Day 6: Novo Paraiso (New Paradise, also serving Ebenezer). Our morning devotion was concerning clinging to Christ's hope. We debarked the boat an hour early so we could get started right away since we needed to leave at noon to head to Maues to get gas before 6pm. This was the smallest village we visited all week serving only 9 men & 9 women in adult ministry as well as many children. The dentistry team including first timers Amanda & Teresa saw many teeth pulled including 3 small children who broke our hearts as they struggled to fight the inevitable. What touched many of us the most was the infectious moving of the Holy Spirit in this village because most were believers already. Just being around the leader of the church and his family of 8 brought me to tears because they were so happy to share the morning with fellow believers. One woman came to Christ that morning after praying with Peyton, Mary Ann, & Jacy about her struggles as a mother of 10. I met a single mom named Ralene who I promised to pray for as she seeks a Godly man to raise her daughter with, just as I do.
On our way to Maues we stopped at an encampment where the local missionaries meet once a month to work together on the spreading of the gospel. Then in Maues we said good-bye to 4 members of our team who served with us all week and will continue to serve in this area long after we are gone. One of them named Rejane, who I call my soul sister, touched us all very deeply with her beautiful singing voice & her boldness with sharing her faith. Chad & Teresa gave her the guitar & case that they brought with them on the trip and the gratitude she felt made some of us cry! In Maues we walked around and had ice cream at a local vendor then headed back to the boat. That night, we had a celebratory dinner to honor our crew & translators as well as the birthdays we had aboard: Teresa, Toni, & Cameron. That night, Chad shared with us about waiting patiently on the Lord from Isaiah. Many of us stayed up later than usual knowing our time together was soon to end and because we knew we could sleep in the next day!
Day 7: Today so far has been a lovely day as we cruise down the Amazon back to Manaus. As I type we are having a share time of some of the highlights of the trip. Throughout the day our team has been throwing & sling-shotting care packages overboard to villagers along the river as we head home. A few of us had a blast teaching one of our translators, Gilbert, Texas slang for about an hour! When we arrive in Manaus this evening, we will be staying in a hotel so that the boat can be cleaned & used for a large group that will be arriving tomorrow. We are looking forward to air conditioning, a hot shower, and a chance to catch some of the Olympics, but after our time on the river, we will appreciate these things with even more gratitude than ever before! Tomorrow we will sleep in, go swimming & shopping, attend church at Manaus First Presbyterian Church, and then we will all be going to dinner at a Brazilian steak house before we head to the airport at 9pm. We will connect in Miami in the wee hours of the night and plan to arrive in Houston at 9:30am on Monday morning. But as we have learned, sometimes God changes our plans and we will be cheerfully flexible if that is the case!
Thank you all for your dedication in praying for us. The supplies you have sent, the money you gave to support us, and the prayers you have prayed have all been multiplied and will continue to be multiplied long after we leave here. Please continue to pray for the villages as well as Amazon Outreach, but also pray for us as we take the lessons we have learned here and as we become more attentive to the Holy Spirit's movement in our lives. We are forever changed.
Until all have heard,
Kristine Mize
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