River trips #1 and 2

Hey yall! I'm sorry that I'm a terrible blogger! It has truly been full throttle for the past two and a half weeks. Lots of energy and not a lot of WiFi. I’ve been out on two trips on the river so far, and have loved it!

The first trip was with a team from Westside Baptist Church in Gainesville, FL. They were fantastic people. God really blessed me to have the privelege of working with them. I expect that the friendships I made with Westside will carry on past the Amazon. We visited three villages on the river and were able to have teams for VBS-type ministry with the children, discipleship Bible studies with Christians and ‘seekers’ (someone trying to find truth) in the community, sharing the gospel in the homes of the villages, and a medical clinic. We had two nurses with us, one from Westside and the other from Brazil, and they did an incredible work helping the people. We saw three couples decide that they wanted to get married after a discussion about God’s design for marriage. We talked about what God intended for marriage and how living together without being married is a sinful lifestyle. So they said they wanted to obey God, get married, and then make their faith public to their village through baptism. Wow. Others from the village were baptized as well :) Praise God who works in men's hearts! Here's a story from the first trip:
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One of the soon-to-be-married couple’s son, a boy named Ikaru, trusted Christ as his Savior with us in VBS after we got to present a thorough, Biblical presentation of the gospel. Now Ikaru was the kid in the group whom I wished was mine only so I could spank him and sit him in the corner. If any of you have worked with children, you know which kid I’m talkin’ about, ha! But there was something in his face when the gospel was being presented. This routy little boy who tested me all morning was paying attention. He bowed his head when invited to, and prayed to receive Christ as his personal Savior. When Dayana, my friend and translator, asked him why he accepted Jesus, Ikaru responded simply. “I’ve always wanted Jesus to be my best friend, but I never knew how.”
So a little later that day, Ikaru came over and wanted to play with my little E-Cube (a cube that folds out and has pictures that go along with certain points in the gospel). So I let him, and he told Dayana the entire gospel while going through the pictures. She told me about it and I asked if he would tell it to me. So he did! It was amazing how well he had listened and remembered! There were about five guys in their twenties outside throwing the American football, so I asked Ikaru if he wanted to share the story with them. He said yes, so we went out to them. I told them Ikaru had something to say, and he shared the gospel with the five guys and the gaggle of little boys who followed us outside! Then Ikaru ran home. Amongst the little crowd, Dayana and I didn’t see where he went. We asked one of his friends where he went, and the boy took us to Ikaru’s house. We got there to find Ikaru sharing the gospel with his mother and grandmother. This little boy was so excited about his new best friend and wanted everyone to know about Him! He went to a Bible study with his parents about baptism and decided to get baptized on the day of his parents' wedding/baptism. It was beautiful.
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Then came a day in Manaus and then leaving to pick up the second team from Temple Baptist Church in Mississippi. Again, fabulous people. Three BCF graduates, too! Represent! An aspect of this team that was special was that it was all men except for two women. I was surprised at first, since over the past four years, I've mainly seen more girls than guys on my mission trips. To see these men lead out in ministry on the river was a blessing. We visited a few villages in a different part of the river and did much of the same ministries. We were met with hospitality and openness in each village. The Amazonian people have stolen a piece of my heart that I'll never get back. I don't want it back.
The team got to engage the people through children's ministry, sharing the gospel in homes, and FUTBOL (soccer)! In most of the villages, there was a chance to play with the Brazilian men. This was a great plug into the culture and share the gospel for this team. They had a ball! VBS was incredible as well. We were able to implement a skit that the kids acted out to tell the story of Adam and Eve's fall (man's separation from God and need for a Savior), and the crucifixion/resurrection (God's provision of a Savior). The children were extremely attentive and engaging each time! God worked in marvelous ways. The focus and enthusiasm of the Temple team was encouraging and contagious to both myself and the villagers.

God's ancient work has been a thick, running theme of this summer in the Amazon. This is the idea that God has been at work long before we got to Brazil, and He will continue to work long after we're gone. This second trip was no exception in showing this. The team was able to worship with the villagers in multiple church services held in schools and homes. During one in particular, the village leader's wife, along with all the villagers present, sang for us a hymn in the tribes' native mother language. Standing there, listening to a room full of people sing praises to the one true God, my God, the God of the Bible, brought me to tears. A team member and I rejoiced in the excitement of being in Heaven one day, listening to praises in every single language on Earth! What a promise.

So now I'm uploading new photo's on facebook (check them out for more stories and such). I'll be leaving tomorrow with the third team of my time here- also from Temple Baptist in Mississippi! I've heard from the second team that this new one will be more youth and college-aged people. They sound like a well prepared bunch, and I'm excited to get to serve with them on the river! Until next time I have WiFi- love y'all!

**Please pray for the continued discipleship of Amazonian Christians. Pray for the church leadership in place in the villages to be refreshed in teaching the Word of God to their people, and that the people will have a passion to put off the old self of sin and put on the new self in Christ.**