Spiritual warfare in the Amazon

Thursday in the Amazon was an interesting day. We are in the village of Anama & there is a church here with 80 people but the village size is 6,000 total. At the beginning of the day, the pastor gave us some feedback on the village & informed us that the major problems in the village are alcohol, drugs & prostitution (with boys & girls ages 10-16 being used as prostitutes). We had a good day doing VBS with kids & playing soccer & sharing Christ with others but there was also some VERY INTENSE spiritual warfare. I saw some things that really opened my eyes that Satan does not want us here & that he has a strong hold in this part of the Amazon.
Friday will be our last day of work & we are working close to the village from yesterday. There is a small church here that has suffered some very intense spiritual warfare. Some of the people from the church have suffered persecution where villagers throw stones or threaten to beat them. I want everyone to know that our team is safe & everyone is healthy. We are excited to see what God has in store for our last day of work. Our luggage has been held in Manaus but that has actually turned out to be a blessing as that has made our team share their belongings & has brought us closer. I feel that this whole week has lead us to this point in this village where God wants to do something glorious. For our devo this morning I shared Psalm 96 “declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deed among all peoples”. Our “job description” this week is to point people to our amazing God & share how much he desires a personal relationship with each one of us.
We will work in this village all day culminating with a celebration church service at 5:00 PM. After that we will have dinner & start the long boat ride back to Manaus. We will start processing the trip tonight by asking questions like “what have you learned this week about God, other people, or yourself”, “what has God taught you this week about contentment & simplicity of life”, etc. We will arrive Manaus early in the morning & spend Saturday relaxing & seeing the city. Our flight leaves Manaus Saturday night late & we arrive back to Dallas 10:00 am Sunday morning.
PRAYER REQUESTS
• Spiritual warfare- pray that God would protect our team. That Satan would have no power in this village & that people who have visited the local witch doctor would open their hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Safety for our team as we travel on the river at night
• Our team would process well the trip & what God wants to teach us as we come home

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)

Our God is mighty to save

Update from Tuesday work on the Amazon River!! God is so amazing and just showing us His power more and more every day we are here. It is hot to say the least, but God’s strength is seeing us through. I am so encouraged by the ‘team’ attitude that everyone has. The town we visited was called TImbo and this was the first time this village has hosted a North American team. All the team ministries hit the ground running as soon as we docked, drawing upon the opportunities God was going to present to us. We all walked to the school in the village, just in awe of the beautiful scenery that the Amazon jungle presents.
The VBS peeps got an opportunity to spend some quality time with the children, Marielle, one of our translators has been amazing getting the children organized and excited about learning. Our medical team continues to triage, treat and minister to those in need. The boats dentist has been busy extracting teeth and filling cavities, while our physician has been treating children with worms, providing meds for STDs/skin infections, and treating men with back pain.
Our women’s team got to tour the village of 60 houses from a young woman, play a game of soccer, share testimonies and love on people.
Our men’s team is exhausted from chasing Brazilian kids around the soccer field in the jungle heat, and yes, we got beat. God provided an opportunity for us to share the Gospel today with a few men, and one young man, Jefferson accepted Christ. We have been so blessed with the teams leadership. Tim, DK and Lori continue to encourage, guide and stretch us along the way.
Please continue to pray for empowerment of the team, and that any experience we come across will bring us into a deeper relationship with Christ.
Things seen on the river today: People in small boats using umbrellas for sun protection, a floating building with five dogs on it, a stuffed pirana, a jaguar paw, Gods love.
Story by Lejon Boudreaux
WEDNESDAY PRAYER REQUEST: We are getting off the boat today in the village of Villa Nova. It is a large village with 100 families but only 8 families come to the small church. North American & Brazilian teams have come in the past but the people to date have been resistant to the gospel. Pray that God will open the hearts of the village of Villa Nova & that our team would love the villagers well & boldly share of the freedom we have in Christ.

Team 2 faces some early challenges

Things are going well for Team #2 but the trip started with some challenges. Half of the luggage for team 2 didn’t arrive & since our boat was leaving Manaus Sunday night after the church service we couldn’t wait on the bags. Hopefully the luggage will arrive in Manaus tomorrow & we can have the bags sent by boat up the Salomoes River to our mission site. When I picked up Team 2 at the airport at 5:15 AM there were some long faces when they realized that many of the bags didn’t make it but everyone has had a great attitude. We are sharing sunblock, clothes & snacks so hopefully this will help our team bond even more. We tell team members in the training process to pack an extra change of clothes, anti-malarial & other meds, cameras, & passports in their carryon luggage so worst case scenario people will be wearing some stinky clothes a little longer that they would like. This should help give the team a new perspective on how the Amazon people are able to survive without any of the creature comforts we are used to.
Everyone is feeling great after a hot day ministering in the Amazon sun. I will work on doing an update tomorrow of the ministry to date so check back in.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
• Good attitudes from North American team whether the luggage arrives or not
• Safety as we travel up the Salomoes River
• Unity between the North American team & Brazilian host church
• Open hearts to the gospel.

Team 1 is back home safe! Missing the Amazon!

Team 1 landed back in Dallas yesterday. We had an AMAZING time. As I prayed for this trip, I prayed all the things you would think that I would. For many to come to know Christ, for good health for the teams, for team unity, that God would use us, etc… One thing I’d continue to pray is that God would “spoil” us…that He would bless us beyond our imaginations. Well, He did just that. This was a week of adventure to remember!!! We caught alligators, dodged jaguars, swam with pink dolphins, went on jungle tours, canoe rides, searched for waterfalls, and toured the villages, all while loving on the people of the jungle!

I absolutely LOVE the people of the Amazon. They live VERY simple lives and seem content. Some of the folks we met actually moved to the remote villages from the city. There are no cars, no paved roads, no TVs, very little electricity (on a timer from a generator), no computers, no cell phones, just simple lives of providing. They live in actual “Acts 2” community. Our team was able to clarify to them God’s love through the gospel.

Every day we would wake up in a new village. We wake up at 6:45A for breakfast at 7A (not much “getting ready” in the Amazon). The Brazilians on our boat were ROCKSTARS!!! They served us sacrficially and we will not soon forget the way they loved us! We would have a devotional from 8A-9A, and at 9A we were off to love on villagers. The medical team would find a place in the village to open up a temporary clinic. They saw around 200 patients!!! The dental team would convert a room on the boat to a dentist office. They did many tooth extractions, some surgeries, and gave out hundreds of toothbrushes! These teams donated their service and supplies and were able to tie their love to the Gospel.

The women’s team would meet with the women of the villages. They would help them cook, and do their daily duties and get to know them. They would share stories with them and tell them of the love of Jesus! The Men’s team would round up as many men as they could find and play soccer (“fut bol”). Soccer in the Amazon heat was an interesting experience. Goalie was a much desired position. We’d then share the gospel with the men, share our testimonies and tour their village.

The VBS/Children’s teams were my heroes. They loved those kids like crazy. The language barrier was not a problem for them. They constantly played games, did skits, and taught lessons. They were constantly going and their area was always filled with laughter.

Before our departure, we would always have a church service in the village. We would sing, and someone would teach a message centered on grace and the gospel. Many came and many believed! Praying now that God would bless Team 2 abundantly and make them effective in ministry to The Villages of the Amazon.

We went to give and we received. We went to teach and we were taught. We went to love and we were loved. God bless the Amazon!

Philemon 1:6 I am blessed to know this team and I am encouraed by the way they serve our awesome God. Thank you!
-JP