The girls have been complaining that they haven't been able to go on a boat trip since we've been back from furlough. So finally, this past weekend, we went on a boat trip as a family. Joined by about 10 Brazilians from our church, as well as Chelsea and Patty (2 new missionaries) and Kate, a short-termer.
We returned to Marituba, a community which I had visited last year where my friend Alison's aunt lives. On that visit, a couple of his cousins had expressed a desire to follow Christ. Spending a little bit more time on this visit, we were able to meet with his cousins and a few friends and begin going through a discipleship booklet for new believers.
Discipleship group with guys from the village.
The group of Brazilians we took included some of the young guys I've been working with on youth group events. I am continually impressed by their desire to be involved in the work here. One young man, Souza, and his wife have even expressed an interest in moving to a remote community and living there as missionaries. It's exciting to think about how God is going to use them in the future, and to realize that I may be able to play a small role in encouraging their development as leaders.
One adventure that we experienced showed me once again the dangers we face here, and how fortunate we are to have so many of you praying for our family. The community we visited sits on the west side of the river at a location where the river is wide (8 miles). The good news of this particular sight is the constant breeze blowing across the river keeps the mosquitoes away, the bad news is often storms approach quickly and the waves can be quite treacherous. To make matters worse, the beach has many hidden rocks scattered about just under the waters surface. In this situation, we usually anchor the boat off-shore and take a canoe to shore (I really wish we had a dinghy, I'm not sure what a dinghy is but if an situation called for a dinghy, this would be it). It had gotten late the night we were having a home group meeting, so Brin returned to the boat so the kids could sleep. They were fast asleep when a storm suddenly blew up from across the river. With no warning, the captain was unable to start the motor and move the boat out further from shore before the wind blew the boat and dislodged the anchor. By that time our church service was over and the rest of the group was heading to the boat, the same wind made it hard for us to even reach the boat. When it appeared that we had reached the boat, I realized it wasn't because we had made it any further from shore, it was because the boat had blown up on shore. All of this happened very quickly; amid complete darkness and a lot of yelling. We were able to get all the ladies on the boat while the rest of us tried to dislodge the boat from the sand. Fortunately the boat did not hit any large rocks, but it was stuck fast. The danger is that wind and waves heave the boat onto shore (it gets turned parallel with the shore), and if the waves are big enough they can actually flood the boat and sink it. This happened years ago to this boat and while no one was hurt, it did cost a lot to get the boat seaworthy again. Finally, using another boat, we were able to pull the stern free from the sand, and back the boat away from the shore.
At one point I told Brin to be prepared to get the kids off the boat if the boat began listing. She pulled Ella from a deep sleep in her hammock, gave her a life jacket and waterproof flashlight and told her that if she finds herself in water, not to worry because she can probably touch, but if not, just use the flashlight to look for the shore. Normally a worrier and compulsively safety conscience, Ella should have been freaking out. However, 3 minutes after Brin left her she found her back in her hammock sleeping.
Augustino, from our church in Altamira, and his sister
whose house we used to hold the church service.
We returned to Marituba, a community which I had visited last year where my friend Alison's aunt lives. On that visit, a couple of his cousins had expressed a desire to follow Christ. Spending a little bit more time on this visit, we were able to meet with his cousins and a few friends and begin going through a discipleship booklet for new believers.
Discipleship group with guys from the village.The group of Brazilians we took included some of the young guys I've been working with on youth group events. I am continually impressed by their desire to be involved in the work here. One young man, Souza, and his wife have even expressed an interest in moving to a remote community and living there as missionaries. It's exciting to think about how God is going to use them in the future, and to realize that I may be able to play a small role in encouraging their development as leaders.
One adventure that we experienced showed me once again the dangers we face here, and how fortunate we are to have so many of you praying for our family. The community we visited sits on the west side of the river at a location where the river is wide (8 miles). The good news of this particular sight is the constant breeze blowing across the river keeps the mosquitoes away, the bad news is often storms approach quickly and the waves can be quite treacherous. To make matters worse, the beach has many hidden rocks scattered about just under the waters surface. In this situation, we usually anchor the boat off-shore and take a canoe to shore (I really wish we had a dinghy, I'm not sure what a dinghy is but if an situation called for a dinghy, this would be it). It had gotten late the night we were having a home group meeting, so Brin returned to the boat so the kids could sleep. They were fast asleep when a storm suddenly blew up from across the river. With no warning, the captain was unable to start the motor and move the boat out further from shore before the wind blew the boat and dislodged the anchor. By that time our church service was over and the rest of the group was heading to the boat, the same wind made it hard for us to even reach the boat. When it appeared that we had reached the boat, I realized it wasn't because we had made it any further from shore, it was because the boat had blown up on shore. All of this happened very quickly; amid complete darkness and a lot of yelling. We were able to get all the ladies on the boat while the rest of us tried to dislodge the boat from the sand. Fortunately the boat did not hit any large rocks, but it was stuck fast. The danger is that wind and waves heave the boat onto shore (it gets turned parallel with the shore), and if the waves are big enough they can actually flood the boat and sink it. This happened years ago to this boat and while no one was hurt, it did cost a lot to get the boat seaworthy again. Finally, using another boat, we were able to pull the stern free from the sand, and back the boat away from the shore.
At one point I told Brin to be prepared to get the kids off the boat if the boat began listing. She pulled Ella from a deep sleep in her hammock, gave her a life jacket and waterproof flashlight and told her that if she finds herself in water, not to worry because she can probably touch, but if not, just use the flashlight to look for the shore. Normally a worrier and compulsively safety conscience, Ella should have been freaking out. However, 3 minutes after Brin left her she found her back in her hammock sleeping.
Augustino, from our church in Altamira, and his sisterwhose house we used to hold the church service.
Brin holding a boa constrictor that the villagers had recently caught.
Beto sharing during the meeting.
Ava showing off her canoeing skills.
Beto sharing during the meeting.
Ava showing off her canoeing skills.
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