Medical Boat Trip on the Amazon River

Health boat Portador da Luz

On January 8th, I had my first opportunity to go on a major medical boat trip on the Amazon River! Our team consisted of 13 people; 11 Brazilians, one other American and myself. We travelled for 7 days and visited 6 villages. We were busy the entire time, holding clinics, teaching community health, interviewing families for the distribution of water filters, attending church services, providing children’s activities, and sharing our testimonies and evangelistic films.

Our team celebrating my birthday

Our home was the Portador da Luz (Bearer of Light), the large medical boat, where we ate our meals, shared prayer and Bible studies, and slept in hammocks. It’s always interesting to sleep on the second level of the boat in a hammock when the wind picks up and it starts pouring rain! The only privacy on the boat is the tiny bathroom; needless to say, our team bonded quickly and thankfully worked really well together. Even with the language barrier we managed to do a drama for a church service, sang together, played various games and always found some way to make each other laugh!

Isaura examining ears

Isaura (the Brazilian nurse in charge of the medical ministry) and I were the only medical personnel on the trip. The first 3 days I assisted Isaura and learned the ropes. The last 4 days I saw patients with her husband Ken translating for me. We cared for 282 patients. We held clinics in churches, schools or under the trees. One of the problems that surprised me was the number of adults and children with ear pain and hearing problems, because their ears were full of dirt. We flushed their ears with saline and hydrogen peroxide, and the patients felt immediate improvement and relief.  Another common problem is that many of the villagers suffer from headaches because they do not drink enough water or wear proper protection from the intense sun. A lot of the children contract worms from poor hygiene. Along with giving medications, we spent a lot of time teaching basic hygiene and nutrition education.

Listening to lung sounds

I had my first opportunity to eat alligator meat! And almost every meal included some kind of mouth watering fish. One of the exciting parts of the trip was visiting a village set back from the main river. We trekked through the jungle in the dark on a single file path and then took a small rowboat across a narrow waterway to get to the church. During the service, the sky let loose a torrential downpour, so the trek back was pretty wet and slippery!

Patients waiting to be seen

The best part of the trip was that 5 people committed their lives to Christ and 2 villagers rededicated their lives to Jesus. That made the trip worthwhile in itself! My heart was touched every service by the sincerity and love these people have for the Lord! They walked or came by canoe from various distances to attend the services and worshipped God with all their hearts, despite the heat and bugs.

Sharing my testimony at a church service

I will be going on a week long health trip once a month to various villages on the amazon river and it’s tributaries, the Tapajos River and communities in the interior jungle. The next trip is scheduled for February 5th. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to move on the hearts of the people as we minister to them.

Brazil, etc.

I can’t believe I have been here two weeks already! The time has gone by quickly as I’m getting settled into my new home and experiencing new things every day! The Lord has been so good, and the adjustment is going well so far. I have already been to 7 two-hour Portuguese language classes, so my Portuguese is improving a little bit every day.

Going to language class at PAZ headquarters

One of my favorite things is going to church. The Brazilians are so excited to worship Jesus! There are 7 services at the largest church here in Santarem and all of them are packed out! I have also been plugged into a cell group with Brazilians from the church. It meets weekly on Wednesday nights. PAZ believes that every believer needs to be discipled on a regular basis and involved in a cell group, where they can grow in their walk with Christ and also be trained up to be leaders and bring others to Christ. I can’t understand much yet, but this week I was able to read scripture verses and pray a few sentences! I also attend Tadel on Tuesday nights, which is a training service for those in the church involved in leadership.

My host family is wonderful! Cristina has welcomed me warmly into her home and has been so patient in helping me with my Portuguese. We have had many laughs as we try to understand each other and often use sign language! She has promised to teach me how to cook Brazilian food, which I’m excited about!

My hostess Cristina and me in the back of the pickup

Transportation here is interesting. I do not have a vehicle and plan to use public transportation for a while. The bus seemed like a good idea, but the buses here are not very dependable. Several times they have been late, and a couple times they have changed their route on me! My favorite mode of transportation is the mototaxi. It’s fast, easy and adventuresome! Not sure how it works during the rainy season, though! And then there’s always a creative person who comes up with their own way to get people around, like lawn chairs in the back of a pickup! That’s how we got home from cell group one night. Probably not exactly legal in the U.S.! When all else fails, my own two feet get me around. I’m getting good exercise for sure!

Giving the mototaxi directions

I’m going on my first trip with the health team this weekend! It’s a village where the church has recently started a work. We will be leaving early Saturday morning and returning Sunday. I would really appreciate your prayers that the Lord would bless our time there and give us opportunities to show the love of Jesus. I look forward to sharing about it next week!

I end with a Brazilian saying that they use when saying good-bye, “Fica com Deus.” Stay with God!

Appointed Time

Well, the day has finally arrived…tomorrow I move to Brazil! This morning at 9:00 a.m., I received my visa – just in time! I was reading the Psalms last night and came across Psalm 75:2 that says that God sets the appointed time. Over and over in these last few months, He has proved to me that He is sovereign and His timing is perfect in everything. I would appreciate your prayers as my friend Heidi and I are traveling. We will be in planes and airports for about 30 hours. We will arrive in Santarem at midnight Thursday night. It is hard to part with loved ones, and yet I’m so excited to see what God has ahead! Be watching for my next update from South America!

Visa Approved!

I’m excited to say that my visa has finally been approved!! I should have my stamped passport in hand in a week. My departure date is December 2, and I really get to go this time! It is wonderful to see how God works everything together for the good of those who love Him. He is the best provider!

Global Health Missions Conference

Last Thursday I piled in the car with my new friends Kate and Leah and headed to Louisville, KY for the annual Global Health Missions Conference. I had heard good things about it, but this was my first chance to attend. On the 5 hour trip there, we had plenty of time to get to know each other better and swap stories of experiences from mission trips around the world. Kate and Leah also have a heart to use their medical skills to help those in need and share the good news of Christ.

We arrived at Southeast Christian Church where the conference was held and got in line with hundreds of others to register. It was fascinating to see how many people from all over the world have a heart for missions! The church campus is the perfect place for such an event, with a sanctuary seating approx. 9,000, numerous classrooms of all sizes, 2 large fellowship halls, a bookstore, a cafe and more! It was a good thing I had a map to find my way around!

The focus of this year’s conference was all about empowering and equipping nationals to improve their communities and bring their countrymen to Christ. In the mornings and evenings, we all met together in the sanctuary for a time of worship and a special speaker. Then during the rest of the day we could choose from a variety of workshops on topics such as “Biblical Foundations of Health Missions”, “Personal Preparation”, “Community Health”, to name a few. I was impressed that  the speakers were seasoned missionaries with a passion to reach the most faraway places with the love of Jesus, and they spoke out of their personal experiences and learned lessons.

The two fellowship halls were filled with row after row of booths-organizations and ministries providing resources and opportunities to serve worldwide. I was almost overwhelmed as I walked from table to table and realized the extreme need from Africa and Asia to South America. And these ministries are putting hands and feet to their vision.

Myself, Kate and Leah

A question asked in one of the sessions was, “What is required of a missionary?” The answer, “Unconditional, immediate surrender”. Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Counting the cost. He requires my all. And in return He becomes all in all. A missionary is not only one who goes to a foreign country; he is anyone who has becomes a follower of Jesus. The cost is high, but the reward is eternal. Nothing compares to it!

Matthew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” That is an exciting promise! When the world has heard the good news, Jesus will return! I want to be a part of speeding up Christ’s return. How about you?