Samambaial Project



Our team with a local family breakfast this morning




The food, as always, was delicious!



April spending quality time with a rowdy child at the Project



Carl teaching the Jacobs Ladder craft for VBS at the project this afternoon



A child from the project sporting his new purseira de amizade (friendship bracelet)
all the way from the youth at Thrasher UMC

It is Tuesday, and yet it feels like we have been here forever! Today was a gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky. I’m not sure if we have posted about this yet, but Itapoa, the town we are in, is a costal, beach town. It is somewhat like your typical beach town: right now, during the off-season/winter, there are few people here. The stores are empty. There are many people who fish for a living and many who rent homes to tourists. It feels like the beach in October, cool enough that you need a fleece jackets in the morning and evening, and sometimes in the afternoon, depending on the clouds, the wind, and the chill in the house.

But today was absolutely beautiful. We started our morning with a visit to the fish leather project in Samambaial. The Methodist Church has begun several local projects where the women of the community use the discarded fish skin and tan it to make fish leather, which they then make into all kinds of products to sell. It is brilliant really, to use that which is always thrown away by the fisher people and make it into a new source of income.

There were at least 10 women who gathered this morning to share breakfast with us, and like all of the meals we have eaten here, there was no lack of delicious food! We ate together and then shared with one another. Carl gave a wonderful devotion, and at least one of the women wanted to adopt him. Everywhere we go, people want to adopt us!

Another thing we have found is that people are always astonished that we are so young. No one, including the persons who helped to plan this trip, really understood that the whole team would be young adults! Almost everywhere we go, people are astonished that we are so young (and that two of us are pastors!)

We had lunch with a couple from the church who live right on the beach, and we went for a beautiful walk before lunch. Breathtaking. What an amazing God has created all of this!

This afternoon we had our second day of Vacation Bible School with this children of the Samamabaial project. There were at least 35 kids, though it is hard to get a true count, since they are always moving! The kids enjoyed playing with us, especially today when it was so beautiful. They especially loved playing tag, soccer, and running around with Carl and Matt. It made me tired just to watch! But it is such a blessing to see the kids have so much fun with the guys! We sang songs, like Father Abraham, in Portuguese. Sara is the young women who works with this kids at this project as her job, and she is absolutely amazing with the kids. She is the perfect example of a person who you can look at and SEE that they are doing exactly what God has called them to do. She is so patient, loving, and fun with the children. A combination like this is a gift from God! We have been very blessed to work alongside her and witness her gifts.

Right now, we are getting cleaned up to go and eat dinner at Daniel’s house again. (Have I mentioned that we are eating REALLY well???) And then we will return to church for the prayer service tonight, during which David is giving a message. We are excited to go to church again; the energy in the church, especially in the music, is moving and inspiring. Often during the singing, we will jump, dance, and move around, so that our whole bodies are involved in praising God.

Thank you for your love and prayers. We miss you, but we are having a WONDERFUL time, and are witnessing God’s presence and work in ways that are powerful. We can’t wait to tell you about it!