Back to the Amazon

Well, something funky is going on with the site, so the pictures are out of order...let's be flexible.

Tomorrow morning I will be heading out to the Amazon again. I am taking a mighty team of four women (including myself). Rachel (of course you know who Rachel is), Lorena (21), and Stephanie (aka Fefa 17). Some might laugh at the thought of receiving a team of counselors and then...surprise! They are four girls with the average age of...you do the math. But I have full confidence in our team and believe that He has given us sufficient gifts and passion to really bless the people there.

We are going to be going to different towns/cities along the Amazon River. I will have the HUGE blessing of being able to return to the little community where I was last year. We are starting our outreach there for two weeks, working alongside the DTS team (which should be interesting and challenging but good). Then we will be in Leticia, Tabatinga (Brazil), another river community on the Colombian side, and...other places that we don't even know because they are unconfirmed!!! Yes!!

We need prayer! Like crazy.

1. Pray for safety/health. Last time I was there we were drinking rain water. Yum. We can have a parasite competition in the group. Or maybe we can go to new frontiers like typhoid!! Weeee! Good news is that I have health insurance. Good stuff. They will even fly me back to Medellin if I need it. (Like THAT would ever happen...wait...this sounds oddly familiar...) There is also malaria, more dengue...who are we kidding. It is the jungle. Prayer for health is not going to be in vane.

2. Language/Communication Barriers. Guess what they speak in Brazil...NOT Spanish. So me, Rachel (who is still working on Spanish) and two Colombian girls are going to give conferences to people who speak Portuguese and Ticuna. If I need to translate, that is going to be interesting, since I haven't really practiced Portuguese in...six years? Pray that the three weeks that we are in Brazil would be amazing at that people will understand us (and that we would understand them).

3. Team sanity. I am leading. Enough said.

No seriously, when you are intentionally jumping into the middle of the hurt and sin of people and families, there is NATURAL emotional stress not to mention SUPERNATURAL opposition. We need spiritual covering.

4. Wisdom. Discernment. Boldness. Creativity. All absolutely necessary. Please pray especially for me as I am leading the team.

5. Pray that God would use us greatly and that we would allow ourselves to be used greatly.

Just pray alright? Why are you still reading this...you should be praying!

But first, I must address the burning question in your hearts. Did Desteni do something to her hair?? Why yes. I went to get the roots done again (since post-black hair trauma) and my hairdresser decided that I wasn't white enough so he went just a wee bit more blond that we were going for. But hey, it is still cute.

Now, with that inspiration...on your knees people!