Resting & Reflecting

Bom Dia!

The team had a great last day of serving the Amazon villagers yesterday. They have been traveling all night and will travel all day today back to Manaus and should arrive late tonight.

Today will be spent resting and reflecting. They'll begin mentally preparing for their return home, a place so very different from what they've just experienced. Many different thoughts and emotions could surface; humility, confusion, compassion, rejuvenated spirit for the Lord, changed perspective...and much more

During my visits to the jungle, their life made me realize how the many choices here in the U.S. diminish the need for relationships. I began to think about the word “freedom”. We can pick and choose pretty much whatever we want in life. We work where we want, eat whatever we are craving, listen to our favorite music, buy from the closest grocery store, email or use cell phones to stay in touch with friends and family…and the choices go on and on. But, is life really better here because we have so much? Thinking about my grandparents life, I realized how far from relationships we have evolved. And yet, with all these choices, we still want more. We long for what we don’t have. We aren’t satisfied with what we’ve got. Content, few are.

So “who is better off?” A question Tim normally asks the team. A tough question but, in many ways, I think they are. They live life through relationships. Everyone looks out for & serves one another. They care deeply for their neighbor. They love each other unconditionally. House size, type of car, or salary doesn’t matter…it’s all about serving each other. Giving to one another. Thinking about others first. And they truly are happy people. Simple and content with the most gentle, humble spirits and with great faith in the Lord.

They truly depend on one another. True community. Living through relationships. Satisfaction & pleasure come from their relationship with the Lord. And always smiling. Content with life though, in our opinion, they have so little. But do they?

What a comforting yet humble reminder of God's provision for his children!

While the team has finished their time of service in the jungle, their mission continues as they head back to Dallas. Their mission field is all around them...at work, their neighborhood, at the gym, the cleaners, wherever they go.

Prayer for today:
- Safe travel today on the boat.

- To be still with the Lord. Reflect upon what He is teaching them from this experience.

- Rest & preparation for the long flights home.

- That the Lord would prepare them for, oftentimes, the 'culture shock' of returning home.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57: 9-11

Thank you for your prayers!

Have a blessed day!

Kelli Coblentz

Finishing Strong

Bom Dia!

Thank you so much for praying for our 5 sick ones. They are all about 80% well so praise the Lord for settling their stomachs and also protecting the others.

Today is the team's last day to love on and serve the people of the Amazon jungle. They are in a small village today called San Jose, about 50 families. They'll carry out the same schedule as every other day this week.

Each evening they've held a church service and a few days ago I gave you an idea of what it typically looks like, but here's what their services have been like this week: A Brazilian from the partner church leads worship by introducing the N. American (NA) team after which the NA team sings a worship song and one of the NA team members shares their testimony. Then a salvation message is given either by the local pastor, if there is one, or the Brazilian partner church. Then the NA team hands out donation items to each family in the village. Donations consist of sandals, hats, clothes, baby items, toothbrush/paste, and soap.

Our team's, and the church they are partnering with, goal is to love on the people of these villages by ministering to their medical, physical and spiritual needs while sharing Christ. While these villagers work, primarily on farms, as lumberjacks or fishermen, they don't really earn an income. They grow their own food or fish daily for their meals. As you can imagine, it would take several months or even a year of work to 'earn' enough to travel by speedboat into a city and to then pay for medical care.

The partner church is located in Manaus and their goal is to plant 200 churches in the Amazon Jungle. Currently, they've planted 83 and our team, along with future teams, is there to help increase that number.

Prayer for today:

- A strong finish. The team is tired and they need prayer for strength & endurance.

- Continued healing of those with upset stomachs and protection for the rest.

- Open doors to share Christ. Pray for those that haven't had the opportunity.

- Team unity and pure motives. They are vulnerable to Satan as they become increasingly fatigued and hot. He wants to interrupt God's plan for them.

- Praise for keeping the team safe as they travel and for continued safety.

- Praise for the provision of translators and a Captain who's kept them out of harms way while traveling during the night

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold

Psalm 18: 1-2

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz

Prayer Request

Five of the team members have stomach cramps and diarrhea. Please pray for strength, recovery and to be protected from dehydration. Please also pray for sustained health of the others.

The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:28b-29

Thank you for praying!
Kelli Coblentz

Soaring on wings like eagles...

Bom Dia!

Thank you for checking in with us. Most of all, thank you for your continued prayers! The team is doing well, though they are beginning to feel the effects of the heat & humidity.

Today they are in a medium sized village with 70 families called San Jose. This village has never been visited by a "missionary" team but the village leaders informed a local missionary that they welcome our North American team. Praise the Lord for an answered prayer of open hearts and receptive spirits! May the Lord do a mighty work through the different ministries today.

When I spoke to Tim about 8:30AM this morning, he said he could already see families heading down the river from surrounding villages to see the medical team so that's exciting! As usual, they will have their day's work cut out for them. Many times the doctors and dentists are so busy they choose not to break for lunch in order to see everyone in need of care.

To give you an idea of the other ministries:

- The childrens team typically holds two VBS sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They have anywhere from 10 to 50 kids, with 50 being a very large class. Average is about 25-30. There are usually 2-3 Brazilian translators working with our team and one will play guitar while the others teach the words and motions of the songs to the kids. Our team will join in too...either in front of the class or mixed in with the kids. Then they'll tell a bible story and do an associated craft.
- The womens team will meet with the women of the village. Usually consists of 7-10 women from the village. A village "woman" could be anywhere from 13 to 70.. as the women grow up a lot quicker than N. Americans due to their responsibility at such an early age. The women are taught proper hygiene and health maintenance. One or two of the girls from our team will share their testimony and what a personal relationship with Christ has done for them. Hopefully the vulnerability of our team will spur on great discussions with the women of the village.

Prayer for today

- A couple of our girls have upset stomachs. Please pray for healing and that they would not become dehydrated as that could worsen the situation.

- The team is becoming tired. Please pray for enduring strength and energy.

- Relief from the heat...rain or clouds would be much appreciated by the team.

- Receptive hearts of the villagers and that the Lord would reveal himself through the team.

- For the Lord to be glorified by the team's work in the village and how they respond to one another

- Pray for the team to have a servant's heart. Being tired and hot...it's easy to do what they want to do rather than what the Lord called them there for.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint

Isaiah 40: 29-31

Thank you for your prayers & for journeying with us!

Have a blessed day,

Kelli Coblentz

So far, So good!

Bom Dia!

Yesterday was a great day for the team in Andirobao.

The medical/dental team saw 63 patients so they had a busy afternoon. Typical treatments are for upset stomachs, depression, worms (primarily in kids), minor cuts or non-healing wounds. The dentist spends his time pulling teeth as they don't have equipment to handle much else.

The childrens and womens ministries all went well and the sports team played soccer. The sports team was able to share Christ with some of the men after playing and 5 accepted Christ!

This morning they arrived in a village called Panelão, which has 85 familes. The team will have the same schedule throughout the week so they are already out in the village. The children's team usually starts VBS at 10:00 so they're probably out walking the village and letting the kiddos know where to meet.

The medical team most likely has a line of eager patients waiting to be seen. Patients may live in the village they are visiting or come from a nearby village by boat. There is an administrator taking names and asking about their condition to keep the process efficient, which is important given the amount of people needing treatment.

Everyone is feeling well and in great spirits. I was told it is very very hot and very humid.

I was also told they are in a very beautiful village....so I'm feeling a little jealous right now that I can't be there, too!!

Prayer for today:

- Open hearts of the villagers to hear about Christ.

- Team unity, both in their ministries and with the translators

- Health and protection from the heat

- Wisdom and discernment for the medical/dental team to treat patients

- Opportunities to share the gospel

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Romans 10: 14-15

Thanks for your prayers!

Have a blessed day,

Kelli Coblentz

Soon to Arrive in First Village

Bom Dia!

All is well on the JJ Mesquita. The team has been traveling all night and is still en route to the first village they'll serve. They should arrive at 2:00 today.

Today's village is called Andirobao and has about 100 families so is considered a fairly large village. This village does not have a church and we don't think there is much of a Christian presence or influence in the village, but they are open to meeting Christians and hearing about Christ.

To give you an idea, here is the team's daily schedule:

6:30AM - wake up

7:00 - breakfast

7:30 - team devotional

8:00 - 12:00PM off the boat and into the village to begin serving and loving on the people

12:00 - lunch

1:00 - 2:30 rest/siesta

2:30 - 6:00 back to serving the people of the village

6:00 - dinner

7:00 - church service

You might be wondering what 'church service' is if a village doesn't have a church. Many times it's finding an open area, many times outdoors, to accomodate the villagers and then worshipping just like we would here in N. America. They'll sing songs, introduce the Watermark team and one of the Portuguese team members will give a sermon while a translator translates for the Watermark team. Some worship services will be the reverse where Tim or another member of the team will preach or share their testimony and a Brazilian will translate.

This morning, while they're still traveling, they'll be sorting through donation and ministry items to get them organized and ready for easy access during the day. The team brought over 21 large bags of medicine, clothes, toiletries and other donation items so there is a lot to sort through.

Prayer for today:

- Open hearts of the villagers and that, through the work of the team, God's kingdom would be multiplied and greatly increase in number

- Unity with the translators

- Sustained health of the team

- Wisdom & guidance for the medical and dental teams to treat their patients

- Humility and vulnerability of the women's team to share their hurts & struggles with the women of the village and how a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ & his saving grace overcomes any of our sins...past or future

- For the kids team...to love on those kids & to learn from their simple, loving spirits

- For the sports team...to enjoy getting beat at soccer, because they will!, and that the Lord would open up opportunities to share Christ with the men and teenagers they'll play with.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57: 9-11

Have a blessed day!
Kelli Coblentz

All Aboard!!

Boa Noite! (Good Evening)

Well the team had a nice day today in Manaus. Today was considered a free day so they spent the day resting, did some shopping, held a team devotional and went to church this evening at the church that is partnering with them this week in the jungle.

They are currently on a bus headed down to the river where they'll board the JJ Mesquita, their mobile living quarters this coming week. Above is a picture of the boat. The bottom deck contains a pharmacy, rooms for the medical & dental teams to treat patients, a kitchen where all the meals are prepared and boarding for boat crew.

The second deck contains boarding for the team, a common area for dining and fellowship and the captain's seat. The top deck will be used for evening devotionals or just a place to seek solitude. It's amazingly beautiful, if a clear evening, because you can see many more stars than in Texas. One trip we were blessed to see the Milky Way...that was neat!

The team is in great shape and are excited to get on the boat. They will travel all night and arrive at their first village to serve in the morning.

Here's how you can pray for the team tonight:

- Safe travel down the river

- Comfort in the rooms as they are very small, tight quarters

- That they would all feel comfortable working with the translators. Let's also not forget to thank the Lord for the provision of translators because they are the means to which the team is able to communicate with the locals in the village.

- That the Lord would prepare the hearts and minds of the people the team will serve. That they would be receptive to hearing the gospel and their hearts would be moved to learn more about Jesus if they don't know him.

- Confidence in sharing the gospel. That no one on the team would feel insecure or ill-equipped to share Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide their words and lead them in that conversation.

- Team health & energy. The food is going to be different on the boat so it's not uncommom to have upset stomachs. And energy because it is very hot and very humid. It doesn't take much moving around to feel exhausted by the heat.

- Team unity and a servant's heart.

- Praise the Lord for uniting such a great group of young adults and for choosing them to be vessels to share His love and grace. I thank Him for their obediance to step out of their comfort zone to enter an unknown territory for Him.

The ministry items made it through security, praise God for an answered prayer! Customs didn't like the bags with medication and thoroughly questioned the team, but in the end they didn't confiscate anything.

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz