The Village March Team - Day 6

March 24, 2011 - Day 6

Hoy!

"Indescribeable...uncontainable...awe-struck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim, You are amazing, God."

We awoke today singing these words for morning worship as the Lord set a brilliant sunrise as our backdrop; I am hoping that you are seeing this for yourself as I have attached pictures in hopes that they may say to you what I cannot.

Our lives are forever blessed from day six, and our prayer is this: that we are not merely stirred, but drastically changed. The Jaquareqara Village was heartbreaking and joyful all the same; yet, no matter our state, God was greater. Our hearts broke to see a three-year-old burn victim still healing from her wounds. Yet, we were overjoyed when her family, once enemies of God, whole-heartedly accepted Jesus as their Savior. The enemy had been tormenting this particular family for years, as was evident in the tragedies they had endured; yet, God pursued His children and prevailed. Our hearts broke, again, as a 16-year-old mother claimed that reincarnation followed death; this opinion formed solely on her own assumption. Yet, joy poured into us when a woman stood before her unbelieving peers and proclaimed that Jesus had saved her pneumonia-stricken baby through the Amazon Outreach missionaries six years ago. Today, her healthy daughter stood next to her mother as she said in Portuguese, "I will never stop telling my story."

To be apart of stories such as this, is living the Gospel; it's seeing the Father restore His creation in a place where it is easy to forget it was ever fractured. I had to remind myself of this corruption as I watched fireflies imitate the stars amidst the trees in the rainforest while we hunted for alligators. (Our boat caught two, by the way, and it was absolutely thrilling; we have many pictures - Mama Terri: HA! :P ) To be sitting in the middle of the Amazon River under an astounding night sky, glancing back at an impoverous, broken village is witnessing the tear that is sin while still realizing that He makes beauty out of ashes; and still the best is yet to come.

Although we will not be evangelizing to any villages tomorrow, this place is in desperate need of prayer. The power of prayer is something God has really taught me on this trip and, for the first time, I get it. Thus, I plead with you to join me in prayer as Pastor Jose Carlos, the pastor and full-time Amazonian missionary that has joined us on this excursion, continues where we have left off. We are only here briefly, yet the Lord has settled Him here and continues to annoint his mission. Hearts have come to know Jesus through the obedience of this man and his family, and our prayer is that God continues to use him miraculously.

This entire experience has been so beyond us, our abilities and our expectations; I just want to, again, say obrigada (thank-you) to all of our sponsors and supporters for joining us in the mission field through your faith and obedience. I cannot thank you enough as God has used this entire team to teach me and share their wisdom with me. This team exemplifies so many characteristics of what God ordained the church to be, and I'm so incredibly, unbelieveable grateful to be stuck on a boat with these insane, loving, joyful, wise and compassionate people. So, I first thank God; then I thank you for sending them here.

Further still,

The Village March Team