What has it been a beautiful and special year full of blessings.
The celebration of our marriage and we were blessed with a safe little house in the slum Parada de Lucas. We were able to study the Bible with the elderly & the youth, teaching in the churches and in the houses of people. Also, we could enjoy the children during the activities on the base.
During our missionary trip to the Amazon, we were able to explain the Bible with the inductive study method. Here God confirmed in Lucas and my heart that this is our calling. As you probably can understand, we can’t just go towards here. To be able to work in the Amazon, we should first prepare ourselves for education and some practical things. Therefore we will move in the first week of February to the ywam base in Porto Velho.
What you will do there?
On the 7th of april 2018 will start the oral Bible school.
During this school you learn how to share the Bible orally. With just words forth telling the Bible. Just like the Bible in her history also was told from generation upon generation.
The communities and the tribes who live among the river and in the forests tell until today the stories orally. But also for analphabetic people is this school helping to teach and share the Bible with.
This school Lucas will follow.
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On the 9th of april 2018 will start the school diagnose and treatment of malaria.
During this school you learn about the different types of malaria, how by prevention you can limit the getting of the sickness. The doing of a resource of the blood and diagnose the different types of malaria. Also, you will learn how to give a treatment for healing.
Malaria is an evildoer here in the Amazon area. A visit to the doctor is at least a boat trip of 4 hours, therefore a lot of people are unnecessarily sick or even come to death.
This school Christa will follow.
If the schools start in april, why you go already in February to Porto Velho?
The lectures will just be in Portuguese. Therefore we are welcome two months earlier, that Christa can be more trained in her Portuguese. Actually is the training 3 months, but because of I know al some Portuguese and in January we will help on the base of jocum Carioca in Rio de Janeiro, the base leader told that 2 months ahead of the school will be more than enough.
Will you receive an accommodation and how are the financials?
When you follow a school inside the organization of ywam in one of the bases, you will pay school costs. These costs include the costs of housing. As a student, you have a (shared) room/house, 3 meals a day, power and (limited) internet. So we will not have double costs: it will be a complete price for the schools and housing.
Finished school, and ready to leave by river into the Amazon?
How can we enter a culture and with our way and knowledge of life, and teach them something? How we avoid to not disturb or destroy their culture by teaching them ours? For this, we will start in the 2nd semester the cross culture school. To meet these people thoughtful and full of love is this school of importance for the both of us.
Our financial challenge:
The base is outlying in nature, and to come into the centrum it is 8km walking to the closed by a bus stop. From here you can take the bus to the centrum. This kind of obligates us to gain a driver’s license for car/motorcycle. Since we will work a lot with the river people and tribes, we are also obligated to have a license for a boat, to be able to reach them.
Shortly summarized:
– In february we will move from Rio de Janeiro to Porto Velho.
– 2018 will be a year of preparing in all areas:
schooling, changing culture and gaining the needed licenses.
How it will be after this year, we don’t know yet. But we experience that God wants to prepare and form us to work in the Amazon.
WE WISH YOU A BLESSED AND LOVING 2018
With love, Lucas & Christa
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Be blessed!
