Day 3 - Predas

       After surviving a major storm at 3:00 am, we awoke to a small shower, praying the rain would stop so we could serve this community...Amazon Outreach's first to visit Predas, a town of 3,000. Because we were here, the schools closed for the day.  We were able to leave the boats at 9:30 and proceeded to use the school classrooms for medical, dental, eyeglasses, hair cutting, nail painting. The president of the town allowed us to announce over the church loudspeaker that we welcome everyone to come take advantage of all we had to offer.  An answer to prayer, over 100 children came to VBS in the morning and several teams walked through the town to share the gospel door-to-door and invite the people to afternoon events, soccer game, and evening service.

 

    One of the continuing themes throughout today for all of us was the fact that all the parts of the body of Christ have different functions and gifts. Some are better at holding crying children all day. Others can handle the medical and dental fields that required a strong stomach, but can really comfort those suffering and sick. And some just have a passion and gift for relaying the message of Christ's love to people, whether it's door-to-door ministry or giving a testimony in front of a whole community. All in all, we have been blessed by the fact that every person on this trip has come to find their purpose on this trip. We were blessed to see many come to Christ in this village, and we were able to hand out several Portugeuse Bibles. Here are a couple of cool stories that were shared at our nightly share-time: Blake Barnes was planning to go to VBS today and on his way he met a man with whom he was able to share the story of Christ via a translator. Blake fully intended to play soccer and hang with the kids as his ministry for the day, but God had greater plans as he helped lead a Brazilian man "Mark" to Christ. In the words of Blake: "We now have another brother in Christ that we will one day see in Heaven and I think that deserves a round of applause."

     Many people also shared tonight that they have a hard time with the fact that in VBS there does not seem like a lot of time to share the message of Christ with others because you are busy loving the kids. But today I (Grace) shared this story with the group of my experience today in VBS to encourage them of the gateway VBS does provide to talk to others about Christ. Today, I saw some adults in our group using tracts to talk to some of the parents hanging around VBS about Christ, but one young mother was distracted by her one son clinging to her ankles and her young baby in her lap. I decided to try and distract the child around her ankles so she could focus better on the adults teaching them, and she ended up wanting me to hold the 1-month-old baby in her lap. I was shocked that she would trust me, this random American teenage girl, with her tiny baby. But it turned out as we began to talk, that she thought I had children because she started having children at my age. As we continued to talk, I was able to talk to her about her faith and the struggles in her life, as well as my family back home and faith. Who would have thought that all of this could start from me just trying play with her small kid? God has revealed how He is ever-present even in the small things. We are all very thankful for our experiences so far and are excited for the challenges and stories to come as we head to Cometa tomorrow.

 

Grace Martin and Hannah Pavey

 

 

Day 1 and 2

Oi! Jordan, Hannah, and I (along with a magnitude of what we call "pee bugs") are peacefully sitting in a small, white room attempting to organize our thoughts on the last two days of the trip. The first half of day one was spent frantically searching for pink dolphins and preparing for the week ahead.We were welcomed into Barreirinha by a horrendous rainfall, which left us damp and admittedly, but temporarily, quite discouraged.However, as we soon realized, God had this night in his plan. We stayed in the church for much longer than we had planned, but this allowed us to spend more time with the children. In this way, He was able to take what we assumed to be a negative thing and turn it into something positive, teaching us all a lesson on the importance of flexibility (a quality which came in handy when the horde of "pee bugs" descended upon our unsuspecting boats tonight).

    Today we went to the village of Terra Preta to bless the families through VBS, pampering the women, medical work, and other means of ministry. After recieving their first bibles, the women of the village appeared to be resistant. However, we remain confident that God has used the opportunity to plant His seed and enact His will. Many children came to VBS today, and, from our perspective, seemed exceedingly open to the message of God's love. Games were played, names were learned, and children were saved. It was inspiring to demonstrate love to those who have most likely recieved nothing but hardship and neglect. Overall, God has used the opportunity to bless the students and the villagers in countless ways. Now we are off to bed, excited about what He will continue to bring throughout the week. Please keep us in your prayers, that we may be productive, patient, and "pee bug" free.  Tomorrow we will be in Pedra.

 

    Tchao,

        Duncan, Jordan, and Hannah.

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