Alison preparing to lead worship at the church service.
My friend Alison has an aunt and cousins that live out on the river. It's only a 4 hour boat ride, but he hasn't seen them for 5 years. He told me his uncle died two years ago from consuming rat poison. They weren't sure how he got rat poison. When Alison told the story I had a thousand questions I wanted to ask. He seemed satisfied with the rat poison explanation, so I decided to keep my questions to myself. Anyway, last week I was able to go with Alison and his dad, along with several others, to visit his aunt's village. Our reason for going was Augustino, Alison' s dad, wanted to go and tell his sister and her family about his newfound faith in Jesus.
I have grown to really appreciate Alison's family. They have all put their faith in Christ and have become very involved in our church. Augustino, runs a refrigeration business and he has helped me out several times when I'm in need of a shop. I use the word shop very loosely however, because it is surprisingly ill-equipped for a guy who builds industrial freezers and ice makers by hand.
For me, this was not just another trip. I was excited to experience this through my friendship with Alison. I began putting myself in Alison and Augustino's place. What would it be like to not have seen your sister for 5 years, and then try to explain to her what happened that changed your life? Would I be excited? Nervous? Would it be awkward?
Before we even got on shore we could see they were expecting us. They were busy butchering a cow and getting ready for a feast. I wasn't sure how much they knew about our visit, or if they knew Augustino was bringing his pastor and two missionaries along. I did find out that they were contacted ahead of time by phone. They are able to call family when they make occasional trips into Souzel, a larger town nearby.
Irregardless of the expectations, we were received well. Adamir, one of the Brazilian pastors with us, shared that he has passed this village many times and he now hopes to start making regular visits there. Two of Alison's cousins accepted Christ and they all seemed grateful for our visit. I look forward to seeing what will develop in the future.
At one point on our journey I was reminded of how the gospel spread in the book of Acts. Particularly how entire families came to believe in Christ. It must have been something like this. The boats are different, the body of water is different, the people are different. But the message is the same, and it is still being spread in the same way.
Before we even got on shore we could see they were expecting us. They were busy butchering a cow and getting ready for a feast. I wasn't sure how much they knew about our visit, or if they knew Augustino was bringing his pastor and two missionaries along. I did find out that they were contacted ahead of time by phone. They are able to call family when they make occasional trips into Souzel, a larger town nearby.
Irregardless of the expectations, we were received well. Adamir, one of the Brazilian pastors with us, shared that he has passed this village many times and he now hopes to start making regular visits there. Two of Alison's cousins accepted Christ and they all seemed grateful for our visit. I look forward to seeing what will develop in the future.
At one point on our journey I was reminded of how the gospel spread in the book of Acts. Particularly how entire families came to believe in Christ. It must have been something like this. The boats are different, the body of water is different, the people are different. But the message is the same, and it is still being spread in the same way.
-JTP
Augustino helps out with the butchering.
Alison's aunt.
One of Alison's 4 cousins (all boys).
(All pictures taken by Bud Simon)
Augustino helps out with the butchering.
Alison's aunt.
One of Alison's 4 cousins (all boys).
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