Team 2 faces some early challenges

Team 1 has arrived home & Team 2 is on the river & ready to go to work. On Sunday we had a devotional, final training meeting, Brazilian church service with partner church where we met our translators & then loaded up the bus & went to the boat. The boat we are on this week is the JJ Mesquita which has been recently renovated as they added additional bathrooms & medical facilities. Last night we started up the Rio Negro river but didn’t get very far as the boat had some mechanical issues & had to return to Manaus where we are hanging out at this moment organizing our donation items as they are servicing the boat. The plan was for us to work in 5 villages along the Rio Negro river but instead of 5 full days of work (Mon-Fri) it looks like we will probably have only 4 full days of work. God is in control & we trust that the boat will be fixed soon & they estimate we will shortly begin our trip back up the Rio NegroRiver.
Please pray for:
• Boat to be fixed quickly & no more mechanical issues
• Unity between North Americans & Brazilians
• Open hearts for the gospel along the Rio Negro River

SINCE I HAD SOME TROUBLE LAST WEEK WITH THE SATELLITE ROUTER I AM POSTING A STORY FROM LAST WEEK THAT WE WANTED TO SHARE


Today was our second full day of ministry and we are really starting to get in the swing of things. We woke up to a light rain that cooled the weather nicely. After breakfast, we practiced our singing for the next village time, then Djard led our group devotional. We were all blessed by a woman from the village who joined us, Baranesee. A former witch doctor, she is now a leader in the village! As she has faced ailments in recent months, Djard anointed her with oil and we circled around her to lay hands and pray for healing, which was a very powerful experience. Later that morning, the women’s team got to visit her house and hear the story of how her husband and kids came to Christ. This woman has been touched by the hand of God in many, many ways to say the least. The stories are unending and her faith is unbelievable. To hear about how her grandson was healed from cancer as a result of an all-night vigil and all the other stories were a great reminder that our God is bigger, stronger, greater and mighty to save! The women’s team also got to visit another lay pastor at his home with Djard, whose name is Nildo. His home was unbelievably clean and you can tell he takes great pride in building it himself. The wood floors were gorgeous! We later bought candy and coffee from the shop he runs in the back. He is also a craftsmen and carved boat souvenirs that he gave us. Our whole team was struck by his generosity and peaceful heart. Melody from the women’s team shared the Evangecube and Lexi Gill shared her story with the women – 46 women accepted Christ! We felt a much more somber spirit in this village than San Antonio yesterday and were very encouraged by the number of women who came, listened to the Gospel and left with eternal life. The men’s team had an intense a day of soccer against a bunch of Brazilian women who are amazing athletes! the game started in the rain with lots of slipping and sliding, ending with a victory due to help from our trusty deck hand, Isaac, who is a former professional soccer player. Nathan Quinn shared the evangecube before the game began, and almost 30 men from all age ranges accepted Christ! The children’s VBS team had a blast today. Everyone got involved in the games, songs and bible story of Jonah and the whale. Upon arrival, there was definitely mutual affection between our team and the kids. Even with the language barrier, bonds were built with kids of all ages ranging from infants to 11 years old. Family responsibility is so strong with the kids. Even 6 year olds are carrying babies and taking care of one another. The medical team changed camps and set up triage in the pavilion next to the soccer field. The fun part about that was the team was able to keep each other updated on the score of the game throughout the day. With about 100 patients seen yesterday, the team saw about 70 today ranging from worms treatment, fungal infections and body aches. At the end of the day, Djard started the service gathering everyone from the village and Aimee Blevins and Cody Bateman shared their testimonies. Deba, our ship captain preached and had an invitation and about a dozen accepted Christ! After a long day of rain and evangelizing, we headed back to the boat for a delicious dinner of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and an after dinner alligator hunt! While perusing the banks of the jungle, one of the boats brought back four gators – the Brazilian guide caught two with his bare hands! We continue to see Christ show up in amazing ways with our health and spirits lifted high. Team unity and boldness to share the gospel remain strong as we press on towards day 3 of ministry tomorrow. Your prayers are felt and continually needed. We can’t wait to share more upon return home…..
Story by Meg Shipley