This being our fourth Christmas in Altamira we have discovered that we have taken on some new traditions that are surprisingly endearing. We make our own Christmas tree and other decorations out of jungle foliage, like açai branches and coconut frawns. We also make homemade donuts on Christmas morning. But other than those things our Christmases have been widely diverse. We recall last years Christmas with the midnight dinner at our neighbors house and Josh just recovering from dengue fever. And Christmas the year before that at the ocean. But this Christmas beats all.
On Christmas Eve day we met up at the Guesthouse and worked with Chelsea and Julia, Patty and the Bergquist family to make the most American meal we possibly could with only ingredients found here. Rice and beans were banned and Brazilian polka music should have been. We ate, played, prayed, sisters bickered, and kids disappeared as soon as dishes needed to be washed. So a pretty authentic family Christmas, I think. Our hearts and tummies were full and we went to bed blessed.
Ava, who has earned the name "Sunshine" because of her early-riser tendencies (and also her hair) was given instruction to not wake us until after 7am. Presents would begin whenever Chelsea and Julia arrived at our house, I informed the kids, so if they got antsy I could blame the delay on Chelsea.
The afternoon progressed with activities at the beach. So many of you had a white Christmas, and while I know you all were so happy with it, I could care less. I got to spend it under the sun in a swimsuit! Some time ago, Josh encountered a lady here in Altamira who owns a kneeboard. A real, fiberglass kneeboard, not one made out of moldy Styrofoam like I envisioned. We rented it from her for the day and stopped by Agostinho's house, filled up our car with friends and off we went for a day of boating. Josh became his Uncle Paul (the Ski Whisperer) for the afternoon and we laughed and cheered wildly for our friends kneeboarding for the first time. The only break we took was to marvel at what our friend Jhonatan brought to shore. At one point Kelsie looked upriver and saw a strange object floating towards us. It is just a log bobbing in the waves, I informed the jungle-savy girl whose home is right at the rivers edge. Well, it wasn't. And Jhonatan knew it too and took the kneeboard out to rescue a half-drowned sloth! Or at least that is what I assumed, later I was informed that he was probably just fine and didn't need rescuing.
Holidays are the hardest time for expats to be away from home. Skype certainly has diminished some of the sting as I was able to watch my little niece Ziann show me her new lip gloss. For Josh and I, it was especially meaningful to spend our Christmas with Xingu Mission friends that have become family of a different sort.
the only one who was forced to ride on the kneeboard
3 Brazilians and a gringo on top
Allison was eager (and nervous) to conquer the kneeboard, but got confident really fast!
Ella decorated Chelsea's gift using old guitar strings
Remembering Josh's accident from last April, Ella painted this on canvas.
One of our goals for our last couple of months in Altamira has been to spend some quality time with some of our close friends. Clyde and Kelsie's family has been close to us, especially over the past year as we have both been pursuing God's plan for our lives together. I have been on two significant survey trips with Clyde, and he was part of the group that was looking at starting a new base in a remote area of Amazonas. More recently, we have each seen God lead our families in different directions. Our excitement for each others new vision is tempered only by the realization that we will not be working together.
Last week a team of 4 guys from Clyde and Kelsie's hometown of Grant's Pass, OR came to visit them and see their new ministry. Ella and I were able to tag along on a farewell tour of Maribel, the region where they are now living and ministering. Maribel has always been our most remote work, the distance making frequent trips difficult. With Clyde and Kelsie having lived there now for only a few months, I could already tell a growth in some of the potential leaders of that region. For more on the region you can watch this video that I made on a past trip:
We had a great time traveling downriver in two canoes and visiting the people with whom Clyde and Kelsie are ministering. One lady greeted us with a huge smile, asking Clyde if he had gotten her message. Clyde hadn't got it, but after some explanation, he remembered that he had prayed for her when he saw her in the Malaria clinic a few weeks before. The woman was ecstatic to report that she had been healed! We didn't have time to stay long at her house, but she begged for Clyde to come back and have a church service.
It was a bittersweet time for me, realizing I would probably never return, but recognizing that God was already using Clyde and Kelsie to touch peoples lives with the love of our Father.
Allison and Ella
A typical village on the Iriri River, a few houses made up of members of the same family .
Some of the local women cleaning fish, the Iriri always provides us with plenty of fish and other wildlife.
Ella enjoys the shade of an umbrella with Makenna and Maddy, two of Clyde and Kelsie's four kids.
Clyde shares during a communion service in one of the homes we visit.
Ella and Makenna in the bow of the boat as we approach shore.
We traveled several hours each day in the small canoes, but the view made the uncomfortable benches and hot sun well worth it.
At Brin's suggestion, Ella and I took an overnight trip to our local waterfall. We've gone several times to the waterfall that requires an 1 ½ hour hike, but never have we stayed overnight. After reading a book about jungle expeditions, Ella has entertained wild thoughts of an excursion full of adventure and discovery. Even though we have often found ourselves "camping" in a jungle setting on trips to the interior (is hanging a hammock in a mango tree considered camping?), Ella was convinced that if we were to set off into the jungle and stay the night, nothing but adventure would await us. We invited along Allison and Dillon (a short termer from OH), since they had recently stayed overnight at the waterfall, and off we went.
When we first left the States to come to Brazil we were keenly aware that our decision to leave our home would adversely affect our children in ways we could only imagine. Some of those thoughts have recently resurfaced as we prepare to again wretch our family away from everything that is familiar. But in the midst of these thoughts, we are reassured that with the negatives of being away from family and friends back home, we are able to give our kids experiences that will build in them a sense of adventure, of appreciation for other cultures and what God is doing in the world at large. Another advantage is jungle adventures. What most kids can only read about, our kids are able to experience first had.
I'm not sure how our foray into the jungle stacked up to Ella's expectations of adventure, but we had a great time. Raman noodles and hot dog chunks never tasted so good. Although we saw no jaguars or anacondas, we did enjoy some stories around the campfire, explored the creek that feeds the waterfall, and played in the waterfall. All of which made me feel a little bit better about the changes Ella will be facing ahead.
Stopping for a rest along the jungle path.
Ella refills our water bottles from the water filter.
