Brothers

"A brother is a friend God gave you." - Unknown

A Full Weekend

Last weekend we were invited to go to the town of Itapuã do Oeste, which is the town where we first stayed when we arrived here in Rondônia.  I was asked to speak at the ladies' meeting on Friday night, and Jeremy preached on Saturday evening, as well as Sunday morning and evening.

Jeremy spoke to a group of about 150 people on Sunday morning. The majority of this group is children that the pastor picks up with a van and trailer.

 

After the service we were able to gather around the pool and see ten people follow the Lord in baptism.

 

 

 

The kids all enjoyed a popsicle before going home.

We really enjoyed the services and the fellowship. We had a great time with old friends, and made some new ones also.

Water Appreciation Week

Are you one of those people who just turn on the faucet and take it for granted that water will come out?

I am!  Or at least I was until yesterday. I have a whole new appreciation for running water. We are on day two of no running water.  Our whole city is without water due to some problem with the water company.

Let me tell you, when it's super hot outside and there's no water in the house, it can become a sticky situation! (pun intended)

You never think much about how much you use water, until there is none to use. Laundry, dishes, cooking, making drinks, cleaning, flushing toilets, showering, etc.

We do have some drinking water, and I am so thankful for our kind neighbors who have a well and have been tossing their hose over the wall so we can fill buckets  and trash cans with water to wash the basics.  I never knew how incredibly refreshed you can feel from taking a bath from a bucket until you have no other option!

I guess we are living like "real missionaries" now. We are sure hoping and praying that it comes back on very soon!

Adventures in Rondônia

We are still exploring our area to discover all there is to see. This week we took an afternoon adventure to find the waterfall that people have told us about.

We turned off the paved highway and drove for 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) on this dirt road. Luckily we haven't had too many hard rains in the last few days, or we probably wouldn't have been able to make it.

The countryside was really pretty along the way.

I don't think think these guys like having their picture taken.

When we arrived we parked and walked another half of a kilometer into the "jungle" to arrive at the waterfall. I wouldn't have been too anxious to do so without the boardwalk to walk on!

The boardwalk led to about 150 uneven, slippery, wooden steps down to the river where the waterfall was. We definitely got our workout for the day.

But it was well worth it.

It was hard to get a good picture because there was so much mist coming off of the waterfall.

As we hiked back to the car I tried to imagine what it would be like to live out in the middle of the jungle like the Indians do. I don't really think I can even fathom what that life would be like.

We were the only ones there, but when we started hearing rustling in the trees and leaves around us, we knew we weren't alone!

It was a fun excursion, and we made it out alive!