October - 2011 |
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| Posted by David Eckard | |
October 2011 Trip
Oct 4 – We, Bill Chaffin, Carl Chaffin, Bill Lawson, Bill Lilley, Mike McNeil, Chris Adams, David Miller, Andrew Jit, and Dave Eckard, all met at the Dayton airport to start our journey to Manaus, Brazil. Before we left Andrew had a prayer for our journey and for our love ones at home. We soon learned that a 50 lb baggage limit is difficult when you are loaded with peanut butter. We started stuffing peanut butter in any luggage that was under weight including carry on bags; big mistake. Homeland security considers peanut butter as a liquid. So all the peanut butter in the carryon was removed and given to Jamie Jit so that the next group could bring it to Brazil. The exciting thing about this group of men going is for most of them it was their first mission trip, so it was exciting to see so many men hearing God’s call to go the ends of the earth.
We arrived at Miami with no problems and with luggage and spent the night at the Sheridan near the airport. During dinner we had a great time of fellowship.
Oct 5 – We awaken at 4:15 AM to catch the 5:00 AM shuttle bus to the airport. Checked in and went through security with no problems, lessons learned from the previous experience with TSA. Had an uneventful fly to Manaus. Brazilian customs was lesson in patience which I do not possess. We finally got through customs. Found our entire luggage after a long wait and proceed to the exit. Earl and Ruth Anne were patiently waiting for all of us arrived. Loaded the bus and started our 60 minute trip to the boat. Arrived at the boat and carried our luggage up the loading ramp. No one got wet, but Bill Lilley and I soon learned the boat was not built for anyone over 5’10”. I think we hit every beam.
Earl introduced the crew:
Captain – Pacheco
Captain’s son/Co-captain – Dennis
Crew – Junior, Duardo
Cook – Nete, Greciy, Anne
Bible student - Lazaro
Before we started, the Captain prayed for our journey.
We started down river towards São Sebastião. Nice peaceful boat ride. The longer we traveled fewer and fewer lights were noticed. Had our first meal and the food is very delicious. To Andrew’s and Mike’s relieve, the food was not fish.
Three of us slept in the bunks below deck; again the bunks are for short people. The rest of the ensemble spent the night on deck in the hammocks. The ones who slept in the hammocks had an interesting night as they swung back forth, but were not in sync. Once they started swinging, people near the poles had to grab them to stop the swinging, but then someone would smack into them.
Oct 6 – We were up early (5:15 AM) and freshened up. We showered, not nearly as cold as I expected, and had breakfast. Breakfast was fresh fruit, meat and cheese sandwiches with freshly baked buns, fresh juice and COFFEE.
After breakfast, Earl explained the mission of CBM and started our Portuguese language lessons. We arrived at São Sebastião about 8:30 AM. Flavia, a school teacher and missionary from Brasilia and Waldiberto, the minister who lead the training seminar in São Sebastião joined our group, loaded supplies, and continued our journey about 10:30 AM. I do not believe any of us have ever spent this amount of time just relaxing.
Continued our journey and arrived at Araras (Macaw) about 4:30 PM. We rigged our fishing poles and cast in to the river. Nete caught the only fish. We all turned in early. Carl, Andrew, Bill Lawson and Bill Lilley decided to go alligator hunting at 2:00 AM with Duardo. They caught a small gator, but the real adventure was when two birds decided to land in the boat. Bill, Carl and Andrew freaked out and almost jumped out of the boat and Bill Lilley laughed so hard he fell off the seat.
Oct 7 – awake at 4:30 AM, ate another good breakfast (the cooks are great). Divided into 3 groups and headed out to set the new world’s record for peacock bass. One group was Dave E., Chris, Earl, Bill Lawson and Bill Lilley. The other group was Andrew, Dave Miller, Bill Chaffin, Carl Chaffin, and Mike. The third group was the Brazilian boat crew, with Lazaro, and Waldiberto
Earl caught the first fish in our group, unknown species. Chris caught the first peacock bass, Dave E caught the next peacock bass, then Earl when into high gear and caught two bass in secession, the second fish the bait just hit the water and the fish took the bait. Dave E. caught a XXXXXX catfish. We tried another spot, but with no success, so we decided to return to the Frances Anne. We had a small scare when the motor on our boat decided not to start. After about 10 minutes of trying and waiting, the motor started and we headed for home, to everyone’s relief.
The second group caught two stingrays, piranha, and a peacock bass (Andrew’s contribution, although someone had to bait the hook and remove the fish he caught).
The third group, the male boat crew were the real fishermen, as they caught about 50 pounds of fish. Looks like we’ll have fish tonight, Mike and Andrew, sorry about your luck.
Devotions were by Bill Chaffin, titled “Who is God to me”.
Oct. 8 – awake at 4:30 AM again. We started the day with another great breakfast. Split into three groups and took off to catch more peacock bass. We spent the morning fishing. While we were fishing, Ronaldo, who supervises the work in the Amazon, arrived with the lumber to build a new church building. In the afternoon, during the hottest part of the day, we started the construction. According to Chris, this is Andrew’s time to start any outdoor activity. Ronaldo and Nildo, missionary for the new church work in Araras (Macaw) had already installed the main posts before we arrived. We all pitched in and were able to get the roof structure and roofing material installed. We ran out of material and were unable to finish the roof completely. Before we left Andrew prayed for the project and building. Everyone was dog tired and dirty.
When we arrived at the village we noticed a young boy scaling the cliff at the river’s edge. In fact we later learned he was the only person in the village. Everyone had left for town and had left him. It was very eerie to see all the houses empty, like scene from a Hollywood thriller movie. When we left we took him with us to be returned to his parents at São Sebastião.
We returned to the Frances Anne and had another great meal. We cleaned our tired, aching bodies and sang some songs in English and Portuguese. Bill Lawson had the devotional titled “God is in Control”.
We untied the boat and started down river to Bom Jesus, a village of about 100 people. I have no idea when we arrived, as I was fast asleep.
Oct 9 – you guessed it, up at 4:30 AM, had another great breakfast, and we were headed out to the new fishing grounds by 6:15 AM. We believe Earl is using some juju juice on his bait as he continues to catch fish even if our lines are right next to his. We did catch some fish. Dave Miller landed a 10 – 12 pound peacock bass, the largest fish so far, but the male boat crew out fished us, bringing in about 100 pounds of fish.
We decided not to go fishing after lunch as the outside temperature was 110°F (that’s 43°C for you metric fans). The freezers are struggling to make ice.
We left to attend the church in Bom Jesus at 6:45 PM. This church is 10 years old and was one of the first churches started by Project Amazon. Before the church was built, the school had a dirt floor with no full time teacher. There were no medical facilities. After establishing the church, the government built a new school building and medical facility. The medical facility is very limited; the majority of the treatments are for malaria. The new school has a full time teacher. The church is a wooden building with a tiled floor and no air conditioning. There are two wall fans that circulate air. The chairs are plastic.
The service started promptly at 7:00 PM. Two young girls and Robert, the minister, lead the singing. Earl had the communion, both in Portuguese and English. He also led some songs that encouraged the Americans to hug the villagers. In addition, He led the Americans in a song that we sang in Portuguese. The villagers then sang a song in English. Their song in English was a lot better than our song in Portuguese. Lazaro had the message which Earl translated into English.
During the service it was very obvious that all the villagers were praising God with there hearts. After the service everyone received a red heart lollipop.
We returned to the boat at 8:30 PM and had devotions by Mike McNeil.
Oct 10 – we were up at 4:30 AM, had some breakfast and were heading towards the fishing grounds by 6:15 AM. Approximately half way, we had a rain storm that lasted 10 minutes, just time enough to soak us to the skin. We arrived at the fishing grounds with overcast skies, which was a relief after the scourging temperatures on Sunday. We fished until noon, catching three peacock bass and numerous ugly fish with teeth. Lazaro said he would take them. Earl must have forgotten his juju juice, as he didn’t even get a bite.
We started our return trip to the Frances Anne when a torrential rain started, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Realizing it no a smart idea to be on the water in an aluminum boat we headed for shore. A native offered us shelter in his home. While we waited for the storm to past, we looked around the area. He had 4 dogs, two TV’s, satellite, an easy chair, and access to the river to fish, a perfect man’s cave.
The storm lasted about two hours and dumped at least 2” inches of rain (5 cm). We had to bail the boats out before returning to the Frances Anne.
After lunch some of us went fishing and the others went to the village to mingle with the villagers. The fishing group caught a few ugly fish with teeth and a XXXX. The other group distributed salvation bracelets from the FCC encouragement team and get a lesson in football (soccer). An eight year old village girl sliced and diced through them, showing great ball handling skills.
After dinner Earl had us speak something in Portuguese and Waldiberto and Lazaro would translate the words into English. Except for Bill Lilley, we slaughtered the Portuguese language. Waldiberto sang a beautiful song in Portuguese that was dedicated to his father, his best friend. We then sang Amen to Waldiberto and Lazaro. Carl Chaffin lead the devotions, titled “Seeking God’s Face”. This was the first time he had stepped out of his comfort box and all agree he did a great job.
Oct 11 – You guessed it, up again at 4:30 AM, had breakfast and headed to the fishing grounds by 6:15 AM. We quit fishing about 12:00 PM after catching twenty fish (20). We ate another great lunch, then cleaned and packed our fishing gear. Before leaving Bom Jesus, we stowed the small boats and cleaned the upper deck. We untied the lines and started a slow journey to São Sebastião. During the return trip to São Sebastião, we sat around talking, listening and laughing. Sorry some stories will remain secret, only told on a need to know basis.
We arrived in São Sebastião about 7:30 PM. After another great meal, we left the ship and toured the town. São Sebastião has about 4,000 inhabitants. There are roads in the town, but the roads out of town lead nowhere. Transportation is primarily motorbikes. We even observed students riding a motorbike and texting at the same time. We stopped and had some ice cream, then proceeded back to the boat.
Bill Lilley led devotions titled “Finding Time”
Oct 12 – We spent a leisurely morning; breakfast was at 7:30 AM. Ruth Anne distributed Project Amazon shirts and we posed for the trip photo. Earl then took us a guided tour of the town. Many of the children would pose for photos when we stopped. We arrived at Ronaldo’s house about 11:00 AM for a cookout. From time to time, Ronaldo would pass out samples of the meat that was barbequing, wetting our appetites for the meal to follow. Finally it was time to eat and as always the food was delicious. When we were finished with the meal, we went to Lucy Lu’s house next door and purchased various souvenir items. We started back to the boat about 1:30 PM. Just as we arrived at the boat, a downpour started that shortly dropped the air temperature. We had a prayer circle for the crew for a safe journey, and Santana, Ronaldo and Anne as they were staying in São Sebastião. We said our goodbyes, untied the boat, backed into the river and started the return trip to Manaus about 3:30 PM.
We had another great meal and after the meal Andrew’s cell phone became active and we were all able to talk to our families back in the States. It is amazing how a short talk with our love ones can change our spirits. Same thing when we decide to talk to God.
Chris Adam’s had devotions titled “What is the meaning of life”.
From the top deck you could see the moon rising and it had a red glow from the sun. As the moon continued to rise, the glow slowly changed to white. The sky was clear and we could see many stars in the sky, very peaceful.
Oct 13 – Spent the day traveling back to Manaus. Once we reached Manaus, we were pulled over by the River Police. We had unknowingly traveled through a military practice area. We eventually got under away with no arrests or detainments. When we arrived at the Manaus port, we disembarked from the boat and went shopping in the area. A 5:00 PM we started our trip to dock next to the new boat for the night.
Oct 14 – Earl led the tour of the new boat and explained all the latest updates. After the tour, we untied the boat and started to the Hilton were the bus would pick us up for the trip to the airport. The hotel has some upbeat shopping areas which we perused while waiting for the bus. Once the bus arrived, we said goodbye to the crew and started to the airport. When we arrived at the airport we observed tight security. We later learned the security was for the USA indoor soccer team. We all enjoyed a milkshake from Bob’s before heading to our gates. This is were we said good-bye to some of our teammates, as Chris, Bill Lilley, Andrew and myself headed to Goiania. We had a prayer before separating for journey mercies.
We arrived in Goiania about 12:00 AM, got our bags, loaded our luggage into the van and went to our host family.
Oct 15 – woke up our host family’s home and took our first hot shower since leaving the States. Our host family did not speak English and we do not speak Portuguese, but we managed to communicate. After breakfast we went to Marlon’s house, the other host family. We spent the afternoon shopping in the mall. In the early evening, we went to a soccer game. Unfortunately the home team lost, which the crowd did not appreciate. Brazilian’s sure love their soccer.
Oct 16 – we went with Marlon to observe Project Grow. The purpose of the Project is to provide education, Christian doctrine and fun for children. Many of these children do not have any education or an area to play. In the afternoon, we had lunch with Earl & Ruth Anne, and our host families. After lunch, we went home with our host family for some rest (HA HA HA). David, not me, challenged Chris and I to a soccer match. Chris and I were on one trip and David was the other team. We lost terribly.
Chris and I attended church at Novo Horizonte. During the service Earl would translate for us and explain what’s next. Earl introduced us to the congregation and we are not sure what he said, but everyone smiled and laughed. We had a great time and enjoyed the service.
Andrew preached at ICCP with Marlon translating.
Oct 17 – we packed our bags, said goodbye to our host family and headed for Novo Horizonte. When Bill and Andrew, we left for Camp Shalom, a camp operated by Novo Horizonte. It is a beautiful camp outside the city.
It is now time to say goodbye to the Earl and Ruth Anne as we start our return trip to home.
By David Eckard
Other Member’s Thoughts & Comments
This has been a humbling and exciting adventure for me. I am blessed to have known about the work of Earl and Ruth in the Amazon but to see it in person is something else. It has been brilliant to learn further about the work of CBM and the Kingdom impact of the work here amongst the villages all throughout the Amazonian region. I am not a fisherman by trade and never will be as I am so not a fan of fish, as they don’t agree with my taste buds me, and whoever was around me would have to bait me, hook it, cast it and then take anything that I managed to catch and then do it all over again! Besides that fact it was a blast spending time on the shore with these guys and the pastors fishing together and growing together. It was a true blessing to be able to be part of the church build and to know that God is going to use that building in some amazing ways, I look forward in anticipation for what will be done in that village. I am blessed to be with these guys and was excited to lead many of them on their first mission trip. Earl and Ruth are a blessing and wonderful hosts, even if Earl can’t understand Portuguese with a kiwi accent! Looking forward to my next trip down here on the new boat and I am glad we could see “Francis & Anne” off for one last fishing and construction trip with a great crew, a great group of men and some great memories. Andrew Jit
At times, one may think that this boat is guided by the lamp at the forward point of the top deck, however I know after seeing the work Earl and Ruth Ann are doing in this region of the world it is being lead and guided with God out in the front leading the way. This is my first mission trip and I could not have picked a better team, the fellowship and the example of the simple life have been humbling and a blessing to me. I can see that the people of different villages and the Amazon region have what so many of us really need, and that’s love of God and family, they have so little but yet they have so much, we on the other hand have so much but we have so little….I will never forget the memories and the God moments. Chris Adams
What an adventure. What at Mission Earl and Ruth have going on here on the Amazon. I was truly blessed to be able to witness their Mission first hand. In the process also be able to share my experience with God. For me I was amazed by prayer, from the start at our Prayer walk to all the prayer that took place on this trip, and knowing all the people we had praying for us back in Springfield. God is good, and prayer really does work. I know first hand because the day we helped build the Church it was over 100 degrees, and I do not do well with Heat. At the beginning when he finally got all of the material off the boat, and had to bring it up an incline of 75 yards I was worn out. How in the heck was I going to go another 5 or 6 hours with the heat and a bad foot. God showed me. For the next 6 hours the sun that God provided was shaded by cloud cover for the rest of the day. What a difference a cloud can make. The temperature was now manageable. I made it through the rest of the day with no problems. Ended up on the roof at the end of the day to help see the final pieces of our part of the project completed. Prayer answered. My prayer life has been strengthened, and more meaningful because of this experience. Thank you God for giving me the courage to get out of the boat!
Mike McNeil
This has been a great trip for me, and a big eye opener for the way other live, Earl and Ruth have a great mission project that is work very well. Both are very dedicated to the mission and work with other to carry out a started church. I think god for giving me this opportunity to take this trip, it has been a blessing. David Miller
I’m very thankful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this trip. My wife and I have always supported the ministry Earl and Ruth have established and I was glad to have the chance to see it firsthand. If I said I was greatly impressed, it would be an understatement. The work they have done and continue to do is tremendous. Its impact will last and grow and change the lives of all involved. You have my continued support. Bill Lilley
I too am so thankful for the door God opened for me to go on this mission trip. I have wanted to go on one for many years and the timing just wasn’t right. I had several anxieties before leaving on the trip, but I prayed that God would keep my focus on the purpose of the trip. I have long heard of the Haubner’s boat ministry and to see it in action was incredible. The way the people responded to Earl when he was around and when we attended worship service with them, you could really see God working through the Haubners. Their ministry is an amazing testimony to their love for the Lord. Bill Laiwson
I have had a very enlighting time. I most say this trip was much harder then I had expected. Although I have had a wonderful time and very memorable. I certainly admire Earl & Ruth for what they have accomplished over their 42 years here in Brazil. I had a great time getting to know the crew and talking with them it was fun trying to understand what was being said. They were all very hospitable and they were very helpful in every way. I can not wait to get back to my wed. evening bible study class and share with them my experiences on the Amazonian. Bill chaffinb
First I thank god for making all of this possible. It is truly remarkable. Earl and Ruth’s work is soo touching they have helped this region find God and us visitors find ourselves. They are wonderful. This entire trip has been a blessing and an eye opener. Thank you Lord. We went to church and although I could not understand the opening prayer I was covered with goose bumps. The prayer was powerful and genuine. So much so I forgot about the heat. Jesus Christ is definitely here in the Amazon and it is obvious and the people show it by their love. I am blessed to have come on this trip also for having a group of really great guys to share this experience with. Thank you God for Earl and Ruth. They will stay in my prayers. Carl Chaffin (Fred)