Hi everyone! Wow….it’s been a looong time! Last August was my last post! Well, sorry, but this time it’s about another trip! This trip was also a week long trip, and we went by car, but our whole family went this time! We didn’t take an American team, just Brazilians and some other missionaries. It was the best! We went to a community that was in the interior too, but we didn’t take a balsa. Joaquim (over all the church construction in the river and interior communities) said it was only like a 2 hour drive…..well, turned out to be a 4 hour drive instead 😀 The plan was to meet Monday at  Scott and Aldine’s (she was our cook) at 7 to pray and have a little something to eat, then leave. We ended up leaving at like 10, then we stopped at a Pastor’s house to pick up his wife, because they are the pastors of the region this community is in, and they had orange trees so the men picked a ton of oranges to take 🙂 We were there for about 20 minutes, and then after we got on the dirt road, (we took a main road out of town, so we turned off the main road onto the dirt road)  when we were almost to the community, we had problems. There were some REALLY steep hills, and all the cars were really packed, so made it heavier too. The first one we got stuck was a hill going down, then a bridge and then a steep hill going up. Verena, the head of the health team, was driving one of the Kombis, (we took our Doblo, two Kombis and the Toyota (misson’s truck) ) and she tried it after Joaquim. (he was driving the Toyota) She didn’t make it after the bridge, tried again, didn’t make it again, so then everyone out of  that Kombi and started walking up the hill. Then Joaquim and Dad started coaching her how to go up, and she got it then!!! 😀 then it was Mom’s turn (she was driving our car) but Dad did it and made it with a little pushing from Joaquim 🙂 Then the Kombi that Dad was driving. Pretty sure it made it the first time too 🙂 After that there was one more, where Mom got stuck. She went after Joaquim, and there is big ruts sometimes, not really ruts, just big holes where the water runs when it pours. She went up, the wheels were turning, started going back down (oh, and all us girls were with her, along with Aldine, Elizabeth and Jayane, Joaquim’s daughter) and then she fell in the rut. Sierra screamed, Joaquim came and asked her if she wanted help, and we all got out. Joaquim got it out, with some help and pushing (cause back left end was literally sitting on the ground) and went on up. Then we continued 🙂

We unpacked when we got there, the men started working while Aldine got lunch, and the dentists set up their things, so it was all ready the next day. (Because it was already 3 o’clock, by the time we ate lunch and they got started, it would be too late to start) We ate, and then we sat around and waited for the men. After they were finished, about 5/5:30 we went to the igarapé (a creek) to shower. We could have showered at the people’s house we were staying at, but there was almost 30 people, and they didn’t have running water. They haul it every day from the community well by motorcycle. We hauled it like twice a day, to wash dishes and the men needed water to make the cement too. So basically, that would have been a LOT of water to haul. 🙂 Tuesday I helped Abigail (Scott and Aldine’s daughter) with the forms for the nurses. That’s mostly what I did in the morning, and in the afternoon, pretty much the same. 🙂 Basically I do whatever anybody asks me to do. That night, the dentists and Aldine and Elizabeth went to the igarapé early (all women) to shower, cause the men were only going to finish at like 6 o’clock. Us girls were going to go with them, but Dad was working and Mom had gone to evangelize, so we waited. When Mom got back, we went to someone’s house that had a shower with the rest of the women. when we got back, everyone was eating and sitting around. Next day we practiced for the kids thing in the morning and in the afternoon we had a kids service. That night we went to another couple’s house that had a shower too, and took our showers there, with all the women. (besides Aldine) That night we had a service and made bracelets with the kids. Thursday  the health team packed up and went to a sister community of that church to attend there, the name being Piranha, after the fish :). Most of the morning I played with the family’s little girl we stayed with (pictured in the second to last picture). We had lunch and that afternoon I took a shower for the first time at their house and then hung out at the church and peeled and ate oranges with Mariah and Elizabeth. 😀 That night we had another service, in Piranha. It was fun and we did another service with the kids there. We colored and played games and hung out 🙂 On the way back, me, Mariah, Luke (who had fallen asleep on Elizabeth’s lap during the kids’ service), Márcio and Alan (dad’s disciple) all sat in the back of the Kombi. And we all fell asleep except for Mariah 🙂 Got back and went to bed!!

Friday the health team left again to go to Piranha again. Me, Dad, Mariah, Sierra, Elizabeth, Alan and Jayane left at 11:00 because Alan had borrowed his aunt’s suitcase and told her he would have it back a certain time on Friday, because she was going to travel. Mom was going to go with us, but then there wouldn’t have been anybody to drive our car, and we couldn’t take two cars because there was too many people. So then she stayed and Luke really didn’t want to go so he stayed too 🙂 We got back around 1:30, dropped Elizabeth off, then Alan and Jayane came to our house because her parents were only going to come back later. She was worried her mom might get mad because her mom is a nurse and was in Piranha and she (Jayane) had come back with us and her mom didn’t even know! Their plan was to leave at like 4, ended up leaving around 5 though 🙂 Got back at almost 9. Joaquim had told Mom that after he got done unloading all the stuff he might come pick her up, but ended up not. We had dance practice the next day, so she just stayed until then. I felt bad because she told me when we got home that she didn’t want to spend the night, and I understood, because if I had been gone for a week I would have wanted to sleep in my own bed 🙂

And that pretty much sums it up! 😀  See pictures below 🙂

 

Jaelah

 

On the way there 🙂

See the pile of sand int the background, wayy back there? Behind that is the church. Wait until you see the rest of the pictures and then you’ll understand 🙂

After we got there, stretching and walking around 😀

When he took this picture, Dad was standing where the church will be/is

Unloading the roof tiles from the truck

 

Taking the rock off the truck

Taking the wood off the truck.

 

In the jungle, cutting wood for the church
Luke on the tree :O

First picture: Alan carrying cement to the bricklayers.

 

Second picture: Alex, Márcio, Mailson, Luke and Alan

Behind the church.

The wall is going up! 🙂

 

Taken in the front of the church.

Making progress!!! 😀

 

Mom took this picture before they left, so this is the final look of the church. From the first picture to this 🙂

 

Devotion time in the morning

Breakfast line

The Pastora and Elizabeth helping make lunch!

 

Sierra and her friend, Vitoria

 

 

Waiting to start attending 🙂

 

One of the first to  be attended 🙂

The line of patients

 

Getting ready to start on a new patient 🙂

 

 

This is the house we stayed in while we were there. So people also stayed in the church and where the dentists attended. (see first picture to see the old church, where people slept)

Kids program 🙂

Some of the kids

This is Mom with the family we stayed with. They were the sweetest people! The lady is really happy, she just doesn’t smile because she’s missing her 3 front teeth. But she’s always happy and laughing and smiling 🙂

 

Group shot 🙂 Before they left. But missing some people

 

Until next time! Sorry for the long one again 🙂