Iriri Travelogue

I just spent 5 days on a trip to a very remote region where the work is growing. To get to these remote communities, we travel about 8 hours by car and then usually visit several communities on the Iriri River. This time we drove to a different location on the Iriri and visited 3 different communities on the river. I had several impressions and experiences on the trip, but writing a lot, I'll try and just comment on some of the photos:

Once we arrived by truck, we traveled exclusivly by boat. Here, a dugout canoe with an outboard motor transports part of our team (consisting of myself and 4 other Brazilians).

We carries film equipment with us, showing the Jesus Film in each of the 3 locations. Around 7 people responded to a call to follow Christ, adding to the several others who have also shown an initial faith and a desire to serve the Lord. The distance from Altamira will make it difficult to see these people discipled. We are hoping to send a brazilian missionary couple to this area to live and work with the new believers.

Illiteracy is a common. Pastor Clenildo (from the main church in Altamira), is showing a local man how to use a device which speaks the New Testament in Portuguese. Individual verses and books can be selected. It's batteries can be recharged using a handcrank or a built in solar panel.

A young boy reads a gospel tract to two illiterate men. They are laughing because he confuses the word "sinner" with the word "fisherman" when reading that "everyone is a sinner" he read "everyone is a fisherman" (the Portuguese word for sinner "pecador" is similar to fisherman "pescador").

Our group stopped by an elderly woman's house, who was blind and nearly deaf, to pray for her.

Commercial fishing is one of the main sources of income in this area. Here, a man who makes weekly visits in his truck to deliver fish to the market in Altamira, wieghs some Peacock Bass.

One of the other main sources of income is the collection of tropical fish from the river. Here an air compressor sits on the bank and is used to supply breathing air via the hose to divers who collect fish.

Enjoying a moment alone along the river.

With the river still rising due to the onset of the rainy season, the fishing was not great. But I did secure this catch one day. We mostly ate Piranha (on the left) which seem to bite in any season.