Participate in living // first impressions
Before we went into the amazon, we first had a day of lecture at the jocum base in Porto Velho. To learn how to teach what we had learned during our three months of bibleschool in three days, but in a clear, simple and practical way.
After a six hour during busdrive, we arrived on the jocum base in Labrea, from of here we traveled down the river by boat. It is a beautiful view from of the boat, all the different green trees on a wall of cleyground. There where small communities that exists out of 5-10 wooden houses on poles. Around four hours later we arrived in one of the communities on the river named Jurucuá. We were received with open arms in the house of the leaders of this community. It was a little weird to step in the big empty living room, but very soon it was clear.. in a short time, the house was filled with the hammocks on the walls.
It was beautiful to experience how simple life can and may be. Hospitality is for sure a high habit here among the river communities. The local fishers brought daily an extra catch of fresh fish to the house where we stayed. It is beautiful that they catch just for the day, not a little extra for tomorrow because of tomorrow is for tomorrow. Family and spending time together is from of nature among the river people. Especially because of that they have just three hours of electricity in the evening (and on this moment everybody is laying and sitting down on the floor to watch to the television) the days exist out of conversations or a game of domino, as well that there is always time to make free for a game of soccer (for as well the women as the men). Also they have their championships of soccer. On the Saturdays different tribes and communities gathering together, included the women and children. The women that cheer their husbands/future husbands giving the game a nice atmosphere. On the background the monkeys cheering with from out of the bush. This adds little extra to the atmosphere.
On one of the hot days, I went with a group of young ladies and children to the river to cool down and swim. It was lovely to see the children live and enjoy like this. I remembered how I as a child from morning until evening could enjoy in the lake. A little block of soap came up and we could wash ourselves in the river. Something my body had to get used to I guess, the hygiene is a little different than that I am used too. I had an ear infection. It was a miracle that the leader of the community needed to go to the city, and he took Lucas and me along with him to visit a doctor. It was like a gift of God. In the early morning, while the stars are still shining in the sky, we left in a canoe and we saw it becoming day. Just a day being together with my husband (I need to confess that it is hard to be without privacy all the time together with the team).
During this boat trip of four hours to visit a doctor, I realized myself how far away it actually is to have help in healthcare. To not even think about the period (the season) of malaria that will arrive. Lots of people are unnecessarily earnestly sick or are dying because of a wrong treatment. Simply because of that is almost impossible to “just” go to the doctor and receiving the right diagnose with the fitting plan of treatment. Yes, my heart is burning of desire to next of bringing the gospel and explaining and teaching the Bible, to being able to offer help in healthcare. Just how it went together with Jesus: preaching the kingdom of heaven and healing of the sick.
Lectures
In three different communities along the river we stayed. By reading the word ‘community’ you can picture yourself a little street of around 10 wooden houses on poles. The gospel is here already brought, (this will not say that everyone is christian) but the knowledge of the Bible is still absent. We were able to try to (especially to the leaders of the communities) explain the inductive study method, which makes them able to study the Bible for themselves and to teach. Also we were able to work with the children, with them we worked with the parables of Jesus (not around it, we worked with the Bible and her text itself). By teaching them a drama/theatre of the parables and by making an creative activity that symbolizes the parable, the children were able to tell us the parables.
Nature miracles
The first class that we share before we start to explain the inductive study and studying together one book, is about a panorama view of the Bible. De Bible exists out of a collection of more books, more life stories that describe to us how God cares from of the beginning for His chosen people. How God created us and had given us the authority to take care for the earth with her animals, plants and waters. This touched me deeply because of this is how the people here live. So close with nature, and every tribe and every community has the responsibility to take care for the area of the amazon they live in. For example: lots of baby turtles walking around the waterside of the river, with the result that they will be eaten by the crocodiles in their first motnh of living. The river people bring the baby turtles with them to their home, there they take care of them together until they are old/big enough to survive on their own in the river. OR about the wood: they only cut the trees they need for building their house or canoe, in this way they prevent that companies come along to cut trees to sale. Everything they take out from nature is to live only and of protection of the nature, beautiful isn’t ?!!
We came to teach the Bible, but what am I greatful that I could learn so much about life that the Bible teaches us: simple and one with the nature and full of love and hospitality towards everybody.
On the very last day in Jurucuá, me and Lucas were washing ourselves on a float in the river. All laughing we were enjoying the moment of soaping in our bodies and we shared our beautiful moments that we had on this period with each other. Out of nothing Lucas interrupted me saying: “Héé look, did you see that already!!” And there on the other side of the river, above all the green of the trees was a clear blue sky with a beautiful rainbow. It was a peaceful moment, a voice that wishpered to me that everything will be fine as long if I just “follow & trust”.
Previews
At the moment we are traveling back toward Rio de Janeiro and after stop of three days we will go to the 5-daily conference named Jocum em Familia. This is a conference were missionaries from whole Brazil will gather together. A moment of making new contacts, seeing friends/colleagues again, sharing and hearing about different projects in jocum Brazil. Also there will be daily classes and preaching’s (bi-langual: English/Portuguese) to encourage us missionaries.
By returning it is already the end of December and during the holidays we may enjoy in the house of Lucas his parents.
The month January we will recover a building that is part of the base jocum Carioca, so that they can use the building again for projects and/or schools. In this moment the empty and lefted building is being used by youth to have parties and to using of alcohol, drugs & sex. So the new year we will kickoff with a cleaning and recovering.
To have a better view how our missionary trip was, please take a look in the photo album.
With love,
Lucas & Christa
