June 2nd and 3rd

Hello everyone,

We are having a wonderful time here in the beautiful country of Brasil!

Yesterday we took the day to explore the wonders of the Amazon. This starting with a trip through the market and then on to a boat for a tour. Our tour began with seeing the meeting of the waters, which is where the black river and amazon river come together, this sight is unique becasue the line is clearly marked by the water. A few of the team decided to go for a swim. We then rode through the wildlife and saw a variety of plants and animals, including the occasional pink dolphin. Before lunch we walked through the amazon river on an ant trail that was covered with water because of the season, this took us to a field of giant lilypads. Lunch was then had on a floating restaraunt where souvenirs were also found and bought. The team then had fun holding some exotic creatures, such as a sloth, anaconda, and alligator. After which we proceeded to return to the seminary but before that we bought hammocks. That evening we split into two groups each going to a different home for a small group Bible study, both groups had a wonderful time with the people that were there. Then it was off to bed for a good nights rest before the next day arrived.

This morning we woke to find a delicious meal prepared for us and then as a group began to work on the grounds of the seminary doing various tasks and preparing for this evenings activities and those of the following days. This evenings activities consisted of an array of events. We first met with a local pastor and his church, of which we were helping with an event, before going out to tell others of the evenings event. The event was held in a local park and it began with worship from the praise team of the church, then there was a short skit performed by the church as well. This then led into Kristen painting while both the church praise team and our team sang a few songs. This was followed by a short message. The evening turned out to be a wonderful success as we finished the day in fellowship with friends.

~ Kirsta Tharp