing to be able to have spent a day and a half with the people here and see the ministry that the Lord has created in Sol Nascente using Erika and Vanderley. A highlight this morning was when our friend Becky was able to reconnect with a friend, Junior, who she had met during the time she spent here this summer. Her testimony had a profound effect on him in July and he promised her then that when she returned next, he would be "a Christian like her". When Becky saw Junior again this morning, he made the decision to turn from his old ways and trust Christ in full surrender. Twas such a sweet moment for her and for all of us to be reminded of the freedom that the gospel gives.

    VBS was a grand 'ol time as always! There are some pretty sassy kids here... a brother and sister pair, Cida and Yudi, made me almost feel bad for their parents if they hadn't been so dang cute. Once again our boys and Julie acted out the nativity story for the kids, but with a little twist for today... the Dentist's daughter Annabelle as baby Jesus. Really gave the story a validity that the creepy baby doll was unable to provide in past performances. Then more picture coloring, painting t-shirts, and passing out goldfish, fruit snacks and candy. Those kids wear ya out...

    It was really important to Erika and Vanderley for some of our team to visit the homes of those who are a part of their church to encourage them to continue to grow in their faith and also to challenge them to become leaders in their community. Erika and Vanderley need for their church to step up and begin serving and helping the people of Sol Nascente. Overall, the team was exhausted after a long morning in the village.. and terribly sunburned.

    Rosey and Ross are feeling much better after their little sickness of sorts and were able to rejoin us in the village this afternoon! Erika also asked us girls to talk to the teenagers about their struggles... finding their identity in the Lord, purity, self-confidence... all issues that transcend culture as things we equally battle with. Our American girls were then able to share their testimonies of how the Lord is able to give us freedom from those pressures. The kids enjoyed the playground, the soccer game, and the attention the crazy Americanos showed them.

   All day we spread news of the church service we would hold at Erika and Vanderley's house at 5. We began with a skit that depicts the many worldly things that distract us from the Lord, even though He is there through it all. Becca followed with sharing her story of how God has worked in her life and Catherine presented what we call the "sin solution"... an illustration much too confusing to explain in a blog... spoiler: the secret is clorox and iodine. John then spoke and shared the gospel with the people, informing them on how their eternity depends on what they choose to believe. Then praise the Lord, back to the boat for a much needed shower (a baby peed on the both of us) and one of the best dinners I've ever had here. Chicken with some sort of Ramen-ish noodle, beef, beans and rice (duh), and Shannon's fav dessert... key lime pie perhaps? Not really so sure...

    And now it's almost 11, playing games on the boat after alligator hunting, snacking on nutella and peanut butter pretzels. All around, life is good. We're happy... and best of all, the boat's still floating.

    New Year's Eve tommorrow, yay! Missing you all, but can't say we're dwelling on it... all the same, we are so very thankful for each of you and for what you have done to help us get here. Thank you for your prayers, we are beginning to get tired and need them so!

    Boa Noite,

        Shannon and Lauren  

Day 2 - Paraiso & Sol Nascente

 Oi Oi,

      That's two "Oi"s for two days of sweet service.  Concerned parents, be at peace! We have only lost three people to anaconda attacks. And better yet, we were in Paradise today. So here's how it all went down.

       Woke up to a thunderstorm, so we spent the first few hours of the morning eating breakfast, chillin like villains, and enjoying some prayer and worship led by Erik and our Brazilian Dentist/Musician/Friend, Thiago. After the lengthy rain delay, we finally made our way to Paraiso, going 6 or 7 people at a time in the skiff boat we tow around with us.  Paraiso is beautiful. Located on a hill, it enjoys a marvelous view of the mighty Amazon. Everyone was feeling more comfortable with their various roles, and it didn't take long before there was a swarm of kids laughing and playing. They seem to especially like learning how to throw a football.

       Soon the men, being the studley studs they are, led a fierce charge to the soccer field, where Will proceeded to continuously sic his pack of devoted children upon the others in the group.  Once the children were defeated in combat, we proceeded to have them run around in circles until they were exhausted. Cue the ladies.  The chicas took over from there, executing another marvelous VBS with the now throroughly tired kids, the highlight of this undoubtedly being Will and Nancy's groovy dance moves. Dancey Nancy, Rhythm Queen of the Amazon.

       After leaving Paraiso we proceeded to Sol Nascente, the town where Erica and Vanderley live. Its a long...long walk to the top.  But, the village is very quaint and beautiful, and I can't keep from thinking that this could be a 5 star resort with just a little bit of plumbing.  Upon reaching the top, bags in tow, and playing with the kids on their new playground, our team essentially split in two.  Half of us stayed at the playground and primed the fence surrounding it with white paint while the other half went to...you guessed it, the soccer field. We played until sunset, after which we collapsed in a heap of bones on the ground.  It is exhausting fun, and the smiles on their young faces make every pulled muscle, cramp, scrape, bump and bruise completely worth it.  Plus, we got some nicknames out of it.  Austin is now known as "La Flama Blanca" (White Flame), I am "La Pared Blanca" (White Wall), Jay from Sao Paolo is "J-WOW," and Will is "Tiny Dancer." Huge success. 

       When the day was done, we all enjoyed what must have been one of the top 5 showers of our respective lives, and stuffed ourselves with food. Yay rice!  The night came to a sweet close with our group devotional, with Lauren, Patrick, Nancy, and a pastor traveling with us from Manaus...sharing their hearts with the team.  Can't wait for day three!

 

You are very loved,

Joe

   

Day 1: Wednesday

Oi from the Amazon!

   

    Yesterday, the second gorup arrived in Manaus and loaded the boat around 3 PM. We got settled in and floated through the meeting of the waters on our 15 hour voyage to Sol Nascente to pick up the missionaries, Erika and Vanderley, who oversee four villages on Lake Carara (for all you people who know how to use Google earth, you can see exactly where we have been) just off the Amazon.

 

    We started off the morning going to Bucuzal where we had VBS, medical, dental, women's, men's, and a church service... all before a lunch at 3 PM. 30 minutes later we headed out into Divino village where we did the same ministries plus some worship with the people of the village. Oh and let's not forget soccer, soccer, soccer in both places. And yes we lost in both places. The boys are very good but nothing compared to the Brazilian pros.

 

    A few highlights of the day:

-Erik Nieder has led sweet times of worship on the boat & in the villages with the Americans & Brazilians singing in their native languages.

-Will Shellenberger dancing for all the children in VBS to a Portuguese song. He had everyone laughing.

-Jeff Johnson starred as Gabriel in a play where he held his halo proudly.

-Becca Nail shared her testimony with the women's ministry and spoke with some girls who related to her story.

-Becky Sayman and John Nieder shared their testimonies at church.

-Rose Delph and Shannon Thompson were encouraged to see the joy in a 19 year old girl whose mom was killed during a fight between her husband and her brother.

 

    We are all encouraged to see the Lord working, even beyond the obvious language barrier. The kids have so much fun during VBS with the songs, skits, coloring and laughing. Today we sang a song during VBS in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Korean because of the many nationalities represented on our trip. It was neat to visit these specific villages because of the relationship that has been built in previous visits and with the two missionaries who are with us.

 

    Tonight we had our first nightly devotional with the group and discussed what we saw today and how we were encouraged. We are reading a C.S. Lewis book of meditations which has been a great book to read on this particular trip.

 

We are all safe minus the one who was attacked by an alligator when he was thrown into the river after he tried to win over the cute girl in town... we'll let you guess which of the boys that was. :)

Thanks for your prayers and support. Tomorrow we are going to Paraiso (Paradise) and the largest village on the lake, Sol Nascente.

 

Boa Noite,

Audrey

Prestonwood November 2011 - Villages Day 5

Oi from the Amazon!

 

It's Thanksgiving Day and we are now heading back to Manaus after spending our final day in the villages. We wanted to take this blog opportunity to share a few things that we are thankful for.

 

David Snedecor - I am thankful that we could bless the village of St Sebastao with a well and now they have clean water to drink.

 

Amy DeArmon -  I am thankful to have helped with VBS all week with over one hundred children in the village of Santo Antonio.  The VBS team came to bless the children when in turn they blessed us.

 

Jennifer Lill - I am thankful for the Bible and the stories that make sense to people in America, the Amazon, and around the world. Watching people understand and relate to stories of truth is a beautiful thing.

 

Josh Rolf - I am thankful for an incredible staff and crew on the Amor e Esperanca and for Abimael, Sasa, and the ministry team that will follow up with these villages.

 

Cathleen Moffitt - I am thankful that God prepared in advance the hearts of the people we met in the villages this week.

 

Traci Townsend - I am thankful for family and friends who helped send me to the Amazon which resulted in the salvation of many.

 

Sydney Symes - I am thankful that God sent his son to die on the cross for us and that I had an opportunity to share that this week.

 

Corriene Bottom - I am thankful for the relationships we built with the kids.

 

Zach Symes - I am thankful that a lot of people accepted Christ this week.

 

Roy Reis - I am thankful for the friendships we've formed with our translators.

 

Lauren Davis - I am thankful for our great God who gives us new mercies every morning, for we can do nothing apart from him.
 
Aaron Lill - I am thankful for people coming to know Christ this week.

 

Matt Kendrick - I am thankful that the Brazilian culture embraces the full frontal hug like I do!

 

*These are the people who were still awake...

 

Boa Noite

 

Our position on the river: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=02+31.763+S,57+1.526+W+(Amor)

Prestonwood November 2011 - Villages Day 4

The technology kinks have been worked out and we are now typing on the correct computer :) Our last two blog updates can be read at: http://www.ao-lindaesperanca.blogspot.com/ --- Sorry for all the confusion but we're in the middle of the Amazon!

 

To summarize the last two blogs...we made it here safely, our luggage was lost and has now been found, and the Lord is doing mighty things in the three villages we are ministering in. (You should really just click the link above and read those blogs. They're great.)

 

Today, Wednesday, was our last full day in the villages. Tomorrow, each team will spend the morning in their village before we go as a group to dedicate a new water well in Saint Sebastian sponsored by Prestonwood's VBS. As we go out into the villages, please join with us in prayer over the many people we have shared the Gospel with who have yet to confess Christ as their Lord and Savior. Many groups have scheduled meetings in the morning to continue the teaching of God's Word. Our goal is the discipleship of these new believers so that they may take the Gospel to their village and the far ends of the Amazon. Please pray for the health of our team, the hearts of the lost, the VBS lessons taking place tomorrow and the ongoing discipleship of fellow believers. Our mantra for the trip and tomorrow is "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."  Romans 10:9

 

Boa Noite

The Village Team Headed Back To Manaus

Oy! (or hi in portugese!) Sooooo.....we obviously didn't blog like we should have, and we hope that you will forgive us. It really has been a busy week and we only have certain windows of time where we are able to blog, so for most days, we just couldn't do it. (and the computer didn't work all the time) We hope you understand are so sorry for causing any of you to worry.

Well, we are on our way back - we've been on our journey home all day. Its been a great day of reflecting on what all we have experienced and seen. The Lord is good and we are seeing His glory all over the Amazon. We cannot wait to tell you all of the cool and fun stories from this trip!

See you soon! Please pray for safe travels!

His,

The Village Team (and our orphans from Bent Tree, Good Shepherd church, Chase Oaks church, and Issac's church in Virginia) :)

The Village Team

Hello from Amazon! The Village team is here and we are so sorry for not writing sooner. Hopefully you're not too worried, however, I know there are plenty of moms and dads out there who have probably been checking this every day. Once again - so sorry!

We are loving our life on the boat. The traveling leading up to seeing the boat is exausting, but once you set foot on the boat and start to sail toward the villages there is an overwhelming peace that comes over each of us! It always takes a little bit to get accustomed to hammock life - but I think we're all there now. Although after spending the night in the Miami airport, I personally think the hammocks felt extra amazing. :) We are on day 2 and half of ministry. We stopped at Sao Benedito Village on Saturday evening after traveling all night on the river. There we picked up our pastor and got to to worship with him in his church. Such a cool experience to be in a true Amazonian town and worship in a believing church. Loved it! Jose Carlos (the pastor) and his family boarded our boat and we took off down the river to some of the villages that he is charge of pastoring. It has been so beautiful! Not just the scenery, (although the stars at night are probably one of the most breath-taking sights any of us have seen), but just being in these small and welcoming villages and getting to share the gospel with them. Last night during the church service we got to celebrate with a teenage girl and grade school boy as they decided that they wanted the Lord to be their Savior. Today we are in one of the sweetest and kindest villages! Its been fun ministering to them.

Well, for now, we're about to go finish our siesta. We're all safe and I think we're all having a great time. The Lord is ministering to all of us just as much as we're getting to minister to the Brazilian people. Please continue to pray for us and pray for those that we're getting to meet and love on. We miss you all and can't wait to see you on Sunday!

We'll write more tomorrow!

His,

The Village Team (plus a few orphans we brought on)

Carpenter's Way Amazon Trip Day 4-5

DAY 4:
Village of Ariau. Construction team consisting of Sam, Mike, Filipe and Jerry helped to build stadium bleachers behind the school. Some of the children of the village helped to saw the wood and take out nails from some old boards off of a grandstand that were used for the bleacher seats. In particular, 11 year old Adu was a big help. He came over later and played frisbee and football with some of the Argentinian kids from the boat. 
Mike Chamblee met one of the villagers and got a tour of his home that he was in the process of building. The man also invited Mike fishing. Mike, Jerry and Kristine, one of the translators, took a canoe ride to a remote spot where the man had another house on the river. He took the three on a tour of his land where he had equipment that had been siezed by the group IBAMA which protects the rainforest. A group from the neighboring State of Para had been illegally cutting wood from his land until the group stopped them. On the way back, the boat kept stalling. Mike asked the group to pray for our safe return back to the boat. The engine ran smoothly after praying and there were no more stalls. Back at Ariau, the man then recieved Christ as his personal saviour.

 

Hair Stylist extraordinaire Olive Amanda Reasons (aka OAR) paddled her way through twenty haircuts at the village. Before starting she felt tired and was in pain from cutting so much hair over the week. She prayed for strength. A man named William showed up and began helping her cut hair. He was a barber from Manaus and he had recently moved to the village. Olive found out through getting to know him that he was having problems trying to stay away from various bad influences. She prayed for him and thanked him for helping.

 

DAY 5:
After having breakfast and devotional we spent the morning in the village of Freguesia, a bigger village of about 1000 families. Some of the group saw firsthand the processing and grounding of the Manioc root. Others watched a few of the villagers make thatched roofs, an excruciatingly detailed process of tying leaves from the Caranai plant to the bamboo-like shoots of the Inaja plant.
VBS was a success. The kids were very happy to color and hear about Jesus through the story of the Little Lost Lamb.

 

In the afternoon, we went back to the town of Barrerinha. The construction team helped to sand down the outside walls of the church. We then painted the outside of the church with primer and let it dry for the next day.

 

Today was a day of strengthening the many friendships made among the group throughout the trip.

 

DAY 6:
Barrerinha. Half day. The construction crew painted the church a coffee-with-cream tan. It looked nice once it dried. The crew then went around and shopped at the local stores and got a chance to bond with the people of the town.
VBS had over 400 children hearing stories of Christ's power and singing songs of faith.

 

 

Carpenter's Way Trip Day 1-3

DAY 1:
Pastor Mario set the tone of the entire trip the night before. He said that he felt something very special was going to happen on this particular trip. He said the group would be going to villages with whom we've already established relationships And, he added, we would be embarking on new journeys and establishing new relationships with villages we've never been to before. He called us pioneers. 
He then told the story of a woman in the town of Baharina who dreamed a big snake was attacking the city and that we were sent to destroy the snake. We had fire in our hands and we were burning the snake until it was no more and the city once again belonged to the lord. Pastor Mario had put a fire in us spread the Word to those who knew us and those who didn't.

 

The First Village Terra Preta seemed like it happened in a blur. We left the boat and got everything set up in the village. Dental and medical teams assisted the villagers. Our main focus once everything had been set up and running was to assist in getting building materials to the church. Another boat pulled up with windows and beams and metal roofing and we carried them to the back of the village where the church was located. It started to rain and there wasn't much construction that day. The youth group played an exciting soccer match.

 

We then went to the town of Barrerinha to visit another church being constructed. So exciting to so many churches being built. You also got the sense you were at the very early stages of that "something very special" that Pastor Mario had spoke about. At the church, we sang songs and there were testimonies. Becky, the Amazon Outreach intern, gave her story and how she returned to the lord.
 
It got late and it became very dark in the church. Relating to the dream he told the night before, Pastor Mario lit a lighter and said it was the light of Christ to spread throughout the city. We then went to the back, sang more songs and dedicated to the lord a piece of property behind the church that would very soon be a youth recreation area, a place that would guide the town's misguided youth back to the lord.

 

 

 

DAY 2:
Guatar. Smallish village of thirty families. Those new to the mission seemed to be just a little more comfortable. Group members were establishing lifelong friendships as our relationship with the village was strengthened. Pastor Trey and Mike and Nora as translator met with the president of the village. They had to walk down a remote path, fifteen minutes away from the rest of the village, to get to his house. There he showed them land that he wanted to donate to the church. The four of them prayed together, knelt down and blessed the land. While in the midst of prayer, the president tearfully thank God for all his blessings. He then gave them three pineapples grown from his orchard as gifts. He gave them three beautiful smelling pineapples but Trey told Presidente they only needed one. Presidente then pointed to Trey's belly, and told him, via the translator, that he definitely needed three.    

 

Ipiranga was a very short trip. Most of the villagers had gone to work at a lumber site. So we didn't stay there.

 

The village of Pindonbal had not expected us until the next day. So we had to find the President to let him know that we were there and ready to help them. He was very happy to see us, and immediately grabbed his soccer cleats first thing. The group played a very intense soccer game against the villagers. Pastor Mario prayed for the village. A woman came up and gave testimony of how she was sick the very first time the boat had arrived a year or so ago. She couldn't use her hands and was very sick. On that mission we prayed for her and she was healed. And she was thanking God for sending us.

 

Peyton gave an amazing testimony of a girl who raised her hands for the lord and waved goodbye to her

 

DAY 3:
Pastor Trey set us in the right frame of mind for our mission trip to the next village. He read from 1 Corinthians 5 about hating the sin and not the person sinning. Linda Sticker gave a prayer and then we got off the boat and made our way into Pirai.
The construction team, Mike, Sam, and Jerry helped a villager build part of a new house situated next to his old house. The team used Zapatero wood for the floor boards and Loro wood for the posts. Mike lent his expert carpenter's touch to move the project along quickly. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to finish the project but we got him far along on his project. The man's favorite tools were his chain saw and machete. He used that giant chainsaw to cut a straight line in the floorboards already nailed to the post and crossbeams, walking along and shaving off wood. He'd been using the chainsaw working on various projects for 30 years.
The kids played soccer and volleyball. Trey read Luke to the villagers. The story of Zachaeus. His message: In America, people think they can wait and meet Jesus at their own convenience. But there should be the same sense of eagerness to meet him that Zaccheus had. You should have a sense of urgency about building your relationship with Jesus because you never know what will happen tomorrow. Zaccheus did not procrastinate. He seized his moment and found his sycamore-fig tree to climb so that he could see Jesus. The sycamore is there for all of us and we need to find it, now preferably.
In the afternoon and evening the group went swimming in the amazon. Some of the group went fishing. Later, the small boat disembarked and took those who wanted to, aligator hunting (i.e. seach the river bank and find the runt gators the hunter could grab from the front of the boat, ducktape the mouth shut, take back to the boat for pictures, and then release).

 

       

 

 
     
 

 

 

 

 

coppel trip day 1

We're here! Everyone arrived safetly in Brazil with all luggage. PRAISE GOD! We boarded the boat about

 

3:30pm Tuesday and enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship and worship with our Brazilian brothers and sisters in

 

Christ. Everyone has settled into boat life wonderfully, including all the 'rookies' and everyone is well and

 

rested. We arrived at our first village, Terra Nova (New Land), late yesterday afternoon which was much earlier

 

than expected. We were able to set up medical, dental, VBS and hair ministries quickly and had 1 evangelism

 

team take the speed boat down river to tell neighboring villages we were here. Even tho it was a short

 

afternoon of ministry, God had clearly prepared hearts and enabled us to show the villagers His love and

 

concern for them.

 

The village we are at is the village where Pastor Nema lives -- Pastor Nema is our Coppell Bible Fellowship

 

missionary on the Amazon. It was an overwhelming and unspeakable joy to see him again after 5 years but

 

even more joyous to see how God is working thru him and his ministry in this area of the river and growing His

 

Kingdom through this humble servant.

 

It's now Thursday morning and all ministries will be in full swing today in Terra Nova. We are expecting several

 

other surrounding villages to make their way here and we look forward with great anticipation to ministiring to

 

them.

 

We continue to covet your prayers for us and this trip! Our love to everyone.

 

Coppell Bible Fellowship trip

A Day at a Brazilian Church

Hello!

 

Yesterday was a day of travel for us, so we all enjoyed a day of fellowship and rest.

 

Today we visited a church "Templo da 1Igreja Batista". This church was a little different than the villages that

 

we've vistited over the past week. The other villages were of native indians while this area consisted mostly of

 

Brazilians.

 

After the church service let out, we set up our ministries- medical, dental, eye wear, vbs and women's. The line

 

for each of the health ministries was unbelievable. Since we dropped our doctor off with another boat in

 

Manaus, Heather was our only medical professional. She did a wonderful job of helping SO many people in

 

such a short amount of time. Dr. Eli, with the help of Bea and Lance pulled a number of teeth. The kids

 

enjoyed some time coloring and playing soccer with vbs. Our women's time today was a bit different than the

 

other villages since most of these women are already believers. We had the opportunity to share our stories

 

and bible verses that have changed our lives.

 

Tonight, our team will be leading a church service. We will be singing the Portugese song "Celebrate Cristo".

 

We've been practicing the past few days! Leslie and Brent will be giving their testimony and Francisco will be

 

giving the sermon.

 

We will visit our last village tomorrow! Please continue to pray for the team and that the Lord would be with us

 

on our last day with the natives.  

 

Everyone here has had a wonderful time & cannot wait to update you on our personal experiences when we

 

get back!

Days 4 & 5!

Friends & Family, below are highlights from Days 4 & 5.

 

Tuesday, Day 4.

 

Another awesome day on the Amazon! We were able to spend the whole day with another village. It has been an awesome experience watching so many ministries at work. God specifically pulled this team together and gave each person a gift and purpose for this trip. During our morning meeting, some people shared some of the things that stood out to them. I will try to relay as many highlights to you as possible.

 

First, during the morning meeting, the Lord allowed some deep conversation to come about.  Bekah shared some of her heart. It was neat to see how the Lord put certain things on her heart to share with us because she was able give her testimony to the village in an evening service. At the bottom of this blog, you will see Words for _______ (different missionaries on the trip). Bekah will explain her experience in more detail.

 

Johnny and I worked with photos again. For the second day, I was stunned at how much joy one photo brought these people. The thing that stuck out to me the most was an elderly man. We gave him a photograph of himself and when we handed it to him, we watched him walk off... staring deeply at the photo of himself... unbothered by anything else. That was a touching moment.

 

One of the locals touched Brent's heart. This man, Francisco, lives in the village that we visted the day before. He (and a friend of his) knew what our next village visit would be, so they traveled about 30 minutes up the river  just to see the team again. During men's time, Francisco shared his testimony. Once he became a believer in Jesus Christ, his life changed dramatically. Francisco went from living a life of partying and drinking to being a spiritual leader of the tribe. On a side note, Francisco is a farmer and fisherman. To share his love with some of the guys on our trip, he took them out fishing to his "secret" fishing spot (this is a HUGE deal and a major sign of respect). While there, he showed the guys how he catches his fish- he uses a sphere to catch fish that range from 3-8 feet and nets to catch the smaller fish. Being the photographer, my role leads me to be quite observant. I noticed that on both days, Francisco and his friend looked up to our guys so much. He would follow them around with a huge smile on his face. It was touching to see how friends were made. **This part is being added in** We are currently in our nightly meeting and Francisco and his friend just brought their little boat to ours... we are approximately 60 minutes from their village. Earlier in the day they promised some of the guys that they were going to find pineapples today and bring them to us... THEY DID! What an impact our men's ministry made on these two men to use their precious resources on Americans... Americans that have enough fuel and food on their boat. Speechless.

 

Kandace was able to meet a man named Manuel. Manuel is 98 years old and the oldest man in his village. He suffers from Cataracs. On November 29, he will be 99 years years old. Kandace experienced a touching moment with Manuel when she touched his face and noticed that he had no wrinkles... amazing. Manuel shared that he does know Jesus and will be baptized with water next month. Kandace assured him that he has already been baptized with the Holy Spirit. A quote from Manuel- "When I preach the gospel, I feel better". Amazing!

 

Words from Rebecca: I was praying the night before last for God to show me His love so I could love on the people of the Amazon. I met a lady in the eyeglass ministry who has just accepted Christ 2 months ago. Her husband has malaria yet she had a permanent smile on her face. We met up again at the end of the church service and I noticed she was smiling at me again. As I hugged her goodbye she didn't want to let go. I then thought that's how God is. He just wants to  be with us all the time giving us hugs nonstop and not wanting to leave the embrace. It's so fitting that we went over Chapter 3 of Crazy Love because it tackled what God's love really looks like. Chan said it was always hard for him to understand since he didn't have a dad who was extra lovable. He says in the book that loving God is not just having hours and hours of devotions. He describes the Love of God in terms of loving his own children. He says his whole relationship with God took a major turn when he became a father himself. He said his daughter would greet him by running out to the driveway and jumping into his arms before he could get out of the car. I don't have my own kids yet but that lady not wanting to let go of me and her desire to just be with me was amazing. One of the verses I had prayed over this woman earlier was Zepheniah 3:17 which shows God's great love for us. It says, "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
I love this image of God being so delighted in us that he sings over us and that he constantly says, Child of God, everything will be okay. Let me love you. Let me hold your hand. Let me hug you. Let me wipe away your tears and fears. We are so wanted  by God. I loved being wanted by this lady. How much more does God want to give us everhything and be our all in all?  Rebecca Schleifer

 

Words from Leslie: After dinner last night we went on a crocodile hunt. I jumped on the first six person boat out in the pitch dark. Six Americans and two Brazilian people. Of course, we cannot communicate but fully trust our guides. As I looked up in the sky I was amazed by the brightness of the stars. I whispered under my breathe what an amazing thing God created. We pulled up to a village with a bowl of food to give to the village. In return, we received a "crocodile hunter" to join our group. As we ventured out into the dark and somewhat scary waters of the Amazon River we stumbled across our first crocodile.They were unable to capture the first one however, it didn't take long to find another one close by.This one was easy to catch using a noose on a pole. Later, we determine the crocodile was a female. She was approximately two feet long. They duck taped her mouth and passed her around the boat for pictures. The crocodile started jerking when Darby got a hold of her. As I was holding the crocodile for a picture it peed on my leg. I should have known this would happen since most animals pee when they are scared but I was so caught up in the moment that I could only laugh out loud with the rest of the group. After the pictures we traveled back to the boat to show off the crocodile to the rest of the group.

 

The crocodile is just one of the many animals I have seen on the trip so far. Some others include: pigs, dogs, monkey's, cats, and pink dolphins. The sunsets and sunrises are breathe taking. I am totally surrounded by God's creations and loving every minute of it. There is nothing greater then focusing all your time and attention to God every day with no distractions. I am realizing the importance of fellowship and community more and more each day. I don't miss my cell phone, watch or calendar. Praise God for his peace and blessings he is bestowing upon me during my time on the Amazon River. We left the United States as brothers and sisters in Christ but I am certain we will return a family united together for one cause. Disciples to all nations.............

 

Words from Rebekah:  After sharing a small portion of my testimony on the boat during morning devotions, Phyllis asked me to share it with the ladies during our ladies ministry time.  After Olivia showed them all how to make soap, we all sat in a circle and I told them the story of my life in America (through a translator, of course).  I told them how I was raised in a Christian home and accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was a little girl, but that through some trials in my life, I got mad at God and didn't want to live for Him anymore.  I told them of my struggles with alcohol and drugs, and how someone was kind enough to tell me about a church in Tampa with Celebrate Recovery.  I explained that the program helped people with all kinds of bad things in their life.  I told them that everyone there was so loving because they had Jesus in their heart.  I shared my favorite Bible verses at the end (Isaiah 1:18, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Jeremiah 29:11).  Alcohol is a huge problem in these villages.  The women said they could really identify with my struggles.  They were so thankful that I shared my story with them.  It really impacted them.  Later that night, we had an impromptu church service, and Andrew asked me to share my testimony with the whole village.  I was a little nervous about talking in front of the women AND men, but God was there.  The whole village was attentive.  They were listening.  I wanted them to know that whether you live in Brazil or America, we all have similar problems, but God is there to take them from us.  Talking with the American guys later that night, they told me that the men could also really identify with the struggles of alcohol.  Many of the villagers that are Christians talked about after receiving Christ, they no longer wanted to drink or go to the festivals. 

 

Words from Lance: Hi Mom & Dad! Lance was able to assist in the dental ministry yesterday. He assisted Eli in the pulling of teeth. When I asked Lance what the biggest difference was from the patients here in Amazon versus the patients in his fathers' practice... he said that it was how differently they reacted emotionally. In the U.S., the loss of teeth has so many cultural implications. We, as Americans, are judged for that. In the Amazon, the loss of teeth means the loss of pain... so it is not a bad thing. Interesting observation on Lance's part!

 

Wednesday, Day 5.

 

The village we visited today was a bit smaller than the villages we visited earlier this week. In the morning, a majority of the village was gone at a tribal meeting of the villages and others were on their monthly boat run to get groceries/goods to survive on... (It was their payday).

 

The men started off the day with a time of sharing the word (through Izzy) and prayer. Our team of guys are able to relate to the men here on so many levels. As Francisco said, the more real you allow yourself to get, the more you realize how simliar you are.

 

We only had a few women this morning... 3 to be exact. We decided to do a women's bible study. One of the things that the Lord put on my heart before this trip was the idea some people may not have complete assurance of their salvation. I asked the question "on a scale of 1-100, how sure are you that you are going to heaven"? None of the women said 100 percent, so we used a tool that I had from my time with Campus Crusade for Christ- the knowing God personally booklet. There are verses in that booklet that allow us to be certain of our faith. The word says that we can "KNOW" we have eternal life. I pray that these women remember that verse and trust that their eternity is already sealed.

 

VBS is a ministry that allows people's hearts to feel such joy. Even though we, as Americans, cannot communicate with words... a smile says so much. As Harry said, seeing the joy on these kids faces is worth it all. The little things make these kids happy... like crayons and candy. Which is why we thank all those who donated to these kids... your supplies go further than you know!

 

Please continue to pray for our team! Joy is brought to the team knowing that their loved one's are following their trip and praying for them :)

Day 3

Family & Friends:

 

What an amazing trip so far. Day 3, which was also our first full day in the villages, was a huge success. We spent the majority of the day in a village that consists of 30+ families. Later in the afternoon we visited a village that was up the river a bit. That village consisted of less than 10 families. There were a number of things that we focused on: men's ministry, women's ministry, VBS (vacation bible school for the children), dental, eye wear, medical and evangelism. Typically, Amazon Outreach pairs two groups together to make those ministries function. Praise the Lord for allowing us to still implement each of those ministries with only one team and a few extras.

 

During our nightly meeting, we shared with the group the things that stood out to us. I will try to relay as many things as possible to you.

 

First, VBS had a huge turn out! The joy on these kids faces was unbelievable. When we get back to the U.S., we will have a link for friends and family to see all the photos. You will see how much joy the children got out of games, singing, and crafts!

 

Our women's ministry was a hit! There were so many more women that turned out than we could have anticipated. A theme that many of us have noticed (from previous mission trips), is that women's ministry is very difficult... mainly because they are holding babies and have kids running in searching for them. This can be a bit disruptive. In the U.S., we would quickly eliminate that behavior. We learned that it is important to work with those cultural factors. The women had SO many women turn out that it was almost overwhelming. Thankfully, the Lord had equipped the team to work under such pressure!

 

The men were able to have some quality time together. They were able to share testimonies and encourage one another in the Lord. They also were able to share a game of soccer... I'm sure you can image who won that game (if you didn't know, Brazilians LOVE soccer)! The men were also able to spend some time talking and praying with the Chief of the village. He is a believer in Jesus Christ. Our prayer for him, and we ask that you join us, is that the Holy Spirit would continue to move in his life, that he would continue to lead his village towards faith and righteousness, and that this legacy would continue from generation to generation.

 

The medical team consists of a doctor and a physician's assistant (Heather from the Tampa team). One of the things that Heather mentioned is that at home, she see's patients and is able to "fix" what is going on. Here in the Amazon, people are suffering from things like Type 1 Diabetes and Malaria. It broke her (and many others) heart knowing that medically speaking, there isn't much that can be done. Situations like this, as Heather shared, make us realize how much we need to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. That our true mission here, goes far beyond some medicine, but to eternity. Next was a story about a medical miracle. One lady, according to the people of the village and the local missionaries that are working with us, had cancer that was so bad- she was miserable. She recently prayed to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, and she was healed... when we saw here, nobody suspected that anything was ever wrong with her. Her story is a testimony to so many people of the village.

 

The dental team was a huge blessing to the village. He pulled teeth that were so rotten that it was painful to live with. One story shared, was about a man who had a tooth that no doctor would pull. The tooth, rather than looking like a normal root, sprung out into the gums making it nearly impossible to pull. This young man even went to the closest city, but was told the tooth required much surgery. Our dentist was able to pull the tooth with NO problems! Praise God!

 

The eye wear team had no idea what kind of ministry they would be in for. The way it is set up, in one of the open shelters, medical, dental and pharmacy set up stations. After each family tried on eye wear, Rebecca and the eye wear team would then ask questions like- do you know why we are here? Do you know who Jesus is? Simple questions like that led to some amazing talks.

 

Photos. Something we, as Americans see on a regular basis. It is nothing surprising or extremely special to us. Andrew's team last year printed photos for some of the village. We decided to do the same this year. I (Kim) was able to do the photography since I work with it a lot. We had each family come together to take a family photograph and gave them a hard copy of it. The reaction- amazing! They looked at themselves on this paper... for the first time in their lives. Some people said that once they received them they just looked and laughed. Then they went from neighbor to neighbor showing off their photo. For me, it was a blessing to see that something so simple brings so much joy.

 

Below are some specific prayer requests for people of the village. Kandace, one of our missionaries was so touched by the people she met, that she wrote down information about them. I hope we all take what she did to heart and do something similar to remember who these people are so we can pray specifically for them. I want to mention of few of these people and ask that you would join us in prayer for them.

 

Maria Aimunda is a little over 80 years old (one of a few elderly people in the village). He is very regal, quiet and still.

 

Pedro (village leader mentioned before). Please pray for a stronger relationship with Christ. Men are watching him. Please pray that they don't abuse alcohol or anything else. Also that the men of this village will be who they are called to be in Christ Jesus.

 

Jose accepted Christ into his heart. Please pray for his health.

 

Amarildo has 4 kids. He is shy at first and gave some confusing information regarding whether or not he accepted Jesus Christ. Please pray for his faith.

 

Luiza, 23, has a 3 month old baby. Please pray for the health of them both.

 

Deborah has a 2 month old baby. She accepted Christ! Please pray for the Lord to make her path straight.
The time we spent in this village was powerful. We were able to reach people, share the love through goods, and able to see some people trust their lives to Jesus Christ.

Day 1

Dear Family and Friends, we made it! I am writing this blog from the Amazon River, Brazil.

 

Our journey started last night around midnight (although for a few, it started a bit earlier). Most of us met at church (Davis Islands Campus of South Tampa Fellowship), traveled down to Miami, took a 7:40am flight and arrived around 12:20pm in Manaus, Brazil. A short bus-ride later and we were aboard our new home! The boat we are on is just like the pictures (snoop around the Amazon Outreach website if you are curious).

 

Once we arrived on the boat we unloaded our belongings and had lunch. The crew made us a great American lunch: hamburgers and fries! By this point, we had been traveling more than 12 hours... and if you haven't traveled recently, the act of sitting for 12+ hours can cause you to feel just as tired as a full work day. So, some of the group tested out our bed for the next 11 days- hammocks... they were comfy!

 

Later that evening, we met as a group. We shared a little about who we are and why we felt God called us to the Amazon River. We spent some time in prayer and worship. Rebecca and Francisco, our devotion leaders, led us in a devotion. As a group, we will be reading the book Crazy Love as our devotion. Did you know that there are more than 3,000 types of trees within one square mile of the amazon forest? The book and our leaders challenged us to think about how great our God is... much more great than we can really fathom.

 

To get to the village that we will be working with, we have to travel down the river approximately 24 hours. Since we are traveling, it actually seemed "cold" to many of us while sleeping! Heather and Andrew noticed music from different villages throughout the night as we passed by.

 

This morning, after breakfast, we spent more time in prayer and worship. Rebecca led us in a devotion and gave us a challenge to ponder: If we were only given X amount of time left to live, would that change how we are living our lives? Then, Brent shared his testimony with the group. The sharing of our testimonies not only allows us to get to know one another, but it also allows us to see how the Lord specifically allowed us to go through certain trials to make us who we are. When hearing testimonies from others, I often think of James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because of the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work for  us to be complete in Christ Jesus."

 

We would like to thank ALL of you who donated goods for this trip. I was overwhelemed as we unpacked suitcase after suitcase of clothes, candy, meds, blankets, toys, etc. for the people of the villages!

Day 1-2

Dear Family and Friends, we made it! I am writing this blog from the Amazon River, Brazil.

 

Our journey started last night around midnight (although for a few, it started a bit earlier). Most of us met at church (Davis Islands Campus of South

 

Tampa Fellowship), traveled down to Miami, took a 7:40am flight and arrived around 12:20pm in Manaus, Brazil. A short bus-ride later and we were

 

aboard our new home! The boat we are on is just like the pictures (snoop around the Amazon Outreach website if you are curious).

 

Once we arrived on the boat we unloaded our belongings and had lunch. The crew made us a great American lunch: hamburgers and fries! By this

 

point, we had been traveling more than 12 hours... and if you haven't traveled recently, the act of sitting for 12+ hours can cause you to feel just as

 

tired as a full work day. So, some of the group tested out our bed for the next 11 days- hammocks... they were comfy!

 

Later that evening, we met as a group. We shared a little about who we are and why we felt God called us to the Amazon River. We spent some time

 

in prayer and worship. Rebecca and Francisco, our devotion leaders, led us in a devotion. As a group, we will be reading the book Crazy Love as our

 

devotion. Did you know that there are more than 3,000 types of trees within one square mile of the amazon forest? The book and our leaders

 

challenged us to think about how great our God is... much more great than we can really fathom.

 

To get to the village that we will be working with, we have to travel down the river approximately 24 hours. Since we are traveling, it actually seemed

 

"cold" to many of us while sleeping! Heather and Andrew noticed music from different villages throughout the night as we passed by.

 

This morning, after breakfast, we spent more time in prayer and worship. Rebecca led us in a devotion and gave us a challenge to ponder: If we were

 

only given X amount of time left to live, would that change how we are living our lives? Then, Brent shared his testimony with the group. The sharing of

 

our testimonies not only allows us to get to know one another, but it also allows us to see how the Lord specifically allowed us to go through certain

 

trials to make us who we are. When hearing testimonies from others, I often think of James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face

 

trials of many kinds, because of the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work for  us to be complete in Christ

 

Jesus."

 

We would like to thank ALL of you who donated goods for this trip. I was overwhelemed as we unpacked suitcase after suitcase of clothes, candy,

 

meds, blankets, toys, etc. for the people of the villages!       

 

Until next time!

BTCP Last Day

Oi from the Amor e Esperanca

 

Today has been a travel day for us. The last ministry we did is the balloon ministry. It's tradition that on the ride

 

back, we fill balloons with candy and a Bible verse and throw them out into the river for the kids. At many of the

 

homes we passed, the kids were waiting for us in their small boats and would paddle after the balloons looking

 

for their 'bon bon' (candy in Portugese). We each had fun taking our turn throwing the balloons out.

 

Tonight we had a party for the interpreters and boat crew.  We served them instead of them serving us as they have all week.  They are all amazing, sweet servants.

 

It's a 30 hour boat ride from the last village to Manaus where we will catch our flights. Both teams will be taking

 

the same flight from Brazil to Miami tomorrow, with an overnight layover in Miami. From there, the Dallas team

 

flies to Nashville and then home and the Indianapolis team flies to D.C. and then home.

 

The trip has been amazing and life changing--it's an experience that none of us will ever forget. This morning,

 

we each shared our favorite trip moment that truly touched us the most and for each of us, that moment had to do with God's work using each of us to help others.

 

This will be the last blog for the Bent Tree and College Park group (although we are truly 1 group now!). We can't wait to get home and see our friends and our family! Without our supporters and our families, none of us could be here helping those who need it.

 

We simply can't say "Obrigada - Thank you" enough!

 

Obrigada and Deus te abencoe (Thank you and God Bless You)!!

 

 

BTCP Day 7

Oi from San Benedito,

 

It's another partly cloudy breezy day.  We awoke to another magnificent sunrise on the river,

 

Amazon Outreach has not visited this village before. It is small, maybe 4-5 families live here, however, word

 

spread very quickly that we were here and people from the neighboring village came over. Word travels fast

 

on the river and families started arriving by boat before 8:00 a.m. for medical and dental care. Between 8am

 

and noon, the medical team saw 105 people and prescribed many meds to help with infections, worms, and

 

other conditions. Our dental team was very busy pulling teeth, literally. We noticed a woman listening to Pastor's message to the Men,

 

she had been at the Woman's ministry meeting in San Antonio the day before and had travelled to this village to see us again, her name was Luci. 

 

Phyllis, Linda, Della and Peggy took her aside to speak with her.  She had heard the gospel before and

 

believed but was uncertain of her eternal destiny.  Luci is certain of that now!

 

The men received fishing packets and heard a word from Pastor Abimael.  We had about 27 children at VBS,

 

it was their first VBS experience.   Rosalee our dentist worked on patients all morning along with Leslie.  We

 

also provided eye glasses to about 26 villagers. 

 

Rose, a member of our crew, an interpreter, was working at the eyeglass station, part of the reading test is

 

scripture verses, so she asked a lady named Maria about her eternal destiny.  A short while later, Maria was

 

certain of her eternal destiny.

 

Pastor Abimael wanted us to have some time to swim, so after lunch we did partake and "swam the Am"! 

 

There was a nice sandy beach at this village and a great big tree that many of our more adventerous team

 

members, Peter, Chris, Jamie, Bethany, Becky  and Josiah and even a few translators, Rose and Rachel

 

climbed up and jumped into the water. It's how the Brazilian's did it, probably much more gracefully though! It

 

was tons of fun!  Many others of the team swam as well.

 

We made our way to Parintins to drop off Michael and Leah, our young missionaries; and Pastor and his wife. 

 

It was hard to say good bye, they were all such spirit-led leaders.  Pastor Abimael became our Pastor for the

 

days we were here, an excellent Godly leader.  We will miss them. 

 

As we are blogging, we saw a dolphin jump out of the water, they don't have pigment in their skin, so they

 

appear to be pink/translucent color. 

 

Geraldo and another member of our crew took several groups out on the Amazon for some crocodile hunting,

 

the second trip had success.  It was a sight to see Geraldo literally reach out of the small motor boat and grab

 

a crocodile, albiet a small one, but still reaching your hand in the Amazon in the dark!  The sounds of the jungle

 

were amazing to hear. Tonight and tomorrow, we will be on the move on the boat for 30 hours making our way to Manaus.  

 

Good Night from the Amazon!

 

 

BT/CP-DAY 6

Oi from Santo Antonio,

 

This is our second and final day in this village.   We started at 9:00 a.m, with Woman's Ministry, VBS and more medical and dental services, along with fitting villagers for eye glasses. 

 

We saw our first dolphins today off the shore. 

 

One of the villagers a woman named Sebastione (Saba) showed us her home and garden which was quite impressive.   She then took us on a short hike into the jungle to the field where they grow Maniok, they pull the roots and grind it into powder.  We saw Brazil nut trees, banana trees and cashew trees.  Who knew nuts grew on trees!   She was so kind to us, we later shared the Gospel of Jesus with her, which she graciously accepted, praise God! Today there were many more divine appointments that we will be able to tell you about after we arrive home. 

 

We had a short service in the village at the close of today. There was so much joy. The children sang and danced to 2 of the VBS songs that they learned. The parents really enjoyed seeing what the children had learned about. The team also sang songs in Portuguese. Pastor Abimeal invited people to come forward if they wanted to receive Christ at the end of service and about 15 adults and children came forward. We prayed over them.

 

Tomorrow will be our last day visiting a village, only half day. It's hard to believe that our trip will be over after tomorrow and we'll all be heading back home. We've all had such an amazing time and can't wait to share all the other stories you haven't heard yet. God Bless all who've been praying for us! Obrigada (Thank you!)

 

Boa Noite! (Good-night)

BTBF/CP-Day 5

Oi from San Antonio (not in Texas!) ,

 

It is about 5:00  p.m. local time, the sun is starting to set and as I'm writing this a double rainbow has appeared off the side of the boat, God is showing off again!

 

We took a long ride from the last Village at night.  We watched the shoreline and shone our flashlights on the shore hoping to see some alligators, but no luck.  However, we did hear many interesting sounds in the rainforest, it was impressive.   We watched the moon come up, a sight to see on the river. 

 

We made our way to San Antonio, this is the largest village we have visited so far.  It has a large school and paved streets and power lines for electricity.  This is the first time Amazon Outreach has visited.  We were welcomed with much appreciation.  A Brazilian doctor joined us today, from Parantins, she was a welcome addition to us and the village.

 

The head of the school gave the children the day off so they could attend VBS. After that, just about any thing we did made us quite popular!  We did the usual, a lesson, some snacks, a craft and songs.  The children were very well behaved here.  There were about 140 kids (those are just the small children).  Pastor Abimiel met with the 13-17 year old children, along with Jamie, Maggie, Bethany, Becky, and our young missionary couple, Micheal and Leah.

 

After our morning activites we did he usual retreat to the boat for another excellent lunch by Chef Claudio.  While we were preparing about 30 children jumped in the river and were swimming along side the boat, we all started waving and cheering.  The children were chanting, Bethany, Jamie and Maggie's names to come in the water.  The next thing we knew, our girls were jumping in off the boat, then Sam and Josiah joined in and finally Anthony.  As soon as Anthony went in all the children started splashing him, so many he couldn't even get in the river!  

 

This was the first day it rained, but as God would have it, He waited until we were done with our morning activities.  We took a break and it cleared up in time for the afternoon.  The weather has been perfect, not much hotter than Texas, we've had cloud cover and a nice breeze, Yeah God!

 

Our team has really come together in unity.  It is amazing how a bunch of strangers can come and live on a boat in a small space, sleeping inches from each other, working all day together, eating and worshiping and get along.  We have become a well-oiled machine for God's work, spreading His love and care. We have all made some new friends, it will be hard to leave and go our separate ways. Thank all of you who have prayed for unity, God is answering your prayers.

 

Today, Carla and Claudia were seeing patients in the clinic. A patient, Emanuel, had fallen 15 years ago and has had pain ever since. There wasn't much we could do for him and told him that Jesus heals. We prayed and he asked Jesus into his heart and for healing also. Praise the Lord!

 

There is so much that happened today, more people who've accepted Christ and more miracles, more stories to tell when we get home! Thank you for all the prayers. Boa Noite!

BTBF/CP-Day 4

Oi (hello) from Santa Terezinha!

 

Personal Messages

 

Dear Maureen, Micah and Jubilee - We're fully engaged and having a great tiem and seeing results. The

 

people are very nice. There are good attitudes all around. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday. Have a

 

great time on your trip. Please return my library books. Thanks. We love you....Rob and Josiah

 

Dear Dad (Ron Mills) and my stepdad, Tim. Happy Fathers Day! Too bad I wasn't there to share this day with

 

you, but I am sure that we'll celebrate when I get home. Have a great day! (Dad don't watch too much

 

NASCAR). I love you...Sam

 

Dear John and Dad Swenson - Happy Father's Day!! ...love, Susan.

 

God's amazing creation!! Showered outdoors under a million stars. No one, but God could have created this.

 

God has protected us with no bug bites or pirahna or alligator bites! Spent the morning at the clinic diagnosing

 

and treating many patients. - Carla Johnson

 

Happy Father's Day daddy! I hope you are out on the golf course! Sorry I am not there with you!
I am doing well, mostly working with the eye glasses. The kids are adorable I may bring a few home! :) I miss

 

you and the rest of the family! Tell everyone hello and I love them! See you Saturday at 2! :) - Tracie

 

Tim, I love and miss you.  (hate not knowing!) no service, just Jesus Service.  Prayed for you, lab & Koreans. I

 

have been on pharmaceutical!  Blondes can count!  And I can now prescribe in Portugese! Hope to be in

 

touch w/you soon! - Nancy H.

 

To Kevin Suddeth - Happy Father's Day Dad! To Mike D. and the rest of my family - Love and miss you guys...

 

- Steph S.

 

To Larry York and Glenn Hatcher: Happy Father's Day! I can't say this year that I'm sorry I didn't get to be with

 

you on Father's Day, because this year there was a bigger purpose. Very happy to be here. :-) I'm sure you

 

understand. I do hope you've had a wonderful day with the love ones who are there and I do miss you all. We can all celebrate sometime when I get back. Justin: Even though you're not a dad, yet, just wanted to say love you! Miss you bunches.

 

-Kris H.

 

To Jeff Houvener- Happy Father's Day! I'm sorry that I'm not home to share this day with you but I know that

 

Mom and Nolan are making it special. I miss you all very much and I think about you all the time. I am have the

 

time of my life! To Mom- I have gone and I am growing!

 

To our loving fathers, Doug Meyer and Vimal Mehta. The trip has been amazing. We have continued to grow closer with God and with our fellow visionaries. The Brazilian people are amazingly kind and gentle. We treated more patients than we can remember today. It's difficult to help them without all of the labs, scans, and support that we are accustomed to in the U.S. By the grace of God, we have been able to see and help hundreds of patients over the past few days. We are both safe and having an amazing experience!

 

Hi Barry, Dom, and Dad!  We love you and miss you and hope you got to golf today.  Happy Day!  Love you lots, Phyllis and Linda

 

General Notes
   
Glory be to God! God used both my weakness in my knee and my love of horses to connect me with Cecilia

 

who accepted Christ today. There is so much love and kindness and we were singing to Jesus and it all just

 

started with me sitting there with my Portugese dictionary and starting a conversation. Cecilia led me to the

 

horses where we talked about many things and Cecila stated that she's known about God for some time.

 

Carol, translator, came over to help the conversation to go deeper where they both shared their love for Christ

 

and Cecilia asked if she could pray to accept Christ. Cecilia and I shared that we love each other and

 

acknowledged that we're sisters in Christ forever (lots of hugging...). Pastor Abim ael invited me to the

 

Christian church in Parantins. - Susan Roddy
       
This morning we started out the day very early. At 2am, Gary's hammock came untied and we were all

 

awakened by a thud when poor Gary hit the floor. After ensuring that he was okay, we all went back to bed for a

 

couple more hours. The sunrises here are absolutely amazing and for those who aren't morning people, it's

 

definitely worth getting up early. We sat down for breakfast and then shared some prayer and devotional time.

 

We hit the village early and set up all of our stations; medical, dental, eyeglasses, men's worship, women's

 

worship, and vacation bible school for the children.

 

At first, we weren't sure that we would be able to provide medical care to the villagers. Without a Brazilian

 

doctor we weren't going to be able to administer medications, but the village President said he would be

 

responsible for the people, which allowed us to provide them with complete medical care...Praise God! The

 

morning was filled with treating sprains, headaches, worms, a dislocated shoulder, a few surface wounds,

 

fungal infections, and a bunch of other stuff. There was a young boy in the group of patients that had a broken

 

arm that was still in the process of healing, but was healing wrong. Due to the fact that there isn't a doc to

 

follow up, Peter wasn't able to put a cast on the arm. After prayer, he found an aircast that meant that he was

 

able to treat the arm. Praise God! In total, they saw 178 patients!

 

The dental group was busy in the morning pulling teeth. In total, they pulled 48 teeth; 40 patients!!

 

The two ladies working eyeglasses, Tracie and Camilla, gave 100 villagers reading glasses today.
     
Those of us in Vacation Bible School, spent the morning teaching about Moses and the Ten Commandments.

 

Carol, Rachel, and Jay led the children in song. Michael and Jamie led the object lesson where they taught the

 

children about Christ's ability to cleanse us of our sins. After that, Sam (Moses); Peggy, Brenda, Maggie, and

 

Kristin (Israelites) put on a skit while Steph read the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. The children

 

were given a craft and then colored their pictures of Moses. We were all a big hit when we passed out

 

Twizzlers! 125 children learned about Moses and the Ten Commandments! In the afternoon, we told the story

 

of "The Blind Bartameus."

 

After the lesson, we pulled out the games to play with the kids. Sam and Anthony, with the help of our

 

translator, Carol, taught the kids how to play baseball! Sam and Josiah played frisbee with the children while

 

Kristin and Steph blew bubbles for the kids to pop. The young and teen girls weren't interested in playing

 

baseball so Jamie, Bethany, Maggie, and Steph grabbed some nail polish and painted their nails....many,

 

many nails! We played with water balloons with the children and taught them how to play "Pontu, Pontu,

 

Gonzu" (Duck, Duck, Goose).

 

Chris took many pictures throughout the village today and took 28 family pictures, which we printed and then

 

framed and gave to the families! They were much appreciative.

 

After a lot of talking and sharing, the Catholic leader in the village accepted Christ. He was sitting close to

 

Michael's presentation to the teen boys.  After Jay (translator) shared his testimony and Michael shared about

 

giving your sins to Jesus, the older man approached Jay and Michael and told them that every time he hears

 

the people who visit his village talking about Jesus and the Gospel he gets emotional.  Jay spent some time

 

ministering to him and he ended up trusting Jesus for his salvation.  Please keep this man in your prayers as

 

he will face much persecution. Pastor Abimael will be coming back to the village the first weekend of July and

 

offered to pay for the villagers gas (they travel by boat) so that they can go to bible study in another village.

 

It was a great day! We had multiple women and men pray to accept Christ!! Thank you for all the prayers!

 

As a final note, Happy Father's Day to all the fathers who are reading this!!

 

God Bless!

BTBF/College Park-Day3

Oi from Palhal, Brazil!

 

We enjoyed wonderful meals today on top deck of the boat.  It is amazing what Chef Claudio can make on a boat with a small kitchen to feed all of us.  We are still in the same Village as yesterday.   Last night as we slept on the boat in the middle of the Amazon the water was so still you could see a perfect reflection of the moon, and the stars were something to behold.  God in His Majesty.

 

Here are some highlights from the day:

 

227 children attended Vacation Bible School, learned about God's forgiveness and love. We sang with them, did crafts centered around what they were learning, and played with them. And of course, we had our amazing skits with our all star cast. Today we had extra fun playing with water balloons and bubbles. We've discovered they are nuts over coloring because crayons are not something they often have.

 

As a result of a water well that was not working for 4 months, 145 Villagers were treated for Worms and Parasites, Peter our attending doctor his wife Abbey and their team were very busy.  Villagers were lined up for treatment in 5 lines!  The good news is that some of the crew and local men repaired the well, which was a big blessing for the Village.

 

Rosali and Leslie stayed busy again today extracting teeth. They saw 32 patients and extracted 33 teeth today.

 

The Men's Ministry headed by Duane, taught 60 men about salvation and the hope found in Jesus, 20 of them choosing to put their faith in our Lord Jesus.  They also distributed hooks, lures, and pocket knives to aid them in their fishing efforts.

 

The Women had time away from the children who were in VBS.  During that time Linda, Phyllis and Becky spoke them about prayer, they ended with a group of woman praying for healing for 6 women who were physically ill, there were woman standing outside the building, about 60 woman just to hear the preaching and praying.

 

Today we set up Salon Amazon for the ladies in the village. Stephanie, Linda, Kristin, Tracie and Bethany treated the woman to manicures and french hair braids.

 

At the end of the day we Pastor Abimaiel led a short service. Peter and Jaime shared their testimonies and we  concluded with handing out 55 family packs.

 

Thank you for all the prayers that have already gone up and please continue to pray for any barriers to be broken down. For God's love to show through us.

 

It's only 8 pm and this blogger ready to call it a night. Boa Noite!

BTBF/College Park-Day2 Part2

This was written last night, but we had a hard time getting a good connection. A bit delayed, but here it is!

 

This afternoon we were greeted at the Palhal village by many smiling faces as we came off the boat. We set up our dentistry, eye glasses station, and began VBS for the children right away. At VBS, the children enjoyed learning about Jesus from Bethany's story and demonstration. We did crafts themed around the lesson they heard, sang, and even acted out a skit telling the story of  Moses and the 10 commandments. Peggy, Brenda, Gary, Anthony, Jamie, and Maggie had the privelege of dressing up as the characters using piece of cloth and handmade tablets. Gary was a phenomenal Moses. The children watched with excitement.

 

While VBS was in session, Stephanie and Tracie stayed busy helping adults find the right reading glasses and Leslie helped the Brazilian dentist, Rosali, see a total of 36 patients and extracted13 teeth. They didn't have drilling capabilities so the only option they had was to extract them. And yes, we are able to give them anesthetic so they weren't in as much pain through the process. Rosali also gave them pain relievers to go home with.

 

We also had our american doctor, Peter, see 3 patients. One was a 10mnth. old baby with with milk burn across the top of her back. He was able to clean the wound and bandage it with antibiotics. Another, was a young girl with an infected eye. Last was an adult male who had a pinky finger injury from a mower mishap.

 

For the rest of the afternoon we enjoyed mingling and loving on these people until dinner was ready. We will go back into the same village for a little while longer tomorrow morning. This evening we had a delicious beef and fish dinner served with vegetables, rice, beans, and soup. All of the food has been wonderful, the cooks are great!

 

After dinner we packaged vitamins and family packs for tomorrows events. Now we are getting showers and ready for another goodnights rest in these amazing hammocks! Boa Noite (Good-night)!

Bent Tree/College Park Days 1&2

Oi Friends, Family, and supporters,

 

This is the first offical post of the Bent Tree (Dallas) and

 

College Park (Indianapolis) team on the Amor e Esperanca.

 

First off all, it is incredibly hard to set up a satellite and

 

laptop on a boat in the Amazon! But we did it!

 

Sleeping overnight in an airport was a first for ALL of us.  But

 

as God would have it, it prepared us to think sleeping in a

 

hammock on a moving boat is a five star accommodation.   However,

 

with over 28 people checking 56 bags and not one of them
was lost or inspected is a miracle and blessing.  This was an

 

answer to many prayers, so thank all of you who have been praying.

 

The overnight ride up the Amazon was amazing, it was hard to pay

 

attention during worship this morning as we cruised past place
after place of beauty.  The sunrise on the Amazon alone was worth

 

the travelling woes! 

 

Our first stop was a new/small village of believers who left a

 

more established village because they chose to follow Jesus.  They

 

chose to name the village "New Hope" or "Nova Esperanca". The

 

entire village is maybe 5 families, some of the crew helped clean

 

their water well.  We sang and prayed with them.  The President

 

(Leader) was asked what we could do for the village, he only

 

wanted prayer and for us to visit.  We quickly found out that

 

there is no language barrier when you are simply there for each

 

other to express love and pray together.

 

We have to get off the boat shortly to go into a much larger

 

village (100 kids!) not sure how many adults, to do Woman's

 

ministry, Vacation Bible School and Evangilism.  Pray for crowd

 

Control (Kidding).  This village is called Palhal, just up the

 

river from the last village. 

 

So far no Anaconda's, pirhanna's or any other creatures have

 

attacked!  Everyone on board wants their friends and families to

 

know we are all doing great and very grateful to be here.

 

Looking forward to all that God is going to do in us and our 

 

Brazilian friends.  Obrigada! (Thank You)