Today was our first full day on the boat, and I am just so grateful to even be here, on a boat in the middle of the Amazon. As I got ready for the day and prepared for the trip ahead of me, I realized the true meaning of service: giving up the comforts of your normal life to uplift and give back to others. It is making yourself less so that He may become greater. We also learned about the history of the mission and where we would be going this week from Michael. It was incredible to hear about the life-changing work that this mission has done over the past 50 years and all the lives that it has influenced!

Today was the first day that we saw patients, and it was very busy, but also so amazing. We first went out into the village, and the local missionary gave a short devotion and an explanation of why we were there to the people who had gathered. It was cool to see all of the people who relied on this boat for their medical care, and got to hear about Jesus because of it. As we served the people who came on the boat, I was in awe of how much their lives resembled our own. Maybe not in their daily routine or the houses they lived in, but in the conversations they had and the way the children played. It truly goes to show how we are all one in the body of Christ and how everyone is created in the image of God.

Today we started the day back in the same village, the same way we started every day: with a devotion and worship. We do this with the crew as well, so the lesson is translated to Portuguese, and we sing in both English and Portuguese. As someone who loves languages, it is always amazing to me how we can be saying the same thing in two completely different ways. We are praising the same God with completely different words. God is universal in that way, and He is big enough to be praised in every tongue. He is the One that every human heart longs for, and He is praised in every way. We sing on the top deck of the boat, so that village may hear us as well.

Another thing that really touched me today was helping an 80 year old woman walk from the waiting room to the doctor’s office. I’ve been told that just a few years ago, you didn’t see anyone over the age of 60 on the boat because they didn’t have the proper healthcare and nutrition to live longer. However, with the work that this mission is doing, people are able to receive the services that allow them to be healthy longer, services that we so often take for granted.

Today was the day that I really started to feel tired, yet I was still excited to go to a new village and serve more people. As a man in our group put it, I was “physically tired, but spiritually filled.” It is incredible how the Lord has given me exactly what I needed on this trip. Joy, peace, energy, love, all exactly when I needed it. It was another busy day in another large village, but the Lord has provided for them and for us everything that was needed.

Today was Sunday, and we had communion on the boat because there were no churches around the area where we were. As I sat in reverence, it was hard not to get emotional about everything that Jesus has done for me, the sacrifice He made, and the way He has lined everything up in my life so perfectly for this moment.

As we reached the next village, it seemed like every kid came out to greet us. The second I stepped off the boat, a little girl attached herself to my hip, as all her friends did to the other members of the team. The amount of pure joy that she had was inexplicable. She walked with me the entire way to the school, as if her legs were attached to mine. All of the kids in this village were filled with so much joy and love. We gave the village a soccer ball to have, and they played with it from noon until dark! After we had finished seeing patients, some of the mission team and the crew even joined in. It was amazing to see how one small thing like a soccer ball could light up these kids’ lives.

Today I learned so much about God’s faithfulness to create a way. On the way to our next village, we were stopped by a boat that had been stuck for 3 days on a sandbar. While trying to help them out, a piece of our own boat broke, and we were unable to continue until it was fixed. At first, I was very nervous, but as the day went on, I saw more and more of the capability and resilience of the crew. They worked tirelessly to get us back on track, solving every problem that came up. The Lord also provided us with another boat to help us get to the next village when we could not do so on our own. When we finally arrived, there was a rainbow in the direction of where we came from. This reminded me of Noah’s Ark, and how God is faithful to provide for His children. He consistently gave us exactly what we needed in the moment, and He was faithful to see us through.

Today was our last day serving people, and it was very bittersweet. We saw two villages today: the one we were docked at and another that came by boat. In between the two, we got to go out and explore the town. It was so beautiful and interesting, and it really made me appreciate everything that I have back at home. As we put away the toys, books, and puzzles, it struck me just how much God has worked in the past week. All week, I have been thinking about the phrase “The same man never steps into the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” I am not the same person I was when I first entered this river. The Lord has been continuously changing me, bit by bit, revealing to me the extraordinary beauty of His creation and His people. He has shown me how His love can reach even the most remote places, and how following His Way can lead to a life more joyful than I have ever known. It was truly the experience of a lifetime to serve among the Brazilians, one I will not soon forget.