A Long Journey

[Typical river village, we passed hundreds on the way]

After almost 8 days in a boat, I’m back. Brin and the girls seemed to do well in my absence. There were 9 of us on the boat, 5 Americans and 4 Brazilians. The slow, (between 6-8 mph) monotonous journey allowed plenty of time for talking and reflection. I wonder how N. American life would be different if it took 10 hours to go 60 miles. It certainly helps to explain the importance of relationships in this culture.

Overall, we’ve concluded that the trip was a good first step. Our goal is to have a new base location selected by the end of the year, so that leaves plenty of time. Of the two towns, Portel was the most livable. A clean town situated on a peninsula at the headwaters of three clean rivers (in contrast to the dirty Amazon at Breves). After spending a half day in Portel, talking to pastors, towns people, and boat captains, we decided we needed to get a better look at the rivers. We found several well established churches in the town of about 25,000, but our mission specifically targets the hidden villages and communities which have no church, so we really wanted to find out how evangelized the rivers were.

[In Portel a few of us rented scooters to see the city]

We traveled up the Anapu River for about 5 hours, we stopped at a random house and asked if we could dock there for the night. We talked with the family, a Catholic family who were very kind and eager to help. The family had no food, so we gave them what we could for dinner and invited them to eat breakfast with us in the morning. Through our conversations with them, it seemed that stretch of the Anapu had several healthy churches, both Catholic and Evangelical. But we also found that you could travel another 36 hours up river, and they didn’t know as much about this more remote region. We left the next day for home, traveling 30 hours at one point without stopping.

[The family we met on the Anapu]

Our conclusion is that we need to plan another trip upriver to get a better feel for the villages there. There are also 2 other cities, in totally different regions of the state, we are planning on visiting on other trips. Please pray for the vision of the Xingu Mission, as we continue to look towards God for guidance.

Here are a few interesting things I saw on the trip:

[This truck’s body was entirely made of wood]

[One of the Brazilians with us caught a nice Peacock Bass]

[Several times we would see people paddle out from the shore in a canoe to try and catch a ride on a big boat. They would grab onto a rope or tire that is hanging from the boat, if they missed they would just wait for the next boat. This is a common way for people to get up and down the river quickly. In this picture, the guy caught the rope, but his girl missed, he eventually paddled back to her]

exercising faith

[Mia drinking from a coconut]

I am starting to get nervous or antsy or just confused, I guess. Trying to “keep the faith” but also realizing that the only way I will flourish here is by using faith. Faith that God will provide a working vehicle so I won’t be stuck at home or at the mercy of others for rides. Faith that, despite the erratic hours I put into home schooling, Ella will learn. Faith that I will walk humbly and generously, even as I have been pushed into an upperclass society just by being American and having the money to pay for a plane ticket to get here. But what I think it comes down to is that I am having feelings of nervousness as I slowly inch my way to the frontlines of people lives, wondering what role God will use me in as I cling to faith in Him. I am figuring out that I won’t have to look far to find ways to keep my faith in God lively, relevant and desperate. I worked with a young woman the whole day yesterday, only to find out later by someone else that her father is abusive and just the night before stole all her family’s money. She never mentioned any struggles nor seemed at all sad, and even if she would have tried to communicate a problem to me I doubt I would have comprehended it. But I am just plain sad for her now. I missed her pain. What good am I? Don’t bother sending care packages because I really don’t deserve them. When I looked into her eyes a day later, I had to look away or I would cry. Don’t try to tell me that I need to have faith that God can work through me. I know that. I just am experiencing some anticipatory aches that I will surely encounter as I get close to the ugly side of people’s lives. Am I ready for the ugliness?

Speaking of ugly, Mia has two different skin problems at the moment, neither very bothersome, just gross. One is a harmless chemical “burn” on her hands and arms. I have it too and I am told it is likely from lemons (I didn’t believe that at first). She also has budding case of impetigo, along with both her siblings. Josh is coming home in hopefully 3 days or so and I really want to have my children tidied up and myself looking at least as attractive as I can living in a jungle. Really I am certain Josh will be glad to be home and tell me about his river adventures, he had an obvious joy in being able to join the other guys in looking for people who have not met Jesus. This is what being here comes down to and Josh was as happy as I have ever seen him.

A Survey Trip

Tomorrow I (Josh) will be leaving on my first big trip. I’m going with 3 of the other missionaries on a survey trip. We will be visiting two cities, Breves (bre-vease) and Portel, and scouting them out as a possible future base for the Xingu Mission. They are about halfway between Altamira and Belem, a large city on the coast, just south of the mouth of the Amazon. Between here and Belem are hundreds of small dots on the map. Each dot representing a small town, and for every dot there are probably 20 other small villages that are not on any map.

The mission leadership has a vision to evangelize the area from here to Belem. If you look on a good map of the region, rivers look like arteries, running every which direction. And on each river there are countless people living without the knowledge of Christ. They’ve identified these two cities as possibly good locations for a base, to then be able to reach beyond to the hundreds, if not thousands of small communities along the rivers. We will be evaluating the cities with a number of criteria to determine if they are a good fit. Some of the things we will be looking for.

Ø A good banking system. Some remote towns have no good way to access money.

Ø Internet. Almost a necessity to stay connected to the rest of the mission and to the many supporters and churches back home.

Ø Modern grocery stores. We’re not looking for Kroger’s here. But do they have decent-sized stores with a reasonable supply of goods?

Ø Healthy churches. If there are already churches that are reaching this area, we will look somewhere else.

It’s exciting to be a part of such a trip. Who knows how God will use this to lead the mission, and maybe even down the road, our family. We’ll be taking a mission boat, it’s about a 32-hour boat ride and we’ll be gone about 10 days. Please pray that God reveals His plan to us on this trip. Pray for Brin as she stays back with the kids. I look forward to sharing more when I return.

Chasing Waterfalls

One of the things Brin and I had been wanting to do since we got here was visit a waterfall and cave that we had heard about. The journey is just difficult enough (a 45 min. motorbike ride and 30 min. jungle hike) to keep the crowds away. We were guided by three Brazilians, Beto (my language tutor), and two of his friends - Alisao and another name I can't pronounce, let alone spell.

It was great to be able to experience more of the jungle, relax in the cool water and explore the cave. But more than that, it was a great opportunity to get to know the guys we went with. Alisao plays electric guitar in our church's worship band (looking every bit the part with his Bono-esque glasses). Beto, my language helper, has ambitions of studying to be a tour guide (I didn't know that was a college degree...), so this excursion was just up his alley. In working with Beto and getting to know him, I have seen his heart for the Lord. He is helping with a new church plant in Altamira. The church meets in the garage of the pastor's home. The crowd has long since overgrown the meager facility, spilling out into the street. They have purchased land and are just starting construction on the new building. When I asked Beto when it would be done he just laughed. It seems starting the project is victory enough. Work will progress slowly, and only as funds come in. The other guy that came with us is a young man from Beto's church, whom he is discipling.

We are slowly learning more and more about Brazil, the culture and the work here. We are looking forward to the day when we feel more a part of things here. For now, we are content with mostly observing from the outside, getting glimpses of where God may use us in the future.

Josh is 33

Josh celebrated his birthday yesterday. Complete with the Brazilian tradition of breaking eggs on his head and dousing him with flour. The Brazilians found it funny that he just sat there and took the abuse, normally the birthday person will run to avoid his friends armed with flour and eggs in comical pursuit. Of course Josh didn't know what he was supposed to do, so instead he just goodnaturedly endured the abuse and later taught his aggressors some English slang, "Watch your back!" ~bzp

Brazil Top Ten List: You might be in Brazil if...

Note: this list is in no way meant to be disrespectful. If a Brazilian went to the U.S. they could come up with an equally rediculous list. Laughing has helped us deal with all of the changes we've experienced, we hope this can help you laugh with us.

10. You know you’re home when you turn down your road and smell that familiar aroma of a rotting cow carcass that your neighbor disposed of in the ditch.
9. As you lay in bed at night, sweat being kept at bay with a fan, it sounds like someone is cycling your fan from low to medium to high – until you realize it is just the voltage changing randomly on it’s own.
8. Three words: pregnant bare midriff.
7. Brazil’s answer for the pickup truck: the bicycle. We have seen bicycle riders carrying things such as plate glass windows, sheet cakes, lumber, other bikes and infants.
6. Do you need to take your dog to the vet? Call the dog taxi. I guess even bikes have their limits, so if you need to transport your pet call the dog taxi - a motorcycle pulling a small cage on wheels.
5. You hear it coming down the street. What is it? A locomotive? A runaway concert stage? Oh, it’s just a truck blasting it’s speakers, stacked 10 ft. high, advertising some local store.
4. You lose all concept of monetary value after paying $4.50 to eat as much meat as you can cram down your gullet (at the local charrascuria) and then turn around and pay $600 for a washing machine that would be an entry-level model, at best, back home.
3. While driving a motorbike, danger comes not only around the next corner, but from the sky! You must be constantly aware of boys flying kites, that at times could lose enough altitude for the string to be neck-level (a “string burn” would be bad enough, but rumor has it they embed glass in the string to cut down their adversary’s kite string, in a sort of aerial sword fight).
2. When inquiring about car insurance you discover that, while you can get auto insurance here, it doesn’t actually “work” (on further investigation, it is clarified that the paying in works just fine, it’s the paying out that doesn’t work).
1. If something drops into the trashcan next to the toilet, right it off. I don’t care how valuable it is, or where you had to buy it. It’s not worth it. (If you’re confused, ask someone who’s been to Brazil).
-JTP

Learning to Wash

Here is my new washing machine. Isn't it pretty? I didn't think to include a picture of my dryer, surely you know what a clothes line looks like.
My language session turned into a lesson on how to use my new washing machine. Here is my language helper Denise (din-easy) and I pouring over the instuctional manual. Even Denise learned some new Portuguese words. Words for "postpone", as in if I would want to postpone the centrifuge in the event I cannot get the clothes on the line right away.
-BZP

An Altamira New Year

Like most New Years Eve’s of our marriage, Josh and I spent this one separate from each other (Josh usually found himself with a bunch of teenagers at a lock-in on New Years Eve). Josh stayed home with the girls while I went to party for all the area Vineyard church’s. Josh, however, was able to bring in the New Year with Mia. She was awakened by the fireworks outside her window at midnight so they took a little stroll outside to watch them.

There were about 450 people at the church where they had worship band playing for people singing, clapping and dancing. They prayed in the New Year. Praying for the local pastors, broken families, church workers and the whole community of Altamira. It was a great place to be at the beginning of a new year. Happy New Years to all of you back home!
-BZJ