Up the River and Up the Bluff…

Life is back to normal.  I say that but I don’t really know what normal is.  My world is upside down now and I’m learning more every day than I dreamed I could.  I have somewhat of a routine but even that is tossed to and fro.  The only thing steady in my life right now is God.  At least that is one thing I know never changes…

I’ve had some time to reflect now on the recent two weeks that my friends Logan & Ashley were here in Santarem, although most of the time was actually out on the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers.  They left last Thursday to return to the States, and since then there was a holiday weekend, so I’m recuperated.  They were able to join another team of 8 Americans.  This was a mixed bag of folks (5 churches represented from 5 states), but they all worked together well and were able to bless three communities in the Amazon Basin.
 
The first trip we took was on the beautiful Tapajós River, which is a tributary to the Amazon, pouring it’s clean, blue waters in to the murky waterway within sight of my house.  Now don’t loose perspective when I  say tributary, because this river will still put the Mississippi to shame when it comes to breadth and water volume.  Monday started by loading up all the food and supplies for our team of 10 Americans and 8 Brazilians/missionaries.  This included 70 bags of Portland cement (50 kilos each), assorted hardwood boards, and clay blocks.  But after that initiation, we were able to enjoy an 8 hour cruise up the river.  So after some light conversation and relaxing in the river breeze, we crashed for the night, ready for the first day of work.

We came to the village of Piquiatuba with the goal of building trusses and pouring a floor of a 10 x 20 meter church that will be used as a regional base for PAZ church plants to train and equip local  pastors.  So this church is considerably larger than the typical river or jungle church.  But, TIB (This Is Brazil).  The work didn’t go quite as planned, but we were able to work in the name of the Lord and accomplish much for the kingdom in spite of seemingly ominous conditions.  The heat was intense with the sun pouring over you like a heap of coals.  Also, the church was several hundred meters from the boat, up the beach and then up a steep trail to the top of the bluff.  In this climate, just walking to the church was a challenge for most.

But in the name of the Lord, we hauled 70 bags of cement, dozens of hardwood 2 x 4’s and 1 x 5’s, and hundreds of clay blocks from the boat to the church site.  Despite the intense conditions, the Lord protected us and we were able to move all the materials to the site and did have the benefit of a flatbed truck for some of the material.

At the jobsite, the team worked on building 4 - 12 meter trusses by hand.  We were able to install them on the last day of work, with the last one going up by moonlight.  And yes, this was an OSHA approved jobsite.  LOL.  Other jobs included moving fill dirt to work on leveling the floor inside the church, mixing mortar to finish the gable end, and mixing concrete to finish the support columns and the bond beam before the trusses could go up.

I must say that we were in for an education when it came time to put up the trusses.  These trusses were 100% hardwood and took upwards of a dozen men to slide them around….then we had to get them 4 meters into the air and up on top of the bond beam.  I know they have done this before, but I had my doubts.  So off in the trees go the Brazilians and come out with a 7 meter long tree which we proceed to tie a pulley to and use it to raise the trusses.  Sounds easy huh?  I think the hardest part was moving the tree around lift the trusses!

Also on this trip we had a nutritionist who was able to do some education in the village on eating healthy.  Also, the team participated in an evangelistic service one evening.  Overall, the church and community were blessed and and I trust that seeds have been planted that will bear much fruit.  The locals have been encouraged and the non-believers have seen the body of Christ in action.  May He now use our humble contribution for His Glory to bring fellow beggars to saving faith in the endless source of true fulfillment!

Needless to say by Friday night, we were all worn out and ready to head back to Santarem for some rest.  Much to our dismay the weather was super windy for our overnight trip home so most of us spent the night trying to keep from flying all over in our hammocks instead of sleeping.  The joy of river travel…

For His Glory,
JAE