The Power of God on the Amazon
Christmas 2004
Thirty participants, many of them members of the Bloomington and Bedford, Indiana, churches, spent the Christmas break traveling to the Brazilian Amazon (the capital of the anacondas and crocodiles) to build a church, preach the gospel, and provide medical care to the natives.
Even though many asked if they were not going to be swallowed by a snake or chopped by a shoal of piranhas, the group traveled 6,000 miles with more than 3,000 pounds of luggage and with great expectations to see God in action.
During the first week the group laid 5,000 bricks to build a church, covered it with stucco, painted it, and helped dedicate the building. Every day after working on the construction of the church, the participants led two Vacation Bible Schools, held three simultaneous evangelistic campaigns, and witnessed several baptisms.
For the second week, the team boarded a boat on the Amazon River to give medical and dental attention to about 500 people in five communities along the river. The group also distributed Christmas gifts to hundreds of children and clothing for all ages. Shandy Reynolds, an eighth grader and member of the Bedford church, said, “This trip has made me realize how selfish I am. The people in this part of Brazil have so little in material things, but yet they are so happy.”
On land the missionaries stayed with local families and experienced true Brazilian hospitality. Kristin Goodin, a college freshman said, “I was very impressed by the generosity these people shared with us.”
On the boat, the group slept in hammocks. By the end, they were so used to the hammocks that when they left, most of them were missing the hammocks! The boat crew was invited to join the morning and evening worships and were visibly touched by God through songs and testimonies. “The Lord worked in our hearts and in the hearts of the people we met and worked with.” said Hernan Hammerly from Bloomington.
Participants said they will never be the same. Their emphasis in life has changed from being takers to being givers, from being spectators to being players, from being pew-warmers to being participants, from having a local point of view to having a global vision. “I hope I can be used in a powerful way by God to continue to make changes in my Christian experience and be able to witness in ways I never thought possible,” said Orville Ortiz, Business manager at Indiana Academy.
Eventually, they did not see many anacondas or crocodiles, but they did see the mighty power of God touching lives, moving hearts and healing people!
By Pastor Fernando Ortiz
Article that was published in the Lake Union Herald Magazine, April 2005