Next to last day of work in the Amazon

Bom dia! Wednesday was an amazing day. We were in Villa Nova – no, not the college! It was this village of about 100 families. This village has been through many floods, and each year the river gets closer to their homes. We arrived there in the morning, and we were able to go and spend time getting to know the people of the village. The children’s team used bubbles, Frisbees and kickballs to invite the kids to listen to our VBS story. We had about 20 kids initially, but the meeting was cut short, because the children of the village had to leave to go to school. They attend a school on the other side of the river. Because of this, the children’s team was able to break off and join various other groups. The women split into two teams, and one team visited two amazing women of the river. We crossed the brown water on 2x4’s and entered one of the women’s homes. She told us of how her daughter had been healed of gastritis after she prayed for healing. She had a strong faith in God, and it was very encouraging to hear her story. The next house belonged to a women who was not a believer. We had the opportunity to ride out the crazy Amazon thunderstorm in her home, and share the gospel with her. She told of us how she had many friends and family that believed, but that she still wasn’t sure. It was a little disappointing to hear how she keeps putting off her decision, when it seems like she really does know that God exists. We just did our best to show her that we love her, and she allowed us to pray over her.

As always, the men’s team was the sacrificial lamb to the Brazilian men in soccer. But they had the opportunity to share Christ with the evangecube (tool that demonstrates a picture story of the bible) & get to know them and invite them to the church service that evening. The children’s team held a second VBS when the kids returned from school. We had 31 kids crowded in a storeroom, and we shared the story of Jesus calming the storm – very relevant given the storm we had earlier that afternoon! The kids colored and prayed with us, and then of course, wanted to play more games. Red Rover is the favorite in all the villages. The women held a women’s health meeting while VBS was happening, and around 25 women of the village arrived to learn. All day the medical team was busy. There were waiting lists to see the doctor, nurses and dentist, and they all did a great job attending to the villagers.
Later in the evening we all went to the church service. There was a great turnout; many villagers came to worship with us, including the women whose decision for Christ was still wavering. While she still did not make her decision, it was evident that God was working her heart during the service. We sang some of the Portuguese songs with people, and they (tried) to sing the songs in English with us! It is such a blessing to see people worshipping God in an entirely different manner and language, but the mutual understanding we have in the wonder of Him. The children stayed remarkably quiet through the whole service, thanks in part to Lauren folding origami for them to play with. At the end of the service, the men gathered together to pray, and to give the Brazilian men some gifts. We hugged the people goodbye, and promised them that if we didn’t see them again here on earth, we would see them again in Heaven.
Story by Jennifer Bryant
UPDATE FROM TIM- Everyone is feeling great except for some minor stomach cramps from one person. The trip so far is going well but it is much different than last week. Last week the people along the Rio Negro seemed much more open to the gospel. This week the people on the Salomoes River seem a little more apathetic but I have learned not to try to judge a trip through our North American way of seeing things. It is hard to measure what God is doing as Paul said, some people plant seeds & some people harvest. We got an update on the luggage, it arrived in Manaus yesterday & was put on a boat heading up river. We are supposed to get the bags around 4:00 PM today but I will believe that when I see it. We got word that 4 bags were confiscated by Brazilian customs because of the medical supplies, please pray that the rest of the bags made it through & that one of the confiscated bags wasn’t someone personal luggage.
PRAYER REQUESTS
• Open hearts for the gospel in the village of Anama
• Continued unity with the Brazilian translators
• Bags would arrive so people can change clothes
• Safe travel on the river (especially traveling at night)