Travelling Back

Boa tarde!

The team is travelling back to Manaus right now. They travelled all night and most of the day today but they were going to take some time for a hike in the jungle this afternoon. Hope they got to do that!

The team is doing great, everyone is feeling well, but I'm sure they are somewhat sad to be leaving the jungle behind. The great thing about partnering with the church in Manaus is that the folks they met and shared the gospel with aren't left behind or forgotten about. Their missions team will continue pouring into those villages so they don't need to worry about "who will check in with them"?

I believe one of the hardest things about short-term mission trips is keeping in mind our job and God's job. We, especially those of us from the US, tend to want instant gratification or results. Right? We do something and we want to know/see the results of our work right away, and with trips like this we may never see that. But as long as we're doing our job of planting the seed and sharing the Good News, we can take comfort in the Lord and his job of changing hearts.

The team spent most of the day resting and reflecting, both individually and as a team. Some of the questions they'll think/talk through are:

- How has your perspective changed regarding God, others and yourself?
- What have you learned regarding your needs versus your wants?
- Who is better off, you or the folks living in the Amazon Jungle? Why?

- If you had the choice, would you choose to be born and raised in the US or the jungle? Why?

How can you pray for the team tonight?

- Safe and timely arrival in Manaus to make their flight tonight

- Praise God for the opportunity each of these folks had. Thank him for challenging everyone to get out of their comfort zone and for being right there beside them along the way.

- Pray for all of their bags to make it back to the US and that they'll make their connection in Atlanta tomorrow morning for their flight home to Dallas.

**Return home flight schedule

- 11:25PM Central Time, depart Manaus
- 6:02AM Central Time, arrive Atlanta
- 7:40AM Central Time, depart Atlanta
- 10:10AM Central Time, arrive DFW

- Thank God for changing their perspective and giving them an appreciation for the luxuries and choices and conveniences here in the US, and also pray that through that process they'll have a renewed spirit and desire to serve those in need right here in Dallas, if they aren't already.

- Last, I'll echo the prayer request for team one from last week...Pray for team two's re-entry to the US. They'll be returning to a place so very different from what they've just experienced. Many different thoughts and emotions could surface; humility, confusion, compassion, sadness, rejuvenated spirit for the Lord, changed perspective...and much more. One of the toughest thoughts is "why was I born here in the US with all of these choices, opportunities and luxuries? What is God trying to teach me when I look at those born in the jungle with close to nothing, yet they are happy, content, enjoy their simple life and mostly choose to stay in the jungle their whole life...we, on the other hand, why do we constantly pursue the "next"?

Thanks for checking in and for praying for the team! I've enjoyed keeping you posted and I'm SO looking forward to seeing my husband tomorrow morning :) If I receive any further updates, I'll be sure to share; otherwise, have a great memorial weekend and don't forget to take time to remember our troops and, most importantly, our freedom.

Have a great evening!

Kelli

Be joyful always

1 Thessalonians 5:16

One More Day..

Good Evening!

All went well with the team today with their last full day of serving. They were in two different villages today. They are having a great time serving the people and playing with the kiddos and loving on chubby little babies. I believe tomorrow they'll just work a half day and then start heading back to Manaus.

How can you pray tonight?

- Endurance and perseverance for a strong finish tomorrow.

- Praise God for the work he's doing through our partner church. They are located in Manaus and their mission's pastor has a goal of planting 100 churches by 2010 and they have probably over 90 churches planted so far.

- Pray that the folks they meet tomorrow will have open hearts to the Gospel.

Thank you for checking in and praying for our team!
Have a nice evening,
Kelli Coblentz

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6

Day Two Servin' & Doing Great!

Boa tarde!

The team is doing great and they had a good day yesterday serving. Today they were in a village called Alexandre. It was a village of about 20-25 families and all of the ministry teams were doing what they do best! Even though the village is small, there could be people coming from other villages in small dugout canoes like you see in the picture.

To give you an idea of a typical day, here is the team's schedule:

6:30AM - wake up
7:00 - breakfast (eggs, fruit, ham, cheese, bread, juice, coffee)
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 (some sort of meat plus rice & beans)
1:00 - 2:30 rest/siesta
2:30 - 6:00 back to serving the people of the village
6:00 - church service

7:00 - dinner (more meat, rice & beans)

In the evenings, sometimes they'll have team time in which each of the ministry teams share how their day went. The kids team doesn't see what the women's team is up to, or sports team doesn't know what's going on with the kids, and the medical team doesn't even get off the boat! So, it's a good opportunity for everyone to get the "big picture" of what happened each day and to hear about anything that may have really touched someone.

No matter what, I can guarantee you they are having fun in the evening. They might play Uno, a favorite of the Brazilians. Or, they will play different card games, they might play maffia and they almost always have a farkle. "Huh?!" Some of you might be thinking. Farkle is a dice game in which there are consequences for the loser, and all players know what the risk is before playing. Sometimes it's having to eat the next day without using your hands, or maybe it's wearing leopard tights with a Nemo fish hat (becuase we don't have the heart to donate TIGHTS to folks that barely wear any clothes because it's so hot) or maybe, like Darren on this trip....it's not being able to take a shower for the whole week. I hear he's really starting to stink...

How can you pray for the team tonight?

- Safe travel on the boat to the next village

- Praise God for keeping everyone safe and healthy.

- For the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts and lives of the villagers that were met by our team today.

- Praise God for translators! I can't express enough how crucial they are for our team. Praise God for their hearts. They are on fire for the Lord and deeply love the folks in the Amazon, who are often referred to as the "forgotten ones".

- Pray for strength and perseverance. The team has 1.5 days left of service so pray for a strong finish.

Thank you for checking in and for praying for our folks!

Have a blessed evening,

Kelli Coblentz

Ready to Serve!

Bom dia!

All is well on the JJ Mesquita, the team's mode of transportation (and more) while they're in the Amazon jungle. It's also where they sleep, eat, shower, fellowship, etc. In case you haven't seen the posts from last week's team, to the right 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 and Brazilian team. The second deck contains boarding for the North American team, a common area for dining and fellowship, and the captain's seat. The top deck is sometimes used for evening devotionals or just a place to seek solitude.

Everyone is doing well and is excited and ready to work today! They traveled all night Sunday and all day yesterday on the Solimeus River, the complete opposite direction from last week's trip, and arrived in their first village early this morning called Irixi.

All of the ministry teams will have a chance to love on and serve the villagers today. The VBS team will be with the kids singing songs, telling a bible story, making some sort of craft and playing with the kids. The women's team will help educate the women about proper health and hygiene. The sports team will play soccer with the young men of the villages. And finally, the medical/dental team will treat those that need medical attention. Through each of these ministry teams, the intention is to build relationships in order to share Christ.

How can you pray for the team today?

- Boldness and comfort as they get uncomfortable talking through a translator to share the Good News.

- Praise God for safe travels with the river being so high. The team saw an entire town flooded so be praying for the people that are without homes or a place to go.

- Pray for the the Lord to work in the hearts of those who will hear the Gospel. Pray for them to be moved by the Holy Spirit, to be eternally impacted by the love and deeds of the team (both N. Americans and Brazilians).

- Praise God for the translators!

Thanks for checking in and thanks for praying!

Have a blessed day,

Kelli Coblentz

But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

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 10:8-15

Headed into the Jungle

Boa noche! (Good Evening)

The team arrived savely in Manaus and all of the bags made it as well.

Tonight they went to church with the partner church there in Manaus, met the translators they'll be working with and then they boarded the boat. They will travel all night on the Salomeus river. The river is very high and many homes are flooded and people displaced, as you may have read from the first week's blog.

Everyone is doing well and are excited about sharing Christ with the people in the Amazon jungle.

How can you pray for the team tonight?

- Safe travel tonight on the river.

- Praise God for allowing this opportunity and providing a local church partner that continues to serve the people of the Amazon Jungle even after we leave. Their goal is to build 100 churches in the jungle by 2010 and they have over 80 so far!! Continue praying for the Lord to raise up leaders in the villages of the Amazon to serve Him and bring forth His message to others.

- Team unity and working well with the translators. To have someone translate everything you say is a different form of communication to learn. Pray that the Lord would bless that parternship and that the Holy Spirit would work through the translation to effectively communicate to the villagers.

- A good night's rest for our folks as the guys sleep in hammocks for the first night and the gals in bunk beds in very small rooms that sleep four.

Thanks for your prayers!
Kelli Coblentz

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:4-10