TCA 2016 - Days 3 & 4

Bom Dia!

Bugs, bugs, and even more bugs, but besides that the past two villages have
been heavenly. On Wednesday, Kelsie Ferrell, was a big hit during women's
ministry as word got around of her hairdressing skills. During VBS, we were
all swooning as we witnessed JB Bowman and Colin Wiegand play with all the
little kids during morning VBS. It was so sweet to see them carry the girls
around, and in turn, watch the little girls adore them. Our whole group was
blown away by how welcomed we were in that village. As you can probably
guess, we have not won a single soccer game against the Brazilians. Yet.
That night, Kelsie Ferrell and Jessica Pitts shared their testimonies during
the evening service followed by a skit. Thursday, during morning VBS, the
kids enthusiastically swept us away to an impromptu boys vs. girls soccer
game. Junior, Poppy Eriksen, nearly took a little boy out in her
determination to score a goal. As Mr. Williamson so elegantly put it, "You
gotta do what you gotta do!" The girls unfortunately did not win even with
Poppy's gladiatorial drive. During the evening service, Madison Helms and
Caitlin Hickney shared their testimonies with the village. After our group
returned to the boat, we surprised our translators with a party to celebrate
their love and hard work this week. We each were assigned a translator to
serve during their dinner. It was a special time in which we each went up to
the microphone and spent a minute praising the translators for their
wonderful qualities. Best part of the night was eating queso again for the
first time...in what feels like forever.

Love,
Melanie Marshall and Caitlin Hickney...

TCA 2016 - Tuesday

HELLLOOOOIIIIII!!!!!!


UPDATES!!!!!!
-the engine is still broken...
- all the skinny popcorn is gone:(
-Rose Delph took an unfortunate tumble, but recovered in a moment's
notice
- Davis, Mr. Williamson, and Callie Orten have also had unfortunate
falls..... RIP plastic chairs
-Macey Walker, challenged in a soda chugging competition, failed
miserably
- Haley Kate Patterson vs. mud... mud pulled through with a victory
-Three sweet girls have not failed to be locked in the shower every
night thus far
-Another sweet soul endured this pain, but in the end was rescued by
the removal of the bathroom door
-Shoutout to Julia Eggleton for waking up an entire village with her
sleeping talking
- from the wise words of Max Merrifield, "Moist towelettes"

BUT... all is well:-)

Thankfully we were able to experience a full day because the boats
actually made it on time. Poppy Eriksen, at first misunderstanding the
secret conversation between the translator and a Brazilian woman, was
pleasantly surprised when the woman returned with a beautifully hand crafted
necklace for her. Caitlin Hickney and Lili Figueroa made sweet connections
with teen girls and broke the language barrier through laughter and
relatable teenage conversations. Mr. Woodward and others were encouraged by
the Brazilian men who, unlike the majority of the village men, stepped up as
fathers and spiritual leaders. Caroline Pierce had the courage to share her
testimony in front of not only our entire team, but the entire village.
Caitlin Hickney and Travis Harrison emotionally portrayed the roles of God
and man, and no matter what sin we think separates us, God overpowers all
with love. Jack Bolton was uplifted by the dedication of Mr.Henegar to his
job as a dentist, despite the amount of blood seen. Ethan and Max Merrifield
were introduced to a new perspective of contentment through simple games of
hacky sack and silly songs sung at VBS. Dr. McFerren made it a priority to
not only mend the physical needs of the villagers but to more importantly
check up on their spiritual well-being. To say the least, we were all
encouraged by the hope and spiritual maturity of the Brazilians in the
village today. We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our team
and the villagers tomorrow! Please keep us in your prayers, and if at all
possible send more skinny popcorn.

xoxo,
Three sweet girls still stuck in the shower

Fw: TCA 2016 Trip - Monday

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

Fw: TCA 2016 Trip - Monday

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

TCA 2016 - Tuesday

HELLLOOOOIIIIII!!!!!!


UPDATES!!!!!!
-the engine is still broken...
- all the skinny popcorn is gone:(
-Rose Delph took an unfortunate tumble, but recovered in a moment's
notice
- Davis, Mr. Williamson, and Callie Orten have also had unfortunate
falls..... RIP plastic chairs
-Macey Walker, challenged in a soda chugging competition, failed
miserably
- Haley Kate Patterson vs. mud... mud pulled through with a victory
-Three sweet girls have not failed to be locked in the shower every
night thus far
-Another sweet soul endured this pain, but in the end was rescued by
the removal of the bathroom door
-Shoutout to Julia Eggleton for waking up an entire village with her
sleeping talking
- from the wise words of Max Merrifield, "Moist towelettes"

BUT... all is well:-)

Thankfully we were able to experience a full day because the boats
actually made it on time. Poppy Eriksen, at first misunderstanding the
secret conversation between the translator and a Brazilian woman, was
pleasantly surprised when the woman returned with a beautifully hand crafted
necklace for her. Caitlin Hickney and Lili Figueroa made sweet connections
with teen girls and broke the language barrier through laughter and
relatable teenage conversations. Mr. Woodward and others were encouraged by
the Brazilian men who, unlike the majority of the village men, stepped up as
fathers and spiritual leaders. Caroline Pierce had the courage to share her
testimony in front of not only our entire team, but the entire village.
Caitlin Hickney and Travis Harrison emotionally portrayed the roles of God
and man, and no matter what sin we think separates us, God overpowers all
with love. Jack Bolton was uplifted by the dedication of Mr.Henegar to his
job as a dentist, despite the amount of blood seen. Ethan and Max Merrifield
were introduced to a new perspective of contentment through simple games of
hacky sack and silly songs sung at VBS. Dr. McFerren made it a priority to
not only mend the physical needs of the villagers but to more importantly
check up on their spiritual well-being. To say the least, we were all
encouraged by the hope and spiritual maturity of the Brazilians in the
village today. We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our team
and the villagers tomorrow! Please keep us in your prayers, and if at all
possible send more skinny popcorn.

xoxo,
Three sweet girls still stuck in the shower

Day 3 - Castanho

OI,

 

MORALE IS LOW(for some)...

    So here's the run down..

    -Allison Jackson currently looks like a cooked lobster

    -Mr. Williamson's feet are the size of Brazil

    -Mr. Delph is suffering from a bad reaction of his malaria pill and the sun, resulting in feet even bigger than Mr. Williamson's

    -Cathy Jean almost passed out while attempting to aid Thiago in Dental care

    -Meredith Cole has two ulcers under her tongue but with the help of numbing medicine she's feeling great... well maybe she's not feeling anything but same difference!

    -Melanie Marshall is still shaking from dropping the alligator the previous night

    -Multiple people making fashion statements with socks and Chacos due to bubbling bulging blisters

    -EVERYONE has various bug bites scattered around their bodies oozing with unknown substances....(just kidding but they really do itch)

    -BUT............................................ no one has died:)

    -All of the oatmeal chocolate cookies have ceased to exist, therefore morale. is. low.

 

 

 

    Dear fellow viewers, tonight we will be explaining our journey into the deepest parts of the Amazonas river thus far.

        Happy Birthday Sarah!!!!!! The sun rose this morning which I'm sure must have been very pretty if we had been awake to see it. Upon arriving at the village of the day, we were greeted by a stampede of eager children. So naturally VBS started off with a bang decorating cups, singing, and dancing. Women's ministry had a great turnout; from the perspective of Sherry Glosser and Milcah the women loved having the opportunity to be pampered with hair and nails. Despite the lopsided braids and poorly painted nails the women surely felt the love of the Lord through the sweet conversations they experienced. It was truly heartwarming to see women who have so little gain so much joy from these small acts of kindness. Poppy Erikson was led by Corey Page to the eye care clinic where she was deeply moved by the work of Mr. Woodward who was able to relate to the elderly men and form a relationship in which he was able to lead them to Christ. During door to door Jessica Pitts and Riley Crow amongst others had a moving experience in the home of a devoted Christian family, where with the help of a guitar, they were able to worship together in unity proving how big our God is.

     Meanwhile in the medical department Angel, Peyton Travis, Brooke Herman, Emily Parnell, and Macy Walker helped alongside Dr. Heber with the general health of the villagers. The most drastic case of the day was a young girl who had an ingrown earing needing to be lanced out. As she bravely held the hand of Brooke Herman this young girl barely even shed a tear not due to pain but due to the loss of her most prized earing. In the dental department Thiago, aided by Kenzie Glosser and Brooke Herman managed to make an incredible retraction of a very large and infected tooth of a 16 year old female. She was deeply moved by our gentle and loving hands inspiring her to join the service we gave later that evening. During this service Molly Legaband and Stephanie Woffard preformed the sin solution demonstration, Joey shared his moving testimony, and Mr. Wood elegantly and passionately shared the gospel and love of Jesus to the group of interested villagers. Some who were deeply moved repeated the prayer to accept Christ and then later received a New Testament from our team.

PS,

MORAL IS THE OPPOSITE OF LOW!!!!!!!!! GOD IS DOING AMAZING THINGS HERE

With love,

three junior girls  

TCA Amazon Trip - Day 2

Bom Dia!!! Day 2 of Amazon Trip 2k15 was a success!!

Today was an eventful day because we visited not one but two villages! In
the morning we visited Botafogo, a village with about 30 families. After the
absolutely stunning sunrise, we were greeted by a beautiful village. At
first, the villagers needed a little encouragement to come out of their
homes. The clinic was busy from the get-go, with our wonderful doctor and
dentist seeing patients one after another. A big shout out to them for all
their hard work! VBS was exciting for the little kids, with plenty of
activities (including LOTS of bubbles) to play with. It's great to see their
sweet smiles and have them humble us continually with their generous nature.
Even though they were shy in the beginning, the villagers were all so nice,
and genuinely happy to welcome us into their homes.

Before lunch time, a group from our team went early to the second village,
Aguia (which means eagle). Some of us, including myself (Lili Figueroa)
went door to door inviting people to VBS and other ministries. We were
walking along with our group and we happened to notice three young girls
shyly accompanying us. Priscila, our amazing translator, asked the girls if
they were following us. They guiltily admitted that yes they had been
following us. Guiding us from house to house, the girls led us around the
village. The youngest girl was surprised to see us taking photos of their
village. We told them we wanted to have memories of their beautiful village
and God's incredible nature. That girl formed a sweet bond with Addy Gibson
and they became inseparable friends. By the way, VBS was a huge success and
the kids were super engaged and intrigued by the stories we had to share.
While VBS was occurring in the school, other teams were visiting houses,
door to door.

In the midst of VBS, I (Lauren Roquemore), noticed three young mothers
hesitantly standing outside the door of the school. Each had a small child
in her arms and they seemed quite shy. I approached them, not realizing the
amazing experiences God had in store for me. The women and I began by
talking about their families and lives. I really connected with a young
women named Flavia who was only twenty-two years old yet already had two
daughters. Poppy Eriksen, Monica Choi, and Caitlin Hickney showed up at just
the right moment. All four of us started talking to them about our own
testimonies and their faith with the LORD. We had the opportunity to share
with them the difference between works and grace. We read to them from the
Portuguese New Testament which deeply connected with them on a whole new
level. We formed a day-long relationship by spending time with them in both
villages. They even invited us into their own homes in the afternoon, giving
us new fruits to try and lots of love. Even though these women have such
different lives than us, we really connected with struggles similar to our
own.

In the evening, by some type of miracle, the Americans managed to tie the
Brazilians in the soccer game. Unfortunately, the girls who played next were
not so successful. :( For the children too young to play, it was an
opportunity for us to play with them by simply kicking a soccer ball around.
After the soccer game, we all gathered for a church service. Caitlin Hickney
and Chase Rea led a skit that brought some tears to the audience. This
powerful drama without words illustrated how much God loves and will fight
to protect us from distractions and temptations. It was very difficult to
say goodbye to the sweet people of these villages who welcomed us with such
love.

The night brought new adventures for everyone with the chance to go
alligator hunting!! Groups of seven were put into small motor boats and
spent about twenty minutes each searching the waters. Sizes of these
intimating reptiles ranged from one foot to almost seven feet! However we
were unable to catch the seven footer of course! But it was still
exhilarating to be so close to these creatures in the Amazon River. What an
amazing day this was!! We are so excited for the rest of this week and can't
wait to see all the amazing things God has planned.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. We'll see you
soon! -Lauren Roquemore, Poppy Eriksen, Lili Figueroa

TCA Day 1 - Santo Antonio (Campinas Area)

Oi team! It is day one in the beautiful country of Brazil, and we are
already blown away by all the ways the Lord has shown His love through
protection. We'd like to tell you our modern version of the story of Exodus.
(Dave Delph= Moses; Amazon team= Israelites). As you know by now, our first
flight was cancelled, and it only got more difficult from there. We'd like
to call this, Israelites stuck in slavery under the Dallas airport. After 4
hours in the Dallas airport, our flight got delayed an hour, giving us a
total of 5 hours in the airport before boarding our plane to Miami. After
running out of room in the overhead compartments, we wandered the terminals
looking for baggage claim in the Miami Airport. This, my friends, is the 40
years of wandering the desert. We then found ourselves at the TAM Airlines
kiosk at 3:30 am waiting for boarding passes. Keep in mind, we haven't eaten
or slept since Dallas. Currently, praying for provision. A hunt ensued for
bagels (aka manna), which most would say was unsuccessful. Let's just say
it's called Dunkin' Donuts for a reason (subpar bagels). It was only fitting
for us to grumble through the manna provided. (#grumble). Why did we have to
wait for our boarding passes? Since we had to change airlines, our boarding
passes given to us in Dallas were not sufficient for TAM, causing us to have
to wait for new ones. After 3 more hours in the Miami airport, we finally
began to board the plane. Then, tragedy struck.
In line to board the plane, Ellie Buchanan realized she didn't have her VISA
(she had her sister's). By the grace of God, the TAM Airlines worker only
checked her passport, allowing her to board the plane. We were finally free!
Just kidding...immigration awaited us when we landed. After a lot of prayer
from the group and conversation back and forth with the immigration worker,
he thankfully had a change of heart, showed mercy on Ellie and allowed her
to enter the country. After the Lord brought us through Satan's first round
of trials, we made it to the Promise Land. (#milkandhoney).
After loading the boat, we were off to the races. Oh, contraire. Satan
hadn't given up just yet. We had been en route for less than 30 minutes when
the Coast Guard approached our translator boat for an inspection. A
miniscule error in paperwork required the boat to turn around. As 63
Americans joined together in prayer, we opened our eyes to see the
translator boat turning around to travel with us again. What a
blessing!!!!!!!!!!!! #success #Heisable #getbehindusSatan
Now for our first day in the village. We had an eventful day of VBS,
dental/medical ministry, eye glass ministry, door-to-door, women's/men's
ministry, gospel presentations in the schools, and futebol (soccer) games.
VBS was a hit, successfully led and organized by Ellie Buchanan. (What a
rockstar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) (Ellie didn't write this part, this isn't
self-praise) (#awesomesauce). Also, special thanks to our Academy Award
winning serpent, Ben Thorton, during the skit of Adam and Eve. (With a show
like that, I would've eaten the apple too ;-) ).
STORY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!
First, let's hear from Mary Clayton Wood. While inviting villagers to come
to VBS, Mary Clayton led her team of Peyton Travis, Brooke Herman, and Macey
Walker to nearby houses. After being in conversation with a woman and
praying with her, she asked them if they would speak to her mother. She
brought her mother into the room who appeared to be in her mid-sixties. One
of the group members was able to connect with her through sharing her
testimony-- it's so cool to see how the story of the Lord's love and
redemption can bring two completely different people together! What a
reminder that we all struggle in the same ways, and the Lord's love is
universal!
Tonight Corey Paige shared a story of encouragement that she witnessed
through Joe Foster. While working in the eye glass ministry, Corey became
overwhelmed by the abundance of villagers in need of help. She quickly
became focused on getting through villagers as efficiently as possible to
help as many as they could. She soon looked over to Joe Foster who had her
same job, and saw that he had physically helped only 1/3 of the people that
she had. Confused, she stopped to watch. She realized that Joe was not only
helping them physically, but spiritually as well. Joe took time with each
individual person to intentionally talk with them about the gospel of Christ
and the subject of their eternity, always ending with a prayer. Joe reminded
us all of the beauty of intentionality, and the true reason we are here-- to
tell others about the awesome love of Jesus!
We are so thankful for all of y'alls prayers, support, and love sent our
way. Keep it comin!!! The Lord has provided abundantly, and it's only been a
few days! We know that the Lord has BIG plans for this trip because of
Satan's persistence in trying to slow our efforts. But greater is He who is
in us, than he who is in the world! We are so excited to see what He has in
store, and share it will you all in this blog. Stay tuned!!!

XOXO,
@StephanieWofford
@MollyLegband
@KenzieCimpl
@Illegalimmigrant123 (ellie hehe)

.

.

Prestonwood Team September 2013

How can we explain the inexplicable? How can we describe the indescribable?
How can we make you believe the unbelievable? As I sat down to write this
summary, it seemed like a daunting task. When you saw what we saw, and
experienced what we did, it can appear impossible to put it into words.
However, as I reflected on it, the task became rather simple. As a matter
of fact, I can summarize what we saw in one word...JESUS.

Most people that read this summary had a hand in what we experienced.
Either your donation helped send us here, or your prayers helped prepare
both our team and the villages we visited to hear the gospel.

I think our mission can be summarized in three themes. The first is prayer.
The committment to prayer by the team and everyone who supported the trip
had a bigger impact than you can imagine. Our collective obedience to
prayer paid huge dividends on the number of lives that are now part of the
Kingdom. It was amazing to see how prepared most people were to hear the
gospel. We know our prayers brought the Holy Spirit here long before our
boat arrived. Our first morning in the villages we did a prayer walk
throughout. Our goal was to find a 'Person of Peace'. This person would be
open to the gospel, well known in the village and would have influence over
the people. Thanks to prayer, we were able to find that person in each
village.

I saw the second theme of this trip as Truth. Jesus said, 'I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life'. Our role was simply to speak the Truth. With our
prayer, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we were able to speak boldly
the Truth of God's word. Whether it was in VBS with the kids, or
individually with the people of the village, we never wavered from the Truth
of the Gospel.

The final theme, you may have guessed, was God. More specifically it was
the Holy Spirit. As I mentioned earlier, the villages were ready to hear
the Gospel. I have never seen the Holy Spirit so apparent as I did this
trip. Some people we encountered had backgrounds that took them to depths
we have probably never seen. We saw the Holy Spirit transform them into new
people. We also saw the Holy Spirit transform our words into what the
villages needed to hear. Our team learned from the Spirit as much as those
we talked to. Some of us were humbled when we tried to use our own words to
reach the people on the first day. We fumbled through what we wanted to
say. Hopefully it is an inspiration to you to know when we listened to the
Holy Spirit, we were given the words they needed to hear.

Our team went into three villages, one a little larger than the others. Our
team encountered villagers that were in one of three stages in life: not
ready to hear the Gospel, ready to learn more and research more, and ready
to commit their life to Jesus. The majority of people were in the latter
stages and it was awesome to see. Again we were humbled when we encountered
people that were not ready to accept Jesus, or to even listen to the Good
News. We've learned that it is merely our job to say the Truth, the Holy
Spirit will do the rest.

When we left, the villages had been transformed. Our prayer should be that
the Holy Spirit will continue to work there. There were people who
confessed they had never slept better than the night after they accepted
Christ. There was a woman that wanted to hear the Gospel after hearing
other women in the village talk about what they learned, and seeing they had
a new joy. We had children that accepted Christ and afterwards had such a
heart for service that they didn't let us carry another bag back to our boat
because they wanted to. There were stories of certain family members being
saved, and later finding out that one of their relatives had been saved the
same day. The school principal was saved along with many teachers, leaving
the kids with good influences. One young lady had been abused, hated men,
and had decided to become a lesbian. She was completely broken. After
being saved she confessed of her sins and immediately knew she wanted to
change her life. The transformation on her face was noticable immediately.
Even when we thought God was done, we were able to share the Gospel to a few
people in the city on our way back. One person was saved simply by
overhearing a conversation with another person and deciding to join the
discussion. We never know what God has in store. Our plans are so futile.
We should always remember that if we're in God's will He can accomplish
miracles for His Kingdom and His Glory. There are so many more examples of
God's grace that we can't wait to share. He was even with our team when an
alligator was dropped twice while on the boat!

You will notice that no names were mentioned in this summary. That is
because we are all merely vessels for God. The only name worth mentioning
is.....JESUS!

Mixed Nuts Aug 6 - Final day August 8

Oi (Hi),

 

This will be the last blog entry for the Mixed Nuts 2013 trip.  The last several days were busy.  

 

We visited the villages of Divino (which means Divine) and Paraiso (Paradise).  There were many similarities between the two towns that had about 30-32 families in both establshed villages, both with one church, Catholic.  They fish and farm Mandioca, a root that they grow, cut down peel then dry out and cook over large skillets.  It's crunchy farina when finished. 

 

The morning we visited Divino, it poured right up until when the time came to enter the village, it stopped raining and didn't interfere, but it did provide a cooler day for us.  This village was welcoming and the people friendly.  We did the normal services , dental, medical, men and woman's ministry, teens and of course VBS and eye glasses.  It is nothing short of amazing to watch our group of 5 different states and 3 different denominations come together and work like a well-oiled machine.  Nothing but our Lord can bring stangers together like He has on this trip.  And of course, we can't forget our Brazilian crew and Interpreters, who are now our brothers and sisters.  What wonderful examples of love and service they have been.

 

Yesterday we were able to take a break and Captain Nilo found us a great spot in the cove just outside Paraiso (if you saw this place you'd know why they call it Paradise!) for us to swim.  All the teenagers and young adults did their best flips and dives off the side of the boat, no pirranha in site (LOL).  Part way through the swim a herd of amazon buffalo decided to take a cool dip as well right off the shore.

 

At the end of our day in Paraiso we had to say our good byes to Pastor Willer, his wife and their 3 little boys, along with Fernando and Socoro the matriarch and patriarch of the family we were encouraging in Sol Nascente, they came to Paraiso to join us for our last day.   There were tears and hugs and long good byes to our new found friends and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 

 

Our team gave the crew and interpreters the night off, Gary (our resident chef) took over the kitchen, the teens and young people decorated the boat and we had a party of thanks for our wonderful crew.  We talked and laughed until we finally had to go to our hammocks for our last night sleep in this beautiful place. 

 

As I write this blog we are cruising west toward Manaus, we plan to visit a floating souvenir store we have come to call "Stuckeys", and then to Manaus.  We will have some time to visit the local shopping before heading to the airport about 9:00 p.m. local time.  We leave Manaus 11:30 p.m. and we will all be back home Friday.   We had a sweet time of sharing and worshiping on the boat this morning, with many tears and words of what God has done on our trip in us and through us.

 

To God be the glory for the great works He has done.

 

 

Mixed Nuts Days 4 & 5

Oi (Hi),

 

We spent Sunday and Monday in the same village Sol Nascente.  Pastor Willer, our trip pastor, has been assigned as the local Pastor in this Village for the next two years.  His goal is to try to establish a Christian community of believers.  He has been here less than a year. 

 

Since it was Sunday, we attended Sunday school at Pastor Willer's church.  The men, woman, teens and children all split up with the Brazilians and had Sunday school.  It was a blessing to help build up the Christians there trying to minister to their fellow Villagers.  The Village has over 70 families but only 3 families profess to be Christian.  There is a Catholic church but it literally looked like it wasn't cared for.   The villagers told us they rarely hold services.  Someone from the church comes one time a year for a specific feast in May but other than that, there really aren't services. 

 

We are told this village has been here over 20 years, and much of the trouble started when they sent workers from the city and other places to put in the power lines. They brought with them alot of the problems the village still experiences today.

 

It was apparent from the time we stepped off the boat that there are problems in this village. We were told later that alcohol, drugs, families breaking up,and young girls having children when they are children themselves plague this village.  We witnessed public drunkeness in some adults and teenagers. The two days spent in this village was different than the past villages.  The lack of the presence of Christians and the effects of Godlessness were tangible, you could feel the oppression and lack of positive Godly influence. 

 

This village gets health services and financial aid from the Brazilian government.  For a large village we did not have the attendance for medical services and dental as we have in the past two villages, proabably because they do have access to them outside of missionaries.   

 

VBS was well attended as was the Woman's ministry.  The Woman's ministry meeting offered a testimony and sharing of the gospel to 19 woman.  Men's and teen ministries were held as well.  The Men's meeting discussion was about accepting each other no matter what church or belief they had come from.  The Christians had been persecuted because of their faith.  As we found out the non Catholic Christians are outcasts and teased or verbally antagonized.

 

Pastor Willer joined us aboard our boat for dinner and sharing.  He broke down as he heard us talk about the challenges we faced over the two days, taking on the immorality, drunkeness and disinterest from the villagers but still having victory in the end with some.  He is struggling to build God's church in this dark place.  We had a sweet time of prayer and encouragement for him this night.

 

However at the end of the day, doors were opened and hearts softened toward the Lord.  We were able to encourage our brothers and sisters in Sol Nascente.  We promised to pray for them as they try to minister to and change their village

 

The bright spot of this village visit was being able to encourage and build up the families and specifically one large family where the patriarch of the family, Fernando professed Christ over 18 years ago, his wife, his mother, their grown children and their children are all active and commited to building the Pastor's church.

 

We had a service outside the Presbyterian church (Pastor Willer's) that because of the persecution isn't called a church, it's actually called a "library".  The setting was incredible, God's glorious nature, the sun setting, God's children worshiping him.  Dogs and chickens wandered in and out as the service continued.  We celebrated the Lord's supper together.  A little taste of what heaven will be like.  Amelia wondered if this was like the Garden of Eden may have been!

 

We are trusting God for our "second wind" as we are off to the next Village down river, Divino.  

August 3 - Mixed Nuts

Bon Gia (Good Morning),  it's the next day, this blog entry is for yesterday.  We spent the day in the Village called Sororoca, in the same area not very far up the river from the village the day before. 

 

This village is home for 39 families (70-80 children) and has been around at least 20 years.  We were warmly welcomed.  Like the last village they rely on fishing and farming for their livlihood.  The health of the villagers was good as they also have a Well.   The children attend school in the village, with two of the teachers being the Pastor's wife and the President's wife, there are 5 men who come to teach from the larger village Ururaca.

 

The President Ardecy and Pastor of one of the churches DeJalma took Phyllis, Gary and Peggy on a tour of the village.  They gathered and gave us Jambo (prounced Joombo) fruit, sort of a cross between a plum and a peach, several cocunuts and limes. 

 

The highlight of VBS was the skit telling the story in John of the fisherman (disciples) being called by Jesus, while they were fishing.   Nancy and Amelia rounded up 4 "tough" teenage boys from the Village and dressed them up in their costumes, as Mechiel told the story the boys acted (with much coaching from Nancy).  The smaller children got quite a kick out of seeing boys from their village make their debut acting!   Cindy connected with several girl's helping them with their craft.

 

The pharmacy team, Mary Jo and Gary were consistently busy the entire day, providing antibiotics, vitamins and mild pain relievers for the villagers.  They diligently worked most the day in the high humidity, joyfully serving.

 

Pete and Joyce fitted and distributed eye glasses and sunglasses to 27 villagers.

Dr. Dja saw 19 patients and performed 40 procedures.  Janet was their faithful assistant and stood all day long holding the light and witnessing each procedure, maybe a new career for her!

 

Dr. Pablo saw 57 patients. 

 

Twenty village teenagers listened and interacted as Jamie, Jessica, Anthony shared their experiences as teenagers in America, with Jessica and Anthony giving their testimony's. Five prayed to receive Christ. They then handed out "Courages" banded bracelets for the teens.

 

Lee and Pastor Willer spoke to Men about the challenges they face in their village and challenges of leading their families.  

 

10 Women attended the Woman's gathering.  The most influential woman in the village attended...the President's wife, the Catholic Church representative (here it's often a woman) , the Pastor's wife.  We had woman 20 years old up to 78 years old.  We shared the gospel message of faith not works.  We talked about how even if you have faith and believe in Jesus, you still make mistakes but God's forgiveness is available.  One woman Maria remained behind and Phyllis, Grace and Peggy were able to encourage her in her faith and for her to turn back to God in her struggles.  It was heartfelt and we were blessed to be able to encourage  even one of God's faithful.

 

In the afternoon, Kyle, Jessica, Brent, Gabby and Carlos went for a walk along the beach where they came to some different sand. Kyle tossed in a stick and it was immediately submerged.  He put his foot in and it was up to his knee in no time flat.  About that time Carlos intervened and told them it was real quicksand, just like you see in cartoons or movies!

 

As we gathered to hear a word from Pastor and pass out family packs, the temperature started to cool down the sun began to set over the hills.   God was showing his Glory in the beautiful creation around us.   The children and teens of the village played soccer with our  Brazilian interpreters, American teens, Mechiel and Jamie (every village has a huge cleared out soccor field!) President Ardecy addressed the gathering and told us we were welcome back anytime to their village.

 

We began our good bye's and you could feel the change in the village from the time we arrived. What started as a group of people unsure of each other, we ended the day as old friends sad to be saying good bye.   It's amazing each day when we start out unsure of one another and by the end of the day we realize, we are all sons of Adam and Eve and we pray to the same God.

 

As the captain prepared the boat to push off the shore, several of us stood at the front of the boat.  3 girls, two of them twins came and sat at the shore, singing in English the words from the song taught to them in VBS that day.  They shouted out goodbye's and stayed at the shore until we were almost out of site. 

 

We enjoyed a great time of good food and worship together and shared the blessings of the day.  Topped off with an alligator hunt hosted by the crew  including Janet, Amelia, Gabby, Nancy, Jessica and two others.  They did bring back a 3 foot alligator! 

 

It was lights out by 10:00 p.m. as we have another full day of ministering in Pastor Willer's village Sol Nascente, more on that later..... 

 

 

 

 

Mixed Nuts Day 2 -August 2nd

As I write this, it's evening and we are anchored in the middle of the Lake Carara off the shore of the village of Maranhao~.  This village is rolling hills covered with palm trees and beautiful vegetation.  22 families call it home.  They farm watermelon, passion fruit, banana's and whatever seeds they can get they grow.  They share the fruit of their harvest among each other.  The village has been here for about 10 -12 years.

 

We started the day with worship and devotions and headed into the village to provide Vacation Bible School for 30 children.  The children heard the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000.  They were given wooden spoons to symbolize how God provides food for their Mothers to prepare.  The plan was for them to give them to their mothers, instead some chose to beat the village cow with them instead!  Kids will be kids no matter where you are in the world!

 

At the same time we offered eye tests and glasses.  Sixteen villagers were given reading glasses., including an elderly woman wiith double cataracts was given 3+ pair of glasses.  Because this village has a well, Dr. Pablo did not have to treat for parasites.  The medical needs were basic, pain relievers and providing antibiotics and vitamins and medicine for asthma.  Our local dentist Deja saw 21 patients and pulled 30 teeth.

 

All the woman of the village, 21 in total, attended Woman's Ministry where we shared the love of God.  Peggy and Patricia gave their testimony.  We handed out care packs with kitchen items and toiletries. We had a special package for the oldest and then for the youngest woman in the village, the oldest here was 83 (she told us she has 15 children!) and the youngest 20 with 3 children.

 

Men's Ministry headed up by Lee, Dr. Pablo and Pastor Willer with 8 men from the village attending.  They discussed the similarities and differences between our two countries and how they are blessed and we were blessed to be there to minister to them.  Dr. Pablo told them they are blessed to not have all the material distractions we have in the U.S., they have more time for God and family.  Dr. Pablo having spent a year in the U.S. knew that first hand.

 

One elderly man named Glauder was in pain from a childhood injury on his hip.  Lee gathered the teenagers from our group who prayed over him to relieve his pain. The man walked away telling Grace (our interpreter) that his hip was not in pain.

 

Lee, Phyllis, Peggy and Claudia (interpreter) met over an hour or more with Arcangelo a 25 year old father of 3 children.  We talked about God's love for Him.  His plan of salvation and what it means to have eternal life.  This village only has 1 Christ professing family.  We are praying seeds were planted for Archangel and his family and that God's salvation will come to his home.  We presented him with a bible later in the day and highlighted verses we discussed earlier that day. 

 

We ended the day with a service in the center of town, most the Villagers came.  Each family received a family pack filled with clothes, flip flops, toilitries, toothbrushes and toys.    The representative, Yolanda,  of their church thanked us and asked us to please return.  We hugged and said our good byes.

 

As we were preparing to settle in for the night the village fishing boat pulled up to ours and passed over a 5 foot long Piraruccu fish they had caught, they wanted to sell it for $60, Dr. Pablo said that was actually a small one!  They get up to 7 feet long.

 

Overall, God was glorified and His love shared in many ways on this day.

 

 

 

 

 

August 1st - Greetings from the Amor

Thursday August 1st - Greetings from the Amor Esoeranca!  (please follow the Linda Esperanca blog, as we are told the Amor blog may still not be working). All of our teams coming from Dallas, Los Angeles, Arizona, Kentucky and Tennessee all made it to Miami where we boarded our plane to Manaus. Not only is our group geographically diverse but also diverse denominations, Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist and Prebyterian.  With our youngest Gabby Rielle at 12 on her first mission trip all the way up to Pete and Nancy who are 80 (yes 80) who have been on 34+ mission trips each, our group name "Mixed Nuts" is appropriate!

 

We breezed through customs to be met by our wonderful Brazilian bothers and sisters who will be our hosts and interpreters for the trip.  For some of us it was a reunion with familiar faces of past trips to this warm and friendly place in the Amazon!   We arrived at the boat about 12:30 a.m. got our hammocks ready, and settled in about 1:00 a.m.  Captain Nelo drove all night headed to the area of Urucara`, as I write this we are still motoring at 2:30 p.m headed East on the Amazon.  It's a beautiful breezy day.

 

Joining us on our trip is a newly Graduated Dentist, Dr. Dejailson and medical Doctor Pablo, both from Brazil.  We will work with Pastor Willer from the local Presbyterian church to bring hope to the people of the Urucara` (this is the region of the Amazon where we will spend our time here).

 

We had a wonderful breakfast made by our chef and his two assistants.  We spent the day up to the late afternoon organizing VBS supplies and preparing family packs we will distribute tomorrow at the Village of Maranhao made up of 22 families.  We will distribute these to this needy village as well as do VBS,  Men and Women's ministry, basic medical and dental care..

 

Our group of people who are all virtually strangers are starting to form a working group already.  Just a little taste of what it will be like in heaven with every nation and tongue will worship Him and serve Him together.  God is already at work and we are eagerly looking forward to serving the people of Maranhao in the morning.

 

 

Amazon Outreach Bent Tree 2013 Trip Update#1

Greetings family & friends from Brazil,

Praise Jesus! His presence is alive & well here in the Amazon! It is absolutely stunning here & such a joyuous pleasure to be serving our Lord with our Brazilian brothers & sisters! We have already been to two villages and seen at least a few hundred people; many of whom accepted Christ as their Lord & savior. All of the villagers have been extremely welcoming & receptive to our visit and have been very engaging in our ministries. We are all healthy & there has been amazing unity amongst our team! All who have wanted have participated in allegator hunting & fishing during the evening hours & some real whoppers have been caught! Lucy, Sally & Nancy (Americanized names) have been awesome cooks. We've enjoyed pleasant weather & this morning a rainbow graced our sky. As we rely on the Father & surrender to His will we have not only grown closer to Him, but to others & have been able to pour our hearts out to His people. Thank you so much for your continued prayers. We love all of you so much!

Note: This is from the Amor boat (our computer is had wired to the Linda boat).

Prestonwood Christian Academy - March 2nd Trip - blog test

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The Village Church - 1st Day

We Have Arrived!

 

Having landed in Manaus late friday night, we boarded the Linda Esperanca just before midnight and each claimed the hammock which would become the place to lay our heads under a starlit sky.  Some of us scoffed at the possibility that we would sleep well in such a contraption and were pleasantly surprised at the peaceful sleep that ensued.

 

We traveled along the Amazon all night and all day Saturday, using the day to relax after a full day of travel and prepare for the following day's activities.  Relaxation time included card games and gazing overboard to see dolphins, riverside villages and a beautiful sunset.  Preparation involved sorting the many checked bags of donations and making family packs to provide the villagers as well as crafting picture frames and gospel bracelets for VBS.

 

We have enjoyed worship time both morning and evening led by David Quinones (the evening with the lights out overlooking the side of the boat at a marvelous sky).  We also heard Chris White's testimony.

 

The Linda heralds team members from New Mexico, California, Louisiana, Florida and Texas and the group has united well for this short time and we are ready to serve the people of the Amazon.  Each of us received encouragement uniquely written by Chris Klein's wife, Hollie.  Hollie, we miss your presence and are grateful for your kind words.  All, continue to pray for good health.  Pray that as we enter the villages that they know that we are Christ's disciples by our love for each other and that the hearts, eyes and ears of the people of the Amazon be opened to receive the gospel.

 

Looking forward to sharing more,

The Village Church Amazon Team