Captain Kate!
Each trip I take is unique and is a special experience. But there are some trips that really stick out, like the one I recently took to the village of Auerana.
It was the 3rd health trip that I coordinated, and it’s always a relief when the details come together and fall into place, sometimes at the very last minute!
Checking in a patient
Sometimes getting to that point is a little stressful. Coordination involves finding health professionals, then finding someone to take their place when they call and cancel, finding transportation (which boat, truck, etc.) and drivers/captains, finding a cook, making a menu, packing all the medical supplies, buying food and water, preparing coolers, taking a projector, screen and evangelistic films to show at services, making sure everyone going has rides to arrive at the boat dock (many people do not have cars, so have to take a bus, taxi, etc.), and the list goes on! But the Lord always provides and blesses each part of the trip.
The band leading worship during the conference
We were invited to hold clinics during a cell group conference Auerana. We spent about 11 hours on the boat Intimidade com Deus (Intimacy with God) before arriving in the community. A worship band of teenage guys also went with us to lead worship during the conference. So we had an anointed time of worship and prayer as we chugged along the Amazon River.
Our living quarters inside the boat
I had already gotten comfy in my rede (hammock) and was falling asleep when all of the sudden the boat started rocking like crazy! We were crossing a very wide part of the Amazon, and it was very windy with huge waves. It took awhile to actually get out of my hammock and get to the side of the boat to hang onto the rail! I was glad I had taken my motion sickness medicine. But more than that I was so thankful for the Lord’s protection, because the boat could have tipped, as rough as the waters were. Once we crossed the Amazon, things calmed down, until a storm started with heavy rain, thunder and lightening. The bright spot was that the storm kept the mosquitos away! Needless to say, we didn’t sleep so well that night.
Intimacy with God
I had a chance to talk with the local church worker. He is only 24 years old and his wife 18. He gave His life to the Lord less than 2 years ago. Before he became a Christian, he was big into partying and drinking. But Jesus radically changed his life, and on the night he accepted Jesus as his Savior, 8 others (mostly family members) also made commitments to Christ. He is very passionate about living for Jesus and sharing his faith with others, so that they also have the opportunity to come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. He said it’s not always easy to go to neighboring communities to share the gospel, but he knows that God always goes with him. He has started cell groups in other villages nearby.
Church in Auerana
One of the highlights for me was when 3 adult men went forward at the end of the Saturday night service and made commitments to live for Jesus! It’s always wonderful to be part of the salvation experience of a person, and to welcome them into the family of God. Who knows what plans God has to use these men to raise up godly families, to be positive influences in their community, and take the gospel to new places?
