It was great having the opportunity to visit with Ellen for August and part of September. We had the chance to spend time with our kids and extended family. There were a few church visits tucked in and best of all Wayne got to see his six-month-old grandson for the first time. What a great joy this was for Wayne. The time went by very fast and did not make up for the six months we were separated. Which means that when it was time to return to Brazil, there were tears, we wanted to come back at the same time, but Ellen is not yet finished with her physical therapy. Please pray that the time remaining will go quickly and without further complications.
Reaching the river delta is the hardest endeavor Wayne has ever undertaken. The challenges that he faces some days are very overwhelming, yet God is moving mountains to advance this ministry. It is a big river with communities lining its shores where there are no churches, and the Word of God is not spoken. This year we have acquired an aluminum boat with a 25hp motor to get us out on the river. This boat has enabled Wayne to move teams and reach farther than he has ever before. The deeper he forges into the river delta, the more dangers he discovers. The Amazon River is no tame body of water but a treacherous landscape of nautical hazards and pirates. There are days that the river is filled with debris that include sunken trees just hiding below the surface. Several of these have already tried to rip the motor off the back of the boat. Then there are boulders under the surface of the water you will never see that have already taken a chunk out of the prop. As you go through your day, please remember to keep Wayne in prayers as he navigates the river and the Lord takes him places that stretch him far beyond his comfort zone.
In America, it ‘s hard to get involved in people private lives. It is the same here in the river communities. The families are closed, and it takes time to worm your way into their lives, but that is the task of a missionary. To build these relations over time so that they trust you and listen to you as you share about the God you serve. As you develop these relationships, you end up deep in the middle of some of these families. One such person is Cordero. He asked me to be his best man at his wedding recently. It was an enjoyable learning experience for us. Here in Brazil, people do not get married at the church. They have civil weddings as specific locations in the city, or sometimes a judge will do group marriages for the poor. The new couple is now good friends and participating in our small church group. Pray for us as we seek the Holy Spirit to open these doors of relationships for us.
Our volunteers can get so excited about telling the Greatest Story Ever Told, God’s Story. It is awesome to see average church attendees who have shied away from evangelism because it is just too confrontational for them. They are then transformed into enthusiastic story tellers sharing their faith and truths in the Bible by just sharing a simple story. This is why we hold Bible Story Training weekend seminars out at our home. It is an environment that a couple can attend with their little ones or friends looking for an opportunity to learn how to share their faith. These seminars have not only helped people grow as individuals but have been the main stay of our recruiting efforts for our river ministry teams. At this time we have four teams working with us on river ministry targets. Please pray that we can arrange more of these events and add more ministry teams to our movement.
The foundation of our ministry is the individuals that stand behind us, that means you. Prayer is the first and most important part of this foundation we are standing. The prayers of the saints are a sweet-smelling savor unto the Lord. This is why we try and communicate with the people praying for our ministry. Now there seems to be a new building block that needs to be added to our ministry, that is a 
The river ministry is not much different than any other ministry. It is all about relationships that last over an extended period. The families that are out on the river live in somewhat isolated communities. This makes developing relationships harder than those that live in the city. When you enter a community you are not trusted, many strangers have done harm in these communities both religious and governmental. This is why they are wary of strangers special white men from foreign countries. This is one reason Wayne recruits people from the local city churches for help. They are still strangers but a lot less strange than Wayne. The color of the skin is one characteristic that sticks out along with the accent in the language. The goal in working with locals on these projects is to try and help them build a relational bridge into these peoples lives quickly. Wayne understands the process and seeks to disciple the volunteers he is working with in this ministry. It is a slow process, and many mistakes are made by these novice volunteers, but it is amazing how the Holy Spirit can use all these mistakes and turn them into advantages.
God has blessed us with a great local teammate. Jeu is a modern day river pastor. He comes from a family that is many generations deep in Christ with an extended family of pastors and church leaders. He has his aluminum boat with an outboard motor, so he can get around quickly to make visits to parishioners on the river. This modern day boat makes him a target on the river. He has had his boat stolen a few years back. He is praising God that they only took the outboard motor and abandoned his boat on the river shore. God then blessed him with a new 20 hp motor that helps keep him moving.
My bags are packed, and I will be getting on a plane in just a few days, August 2, to see Ellen. The seeing Ellen part is fascinating, but leaving the ministry, I have built up over the past two years to operate on it own difficult. I am deeply involved in the daily operation of the ministry and to leave the ministry to function with the leadership I have developed over the years takes planning. I have made plans for all of the kids clubs, transportation, programs and I hope I did not forget something important. The kids club is still dependent upon funding I provide for transportation and food assistance, so I have made arrangements for this aid to continue without me handing people money directly. I have a man Saba, who my administrator, handling the funds for me. Jeremias, who is a licensed pilot, will be driving the boat to pick people up and run them around to the different locations. Pastor Jeu, who I work with on the Island Of Cotijuba church plant, will be running the small groups here on the island and my hope is three of our believers will fill in telling the Bible story of the week during our small group. As you can see our ministry is full of activities with it is touching many lives. Pray that all will continue in my absence.
We have posted our July newsletter. We have it in pdf format or just read it on our website.
When visitors from the States stay with us, they usually make the comment that we are living in the great outdoors. We are residing in the middle of a rain forest with all sorts of bugs and animals just outside of the house. Our dogs protect us from the larger animals that are trying to get into the house along with the thieves who seek to do the same. Geckos are part of the landscape in our house. The eat all sorts of insects including the dreaded mosquitoes who carry all kinds of diseases. They seem to be very territorial creatures who have marked of territory in each window screens of the house. You will find that there is at least one gecko per window unless it is a large window and then they will have divided into two territories. Now they are not limited to just the windows. I have one that has taken over the counter in the kitchen. He will scurry around the counter trying to catch the insects flying over the food. This is why we like them, but they leave dropping all over the place which can pile up and be a nuisance in the house. So there are drawbacks but eliminating the bugs in the house is a high priority when living in the jungle. Please remember to pray for our health.