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6/15/08
Sunday AM arrived in Manaus. Cleared customs with no problems. Praise the Lord!! Changed money and sampled acai ice cream in Manaus airport. Arrived in Santarem around 6:30 am. Boarded our boat called the Natureza. The captain's name is Sebastian. Also we met the missionaries Paul Scott and Amanda Smith. We purchased hammocks and ate our first meal on the boat. We left the dock around 11:30 am and proceeded up the river to the Trombetas River. Many of us rested from our exhausting travels, some not even waking up for meals.

6/16/08
Monday 4 am arrived at the city Porto do Trombetas. Porto do Trombetas is a private town owned by a company that mines bauxite. Another interesting fact is that this city is only a 4 hour boat ride from a tribe of Indians. Many people living along the river are descendants of native South Americans.
After breakfast we arrived at the church ready for VBS, but no kids. All in school. Instead we went evangelizing with a couple of our groups meeting up at a school. Two people came to know Christ!! Praise the Lord! Some verses that spoke to us today are Matthew 22:8-10, "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests."
Had some fun swimming in a cement pool filled with dark creek water. Josh Miller entertained us by climbing trees and retrieving tropical fruits. Max Beckley was swarmed by teenage girls who mistook him for the actor Zac Effron.
That evening we had our first soccer game and service. Rocky Byrd sprained his knee. In this exciting soccer game we lost 5-1. After the game everyone in the group was presented medals. During the church service Amy Moon, Erin Hall, and Eric Engle gave their testimonies. Went back to the boat for dinner and immediately left for Oriximina.

6/17/08
Tuesday morning got up early. Half of the group headed for VBS, the other half headed out to hold a soccer clinic. At VBS we had over 85 kids. Praise the Lord! A deaf mute child was in attendance, he touched many hearts. The parachutes were a big hit. Brazilians and Americans had fun playing the drums. Many of us began to come out of our shells. Rock Byrd did an amazing job presenting the lesson using the eball. The soccer clinic went well. For missing a goal the boys had to do a push up, which they did very enthusiastically.
In the afternoon we watched a gym class play futsol. Amy Moon played with the girls team and the rest of us invited people to the soccer game and service. Jacob Fields is mistaken for Harry Potter. The soccer game was a ruff one. Lost to worthy opponents. At the service we all enjoyed the music and had fun dancing with the Brazilians. Terry, Chad and Todd Canal shared their testimonies.

6/18/08
Wednesday arrived in Obidos. Half of the group went to VBS in a very primitive area. We were all shocked to see how many young children were caring for their siblings. Terry Canal had the opportunity to use her gift of nursing to care for several children. The rest of the group went to a church and had the chance to serve by painting a futsol court.
In the afternoon we continued to paint, while the rest of the group went out evangelizing. No game today, the boys were grateful for the break. The service was held outside because of the large turn out. Besides the many people in attendance, there was also several dogs and a horse. We were all touched by the Brazilian girls interpretive dancing. Garret Hoover, Jake Reller, and Bruce Warren shared their testimonies. We all rushed back to the boat to catch the end of the Brazil vs. Argentina game on TV. We were all amazed by the beautiful lightning and tried to stay dry from the rain.