June 22, 2009

June 22, 2009

GPS Coordinates,

Look us up on Google Earth or Google Maps!

S 02.50.172'

W 057.25.039'

Dear Friends,

Perhaps it would be a nice change of pace to start with the end of the day rather than the beginning. The most exciting event occurred after dinner during the alligator hunt. Three boatfuls of Amazon Outreach teamsters cruised with our captain and engineman down the coast of this tributary just outside of our second village. As the first six of us set out upon our adventure, we adjusted our cameras to the dark and prepared for the unexpected.

The engineman shown his light through the reeds and located the red eyes of a three-foot alligator. We crept upon it and he lassoed it with a noose. Then wrestled it into the boat with the help of the captain. The alligator's teeth sunk into the handmade oar, and they were forced to pry the jaws loose in order to tie them shut with a shoestring and medical tape.

After pinning her body to the floor with his bare feet, the engineman hoisted the alligator from the dinghy to the main boat and we took turns hoisting it up ourselves for pictures.

Not exactly a spiritual highlight, but noteworthy nonetheless.

Our second day in the villages was unique from the first, but familiar enough to build upon our experience from the first day. This village, like the last, had approximately 1500 people and municipal water and electricity. There were five churches in town, a clinic, and several bars (one of which was open at 8am on a Monday).

Two evangelism teams headed out in separate directions, as the Vacation Bible School team taught the children songs, made gospel bracelets, and talked about the person of Jesus Christ. One of the evangelism teams was fortunate to visit with a local pastor and encourage him and his family, while the other team was able to share the gospel with several people, three of which indicated that they had trusted Christ.

The medical, vision, and dental team saw approximately 60 children and a similar number of adult patients, and gave away 60 pairs of glasses. The most common ailments were worms and tooth extractions. One man who could not even come to the clinic, however, had a throat infection, which was treatable by antibiotics. Although, the long story involved many team members, the short story is that the patient's son, who is an alcoholic, after his dad's treatment, indicated that he wanted to trust Christ and did so. There was an immediate change in his demeanor, and he went on to ask for a Bible and wanted to know if there was a church in the village that he could go to where he could study the Bible and where the Bible is taught.

As we walked back to the dock and waited for the dinghy to take to our boat, we thought about the privilege of carrying this gospel to those who have not heard. The sun was setting across the river, and as we turned around and to look back up the 30-foot staircase that climbed to the village, we saw the silhouette of ten-year-old boys in front of a blue-sky backdrop. The author wonders what the future holds for these soon to be men, and we pray that they would grow in the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We ask that you would join us for just a moment and pray the same.

In Christ.

The Amazon Outreach Team