Monday in Vila Candida June 28, 2010

Oi!  Today was such a productive day for everyone as we visited the gorgeous village of Vila Candida.  Due to the fact that it was the very first time that this village has been visited by one of the boats, we completely changed our schedule for the day.  Early in the morning we gathered together with the whole village and had a time of introductions of the American team, a powerful personal testimony, and preaching by Dr. Pablo.  He spoke on Revelation 3:20 and spoke of Jesus being our gift from God and how we need to accept it.  The people graciously accepted us and our message.  The history of this village is quite interesting.  It is predominantly Catholic and has not been open to outsiders for fear that a new religion would be introduced into the village.  When the AO boats would come to this area of the Amazon, the Vila Candida people would go the nearby villages to receive services.  This time the Linda Esperanca was invited by the village president to come.  The blonde haired, blue eyed Catholic priest from England also gave his approval for an AO visit after meeting some of the Brazilian team at an earlier date.  The village saw that it was simply the love of God that we are offering.  

 

Entry into the village was unique to say the least.  We had to walk across a primitive wooden bridge that stretched around a quarter of a mile over the water.  From there it was an uphill climb that left some of us breathless. This village is a microcosm of exquisite flora and fauna.  The pink dolphins and water buffalo have entertained us.   We feel like we have been in paradise all day long.

 

In the morning the lines for each ministry were extremely long.  The doctors saw 120, the dentist pulled about 7 teeth, 80 pairs of eyeglasses were given out, VBS had 120 children, and Ladies Ministry was well received.  Because of the big World Cup game between Brazil and Chile, the afternoon was flexible.  Part of the team watched Brazil win 3-0 with villagers who had televisions.  The rest of the team took the most awesome rainforest hike led by one of our Brazilian interpreters.  He is a high school English teacher in Manaus who has written a book entitled Growing Up on the Amazon.  He told us about many of the trees, plants, fruits, birds, and animals in this area.  Some local children accompanied us.  At one point we thought we heard the sound of monkeys in the trees.  We were so excited, but we discovered that it was the little boys who had crafted whistles from a plant stem that sounded just like monkeys.  Many natural artifacts were collected and brought back to the boat to examine. 

 

Stay tuned for the next blog.  Tonight is the night of the alligator hunt! 

Monday in Vila Candida June 28, 2010

Oi!  Today was such a productive day for everyone as we visited the gorgeous village of Vila Candida.  Due to the fact that it was the very first time that this village has been visited by one of the boats, we completely changed our schedule for the day.  Early in the morning we gathered together with the whole village and had a time of introductions of the American team, a powerful personal testimony, and preaching by Dr. Pablo.  He spoke on Revelation 3:20 and spoke of Jesus being our gift from God and how we need to accept it.  The people graciously accepted us and our message.  The history of this village is quite interesting.  It is predominantly Catholic and has not been open to outsiders for fear that a new religion would be introduced into the village.  When the AO boats would come to this area of the Amazon, the Vila Candida people would go the nearby villages to receive services.  This time the Linda Esperanca was invited by the village president to come.  The blonde haired, blue eyed Catholic priest from England also gave his approval for an AO visit after meeting some of the Brazilian team at an earlier date.  The village saw that it was simply the love of God that we are offering.  

 

Entry into the village was unique to say the least.  We had to walk across a primitive wooden bridge that stretched around a quarter of a mile over the water.  From there it was an uphill climb that left some of us breathless. This village is a microcosm of exquisite flora and fauna.  The pink dolphins and water buffalo have entertained us.   We feel like we have been in paradise all day long.

 

In the morning the lines for each ministry were extremely long.  The doctors saw 120, the dentist pulled about 7 teeth, 80 pairs of eyeglasses were given out, VBS had 120 children, and Ladies Ministry was well received.  Because of the big World Cup game between Brazil and Chile, the afternoon was flexible.  Part of the team watched Brazil win 3-0 with villagers who had televisions.  The rest of the team took the most awesome rainforest hike led by one of our Brazilian interpreters.  He is a high school English teacher in Manaus who has written a book entitled Growing Up on the Amazon.  He told us about many of the trees, plants, fruits, birds, and animals in this area.  Some local children accompanied us.  At one point we thought we heard the sound of monkeys in the trees.  We were so excited, but we discovered that it was the little boys who had crafted whistles from a plant stem that sounded just like monkeys.  Many natural artifacts were collected and brought back to the boat to examine. 

 

Stay tuned for the next blog.  Tonight is the night of the alligator hunt! 

Sunday in Cameta June 27, 2010

Huge yellow full moon over the Amazon - millions of stars in the night sky,  the Southern Cross - all these things make us ever so aware of how great is our God.  The night air is cool in comparison to the scorching heat from the day.  We have had two magnificent days and nights here on the Amazon.  Our hearts are so full.  There is no peace like the peace that comes as we serve!  This year's trip is quite different from the trips we have taken over the past eight years.  The villages we are visiting are very large.  Barreirinha is actually a small city. 

 

On Saturday we visited Terra Preta Village and served approximately 313 families. Terra Preta was at one time a very violent village, but now it is full of gracious, loving people.  Many of the ministries such as eyeglasses served 85 people.  There were 80 in the medical clinic.  The Women's Ministry brought truth to the women in some highly creative ways.  The 45 Brazilian ladies were very responsive to the message about gifts that are ours from God.  The VBS had around 200 children!   The VBS featured our youth who presented The Fruits of the Spirit in a lively skit that involved the children. 

 

Sunday we moved on the village Cameta'.  We took a deep breath as we saw the steep stone steps leading to the hilltop village.  We found that there were 66 steps, but we were going up and down them with ease by the end of the day.  We were thankful that no one fell.  We certainly appreciate the awesome Brazilian interpreters who carried our big boxes of supplies on their heads.  This village has 5000 people!  The lines were long for the morning and afternoon ministries.  The fine doctors worked with 99 patients.  Our darling Brazilian dentist, Danielle, has wowed us all with her calm and gentle ways, not to mention her youth.  VBS has done an amazing job considering the large numbers of children.  Today they had 157!  The morning lesson was on The Good Samaritan, and the afternoon lesson was on The Lost Sheep.  The evangelism team has gone into private homes of the people and spent hours visiting with the people and hearing their stories.  It has been very productive.  The Women's Ministry passed out a total of 32 gift bags that were greatly appreciated. 

 

We all have countless stories to tell about how this trip has already impacted our lives!  The testimonies that have been shared on the boat, the testimonies given in the evening worship services, and the mircles we have heard about and have seen with our own eyes are changing us from the inside out.  It is so wonderful to be a part of a team that is working together with a single-minded purpose.  Stay tuned for the next blog.  Monday will be unique, because it will be the very first time that the Amazon Outreach boat is going to be allowed into this village.    SR Blogger

Friday in Barreirinha June 25, 2010

Bom Dia!  Oi from the beautiful Linda Esperanca!  The CWBC team arrived safe and sound in Brazil at midnight.  Everything went smoothly as we flew to Atlanta and on to Manaus.  We had no problems with luggage this year.  The loving crew met us at the airport and escorted us by bus to the boat.  After a restful night's sleep, we spent the day sorting all of the things we brought for the people of the Amazon. Excitement was in the air today as the Brazilian colors flew high throughout the streets of Barreirinha.  It was a national holiday, because Brazil played Portugal in South Africa in the World Cup compeition.  We came here to bring Jesus to the people of Brazil, and we did!  45 children attended VBS.  65 patients were seen in the medical clinic.  6 patients were seen by the dentist. An evangelism team went door to door, and the people were so gracious and accepting.  Many adults and children accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour as the Evangecube was presented.  Tonight we had a very inspirational worship service at the front porch church of the pastor in Barreirinha.  Everyone is extremely happy and well.  The salvations of the children and adults at this service thrilled us.  Please stay tuned for more blog entries.  We have just figured out how to use the blogging equipment.  God bless you all!    The CWBC June 23 - July 3 Team
 

BTBF #5 - 06/17/2010

Today was an excellent day on the Amazon!! We started out in Villa Amazonas, which is a fairly large village. We met Pastor Luciano who is the pastor of the Baptist Church in Villa Amazonas. We had a wonderful VBS session with the village children and we all had a wonderful time. The kids loved the lion costumes when we told the story of Daniel in the lion's den. Several evangelism groups went out today and there were numerous decisions made for Christ. One woman had the words "Jesus lives here" written in Portugese on the front of her house. This is significant because there is a great deal of religious persecution in the Amazon. We got back on the boat for lunch and traveled to Parintines. Before we got to Parintines, though, we stopped along the way to swim in the Amazon!! What an awesome experience!! Actually everyone swam the Am but not me because I promised my son I would not!!! Five of the Americans were baptised in the Amazon by Pastor Elmer today. That was pretty amazing!! We celebrated Kandal's birthday with a surprise birthday cake at lunch and she was one of the five who was baptised. We spent the afternoon in Parintines and Pastor Elmer gave us a tour of the Baptist school and the Baptist church and provided us with a history of the growth of the church in Parintines. We got drenched in an afternoon downpour while we were making our way to the church. We had dinner guests which included pastors, missionaries and their families. After dinner Phyllis treated us all to ice cream at McDaves. Some of us were talked into trying the corn ice cream (Sadie), it was not good!!! Today was the last day of our ministry time in the villages, tomorrow we'll send balloons over the boat full of candy and a Bible verse to the children in the villages on the way to Manaus. It's been a great trip for our team and we've all been touched by the miracles God has revealed to us. It's sad to leave this place but we're looking forward to being home with you all and sharing more of our stories. We appreciate your continued prayers for our safe travel back to the U.S. In God's service,

Allison, Sadie, Hugh and the Linda Esperanza team

 

BTBF #4 - 06/16/2010

Oi from Santa Terezinha, Brazil! While the day ended with amazing tales of changed lives - far beyond what we could have imagined - it began with a VERY obnoxious rooster who crowed in Portuguese LONG before the sun came up!! Hank, our youngest team member, was threatening to take that bird out!!

Today was a day made of wonderful memories and stories that we can't wait to share with you! One story in particular was told by Dr. Mike which gave the whole boat gospel goosebumps. A 24-year old man came to him and told him about a really bad dream he had the night before we arrived. In the dream demons were attacking him and then a Christ-like figure handed him a sword to fight the demons. Next a character like satan told him that he was sending a small boat of demons to fight him. However, the Christ-like figure said that he would send a larger boat full of angels! Then, he saw our boat the next morning and thought that we were the angels. Dr. Mike told him that we weren't angels but that we were definitely protected by angels and so are he and his two sons.

The leaders of the men's ministry each shared their life experience and witnessed more than 20 changed lives as men prayed to accept Christ for the first time. The women in the women's ministry were very engaged in listening to what the leaders had to say as they each shared their own testimonies with them. Jacy, one of our translators said it was quite apparent that women from very different cultures can share in the same types of struggles. It was great to see how this realization impacted the women of the village and opened them up to hearing the gospel.

In the children's ministry we hosted over 100 kids and taught lessons from the Bible. The team prayed that the kids would receive more than just a story but the true love of Christ. God blessed us by letting us know that we did minister to them because as our boat was leaving the children gathered at the shore to chant the names of the some of the team and to say "Tchau, te ama!" (bye, we love you!)! As you can imagine we each left a little piece of our hearts in Santa Terezinha!

We're looking forward to tomorrow and Paratins as we'll mainly be focused on Childrens Ministry. Thank you all for your continued prayers. We love you and miss you all,

Jamie, Susanna, Bethany and Mechiel

BTBF #4 - 06/16/2010

Oi from Santa Terezinha, Brazil! While the day ended with amazing tales of changed lives - far beyond what we could have imagined - it began with a VERY obnoxious rooster who crowed in Portuguese LONG before the sun came up!! Hank, our youngest team member, was threatening to take that bird out!!

Today was a day made of wonderful memories and stories that we can't wait to share with you! One story in particular was told by Dr. Mike which gave the whole boat gospel goosebumps. A 24-year old man came to him and told him about a really bad dream he had the night before we arrived. In the dream demons were attacking him and then a Christ-like figure handed him a sword to fight the demons. Next a character like satan told him that he was sending a small boat of demons to fight him. However, the Christ-like figure said that he would send a larger boat full of angels! Then, he saw our boat the next morning and thought that we were the angels. Dr. Mike told him that we weren't angels but that we were definitely protected by angels and so are he and his two sons.

The leaders of the men's ministry each shared their life experience and witnessed more than 20 changed lives as men prayed to accept Christ for the first time. The women in the women's ministry were very engaged in listening to what the leaders had to say as they each shared their own testimonies with them. Jacy, one of our translators said it was quite apparent that women from very different cultures can share in the same types of struggles. It was great to see how this realization impacted the women of the village and opened them up to hearing the gospel.

In the children's ministry we hosted over 100 kids and taught lessons from the Bible. The team prayed that the kids would receive more than just a story but the true love of Christ. God blessed us by letting us know that we did minister to them because as our boat was leaving the children gathered at the shore to chant the names of the some of the team and to say "Tchau, te ama!" (bye, we love you!)! As you can imagine we each left a little piece of our hearts in Santa Terezinha!

We're looking forward to tomorrow and Paratins as we'll mainly be focused on Childrens Ministry. Thank you all for your continued prayers. We love you and miss you all,

Jamie, Susanna, Bethany and Mechiel

BTBF - 06/15/2010

Dear loved ones back home,

Today was our fourth day on the ever so beautiful Amazon River. After a refreshing nights sleep, we awoke to a spectacular sunrise; and embarked on the second village we will be visiting during our travels in Brazil, Santa Terezinha. We divided into our respective groups and set out to do God's work. The children quickly assembled as VBS got underway while other villagers attended our medical and dental clinics. We soon noticed that the atmosphere of this village was much different than that of Palhal. Though this village was larger and the structures more stable, the atmosphere seemed to be a bit 'darker' than what we have experienced the last couple of days.

We finished our morning ministries and broke for lunch, but our afternoon work was delayed due to Brazil's largest national holiday, the Soccer World Cup, with Brazil playing against N. Korea. Our team took part in the festivities with painted faces and nails to support our beloved Brazilians. After a glorious victory of 2-1, it was back to work. Hugh, Jaime, Sadie, Kristel, and Susanna participated in a friendly (but very competitive) soccer game with the village children. I must say, Hugh has one of the highest kicks I have ever seen, regardless of whether he hits the ball or not.

After dinner, we took part in our first alligator hunt. The first boat-full was successful and captured a baby alligator. Kartieaa nearly went overboard twice in his "elevated excitement". The second boat-full did not fare as well, but was still enjoyed by those who took part. The evening concluded with praise and worship with several of our Brazilian team members before calling it a night.

We leave you with a quote from the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, "How we live our days, is how we live our lives". May all our days be spent living for the One who died for us. Please pray for open hearts as we visit the same village today. God bless you all and thank you for your faithful prayers.

Brent and Kristel, on behalf of our team in the Amazon

BTBF #2 - 6/13/2010

Dear friends and family-

What a wonderful day here in Palhal! God used our team today in amazing ways to tell His truth and to glorify His Name!

We ministered to the women, educating them on health/hygiene issues, the freedom believers have in Christ and how to encourage one another as they continue to raise their families in the Lord. They were each given a women's ministry gift pack.

Many teeth were pulled, much medicine was given out and many non-readers became readers through the eyeglass ministry. Water balloons were launched, Joseph modeled his coat of many colors and many hugs and smiles were exchanged in the children's ministry.

Our evangelism team was able to pray inside the Catholic church (something that is not usually allowed in any village) that the villagers would be true worshippers: worshippers in spirit and in truth. We were able to encourage an influential family in the village who are strong in their faith in Christ. We were also afforded the incredible privilege of praying with a woman who placed her faith in Jesus Christ alone for her salvation! In addition, the Lord allowed us to share the gospel and speak truth to a man who has historically been adversarial toward any teachings outside the local Catholic church. His wife appeared very interested in the New Testament we left with the family.

It was an amazing day here in the Amazon and I ask you all to pray this verse over the village of Palhal: John 14: 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

It's a beautiful, starry night here...perfect for a shower-by-moonlight on the back of the boat (in my swimsuit)...and so I wish you goodnight. We miss and love all of you and ask for your continued prayers. Much love-

Amber for the Linda Esperanca crew

Bent Tree #1 - 06/13/2010

Dear friends and family,

It's a beautiful day in the Amazon! We are so blessed to be here to share the love of Christ!! We arrived safely and got EVERY piece of luggage! We also gathered 4 new team members who travelled from Indiana (Linda, Della, Becky and Margie). We started with a visit to Sol Nascente on Saturday evening with the Alabama team and dedicated the new library with the missionaries (Erika and Vanderley). Then, on Sunday morning we arrived at the Caburi tributary and our first village, Palhal. This area is one that about half of our team visited last year. It is great to see how the people in the village have grown. They seem healthier, happier and more spiritually mature. It is very clear to see that Abimael (the mission pastor) is respected and well liked by everyone. The people are so warm and receptive to our visit. We've ministered here for 2 days and have really enjoyed seeing some familiar faces. Tomorrow we work in Santa Terezinha which is another village that we visited last year.

For those of you who worry: everyone is fine and healthy and have all the right parts still attached to the right places! Personal notes (too many stopped by with a personal request so to sum it all up): "Hi" and love to all the Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters, Husbands, Wives and kids, friends and other relatives... (sigh!) We wish you were here - glad we're not there! (they made me write that part!!)

Stay tuned for more news and updates, for now we gotta go to work!

Phyllis, Lee, Mechiel, etc.