Graduated
In the mean time, i completed the school of diagnose and treatment for malaria. With the completing of this school in YWAM, i am able to work accompanied. Now we received an special occasion as students: we could make a test in the central laboratory of the Brazilian public healthcare. This test existed out of a theoretical part (in Portugese) and a practical part, in which we could show or prove that we were well trained to diagnose and treat malaria independently. Now i can inform you with great joy that i passed for the test and received my certificate ‘microscopist malaria’. Which means that i may legally independently help people where ever i am in this area. All thank and glory towards God! Now this school is finished, i work in the mornings in the laboratory of the YWAM base. In this laboratory come persons from nearby river communities to let themselves test if they have malaria. This month we have a large number of visitors on the base: from out of five different Indian ethnic groups, some members of the tribes are participating in a program to learn how to translate the Bible to their own language. In their language is not yet a Bible available. For this group of people, students and teachers, needs to be cooked daily meals. This means that we as staff of the base, serve in the hours we are able to help.
The oral Bibleschool
On the planning was, that Lucas would do the Oral Bible school as a student. Now there is just a small modification. The leaders of the school invited Lucas to help as a staff member of the school; to help in giving classes as well as walking with the students. He is very enthusiastic to again working the whole day with the Bible, to study and to explain it. There are two men (father and son) from a indian tribe and a woman from another tribe who are participating in the school. Portugese is not their first language, which makes it sometimes a bigger challenge to explain the Bible in such a way all do understand. This gives Lucas the opportunity to learn a lot about the oral part. In their culture men achieves something by the repeating of storytelling or to experiencing or seeing of it. This makes that the school has very creative and practical lectures, like for example building the tabernacle and experience together a moment of sacrificing how it is described in the Bible. In this was all could understand what the Bible tells us. They arrived now in the New Testament, which the men can already read along and study in their own language!
Car
We are grateful dat Lucas approved for his drivers license in one time. Also we like to share with you, that we have a car, a strong old dark blue pick up. An missionary who lives here on the base, was selling his car. After an open conversation about our finances, which amount we already had saved, this married couple was happy to sell the car to us. In this way they could help other missionaries and be a blessing for us. The price of the car was BR$ 18.000,00 (€ 4500,00) and we payed them already BR$ 8.000,00 (€ 2000,00). Among friends we made an agreement to pay the resting amount of money BR$ 10.000,00 (€ 2500,00) monthly. We can pay off monthly what we can miss. The prizes of cars are high here in Brazil, this car we bought is a cheap car also in maintenance. Because of that the roads her in the amazon area mostly exist out of clay, is a high car necessary: in the raining season is it impossible to drive with a city car. We are very thankful and happy we can move ourselves outside of the base independently, without worries, save and cheap. From the first day, Lucas was able to help a lot in the base with the car and his drivers license. From picking up the donations of vegetables and fruits to pick up the teachers from the Bible translating program, whom arrived on the airport.
Babynews
Beside that the car is such a big help for the base, is it also a big blessing for us as a family: after a period of six months on the outlying base in the nature, Lucas and me had a lovely night out: we ate a nice pizza in the city. Together we could visit a nice service in a church and we could visit our doctor, for the check up of the growth and health of our baby. The gynecologist (who also will lead the delivery) told us with a big smile that we may praise God for this healthy pregnancy. We are in expectation of an healthy growing boy, our son. In the mean time we are already over the half of the pregnancy, and he let me enjoy of the stretch exercises he is practicing inside my belly. Full of wonder we are enjoying this miraculous proces of the growth of our son.
We are happy we could buy our retour tickets to the Netherlands. From the 15th of december 2018 – 5th of march 2019 we will stay in the Netherlands, as the Lord will. Here we will spend time to visit my family, church and the YWAM base in Holland. We will travel by Rio de Janeiro, because it is impossible to have a direct flight from Porto Velho towards Holland. This means we can also spend some time with Lucas his family, church and the YWAM base in Rio, of which we are still staff members. We hope and pray that this time will be a blessed and good time to be in personal contact with our family and friends and to be able and share about our past works and plans here in the Amazon.
LOVE & BLESSINGS!
