Boa Tarde!
After a long day of travel, we all made it to Brazil safely. We boarded the
Amor e Esperanca shortly after midnight and made our way down the river.
Please pray for our trip. Shortly after leaving Manaus, the Amor's engine
started experiencing some problems, so the crews connected the translators'
boat, the Linda e Esperanca, to ours. They have been towing us down the
river ever since, but we are still moving and able to reach the villages!
Sunday night we stopped in a small city, Belle Vista, to attend a church
service where Molly Henegar shared her testimony. Also, the drama team, led
by Caitlin Hickney and Travis Harrison, performed the Lifehouse "Everything"
skit, depicting how temptation and sin tear us away from Jesus, but He
continues to pursue us. We also had a sweet time celebrating the Lord's
Supper with the Brazilian congregation.
Monday morning we met our translators as well as the pastor who will be
leading us on this trip. Our seniors are leading devotions every morning and
night. Melanie Marshall led the group this morning by reading Psalm 8. We
arrived later than expected to our first village since towing a boat takes
longer and low water levels near the village caused us to go slowly.
Despite these setbacks, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other
better. When we finally reached the village, we set up VBS, sang songs, and
colored with the kids. Bubbles or "bolhas" are a huge hit! Even though we
do not speak the same language, a smile and hug are understood by everyone.
Speed boats shuttled villagers to our boat so doctors and nurses could treat
their physical needs. A special shout-out to freshman Caroline Tate for
stepping up and helping Dr. Henegar pull teeth! During our evening worship
and devotional time, seniors Lili Figueroa, Gavin Jones, Savannah Bass and
Melanie Marshall shared the "One Word" they have each chosen to focus on
throughout this year. Madison Helms and Savannah Bass along with Mr.
Williamson then led the group on a discussion of two chapters in the book
our team is reading this week, "The Cure." Even though we did not get to
spend a full day in the village, it was still a sweet time to love on our
Brazilian brothers and sisters in Christ. We eagerly await a full day of
VBS and various other ministries in tomorrow's village. Please pray for our
team's health and safety as we minister to the villages this week!
Tchau!
-Lili Figueroa, Melanie Marshall, and Jessica Pitts
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