Luke, Ben, Josh Pflederer, Chelsea Newton, Kevin Van Hulle and I will begin this week a month-long trip to the western Amazon Basin in Brazil. We will be in the state of Amazonas which is the size of Texas and has but two dirt "highways" on the eastern side of the state. The rest of the state is without roads but with a vast network of rivers. We will seek out our next location of ministry, looking to potentially move in the next two years. Why such a trip? We know little about the western part of this state and little can be gleaned from the internet and from government resources. We need to visit these areas personally and assess the need in various regions for 1) access to the good news of Jesus’ love and grace and, 2) physical needs (health care, clean water, etc) that we may be able to help address. Amazonas, Brazil is divided into municipalities, each of which contains one town or city and a large rural area that relates to it. We will visit 18 municipalities on two principal river systems.

The first two weeks (or so) will be spent visiting the northwest region of the Rio Negro (Negro River), or “Black River” which reportedly has a population about 90% indigenous people. The following two weeks (or so) will be spent visiting the Amazon River (Rio Salimoes) system in the western half of the state.

We will visit each town (18) and likely travel to the interior and try to assess the rural population, as well. Our goal is to be home for Christmas and it will be a challenge. The travel is slow on the rivers (five days to cross the state traveling 24 hrs/day) and this will give us much down time traveling (with hopefully much conversation with the local people) and a hurried time of collecting information when we stop. We will seek out people on the boats as we travel and people in the towns when we stop who can provide information about each region.

I will list the towns at the end of this post so you can check out the regions on Google Earth, if you would like. Google Earth has some pictures and information (though limited) about each place. Some basic statistics of these 18 municipalities are as follows:

Average population: 23,000

Average number of people living below the global poverty index: 54%

Average monthly wage (in U.S. currency) for those in the population that are working: $160.00

We have a notebook for each person traveling on which he/she will answer basic questions about each location, including the following:

What is your perspective on the economy of this region?

How would our families fare here?

What is your perspective on health care in this region?

What is your perspective on the Kingdom here (needs, hunger, opposition, religion)

What is your perspective on the remote population of this region?

What is unique about this region?

What is our Father’s perspective of this region (what is He saying to you?)

What are your personal thoughts and/or feelings about this region?

List your pros and cons as to a mission work in this region

Please pray for us. Where would our Father like to send us? We resist the temptation to look for the “best” location in our eyes, though we will evaluate each as best we can. We don’t want to be strategic; we desire to know where He would like us for the next few years. We don’t want to reach the greatest number of people; we wish to reach the people He wants us to reach. It may be a few or it may be many but we would rather reach a few prepared hearts than many without thirst for the Kingdom. We will need eyes to see His hand, and ears to hear His voice. We will need strength to resist the temptation to be strategic or to look for a place that will be comfortable for us. Please encourage our Father to lead us with a strong hand and to not give us slack. We are trusting His leading. I think our conversations and the decision-making process will be both fun and challenging. Please also pray that we can read our own thoughts well and communicate them humbly and honestly with the rest of the team.

The towns, in the order that we will visit them, are as follows:

São Gabriel da Cachoeira

Santa Isabel do Rio Negro

Barcelos

Tabatinga

Benjamin Constant

Atalaia do Norte

S. Paulo de Olivencia

Amaturá

S. Antonio do Ica

Tonantins

Fonte Boa

Carauari

Itamarati

Eirunepe

Maraá

Urarini

Alvaraes

Tefé

Timely Thoughts:

"The majority of us do not enthrone God, we enthrone common sense. We make our decisions and then ask the real God to bless our god's decision."         Oswald Chambers

We are not called to do something great in the Kingdom.  We are called to abide with the King.

God doesn't need missionaries to accomplish His work to the unreached just as Jesus demonstrated clearly that He doesn't need physicians to heal.  He also doesn't need preachers to communicate truth or to lead someone to Him and He doesn't need us to pray for Him to respond to a crisis.  But He enjoys greatly allowing the people that He loves to participate in what He wants to accomplish.

Do you want to impact a lot of people and be used greatly by God? Pour yourself into a hungry few.

To not make a decision is a decision.

“How will I look back on (this choice) tomorrow (in a week, a year, ten years, a hundred years, etc)?” is a healthy tool in your pursuit of making wise decisions.

Kingdom living is "whatever" living.  "Whatever you wish to do/say to/through me, Jesus..."  "Whatever path (easy or difficult) you wish to put me on, Jesus, in order to create in me greater intimacy with you...”

In decisions and responses, what you think is more important than how you feel.

Today is greatly affected by yesterday and will significantly impact tomorrow.  Focus on today.

Decisions made for short-term benefit will increase long-term liability.  Decisions made for long-term benefit will require short-term cost.

Perhaps the greatest thing to fear is getting what you want and missing what God wants. E. Peterson

Our town of 8-10,000 people, with its surrounding region of 30,000 people, lost four of its six physicians over the course of a month.  The administrators were experiencing a crisis and approached me to persuade me to work for them.  I told them that I was here to help and I would work with them, voluntarily, four hours/day.  In the course of a month, I've seen over 1,000 people, treating and praying for each one.  The medicine has been fascinating as I've seen more pathology than I saw on my river trips, and much of it unique to the Amazon region.  The response has been satisfying as most seem quite grateful that I am helping out.  Many still don't know what to think of a doctor who lays hands on and prays for each person.  Is he praying because he's clueless or because he really believes that God cares about my problem?  But they accept it graciously most of the time.

I believe this is God ordained and an opportunity to leave a lasting impact on especially a few that are working with me.  Hopefully, after watching me work, they will continue their work with a different perspective.  Already, a local dentist (there are two in our town) has approached me and spoken of how challenged he has been in watching me work.  He is a believer in the existence of God but without a relationship with Him (The typical status of most people in this part of the Amazon).  He now wants to travel with me on the rivers and offer dental care to those living remotely.  I will likely also have a superficial impact on many because of all the patient contacts.

When I came to this part of the world, I especially wanted to help out where health care access to physician care was lacking.  Having this opportunity to do just that has been both a challenge and a joy.  I need to seek a balance in this work and the mentoring of young men that I had begun over the past six months.  Please pray for me that I can balance the tasks well that my Father has given me to do, and continue to do each one with love (compassion) for the person as my prime motivator.

Reminders:

The "Good News" is that screwed up people are loved and cherished by a wonderful God.

To worship is to focus one's "eyes" on the object of worship.

Seeds of correction, instruction and discipline planted in soil not fertilized with encouragement will not yield growth.

Opinions are a dime a dozen but correction brought by one willing to contribute to the solution is worth hearing.

Love freely but trust must be earned.

One who doesn't appreciate the value of something cannot be trusted with its care.

Aspire to that which you admire.

In what manner do you love to serve people (work)?  Pursue this as a vocation.

Variety maintains interest.

An abundance of anything can decrease its value, but the value we place on it is our choice.

Money represents someone's (yours, another's) work.

To lead is to know disappointment, misunderstanding, and conflict.

Sticks and stones may break one’s bones but words can wound one’s heart.

Beware of the ear-tickling "health and wealth" teachers/preachers.  They preach to the flesh rather than to the spirit.