Day 6: Tapagem and Homeward bound!

Our day at Tapagem was amazing and a perfect end to an awesome mission journey.  God assembled the perfect team for this trip -- both Brazillian and American.

 

We had the largest attendance of children in this village.  They were very eager to participate - in fact, they were waiting at the entrance of the church and cheered as we arrived to begin our program.  They were very engaged as our translator, Rosie, presented the gospel and explained how they could pray to invite Jesus into their hearts.  We know at least four of them became Christians!!  The realization that one of these children could very well be the next leader to evangelize this area of the Amazon was not lost on us. Bethany and Hannah met with the teenage girls and shared their testimonies. About fifteen girls listened and shared their prayer requests afterward. They loved reaching out to the teens, and the girls seemed to love it as well!

 

The medical team saw about 125 people in this village, and the dentists saw more than 50 people!!  More eyeglasses were handed out here than in the previous villages.  It was amazing to watch people from one area of ministry see an immediate need in another ministry, and as time allowed, they willingly jumped in to help out in any way possible. 

 

During our team sharing time last night, a small boat pulled up alongside ours, hoping we could come to their village the next day. We were sad to tell them we'd be leaving, but we were able to give them medicine, clothing, flip flops, toiletries, and other household items. It reminded us that the work isn't finished and that all we have to do is show up to be a blessing.

 

Our boat just pulled into Manaus and the team will be headed for the airport in a few hours.  See y'all tomorrow!

Day 4 and 5: Sao Sebastiao and Nossa Sra Do Perpetuo Socorro

The team has had 2 more great days of ministry. We have been continuously blown away by the Lord's power and provision as we go into these villages and share Christ with the people.

The team felt the visit to Sao Sebastiao was a divine appointment.  As we spent time at the village we learned the pastor's family had been going though some trials and was in need of some spirtual support.  At the end of the day they had a special service to thank the team that ended with a slideshow of the pictures the pastor had taken of the team throughout the day.  The pastor's church was very nice compared to other village churches (they even had air conditioning), however the team learned no matter how small or advanced the church is, it's all about Jesus.

The team went and an EXTREME jungle adventure.  Where we had some serious come to Jesus moments.  We traveled 30 minutes via 3 small boats through dense flooded jungle deep into the Amazon.  During the boat ride to where we disembarked a large spider was found on Mark's back, after some panic we manged to get the spider out of the boat. With a machete we then cut a path thru the thick jungle.  What we thought was fruit on the ground was actually wild boar droppings.  There were meanacing trees with large spikes.  It was not our teams finest moment but we knew God was with us.  On the way back, the lead boat went under a large branch and a swarm of tracker jackers attacked Dan and Duane.  After numerous bites and more panic they were able to fight off the wasps.  Over all the team arrived safely back at the boat with only psycological distress.  Thanks to imediate prayers there is no evidence of any wasp bites from the attack today.

Today we learned no matter what our first impressions are of a seemly deserted village, God can show up in big ways.  What looked like a 20' X 60' island in a swamp ended up housing the most number of people we have seen in one day.  They came by the boat load to a small, flooded piece of land called Nossa Sra Do Perpetuo Socorro. All ministries were in full force and the Lord's provision was evident to all.  It was a blessing to see the supplies the team collected go into the hands of the villagers.  At the end of the day the pastor thanked us and told us about a dream he had six months prior.  The dream was about a boat coming with brothers and sisters in Christ to minister to that region.

Tonight the team got a chance to take the small boats out in two shifts to hunt alligators. The first wave that went out caught two babies and a larger one and named then Jefferson, Alfredo, and Willy. The second crew that went out had a little more luck, catching two larger gators about 3 and 4 feet long. Their names were Shadrack and Meshack. Unfotunately we couldnt catch an Abendago. One of our team members, whose initials are B.M., got a small birthday bite from one of the smaller gators, Willy.After we took all our fun pictures with them, we had to say goodbye to our new friends and put them back into the water.

We have one more solid day of ministry before heading back to Dallas.  We can't wait to see what God has planned for us. It's been really neat to see how the Lord has orchestrated our team and filled it up with so many willing servants. It already has the feel of a family and it has been a blessing to serve Christ together on this trip.

Day 2 and 3, Cinturao Verde and Novo Horizonte villages

The technical difficulties with our satellite connection have been resolved.  You should be receiving our team updates now. Yea God!  Our team remains safe and well.

 

We have had 2 more great days of ministry.  Serving the people of Cinturao Verde and Novo Horizonte.  The smiles on the faces of children and appreciation of the villagers are not easily expressed in a blog post, but we will have pleanty of pictures to share with you.

 

In VBS, our dramatization of David and Goliath will sure to up for an Oscar nomination next year.  Rosanne played an excellent David, knocking me (Dan) down with the first hit.  Wow, just like in the Bible.  Madelyn played an excellent King Saul and will sure to be nominated for best supporting actor.

 

The nurses and dentists have seen quite a few patients in the last couple days.  The rest of the team has deemed that treatment of worms is NOT an appropriate dinner conversation topic.  They have complied.   

 

The team experienced an extemely loud worship service last night.  We are asking that Amazon Outreach provide earplugs for future trips.  It is truly an awesome experience worship in a different language knowing they are worshiping the same God.  Our team was even invited to sing a song. 

 

Seriously, the team and villagers are truly being blessed.  We will have much to share with you when we return.

First Day of Ministry - Sao Sebastiao

Greetings from the Amazon jungle.

 

Good news, the team made it safely to Brazil and we have just completed our first day of ministry.  We woke up this morning to a beautiful Amazon sunrise and spent the day serving the people of Sao Sebastiao.  The water levels are very high this year, someone joked that they are the highest since the Great Flood.  God had the AC on for our team today, it was very comfortable and breezy at times working in the village. 

 

It was awesome day, all ministries were open for business: medical, pharmacy, dentistry, eye glasses, men's ministry, women's ministry, family portraits, hair/nails and VBS!  Karen and Sarah headed up the medical ministry and treated many patients.  Fred and Eli served in dentistry (or a better term may be extracted).  Geraldo and Mark dispensed medicines in the Pharmacy.  Sherry fitted eyeglasses.  My friend Duane lead the men in men's ministry and Lane completely enjoyed pouring into the women.  Rosanne and Madelyn took pictures of precious families and distributed pictures in a place where Walmart is far, far away.  I had the privlelege to serve in Children's ministry with Brenda, Hanna, Phyllis and Bethany with our awesome translators Rosie and Chris.  Our team GETS to be the hands and feet of Jesus ...HOW COOL IS THAT!  Thank you so much to our supporters, spouses, friends and families that have enabled us to do this.  You are with us. 

 

Although our team had many highpoints, the high point of my day was during our morning VBS session, 2 girls accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour after our team presented the gospel.  Right before I left for Brazil I posted a Facebook message asking for prayers for me and the team.  Immediately the responses to my post started pouring in.  I have seriously felt your prayers today.  Thank you and keep them coming, this has been only the first day of ministry there are many more to come.  Thank you all and we love you.

 

 

Dan Madsen      

Days 5 & 6 - Vila Candida, Boa Vista dos Ramos, Itapeacu

Dave D - What a blessing this week was for so many...Brazilians and Americans!  My greatest joy is watching your kids choose to serve God in ways they did...some for the very first time.  God is good to show Himself to all of us in simple and amazing ways.  Thank you for making it possible for us to be here.  The stories of His grace and mercy abound.  Here are a few...

 

Katie Mc - On Tuesday, Grace Colombo, Izabel, and I were grouped to go from door to door. It was amazing. We came to the first house, and an old woman opened the door. She invited us in and to sit down. She said she did not know who Jesus was, and after Grace and I began to talk to this woman, she opened up more. She seemed interested, and after letting her know about the service that night, we let her know that she could talk to the pastor. Later that night, I saw her at the service, and she was singing along with the worship songs. God really perservered through Grace and me as mouthpieces for Him.

 

Blake B- Mark and Francisco. The (simplified) names of the two men who made an impact on me that will last a lifetime. I was helping out at VBS in Pedra (The Rock in Portuguese). Pedra had never been visited by an Amazon Outreach boat so the day held much opportunity in itself. Earlier in the week, I was feeling like I wasn't too useful (as did many others in the beginning of the trip) and I prayed that God would use me accordingly to what He needed done. Basically I prayed that He would use me and that I would be satisfied immediately seeing fruit or not. So the afternoon after this prayer, I saw Mark in VBS and started asking if he had a kid in VBS and he said no I invited him to play soccer and of course he said yes...He's Brasilian. So I continued and asked him if he wanted to know that story of Noah; the story the kids were learning. So I began to tell him out Noah and tried to fit in the whole gospel as part of the story. We arrived at the soccer field and thankfully the Lord took over. After talking for about 20 minutes with Francisco (he came with us) and Mark, God just did a marvelous work and allowed Mark to have a soft heart to the great grace of God. He accepted Christ as his personal savior and I praise God for that. Unknowingly, he was from another village and I gave him a New Testament and a couple gospel tracts. God used me as a tool to share the gospel to two villages. Wow. I was so humbled at God's intricate creativity in His plans. I was also able to encourage Francisco in his faith: He told me that he had a dream that a large group of people came in a boat to Pedra to spur on his beliefs and he had been praying for reinforcement to instill faith in Pedra. Once again God answered prayers. This has shown me that God is ALWAYS faithful. Whether it's immediate or way later, God comes through and works his will into everything. He is so so good. Brasil has yet again been a fantastic channel which through God has blessed everyone here; from Texas or Brasil. Shout out to Jean Prouvaire. Miss you and love you so much. BRASIL 2012. Lego. Psalm 34:8.

 

Hannah Pavey- I've never seen a more beautiful smile. Hannati opened my eyes to a new kind of beauty. A few days ago, we traveled to Terra Praeta, and I felt the Lord calling me to serve in the youth girls ministry. We were setting up tables and chairs under a shaded tree and also looking for girls to invite to paint their nails and play with their hair. We had a few customers and then it happened....My eyes locked with a beautiful eleven year old girl standing off in the distance. It took a few minutes for her to accept my invitation to paint her nails and get to know her. She told me her name was Hannati. This precious girl had a cleft lip and two front teeth. Looking at her for the first time, most people in her city would have rejected her because of her appearance. However, her handicapped smile enabled me to see a picture of pure joy: Hannati reminded me that we are made in the Lord's image and PERFECT in his sight. As I painted her little nails, I kept glancing up at her and saw that she was beeming with joy. I kept saying "bonita! bonita!" This only made her smile more. We then went into a classroom with about 15 other pre-teen girls. We shared the gospel and our testamonies. After having a conversation about things girls struggle with, the Lord faithfully opened up and revealed himself to those girls. Hannati was especially blown away with the vastness of the Lord's love for her. I gave her a bible and wrote her a note in the front page: "Precious Hannati, You are Beautiful-never let anyone tell you otherwise. You are a daughter of God and he loves you more than you will ever imagine. I love you and I am praying for you." I had a translator read this out loud to Hannati, and once she heard these words, she leaped into my arms and her whole body shook with tears. I absolutely lost it when I felt her tears run down my back. The Lord brought her to me to reveal that even those with cleft lips and rejected by society are breath-taking in the eyes of the Lord. I am speechless with how the Lord places people in our lives by divine intervention and chooses to use us as vessles to further HIS Kingdom. His name was magnified this week, and all Glory, Honor and Praise go to Him!

 

Preston Pownell - Two years ago I met two young mentally handicapped boys in a village that made a drastic impact on my life.  When we first arrived in Brazil, we were told that we would be going back to the same village that these two boys were from.  Last year, we did not get to go back to their village and I honestly gave up the hope of ever getting to see them again.  Two days ago we were told that we would not actually be visiting the two boys village, and this was a very discouraging thing for me to here.  I felt like God was giving me a false hope of joy, and I was almost mad at God.  I realized that I am not on this trip to fulfill my own fleshly desires, but to do the will of God, but, God's plan was not yet finished.  Rose Delph approached me and told me that I might have the oppurtunity to take a few friends on a speedboat to their village called, Sao Benedicto.  This morning, I woke up and heard the announcement that my mom, my brother, David Jordan, Chloe Robinson, Presley Scott, Bruno, and I would be taking a speedboat to the village for the morning.  When we arrived in the village, I vaguely remembered where things where and I told the group to follow me.  It was a total God thing and I ended up walking straight to their house.  We knocked on the door and the father answered and we asked where the boys were.  He had three other children in the house and he said that he had one more somewhere outside.  He sent his younger son to go find him and I sat down in their house just praying that it would be one of those two boys.  I looked up and saw one of those two boys walking into the house and he immediately recognized me.  I was astounded and blown away at God's power and how he works things out.  The boys name is Adeyuto (I think... I can't ever really understand) and it turns out that the other boy was actually Adeyuto cousin that lives in another village but to be able to see one of them was just incredible.  Our whole group got to spend the morning with them and everyone with me got to see how sweet of a young man he really is.  God answers prayers and I would just like to encourage everyone who reads this that God is all powerful and he can even allow someone to travel across the world with a gamble that one boy might be there and provide a way for me to see him again.  God has done magnificent things this week and He does not intend to stop just here in Brazil.

 

 

Day 4 - Cameta

Oi from Brazil! Currently we are waiting for the rain to pass here in Cameta so we can go out and serve the village. Last night we were reflecting on our experiences throughout the trip so far and we realized we forgot to tell you about an incredible experience God blessed us with in the airport while we were waiting to receive our visas.For those of you that don't know, 13 people did not know if they would be able to go to Brazil because their visas were denied. Jed Thompson, the director of Amazon Outreach, flew to Houston on Thursday (the day we left) to work out the visas. Because of this, all 13 of us were stuck entertaining ourselves for four hours waiting for the visas to come through. During this span of time, we all got the incredible privilege of meeting David Teran. David was helping us with our
luggage when he started to ask us about our trip. We told him all about Amazon Outreach, and how we were going to spread the love of God to the villages along the river. David had to go to work for a little bit after this and later told us that he had gone up to a Muslim man and used us as a testimony for Christ. He challenged the man, asking him if Muslims pursued love in this way. The man replied no, and simply left. While this doesn't seem like much, David was confident that God had planted a seed in that man through us. David spent about an hour talking with us, sharing his love for Christ and his testimony. He had only been a Christian for about three years, but the Holy Spirit's presence
was so evident in him. Not having our visas was an extremely stressful beginning to the trip, but us meeting David was just yet another example of how everything is just part of God's grand plan. If nothing else but meeting David came out of the stress of retrieving our visas, it was undeniably worth it. His love for Christ was the perfect start to this trip, and we hadn't even left Dallas yet!
Tchau!
Taylor, Tori, and Kathryn

 

Oi from Grace C.! I am so thankful and grateful to be here in Brazil! The Lord has so graciously allowed me to be here, but for a short time, He completely emptied my hands and made it so that I literally had no control over my situation. On Wednesday morning, my mom and I woke up at 4:45 in the morning and flew to Houston. We had found out previously that my passport picture and visa had been denied, and at this point, I didn't know if I was going to be able to go on the trip. A lot of things were running through my mind, and I was confused. I knew that if it was the Lord's plan for me to go on the trip, then nothing could stop that from happening, but I assumed that it just wasn't the Lord's plan for me to go, and I didn't know why. I was jumping to all these conclusions and trying to figure out why the Lord would have me stay home instead, as if I knew what God had in store.

As soon as we got to Houston, we drove to meet with the Brazilian consulate, and the man who drove us there happened to be a Christian. We shared with him a little bit of what was going on, and somehow he had a peace that everything was going to work out, even though I didn't. He prayed for us in the car on the way, and when we got inside there we met Jed Thompson, the director of Amazon Outreach. For the majority of the time we were there, we sat in the waiting room, which was in some ways the hardest part, in others it was the most peaceful. I recieved texts from multiple people saying that they were praying for me, and I knew God's hand was at work. The Lord gave me peace that everything was going to work out according to His plan, no matter what that was. I know that the Lord withholds no good thing from those who love Him, and even if I had had to stay home, the Lord would not have withheld good things from me there.

But it was His plan for me to be here in Brazil, and the truth is, He didn't temporarily take this trip out of my hands, but He had it in His hands all along, and never let it go even thought I felt like I had lost everything. God is working and moving in so many hearts here in Brazil, and not just the people who live here. I feel so blessed to be a part of it, to witness this change, and to be a part of God's greater plan.

Tchau!

Grace                              

 

Oi from Brooklyn and Annie! Last night Brooklyn shared her testimony for the first time in front of a crowd. Brooklyn has been to Brazil four times, but this was the first time that she had shared in public. You could tell by the crowds reaction that her testimony really hit home while talking about a broken family. So many lives were touched by this beautiful testimony, including those on the boat. She talked about how the absence of her real father made her more aware of how God is out ultimate
father and he'll never leave us and he is always by out side. In the process of giving her testimony there was a sense of peace because she was so nervous before but when she got up there, she knew God's hands were resting on her. She was really happy that she had finally shared her testimony after so many years. Brooklyn really felt that God was calling her to share her testimony with the people of Predas. Amazon Outreach had never been to this village, and it was really neat to be able to be the first ones to make a lasting first impression with them. Many came to Christ and we hope that the foundation that we have laid in this village can continue to grow from here with other trips that have yet to come. We are really excited about what God has in store for those in Predas.
Con Amore
Annie and Brooklyn

 

 The day was amazing despite a late start due to rain.  Nearly 200 little ones attended VBS, many came to receive medical and dental care.  Two different teams of 6 went into every classroom in the morning and afternoon to share the sin solution illustration to every elementary and high school student attending school today.  Many went door-to-door to share the gospel, and we closed with an evening service.  Our share time was especially sweet...and one alligator hunting group caught 2 small and one 4 foot gator.  Dr. Pablo saw a 92-year-old woman who gave birth to 25 children (yes, you read that correctly...20 of whom are still alive today).  She daily rides her bicycle to work her agricultural fields.  It's amazing what we see here!

 

Thanks for praying for us...it's a blessing to serve here.  We have a full day tomorrow and a half day on Thursday...then we're headed back to Manaus...a 20 hour return.

 

Tchau!

Day 3 - Predas

       After surviving a major storm at 3:00 am, we awoke to a small shower, praying the rain would stop so we could serve this community...Amazon Outreach's first to visit Predas, a town of 3,000. Because we were here, the schools closed for the day.  We were able to leave the boats at 9:30 and proceeded to use the school classrooms for medical, dental, eyeglasses, hair cutting, nail painting. The president of the town allowed us to announce over the church loudspeaker that we welcome everyone to come take advantage of all we had to offer.  An answer to prayer, over 100 children came to VBS in the morning and several teams walked through the town to share the gospel door-to-door and invite the people to afternoon events, soccer game, and evening service.

 

    One of the continuing themes throughout today for all of us was the fact that all the parts of the body of Christ have different functions and gifts. Some are better at holding crying children all day. Others can handle the medical and dental fields that required a strong stomach, but can really comfort those suffering and sick. And some just have a passion and gift for relaying the message of Christ's love to people, whether it's door-to-door ministry or giving a testimony in front of a whole community. All in all, we have been blessed by the fact that every person on this trip has come to find their purpose on this trip. We were blessed to see many come to Christ in this village, and we were able to hand out several Portugeuse Bibles. Here are a couple of cool stories that were shared at our nightly share-time: Blake Barnes was planning to go to VBS today and on his way he met a man with whom he was able to share the story of Christ via a translator. Blake fully intended to play soccer and hang with the kids as his ministry for the day, but God had greater plans as he helped lead a Brazilian man "Mark" to Christ. In the words of Blake: "We now have another brother in Christ that we will one day see in Heaven and I think that deserves a round of applause."

     Many people also shared tonight that they have a hard time with the fact that in VBS there does not seem like a lot of time to share the message of Christ with others because you are busy loving the kids. But today I (Grace) shared this story with the group of my experience today in VBS to encourage them of the gateway VBS does provide to talk to others about Christ. Today, I saw some adults in our group using tracts to talk to some of the parents hanging around VBS about Christ, but one young mother was distracted by her one son clinging to her ankles and her young baby in her lap. I decided to try and distract the child around her ankles so she could focus better on the adults teaching them, and she ended up wanting me to hold the 1-month-old baby in her lap. I was shocked that she would trust me, this random American teenage girl, with her tiny baby. But it turned out as we began to talk, that she thought I had children because she started having children at my age. As we continued to talk, I was able to talk to her about her faith and the struggles in her life, as well as my family back home and faith. Who would have thought that all of this could start from me just trying play with her small kid? God has revealed how He is ever-present even in the small things. We are all very thankful for our experiences so far and are excited for the challenges and stories to come as we head to Cometa tomorrow.

 

Grace Martin and Hannah Pavey