Campos do Uricurituba

To close out last week, I made my first trip of the year with a team of Americans, visiting from Pontiac, Illinois.  It was a quick river trip, only three days in duration, so leaving my wife at home, didn't seem quite so bad.

The amazonian river landscape is rapidly changing as the powerful waters rise inches each day, flooding thousands of acres of land with each passing day.  Dramatic?  Not really, just normal.  Every year, the water comes and goes.  Houses and gardens stand on stilts, awaiting the waters.  Cattle get moved to higher land.  Chickens find some trees.  Dog's might get the front porch.  Ducks are right at home.  Canoes become more essential than ever, what once was needed only to visit the next community, now is required to visit a neighbor.

Front view of the new church

This community is blessed with PAZ water filters.  We made the rounds, reinstalling various filters that were moved from old to new houses.  I was impressed by the number of people using their filters without problems.

Local men carrying a water filter

And more important than water filters is the Gospel.  And God has shown His mercy to this village, bringing the Good News on the feet of willing Brazilians.  And now a church building provides a place to gather and worship, regardless of the flooding Amazon River below them.

Village Boys

So please praise God with me, for the transformation of Campos do Uricurituba.  Oh Lord, pour out your spirit on our brothers and sisters, bringing lasting change, that this ministry of reconciliation would flourish in their midst!