Here are some of the highlights:

January – completed a course by Youth With a Mission on inner healing and deliverance, which is such great training to have when working with people in the clinics and in discipleship

Pastor ordination

February – traveled to our base in the neighboring state of Amazonas and ministered with a Brazilian team in various communities. One very special part was ordaining the leader of one village as the pastor of the church.

March – started discipleship with my first Brazilian disciples

April  – coordinated a health trip for the first time

Construction trip with ORU team

May – went on a church construction trip with an American team and helped with language translation

June – visited Peoria for my brother David’s wedding and had a wonderful time with my family

Village people receiving illustrated Bibles

July – went on a 10 day river trip with an American team and helped translate, evangelized, shared my testimony, made house visits, and prayed for the sick and saw many healed!

Peoria team construction trip

August – team of great friends from Peoria came and helped build a church in a river community. It was a combined construction and health trip and we made many key contacts in the community through this trip.

September – by the grace of God, supervised our health team for 1 1/2 months while our leader did mission work in Japan

Re-installing a water filter

October – went on a river trip with 2 Brazilian pastors and did water filter supervision and maintenance, including installing a filter for the first time. We spent time with a couple who had recently given their lives to the Lord, encouraging them, teaching them the Word and praying for them.

- attended our MDA conference, where hundreds of Brazilian pastors came from all over Brazil to learn and grow in the discipleship and small group model of Igreja da Paz (church of peace).

 

Packing for a health trip in our existing room

November – started Project Farmácia (pharmacy), the renovation of our health room! The Lord abundantly provided the funds to do a complete make-over! Instead of the small 4 x 3.5 meter room that we have been using, we will have 2 rooms, one to store supplies and meds and the other as an office.

Health team sorting and organizing supplies

We will have new cabinets that close to protect our medications better. We will also have two large sinks with plenty of counter space to clean and disinfect our instruments. An office with two desks and computers will allow us to work on reports and projects without bumping into each other! And we will have an area with a conference table to have meetings. It will be such a blessing! I will continue to send updates as the project progresses.

Baptism in the Arapiuns River

December – went with our missions pastor and an American team on a 10 day river trip on the Arapiuns River. Had the privilege to baptize two believers for the first time. It was an incredible experience!

I went on a total of 19 trips this year to river villages and also villages in the interior of the jungle. I give God all the honor, glory and praise! He has done amazing things! Being in the center of God’s will is definitely the BEST place to be! I just can’t imagine any other life.

“Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder…” Isaiah 29:14

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?

It was so great to spend time with my nieces and nephews!

On June 2, a year and a half after I moved here to Brazil, I boarded the first of five planes to eventually end up in Peoria. It was about a 34 hour trip. It was great to travel part of the way with my missionary friends Nate, Ruth, Anna and Rebecca as well as Vontoria, a visitor who was returning to the U.S. It made traveling a lot more fun!

Dad and mom with the newlyweds

I stayed in Peoria for 3 weeks and it was wonderful to spend time my family, attend my nephews’ birthday parties, shop with my niece, celebrate Father’s Day with my dad, be part of my brother David’s wedding, share about Brazil at different churches and at my open house, eat my favorite food, shop til I dropped, and so much more! I packed as much as possible in those 3 weeks.

Brazilian snacks at my open house

God is so good, and it is amazing to me how He keeps opening new opportunities for me to pass on the vision for Brazil. He is bringing new partners willing to invest in the work here that is changing lives for eternity! There is still so much work to be done.

Congresso da PAZ 2011 (PAZ Crusade 2011)

July 1-3, Igreja da PAZ put on the annual crusade in the city soccer stadium. The church plans, prepares and prays all year for this event. Thousands heard the gospel message during these 3 nights. A dance presentation told the story of the 10 virgins from the book of Revelation , five whose lamps were full of oil and prepared for the bridegroom (Jesus) to come, and 5 who were left behind because they were unprepared. The 3rd night there was a drama that explained the reality of heaven and hell and the choice each of us has to make of whom we will serve. Throughout the 3 nights, over 600 people gave their lives to Christ and many were healed of physical problems. It was incredible to see the power of God at work!

Evangelism Trip

Kids with presents the team brought

I spent 9 days out on the river with Brazilians and an American team from Oregon. It was such a blessing to work with this group! We went to many different villages and visited people in their homes, played games with kids, gave out gifts to adults, kids and babies, held church services, prayed over the sick and saw them healed before our eyes, and so much more. We also had awesome devotions together every morning, taking time to pray for one another and encourage one another. And of course there was time to have fun, like hike through the jungle, swim in a creek, sing together on top of the boat and laugh a lot!

Villagers receiving Bibles

One really cool testimony that I’d like to share is about a young man in his 20′s. We visited his family and asked if they had any prayer requests. He asked for prayer for headaches and back pain. One of the team members sensed that he was going through another difficulty in his life. As she talked with him, he started opening up and sharing a situation that had brought a lot of shame and bitterness to his life. Another team member led him through a prayer of repentance and deliverance and he was set free and instantly healed of his pain as well! The curse of the devil cannot hold down the power of God! It was really beautiful to see his life transformed and to see peace and joy on his face.

Praying over Pr. Reinaldo

One other very special time was when we prayed over several of the river pastors and their wives. We spoke words of knowledge and encouragement for them. It was beautiful to watch them weep and laugh as the Holy Spirit filled them and touched them. These dedicated men and women are my heroes, laboring in tough circumstances to bring the gospel to the Amazon Basin. They may not be recognized on earth, but there is a big reward for them in heaven!

Health Trips

Praying for a patient

I spent 5 days in the interior, holding clinics in 3 different communities with our health team. It was quite an adventure, traveling by ferry, truck and VW van by water and dirt roads, sometimes almost impassable because of water and ruts.

New life in Christ!

I attended an elderly woman that came to the clinic with her son. She shared with me her physical ailment, and then I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to ask her if she was a believer. When she answered no, I explained the plan of salvation to her and how Jesus was offering new life to her right then if she would receive it. She said she wanted to, so I had the awesome privilege of leading her in a prayer to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior! I know the angels were rejoicing in heaven. Later, in the evening church service, her son shared how he had received a prophecy a month before that his whole family would come to salvation. I believe his mom was the first! God is so merciful, and it is His will that none should perish, but all have eternal life.

Road to Renascer

I never get tired of the incredible beauty of the Amazon! And taking a trip on dirt roads into the interior is a great way to experience it. A week ago our health team loaded up the VW van with medical supplies, food and personal belongings for a weekend ministry trip to 2 villages in the interior. This time of year, the roads can be dangerous, as they get washed out and rutted due to the rains. But we dedicated the trip into God’s hands and protection and started off with excitement and expectancy of what God had in store!

People gathering for the 1st service of the conference

Four hours later we arrived in the village of Renascer, which means “rebirth”. It’s a prophetic name, as truly this village is being reborn into new life in Christ! I was so impressed with the hunger and excitement the believers in this community have for God. The church was packed out for the missions conference that took place while we were there. Even the 7 a.m. devotion time was full. The sincerity and earnestness of these people was expressed in their worship and prayer intercession. Even the children participated in dramas, music and prayer. The presence of the Holy Spirit was very strong.

This trip was very special for me because I had a lot of time to pray with people for healing and share the love of Jesus and plan of salvation. Sometimes when our clinics are very busy and there is a long line of patients to be seen, I have to focus on meeting the priority need of the patient, but do not have time to just talk with them and find out about their life and concerns. A privilege of this trip was being able to gather our team together to pray over someone and also being able to eat all of our meals with the people of the community.

Bandaging up Charles

Boys will be boys...Charles was a spunky little guy that kept showing up at our clinic with cuts and wounds to be treated! I ended up doing wound care three times in 3 days for him. He was brave and held his own as I cleaned up infection and pus. He had a smile that lit up his whole face. During one of the church services I watched as the pastor called him up to pray for someone, and he unashamed went up in front of the church and prayed. No one is too young to be used by God!

Public transportation

The last day of the trip we headed deeper into the jungle to the small village of Bica. We drove and drove and drove! It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere and would never arrive. But all of a sudden houses began to appear. The Brazilian church workers have been visiting this community on a regular basis and started a small group. But there are still very few believers as it is a new work of the church. We held clinic in a house and attended patients solid from 9 a.m. -1:00 p.m. Two people made commitments to Christ during the clinic. I had the privilege of praying with a middle-aged man as He received Jesus as His Lord and Savior. We were very excited about the interest and response of the people of this village.
After the clinic, we said our good-byes, piled into the van and took a few moments to thank the Lord for what He did and ask for protection for the trip home. The Lord held off the rains and we arrived back in Santarém exhausted and dusty, but with hearts overflowing with joy and satisfaction! “And with Him is abundant redemption.” Psalm 130:7

More pics…

Our nutritionist Silvia giving a talk to moms on healthy foods

Precious!

All bandaged!

This rooster posed for me outside our clinic

Amazon sunset

This year has already been packed with activity! It started off with an intense 3 week counseling course through YWAM in January, followed by 2 ministry trips in February, 2 trips in March plus a health team training and a missions retreat, 3 health trips this month plus a missionary conference! I also started discipling 3 Brazilian girls, which has been a challenging and fulfilling experience.

Conference

Many of you were praying for me on this last trip from April 4-10. Our health team traveled to Lago Grande (Great Lake), 8 hours away by boat to hold medical and dental clinics in 3 villages. Praise the Lord for answered prayers! It was a great trip. The last 3 days we spent in São Jorge, where all the villages on the Lago Grande came together for a conference. Several hundred people attended the conference, so our clinic was hopping! 33 people made commitments to follow Christ!!

Church service

We had some interesting patients at the clinics. One man came with a bloody, deep arm wound from an accident. Many children and adults came with very high fevers and body aches. An elderly gentleman with high blood pressure was having chest pain. Children with scabies and worms. A young girl with an infected burn wound. It was a privilege to be able to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ who attended the conference, as well as the unbelievers in the community.

Typical mode of transportation

It is the rainy season, and several storms blew up at night. It was rather hard to sleep with pouring rain hitting the tin roof of the boat along with lots of lightning, thunder and wind! I got rather wet several times trying to tie down the tarp on the sides of the boat. As humid and hot as it gets during the day, I was sure thankful for my blanket and sweatshirt during the storms! During devotions one morning, Rachel our physical therapist shared the scripture in Luke 8 when Jesus calmed the tempest. We all had to laugh thinking about how Jesus could have slept through such a storm! But then He is the calm in the storm.

I’m so grateful for all the prayers! God is so faithful! “for in Him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28

Precious kids

The last commandment Jesus gave before ascending into heaven was to “go and make disciples of all the nations.” I had the great privilege of “going” to several communities in the neighboring state of Amazonas.

I joined a team of 19 others on a 10-day boat trip to take a church worker and his family to the city of Parintins. This family spent a year in Santarém receiving training in church planting, raising up leaders and discipleship. They returned to Parintins to work in the river communities. I traveled with the missions pastor and his family, so we made several supervision visits along the way in various villages, preached at church services and visited people in their homes. We stopped in the city of Juruti and one of our team preached at the Saturday night youth service. After the service, during a time of prayer, several youth were healed of physical problems. We also visited the church in Parintins and several more people were healed; one lady was healed of back pain, another of headaches, as well as others. God is so good and ready to intervene in the lives of those who look to Him!

Each morning we stopped and had devotions – we spent time sharing the Word and praying. We had time to enjoy God’s beautiful creation by fishing, swimming, visiting a beautiful beach, watching the sun rise and set on the Amazon River.

Children's service in the schoolhouse

We arrived in one village, a group of excited kids greeted us at the river bank and proceeded onto the boat as soon as we docked. They loved having their picture taken and jumping off the back of the boat! We held a service for the children in the schoolhouse including singing, a testimony, skits, the gospel bracelet, a water balloon game and of course candy! The kids were excited to learn about Jesus, that He is a friend that will never leave them. They were very attentive as we shared about creation, man’s sin, man’s need for a Savior and the gift of eternal life that God offers to each one who will reach out, believe and receive.

We also held a regular service for everyone. After worship and a message by Pastor Nilton (the mission’s pastor), the villagers stood up front and sang 3 songs. I get goosebumps, thinking of all the people groups spread across the world, some in very remote, forgotten places that raise their voices in praise to the Lord of All. What a sweet sound it must be to Him!

The new pastor (seated)!

The most special part of the trip for me was our visit to the second village. We ordained the leader of the village as pastor of the PAZ church. We laid hands on him, prayed for him and commissioned him for this important task. He also prayed, dedicating his life to the Lord’s work and to leading his village as well as the neighboring villages to Christ. It was such a beautiful event! Tears were shed, hugs were shared and a new beginning was born for this community.

We spent the day in this village visiting different homes, learning about customs, playing with the kids, building relationships. They made a drink for us out of the guarana fruit. The fruit goes through a process of being cooked over a fire, then smoked until it becomes hard. Then it is grated into water to make the drink. It was tasty! But it was full of caffeine, so we each drank only a small amount!

Lovely girls

A great quality of the people is unity. They are very successful at forming and completing projects because they work together very well. They have so much respect for their leader. They are very loyal to one another. Husbands and wives are faithful to one another for life. Great qualities to glean from!

On the way back to Santarém, we stopped in the community Vila Barbosa. It was Sunday morning, and the villagers invited us to their church service. They also invited Pastor Nilton to preach and we performed two evangelistic skits. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to pray in the homes of two families. We also passed out medications, reading glasses and sunglasses. The people were so open to the gospel, and a cell group is going to be started in this village in the near future. I’m excited to think what God has in store for that place!

It was an incredible trip, full of the goodness of God. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3: 20-21

More photos

The church in Juruti

The map of our trip: Santarém-Òbidos-Juruti-Parintins

Water balloons!

Macaco (monkey)!

Lunch at my favorite fish restaurant on their 1st day here

I was so blessed to have my parents visit from October 28-November 12. My dad and I had visited Santarém for the first time in 1990. That was the trip that changed my life, when I heard the clear call of God to missions. But this was the first trip for my mom. It was such a joy to get her acquainted with Brazil!

Dad and Lucas became buddies!

I kept watching the clock, and kept track of where they were during their trip down. They had 4 connecting flights. I got an email from my brother that they were delayed getting out of Atlanta and might not make it out because of storms.  Many flights had been cancelled. But the Lord had His hand on them, and they made it out 1 1/2 hours late. Then in Manaus, after passing through customs, they were told that the Brazilian airline did not have record of their tickets. They waited for some time while the agent conferred with the manager; finally they were issued boarding passes. The best part was when they disembarked from the plane here in Santarém and received all their luggage! It’s always an adventure to travel here.

Pizza on the riverfront

It was so much fun to get them acquainted with my life here! We had meals with many of my fellow missionaries; visited church, cell group and Tadel (weekly training for leaders); met many of my Brazilian friends; went to the zoo; went to the beach; went to the large market downtown; ate lots of fish and regional dishes; conversed with students learning English as a second language, and much more.

Going ashore

My favorite memories are of the boat trip we took on the Amazon River to four villages. The purpose of the trip was to do maintenance on water filters that Project Amazon has provided as well as deliver 4 new filters. Our group consisted of 4 Canadians, 3 Americans and 6 Brazilians. Because the water is low right now due to the dry season, it was a lot of work to get the sand, rock and other materials from the boat to shore.

Pastor Samuel cleaning a filter

While the water filter team was working, we were able to observe firsthand how the filters work and see the amazing results of brown river water becoming crystal clean! This makes a huge difference in the lives of the people. So many suffer illness and even death due to contaminated water. Our team worked with pastors of various denominations as well as health agents, training them how to maintain the filters and how to teach the people to use them properly.

Delivering a new filter

The water filter ministry provides a great opportunity to help people with clean drinking water, but also to give the Living Water, Jesus. The team always takes time to share the truth of Christ, and that His living water is offered to all who will receive. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with members of one family receiving a water filter. My mom and I were able to pray with another Christian woman for the salvation of her  brother, who does not yet know Christ.

We also had time to just talk and catch up, after being apart for almost a year. Email and skype are a huge blessing to stay connected with loved ones, but it’s just not the same as face to face conversation! We enjoyed breakfast every morning on the porch. We watched videos of my newest nephew who I have yet to meet. We laughed at the latest antics of the nieces and nephews. And we talked about the Lord and what He is doing in our lives. Treasured memories! Family is a gift from God. Every moment is precious and can never be relived again.

Some more pics:

Brent Gregory, Jeff Hrubik and dad

Conversation with students learning English

Cell group multiplication

Friends

Mom enjoying water melon on the river trip

Dad helping unload the materials for the filters

Visit to the fish market

Monte Alegre

Patients waiting at the clinic

In September, I went to one of PAZ’s mission bases 6 hours away by boat in Monte Alegre. Our team took the public line boat, then traveled by truck to the interior village of Camp. We moved into the community center in town, which became our clinic, sleeping quarters and shelter for the week. Every day our clinic was full of patients. Once the word spread that we were in town, people from other communities came as well. We had one dentist that treated over 70 patients in 5 days! And this included difficult tooth extractions and minor surgery.

The dentist hard at work

Villagers actually started lining up at 3 a.m. for the clinic! Needless to say we did not get much privacy or rest! But it goes to show how difficult it is for these people to get medical care. More importantly, these people needed to hear the gospel message. While people waited in line, our team leader Isaura shared about Jesus. I had the privilege of praying with a patient to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Nadia, Neucivane and Raquel hanging out after dinner with the church worker's children

We were all pretty tired by the end of the trip after experiencing dogs barking all night, trucks and motorcycles passing by at all hours, roosters crowing, and people talking loudly a few feet from where we were trying to sleep! It was also very hot and dusty as is it the dry season here in Brazil. But despite these minor inconveniences, it was a very worthwhile trip! We were able to see the Kingdom of God come to Camp as people made the decision to follow Jesus and begin a new life in Him.

Inside the cave

Our last day in Monte Alegre we were able to do some hiking, visit a cave and historic paintings. I’m always amazed by God’s creativity in the variety of vegetation and landscape of the Amazon!

A few more pics:

Pretty cool how the formation looks like a handshake!

Worshipping the Lord Jesus who is over all!

Cashew Tree

Alexis’ Visit

Out for dinner with friends

I was so blessed to have my friend Alexis Haywood visit for almost 2 weeks. She was my first official visitor since I moved last December. She was such an encouragement! We packed as much into her time here as we could and went to bed exhausted every night! We spent time with many of my Brazilian friends, took a tour of the mission and our health boat and water filter plant, took a line boat on the Amazon River to Monte Alegre, stayed with the pastor and his family, visited an interior village with women from the church in Monte Alegre (held a church service and gave out fresh bread and food), attended church and TADEL (leadership training meeting), and much more. Visitors are always welcome!

Drinking coconut juice down at the waterfront in Santarém

Owner of a car!

2005 Fiat Siena

Using public transportation during my first months of living here was a good experience to help me become more independent and learn my way around Santarém. It also helped me to understand the hardship of many people who live here that rely on public transportation to get places. I had to learn patience as I waited for late buses, delt with spontaneous but route changes, got rained on and walked in the intense Amazon sun and heat. On the plus side, it helped me get into shape!

Well, the Lord blessed me with the wonderful surprise of being able to buy a car! My home church 12 Oaks provided funds that I used to purchase a vehicle. Now I’m able to get places on time, give rides to others and meet people easier. Praise the Lord! He is so GOOD to bless us above and beyond!

Encounter

Regristration

Almost every weekend, Igreja da PAZ holds a retreat at the church camp in Alter do Chão.  It is 3 days set aside to meet with God. The church strongly encourages new believers to attend this retreat to strengthen their walk with the Lord through teachings on the basic principles of the Christian life, times of prayer and worship as well as quiet times with Jesus.  I participated 2 weekends ago, and it was a refreshing time for me after being so busy with trips and ministry this last month. The word that everyone always uses to describe the encounter is “tremendous”! And it is a very fitting description.

Beautiful beach on the Tapajós River where we stopped to swim on the last boat trip

Recently a friend gave me a very timely word from the Lord, “Be still”. I’ve also come upon several verses where Jesus says not to fret and not to be anxious. I’ve learned that becoming a missionary doesn’t change the fact that I’m still very much a human being vulnerable to the same temptations and weaknesses common to every man. In fact, probably more vulnerable. I’ve also been reminded that it’s not about what we do, where we live, etc. but about Who we are seeking. When I start getting caught up in activities and the busyness of life, I find myself becoming discontent and anxious, because I’ve lost focus of my Jesus. But He is so gentle and calls me back to Himself once again. I’ve been enjoying so much resting in His presence and practicing being still. A verse I memorized recently is John 15:9, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” It’s about being in the secret place under the shadow of His wings any place, anytime.

2 new friends-Suelen and Elaine

I’ve been moving around a lot. In addition to traveling out on boats for 1 week every month, I’ve moved houses 3 times in the last couple months! I’ve been living in different missionaries’ homes while they are on furlough/travelling. It’s been kind of fun, but I will be excited to move into my own place the end of November. I like things in order and organized, so living out of a suitcase has been a good challenge for me! Jesus has been my constant in the middle of lots of changes. I’ve come to know on a deeper level how wonderful it is that He doesn’t change regardless of how much our circumstances change. He is trustworthy!

Marcos (dentist) and Ana (his assistant) making dentures

When I go on a medical trip, I usually write about the activities and ministry that take place. But the thing that impresses me the most about the last trip was our team. We had many volunteers helping our regular health team for the first time. A doctor from another state, two dentists from Belo Horizonte, a nurse, a nursing student and two dental assistants from Santarém. Even though many of us met for the first time as we boarded the boat to sail out, there was a special unity from the beginning.

Douglas (the doctor) on the way to see a sick patient in a neighboring village

We shared our stories of how God called us and gave us His heart for missions. We laughed and laughed at the humor of the dentists. We celebrated two birthdays with cake and lots of singing! We shared the gospel together with the village people. We prayed together. We encouraged each other. What impressed me the most was that the ones who were on the trip for the first time were the ones who blessed me the most. They didn’t complain about the heat, about waiting in line for the shower, about having to improvise during clinic. They were there to serve out of love. And God used them mightily to proclaim his truth through their testimonies, through sharing of the Word, through conversations with people, through the love of Christ. It was beautiful. Because they were vessels ready to be used, God opened opportunities for them to shine and He was glorified.  In the 2nd community we visited, 12 adults plus children made the decision to follow Jesus, including the president of the community and his wife.  God is looking for men and women that will be fully committed to Him. There is no limit to what He can do through a life completely yielded to Him!

More pics from our trip to Amorim and Cabecua do Amorim:

Suelen checking patients in

Getting meds for a patient

Marcia (dentist) and Joelma (assistant)

Happy Birthday Juliana and Douglas!

Vanessa with the village kids

"He who the Son has set free is free indeed!"

Our team in front of the church construction

Spiders. Chiggers. Snakes. Monkeys. Breathtaking sunsets. Hard manual labor. Salvations. Children’s laughter.  Church construction. Joy of the Lord. Swimming in the Amazon. Team unity. These are a few descriptions of the trip I took with a team of Americans from Isaiah and Erin Huber’s church in California. On June 27th, we sailed out in the evening on the boat named Rio da Vida (River of Life) to Uquena, a community situated on the Tapajós River. It is located roughly 6 hours by boat from Santarém.

Unloading cement and bricks

Early Monday morning we woke up, tied up our hammocks and piled in the small motor boat that would take us through the narrow canal to the sandy bank of the village. Part of the team began unloading the 2,000 bricks and other material we brought with us to construct the walls of the church building. The rest of us headed to the community center with our boxes of medical supplies to set up clinic. The doctor and physician’s assistant began seeing patients while two American missionaries translated for them. They treated fungus, lice, lung infections, skin infections, arthritis, back problems, fevers and many other illnesses. The 3 nurses checked in patients, ran the pharmacy and cleaned wounds. Over the course of 4 days we cared for 65 patients. The construction team built the brick walls and poured the support columns for the church. Several on the team did activities, Bible stories and games with the kids in the community school.

Josué the village worker (middle)

The president of the community is a believer and the PAZ worker in this village. He is a godly man and has gained the respect of the village people. He is committed to spreading the gospel and raising up leaders. But he has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders with new believers to disciple, cell groups to supervise and nearby villages that need the gospel message. We spent time encouraging him, praying with him and making house visits with him. He needs continued prayer for wisdom, strength and workers to join alongside him.

Kids at the school

The highlights of the trip for me included translating for the doctor and physician’s assistant; watching the excitement of the team as they experienced the Amazon for the first time; seeing 17 village people make decisions to follow Christ; caring for the people’s medical and spiritual needs; taking my bath in the beautiful, clear water of the Tapajás River; and watching the children squeal with laughter as they through water balloons at each other!

Medical clinic

It was a wonderful trip and the Lord directed every step of the way. The team was such a blessing and encouragement through their love, hard work and unity.