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From: Jim Durham
<jrd1942@juno.com>
Subject: NOV. MISSION TRIP TO THE AMAZON
To: jrd1942@juno.com
Date: Tuesday, December 16,
2008, 7:55 AM
Hello Ron and Barbara, it
has been awhile since we have
communicated. Below
is my report on my last Amazon mission trip in November. I’m a little late in
getting it out. Hope
you are doing well. I
will try to write more later.
This trip was my sixth
mission to the Amazon. Every one has been a great
trip. Each is
unique and yet similar. This
trip we went to 4 different villages (or communidades) as they say
(ko-muhn-ah-dah-gees). These
were not as far from civilization as some of the others I have
been to, but the people said that no one had come to visit them. Each village has a
president no matter how small it is, and one
president said that they see
boats go by, but none ever stops.
He said he had been waiting for years for this to happen. Another village
president said that it was the best thing to ever happened to
his village.
The community sizes were
from about 20 houses to 80
houses, with other houses scattered along the river nearby. Once again we were on the
Rio Solimoes, one of the two main branches that make the Rio Amazonas.
We set up clinics at each
of the 4 villages and treated
about 350 patients. We
went door to door with translators, sharing the plan of salvation and
had evening services. Every
village had a school building of some kind where we could set up a
clinic and have evening services.
One village also had a high school.
The young kids went in the morning and the older ones in
the afternoon. They
had school “boats” to bring kids to high school from other villages.
We
recorded 144 professions of faith.
A previous team had laid the groundwork for a new church
in one village; it
met on the porch of a home. We
did what we could to help strengthen that little church while we were
there.
Most of our team was from
North Florida , with one team
member from California . There
were 14 on the team, plus translators, a native pastor, and the boat
crew. As always it
was a great team.
Follow-up and discipleship
is a
continuing problem after we evangelize a village. At a recent AVM board
meeting, I had recommended that we attempt to use current technology
and solar power to leave Bible studies with them on CD or VHS. Then one of our board
members found “Proclaimers” on the Internet; these are solar powered
and receive their unique signals from a satellite. On this trip we gave 6 of
them to the presidents of 6 villages for all of the people to use. We hope that this will
provide the people with some regular basic Bible study.
One of my favorite moments
on this trip was the last day,
and we had a deadline to get back to the main boat.
We debated whether we should try one more house, and our
collective answer was yes. There
were three of us, plus a translator, plus the native pastor who spoke
no English. When we
arrived at the house, there was a lady in her 30’s. Her name was Fransesca. We shared the gospel with
her, but she would not make a decision because she said that her
husband would make fun of her. Each
of us shared the best we could, but each time she said no. Finally, I told her that
she was the last person we would be able to talk to before we left for
our home in America; that we would honor her wishes; but that we would
always be concerned about the condition of her soul.
She responded (in Portuguese), “I want to receive Jesus.” The native pastor burst
into tears and all of us started to cry.
It
was a great way to end the mission trip.
Amazon
sunset.
Typical house on the Amazon River.
Children in front of their
house.
New one-room school under construction.
Muddy river at low water.
Going to village 30 minutes into jungle.
School
boat.
Up and
down slipopery clay banks.
Searching for more houses along the river.
Small croc caught by fisherman.
More steep banks to slide down.
End of
day.
Unusual "fruit".
It is a cashew fruit with one nut.
Kids playing near the river.
Typical bad thunderstorm. Note
lightning.
Porcupine. Mantioc,
a staple in their diet...garnished with flowers.
Drinking milk from coconut prepared by a local.
Just another little critter.
Afternoon evangelistic meeting on school porch.
River baptism service.
Giving a "Proclamer" to village president.
Team with Francesca (last person saved on trip).
WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN
THIS: BEING ON THE AMAZON RIVER TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS
Email Jim Durham and perhaps go with him
on one of his
excursions.
If
this website is considered worthy, place a link on your website to us.
Thanks