Sunday, July 27, 2008
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Back from the Amazon...
Dear Friends and Family,
Well, we made it! We have been to Brazil and back, and what an amazing trip it was! With all of our fears in place we set off, and with lots of prayers (and the help of Ellen’s pharmaceuticals) we had a great time! The Amazon is a breath-taking, beautiful, peaceful place. You forget just how awesome our God is sometimes while in the hustle and bustle of city life, and the Amazon is an excellent reminder. We are truly at a loss for words when trying to think how to say thank you for your support, both prayerfully and financially. We felt at peace the entire time, even without being able to see our little Noah for 10 days, and we know it was straight from God above.
We went to 5 villages—Terra Preta, Villas Amazone, Sao Beneditio, Amandio, and Itapreceau. At each of the 5 villages, roughly 150 patients were seen on a daily basis by a doctor who was with us and medications were prescribed and filled. Kirk was the pharmacy team leader and he did a great job with those drugs!!! Ellen tried it one day and it was really hard trying to find medications written in Portuguese!
We had Vacation Bible School for the kids each day in the morning and afternoon. The kids are so beautiful and full of life. It certainly made us see how selfish we are, always wanting more “stuff” and complaining when we don’t get it!
Our pastor who came from Manaus took a group each day and did evangelism throughout the town. Many people who had never heard the Gospel and had no idea how much God loved them accepted Christ on these visits. Pastor would also collect the names of the heads of families and after the evening service we would pass out family packs filled with clothes, shoes, toiletries, and toys.
The men played soccer with the teens and young adults each afternoon and donated soccer jerseys to each village’s team. The catch was that they had to come to the service that evening to get them! We had church services every night with each village, preached the Gospel and shared our testimonies. We did get to go to a couple of services at already established churches and they had their children prepare a dance for us. It was one of the most precious things we have ever seen!
Some of the ladies did women’s ministry during the day. In the morning we would paint nails and braid hair, and just get to know the ladies. In the afternoon they would come back and we had the chance to share the Gospel with them. Several ladies accepted Christ. It was very emotional.
One water well was planted on the trip in the town called Amandio. Most of the people the doctor saw had parasites because they drink the water straight from the river. Hopefully now with the well and clean drinking water they can be a little more parasite free!
In each village we had eyeglasses that were donated and fitted to the individual. It was great to see their faces light up when you found just the right pair, and you knew they could see for the first time in who knows how long!
After we left our last village we had a full day and a half of travel to get back to Manaus. The guys launched candy filled balloons to kids in huts along the river. It was really cool to see them go swimming or boating out to get the balloons. We bet they really enjoyed that candy!
We did have Portuguese Bibles to pass out along the way and we hope those that took one will read it daily and know the enormous love of our awesome God! We are still praying for the seeds planted there, and hope they will grow into strong oaks of righteousness!
There are so many stories not included in this letter, but we hope this will help give you some idea of what you helped us do in just a few quick days. We went out of obedience to our Lord, and we are forever changed, as we knew we would be!
Our deepest thanks,
Kirk and Ellen Smith
Well, we made it! We have been to Brazil and back, and what an amazing trip it was! With all of our fears in place we set off, and with lots of prayers (and the help of Ellen’s pharmaceuticals) we had a great time! The Amazon is a breath-taking, beautiful, peaceful place. You forget just how awesome our God is sometimes while in the hustle and bustle of city life, and the Amazon is an excellent reminder. We are truly at a loss for words when trying to think how to say thank you for your support, both prayerfully and financially. We felt at peace the entire time, even without being able to see our little Noah for 10 days, and we know it was straight from God above.
We went to 5 villages—Terra Preta, Villas Amazone, Sao Beneditio, Amandio, and Itapreceau. At each of the 5 villages, roughly 150 patients were seen on a daily basis by a doctor who was with us and medications were prescribed and filled. Kirk was the pharmacy team leader and he did a great job with those drugs!!! Ellen tried it one day and it was really hard trying to find medications written in Portuguese!
We had Vacation Bible School for the kids each day in the morning and afternoon. The kids are so beautiful and full of life. It certainly made us see how selfish we are, always wanting more “stuff” and complaining when we don’t get it!
Our pastor who came from Manaus took a group each day and did evangelism throughout the town. Many people who had never heard the Gospel and had no idea how much God loved them accepted Christ on these visits. Pastor would also collect the names of the heads of families and after the evening service we would pass out family packs filled with clothes, shoes, toiletries, and toys.
The men played soccer with the teens and young adults each afternoon and donated soccer jerseys to each village’s team. The catch was that they had to come to the service that evening to get them! We had church services every night with each village, preached the Gospel and shared our testimonies. We did get to go to a couple of services at already established churches and they had their children prepare a dance for us. It was one of the most precious things we have ever seen!
Some of the ladies did women’s ministry during the day. In the morning we would paint nails and braid hair, and just get to know the ladies. In the afternoon they would come back and we had the chance to share the Gospel with them. Several ladies accepted Christ. It was very emotional.
One water well was planted on the trip in the town called Amandio. Most of the people the doctor saw had parasites because they drink the water straight from the river. Hopefully now with the well and clean drinking water they can be a little more parasite free!
In each village we had eyeglasses that were donated and fitted to the individual. It was great to see their faces light up when you found just the right pair, and you knew they could see for the first time in who knows how long!
After we left our last village we had a full day and a half of travel to get back to Manaus. The guys launched candy filled balloons to kids in huts along the river. It was really cool to see them go swimming or boating out to get the balloons. We bet they really enjoyed that candy!
We did have Portuguese Bibles to pass out along the way and we hope those that took one will read it daily and know the enormous love of our awesome God! We are still praying for the seeds planted there, and hope they will grow into strong oaks of righteousness!
There are so many stories not included in this letter, but we hope this will help give you some idea of what you helped us do in just a few quick days. We went out of obedience to our Lord, and we are forever changed, as we knew we would be!
Our deepest thanks,
Kirk and Ellen Smith
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