Tremendous Start!

We have had a tremendous start with our trip.  We began in Manaus. We have been graciously taken care of by our brothers and sisters of the Presbyterian Church of Manaus.  We were greeted at the airport by Pastor Rogerio and Pastor Eustaquio.  What a joy to see them again.  Just as a reminder, Pastor Rogerio is the local pastor of the Agata Church and Pastor Eustaquio is the regional Pastor and works with Pastor Rogerio.

Friday was filled with meetings with not only Pastor Rogerio and Eustaquio, but also with Pastor Francis who is the man who works directly under the senior
Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Manaus.  It was a time of great rejoicing at all the Lord has done these past 20 months with the provision of over $31,000 for the three projects at the Agata Church.  It was also a great time of listening to the hearts of these wonderful men of God.  We also got to visit with Pastor Mario and his wife briefly - they are missionaries who have a work on the Amazon.  We hope to spend more time with them when we return on Friday.  We also were able to hug the necks of the wonderful women who work in the office and help with the Hospital Boat ministry.

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit the Mission Training Center operated by the Presbyterian Church of Manaus and visited with some of the students.  These student are eager to learn. When the 2 year training is over, they will go go to different places along the Amazon, South American and Africa.

During our time at the training center, one of the students took us a short distance away to meet a fellow student, Andre.  Andre came to know Jesus less than a year ago and God has done a powerful transformation in his life.  He is a part of an indigenous tribe, Satere-Maue, who live deep in the Amazon.  This tribe has the NT translated in their language Tupana.  It is Andre's desire to both minister to his tribe and also set up a local training center where indigenous people can go and learn Portuguese and receive training. The goal is to be equipped to further minister to their own people.  It was a joy to spend time listening to Andre's heart.

After the time with Andre, we headed to Manacapuru.  After we settled in at our hotel (a different one than in 2014) which is located just outside of town.  It is along the Solimões River, which is great because mosquitoes do not like the Solimões   It is quiet except for boats going up and down the river and there is nothing quiet in the Amazon at night.  The owner of the place is a believer and has a wonderful spirit.  After dinner at the hotel, we headed to Agata for Saturday night service.  It was awesome to hug all the necks we haven't seen since May 2014!


Sunday morning we had Sunday School at 10 am with men and women divided.  Leoni took the lead with the teaching and I added some at the end.  I will get my chance on Tuesday night for the Women's Bible Study to teach.  After Sunday School we headed to Pastor Rogerio's parents house for lunch.  They had a special treat for us.  They cooked a giant turtle.  They took out the "meat" portions and cooked that inside the house and then in the shell they cooked
some of the "guts" along with other stuff. The meat was pretty good, very fibrous in texture.  I did not try the portion that was cooked in the shell.  Pastor Jose and Leoni enjoyed it!  After a long relaxing lunch we headed back to the hotel for a rest.

Sunday evening Pastor Jose preached and did a great job!  He is truly in his element behind the pulpit!  After service we went to an open air restaurant with Pastor Rogerio, his wife, son and Pastor Eustaquio.  Brazilian's love their pizza!



Today, Monday, we are traveling to visit some schools and neighborhoods. I will keep you up dated as to what else happens today.  The internet is pretty slow, so I may not be able to post as many pictures as I would like.  Everyday is an adventure and we are going with the flow.  The heat and humidity is pretty intense - AND ITS WINTER!  Glory!

I am getting more bold each day to step out and speak Portuguese.  Bless their hearts they are so patient and kind.  It rains usually at least once a day and like right now, we are taking a break, getting out of the heat and resting.

Until next time.................