Brazil Part 1

As I sit down to write about my about my journey to Brazil, I feel overwhelmed because I could never possibly express every amazing experience that I had. It was truly the most incredible week I have ever had, and my life will be forever changed. Here is Megan and I on our way to Manuas Brazil. Here I am thinking that I cannot wait to see all of those children and I am excited to help make some changes, but little did I know that the people there would actually change me. The night we arrived in Manaus, we stayed in a hotel and the next morning we went into town to buy our hammocks. Here I am relaxing in my hammock. I actually loved it! I slept like a baby. :)

Here is Megs, my dad, me, and Kel at the Center. This is a place that Ray of Hope is building for people to stay. It is huge with lots of rooms and my dad could go there in the future to train the village pastors there.

So, this house has so much meaning. When my dad and sisters went to Brazil last year, they came across a woman who had 5 children and her husband had recently died because he was struck by lightening. Then shortly after, the river started to rise and her entire house was flooded. So, she lost her husband and then her home. Last year, my sisters were telling me how sad she was and how she cried during their visit. So, my dad spent $3000 to buy her a new home. And he was so excited to see it this year! When the woman came out of her home and saw my dad, she gave him the biggest hug. We were all crying. :) She had no idea that we were coming. Then she ran back into her home and pulled out a letter that she had wrote for my dad when her house was built. The translator read it to us and it was words of someone who was so beyond grateful. And I couldn't help but feel a little convicted as I have so much and there are times that I don't feel grateful. It was an amazing day.

The sunsets every night were incredible. We enjoyed being on the boat eating dinner while we traveled to the next village.

Here are some of the people on our team. I loved them all. Each person brought a different gift and it was amazing to see how we all worked together to glorify the Lord.

This was another very emotional day for me. We visited a village with a woman who was 32 and had cerebral palsy. She didn't own a wheelchair and her mother was in her 60's and not strong enough to pick her up. So, she has spent most of her life in that hammock. Im not sure she had ever heard music before, but my sister, Kelly came in with her guitar. The girl was glowing. Kelly got only a few words out and couldn't continue because of her tears. She just kept playing though. Kelly was actually singing a song that she wrote talking about the trials we go through here on earth, but the Lord is our portion and He is all we need. It was almost like Kelly wrote that song just for her. This was the most moving day for me for sure.

I brought about 75 prints of our family photo to give out to the children. They loved seeing pictures! Emmett was practically famous because they had never seen a red headed baby before! Here is Redi showing her a picture of our fam. She loved it! Oh, and then I cried again.

My dad baptized megan and I in the river. Yes, it's true. I had never been baptized before. I was always too nervous to get up in front of church and give my testimony. But, I think it was because the Lord wanted me to get baptized in the amazon. A whole Indian tribe came down to watch and it was amazing!!

So, this is another story that tugs on my heart. Right after we met the woman with cerebral palsy, we walked into the jungle a little ways more and visited a woman with her 2 children. Some of the people on the team warned me that I maybe shouldn't go back to meet them because the mother has asked them before if anyone wanted her 4 month old baby girl. They all knew that I had a heart for children and it would be hard for me knowing that this mother wanted to give her child up. Its not that she didn't love her. She just wanted a better life for her. (Atleast that's what some of the staff members were telling me) Of course I didn't listen to anyone and I went anyway. This baby was breathtaking. I fell in love with her and she kept smiling at me. If I could have, I would have taken her home with me. Her home environment was awful and it was one of the more poor villages. The Dr. who was on our team examined her and said she most likely had worms and you could see fleas in her hair. Anyway, here is the little beauty with Gloria. (Gloria is on staff with Ray of Hope)

This is where the baby lived with her mom and sister.

I have more to write. These were just some of the experiences we came across. It was an amazing week and I am seeing the Lord do such a work.