Team Members:

Miamisburg Christian Church (Ohio): Dave Fritsch, Allan Puckett, Josh Hauser, Amy Mowery and Amy Hillis

Salem Lutheran Church (Ohio): Cari Helling, Diana Wall, and Louisa Pecchioni

Central Brazil Mission: Earl Haubner

Roxbury Church of Christ (Wisconsin): Merle Franks

Traders Point Christian Church (Indiana): Jim McGhee

February 24th: The day is finally here! We are packed and ready to go to Brazil. The MCC team’s executive pastor, along with elders, prayed over the team before we made our way to the airport to meet up with the ladies of Salem. The team also met up with Earl. Our other team member from Salem, Cari, would meet up with us in Atlanta. Then meet up with Jim and Merle in Panama.

The team hit a snag at the international terminal in Atlanta. There was a glitch in the system, and six team member tickets were cancelled. Unfortunately, the six tickets from Panama to Manaus were sold and there were no seats available. The six-team members would have to stay in Atlanta until Thursday. Fortunately, Cari, Diana, and Louisa were able to make the flight and meet up with Jim and Merle in Panama.

February 25th: The team in Brazil had the opportunity to catch some sleep before organizing the medical supplies they brought with them. They also inventoried and measured out medications for ease of distribution. The weather was nice enough to them to allow them to fish and swim, even having the pink river dolphins come within 25 feet of them.

The Atlanta team was able to get some sleep and made plans on how to spend the day. As a team, we decided to check out the Georgia Aquarium. It was an amazing experience, and we are thankful for the opportunity, but we were eager to get to Manaus to join the others.

We often ask ourselves why things happen. I believe it is simply human nature, especially when we are at the start of a mission trip and are delayed. I only share this because we believe God had a hand in the situation. Three of the team members were down in the lobby of the hotel when there was a commotion at the front desk. It turns out there was a medical emergency in the hotel that evening and we were able to respond, stabilize the patient, and pass information onto the emergency crew. It was not a life-or-death situation, but there were children in the room, so with us responding the hotel staff was able to take the children out of the room and keep them safe until things stabilized.

February 26th: Travel day for those in Atlanta! We were up and ready to go! We were able to transfer all 16 bags with ease this time. We developed a great system, so it went so smoothly. Dave checked, double-checked, and triple checked that we had tickets all the way to Manaus because the next flight was not until Saturday! Spoiler alert…. WE MADE IT!!

The team in Brazil had the opportunity to go on a tour. They were able to see the meeting of the waters did a pink dolphin encounter, had lunch at a restaurant on the river with white linen tablecloths, tried alligator and red fish, saw gigantic lily pads and vines, went across a rickety bridge, saw macaws, met a village Chief, and tried termites! It was an adventurous day for them and a great team-building opportunity.

February 27th: The Atlanta crew made it to the boat around 4 a.m. and as soon as the bags and people were onboard, we set sail for Sao Sebastiao, which is 16 hours down river. The team had the opportunity to meet the boat mascot, Oakley. He is a beautiful golden retriever. We made our way to our room assignments where we crashed for a few hours.

A few hours later, we met up with the rest of team for breakfast. This was the first time the Atlanta crew got to meet Jim and Merle. Helo had prepared a beautiful breakfast for us; Afterwards Mike shared how the mission started and showed us a map of the areas we would be serving. After lunch, we unpacked and organized the rest of the supplies. We also determined our assignments for the week. It was amazing to witness the ease of job assignments. Although we were a mixed group, there were no egos, and everyone was willing to do whatever was needed of them.

It was amazing to experience the ride from the top deck, the sounds of the jungle, the animals along the riverbanks, seeing how the people of the Amazon live, and seeing dolphins on a regular basis. God’s beauty is amazing.

February 28th: We arrived at our first village, Arara, just before 2 a.m. After breakfast, we met for a devotion and worship. Singing song in Portuguese is a great way to learn fast! Jim did a great devotion on the importance of names.

Arara was a bigger village, and we were invited to meet in their church. Santana told the story of Simon and Andrew fishing when Jesus called them to follow him, to be fishers of men. After the story and some signing, we went back to the boat to prepare to see patients. The people were kind, welcoming, and giggled with us as we tried our hardest to speak Portuguese.

We were able to see 69 medical and 12 dental patients.

March 1st: Bom Dia! We arrived at Leandro Grande last evening; unfortunately, it was too late in the day to see anyone. We now had a routine of breakfast, devotions and singing, then patients. The day before the team found a rhythm that worked and it carried through the rest of our time together. Another example of God’s hand in the trip. Essentially, five different groups of people who just met found a rhythm seamlessly.

We were able to go into the village again, meeting at the schoolhouse for a story and singing. We saw patients in the morning and afternoon with a total of 31 medical and 7 dental patients. Again, the people were welcoming and helped us with our Portuguese (or lack of)!

By God’s grace, we were able to visit another village, Bom Jesus. The best part is watching the children play the fishing game. We even had a few kiddos play after their visit with the dentist, and the tears were replaced with a smile and laughter. We were able to see 33 medical and 14 dental patients. The beauty of the Amazon is truly astounding and awe inspiring.

That evening we had an amazing game of Uno with eight team members! It was a mix of American and Brazilians and although there was a language barrier, laughter is universal! In addition, there was plenty of laughter! What a gift!

March 2nd: Bom Dia! Today we were able to visit three villages! Our first stop, Eseada, was a smaller village and we were able to see 10 medical and three dental patients. Our second stop, Liveramento, was a slightly bigger village. We saw 44 medical and 10 dental patients. Our third and final stop was Cesarela. We were able to grab a quick dip in the water before the first round of patients came. It was quite refreshing since our temperatures were in the 90’s. We saw 27 medical and 7 dental patients.

 After we finished seeing patients for the day a group of took advantage of the water and went swimming before it got dark. Then we had our nightly round of Uno. Again, the laughter flowed. This group is truly a gift from God.

Interesting enough there is an island across from Cesarela with a hill and the locals said it is a reminder of Golgotha.

March 3rd: Bom Dia! After our morning routine, we finished seeing the rest of the village. It also gave us an opportunity to pass a soccer ball with one of the children.

We then made our way to one of the bigger villages of the trip, Caribi. We were able to get off the boat and explore the village a bit. It had a sidewalk and it was set up in an L shape. Helo showed us around and even picked limes from the tree for us. The smell was amazing and refreshing. His hospitality is something I will not forget!

We were able to see 47 medical and seven dental patients before packing up and heading to another village. Jacarecaquara was a small village, and we were able to see 12 medical and 3 dental patients.

We then made our way to our final village, Amaro, which was very small. There are only 3 families that live in this village. We stayed here for the night with a plan to see the families in the morning. Again, there were several rounds of Uno before bed.

March 4th: Bom Dia! We were able to see 2 out of the 3 families that live here. We saw 8 medical and 3 dental patients. As our last patient left the boat, we started putting our equipment and supplies away. It was hard to believe our time in the Amazon was coming to an end.

In total we were able to serve 281 medical, 65 dental (106 dental procedures), hand out 281 pairs of sunglasses, and 50 reading glasses. Even with delays, we were able to meet and treat some amazingly resilient people. It is an experience this author is not going to forget. I thank God for the team and crew every day!

Now the journey back to Sao Sebastiao.

We were given the opportunity to see the old church and visit the mission house. It was a hot day, but it was also nice to walk on land and stretch our legs. The hospitality of the mission house was amazing. They prepared delicious food and we tried amazing soup! We got to watch soccer practice, see the greenhouse, and see Santana’s gift of jewelry making. Made it back to the boat in time for most beautiful sunset and of course, Uno!

March 5th: Bom Dia! Today we left Sao Sebastiao, along with some crewmembers, to take the long journey back to Manaus. The team spent some time playing euchre, Uno and No Mercy Uno. It was a good day to reflect on our time and to relax before the trip back to the states.

March 6th: Bom Dia! We spent the morning exploring the fish market (oh the smells) and shopping in Manaus before heading to the dock. After lunch, we condensed our bags as much as possible and packed for the journey home. We played cards, of course! If we did anything regularly as a team, it was cards! We had several rainstorms and a massive thunderstorm rolled through.

Dinner was amazing! As usual, the crew did an amazing job! Helo needs to do a cookbook, just saying. We had an opportunity to thank the crew, and they deserved every praise they received. Our trip was amazing because of their support and hard work. We had a few hours to rest before heading to the airport.

March 7th: Bom Dia one last time! The van picked us up at midnight and took us to the airport. We said, “see ya later” to Merle and Jim in Panama! The rest of the team patiently waited for our trip to Atlanta. In Atlanta we said, “see ya later” to Cari as she headed back to Florida for work. The rest of the crew made it back to Dayton around 10:30 p.m. We said “see ya later” to Earl as he headed back to Springfield, Louisa and Diana head back to West Alexandria and MCC headed back to Miamisburg.

I thank God for an amazing trip and allowing us to come together with people of every type of background to work seamlessly as a group. Sign me up for the next trip! Until then, Deus te abencoe, tchau!