Making His Name Known Among the Nations....

One Last Stop

2011-05-27T14:09:00.004-05:00

Boa Tarde (Good Afternoon) !

The team had a great last full day of ministry yesterday and today they are in a different village for part of the day. The village they are in today is called Araras. We don't have much information on this village so please continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to be revealed through our team and for the hearts of the villagers to be receptive to the Gospel.

After ministering to this village they'll continue on to Manaus. This might be the last post until the team lands back in the US. If I hear from them while they're in Manaus I'll be sure to let you know they arrived safely. Their flight departs Manaus tomorrow at 2:10pm central time and lands in Miami at 7:25pm central time. They will overnight in Miami and depart Sunday at 7:10am central time and arrive into DFW at 10:20am local Dallas time.

Please continue to pray for safe travels, health and wellness of the team and for the hearts of those who heard the Gospel to be moved and softened and ultimately come to know Christ. Thank the Lord for the opportunity our team had, for their obedience to step out of their comfort zone, the translators, the boat crew, the Brazilian ministry team, our partner church, and for all of the friends and family that supported them financially and prayerfully to make the trip possible. Praise God for the work that he is already and continues to do in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. While our team's trip is almost finished, the Holy Spirit is always at work and the team's efforts will continue to impact those villages.

Thank you for checking in and for praying for the team.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Blessings,
Kelli Coblentz

Pressing On

2011-05-26T13:59:00.004-05:00

Good Afternoon,

Team 2 is doing well and everyone is feeling good today so thank you for praying for those that weren't well yesterday. They are in a new village today where they'll have their last full day of ministry. Tonight they'll begin the long boat ride back to Manaus but they'll have the opportunity to visit two villages tomorrow along the way back.

The villages Team 2 has visited have not been as receptive to the team or the Gospel as the villages were last week. Please pray for perseverance for the team and for the Lord to open hearts of the villagers. Pray also that the team would not grow weary or discouraged but that they would be kept at peace knowing they are being obedient to the Lord and that HE will do the rest.

Please also pray for strength and endurance. They are tired, it's hot, and when the villages aren't as receptive as they'd hoped for I'm sure it's even more emotionally and spiritually tiring.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up Galatians 6:9

Thank you for checking in and for praying for the team.

In Him,
Kelli Coblentz

Remembering Our Job

2011-05-25T08:32:00.004-05:00

Bom Dia!

Thank you for checking in on the team. They are doing pretty good and staying strong despite the intense heat and humidity.

Today they are in a village called Bella Vista. There wasn't much information to be shared on this village but each of the ministry teams (medical, childrens, womens and mens) are geared up and ready to begin a full day of loving on and serving the people of this village with the ultimate intention of sharing Christ and the hope found in Him.

Yesterday they were in a village that wasn't very receptive to the team. While the team hopes for each person they encounter to know the Lord or accept him as their Savior, they were reminded that their job is to preach the Good News, to demonstrate Christ's love for them and to share what God has done in their lives. God will change hearts. It's easy, though, to walk away thinking "if I only did/said this, maybe they would believe" but the team has been obedient what the Lord has called them to, which is sharing and telling of his gift. His free gift of grace. The Holy Spirit will do its work in the hearts that have heard and we will continue to pray that they will believe and accept this amazing gift that has been offered to them.

With that, pray for the team's confidence today and that it would be of the Lord. That satan would not have a foothold in trying to make them feel defeated but that they would remain strong and steadfast in the Lord, knowing that they have his full armor to uphold them today.

Pray also for the team's health and endurance. There are a few folks with upset stomachs, which is not uncommon since they're eating different foods and exposed to extreme heat and are probably a bit tired physically and maybe even emotionally or spiritually.

Continue praying for receptive hearts and for the Holy Spirit to pierce through any walls that satan is trying to build. Pray for the people of Bella Vista to see and experience Christ's love for them today through the team. That they would see and believe firsthand how valuable they are and how they can be freed from opporession of a works based salvation and to be assured of eternal life with only the One who can save.

Tim sends his apologies that you haven't been able to hear directly from the team or see pictures from their time in the villages. He continues to have problems with the satellite router which enables him to connect to the internet.

Thank you for praying and for checking in.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20

Have a blessed day,
Kelli Coblentz

Team 2 in their First Village

2011-05-24T07:52:00.003-05:00

Bom Dia (Good Morning) !

Thank you for praying for the boat repairs. They were able to get it running again and the team traveled up the Rio Negro and made it to the first village they'll be serving at today called Santa Maria. This is a decent sized village with 35 families; however, only 10 adults are believers so there is great opportunity today to share Christ.

All of the ministry teams are excited for their first full day and they'll soon be getting off of the boat to go out and love on and serve the Amazon people. It's going to be a very hot day today in the jungle as the sun is already out and strong with no clouds in the forecast. It's very humid and one can lose energy much quicker than they would back in the States, even during July in Texas when it's 100+ degrees.

The picture I posted is from a few years ago but it gives you an idea of the mode of transportation of the locals in the jungle. It's not surprising, as the picture shows, to see young kids traveling by boat to and from villages. It's possible that neighboring villages could hear about our team's arrival and travel by a canoe such as this...packed full...to seek medical care and just to see why they are there.

How can you pray for the team today?

* strength and endurance during the heat
* unity among the US and Brazilian teams
* receptive hearts and spirits to the Gospel
* wisdom for the medical / dental teams as they treat patients
* let's not forget to thank the Lord for his provision of our Brazilian church partner and their translators.

Thank you for praying and for checking in.

The team hopes to post a story and picture later today from their experience in Santa Maria.

Kelli Coblentz

Team 2 faces some early challenges

2011-05-23T10:31:00.002-05:00

Team 1 has arrived home & Team 2 is on the river & ready to go to work. On Sunday we had a devotional, final training meeting, Brazilian church service with partner church where we met our translators & then loaded up the bus & went to the boat. The boat we are on this week is the JJ Mesquita which has been recently renovated as they added additional bathrooms & medical facilities. Last night we started up the Rio Negro river but didn’t get very far as the boat had some mechanical issues & had to return to Manaus where we are hanging out at this moment organizing our donation items as they are servicing the boat. The plan was for us to work in 5 villages along the Rio Negro river but instead of 5 full days of work (Mon-Fri) it looks like we will probably have only 4 full days of work. God is in control & we trust that the boat will be fixed soon & they estimate we will shortly begin our trip back up the Rio NegroRiver.
Please pray for:
• Boat to be fixed quickly & no more mechanical issues
• Unity between North Americans & Brazilians
• Open hearts for the gospel along the Rio Negro River

SINCE I HAD SOME TROUBLE LAST WEEK WITH THE SATELLITE ROUTER I AM POSTING A STORY FROM LAST WEEK THAT WE WANTED TO SHARE

Today was our second full day of ministry and we are really starting to get in the swing of things. We woke up to a light rain that cooled the weather nicely. After breakfast, we practiced our singing for the next village time, then Djard led our group devotional. We were all blessed by a woman from the village who joined us, Baranesee. A former witch doctor, she is now a leader in the village! As she has faced ailments in recent months, Djard anointed her with oil and we circled around her to lay hands and pray for healing, which was a very powerful experience. Later that morning, the women’s team got to visit her house and hear the story of how her husband and kids came to Christ. This woman has been touched by the hand of God in many, many ways to say the least. The stories are unending and her faith is unbelievable. To hear about how her grandson was healed from cancer as a result of an all-night vigil and all the other stories were a great reminder that our God is bigger, stronger, greater and mighty to save! The women’s team also got to visit another lay pastor at his home with Djard, whose name is Nildo. His home was unbelievably clean and you can tell he takes great pride in building it himself. The wood floors were gorgeous! We later bought candy and coffee from the shop he runs in the back. He is also a craftsmen and carved boat souvenirs that he gave us. Our whole team was struck by his generosity and peaceful heart. Melody from the women’s team shared the Evangecube and Lexi Gill shared her story with the women – 46 women accepted Christ! We felt a much more somber spirit in this village than San Antonio yesterday and were very encouraged by the number of women who came, listened to the Gospel and left with eternal life. The men’s team had an intense a day of soccer against a bunch of Brazilian women who are amazing athletes! the game started in the rain with lots of slipping and sliding, ending with a victory due to help from our trusty deck hand, Isaac, who is a former professional soccer player. Nathan Quinn shared the evangecube before the game began, and almost 30 men from all age ranges accepted Christ! The children’s VBS team had a blast today. Everyone got involved in the games, songs and bible story of Jonah and the whale. Upon arrival, there was definitely mutual affection between our team and the kids. Even with the language barrier, bonds were built with kids of all ages ranging from infants to 11 years old. Family responsibility is so strong with the kids. Even 6 year olds are carrying babies and taking care of one another. The medical team changed camps and set up triage in the pavilion next to the soccer field. The fun part about that was the team was able to keep each other updated on the score of the game throughout the day. With about 100 patients seen yesterday, the team saw about 70 today ranging from worms treatment, fungal infections and body aches. At the end of the day, Djard started the service gathering everyone from the village and Aimee Blevins and Cody Bateman shared their testimonies. Deba, our ship captain preached and had an invitation and about a dozen accepted Christ! After a long day of rain and evangelizing, we headed back to the boat for a delicious dinner of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and an after dinner alligator hunt! While perusing the banks of the jungle, one of the boats brought back four gators – the Brazilian guide caught two with his bare hands! We continue to see Christ show up in amazing ways with our health and spirits lifted high. Team unity and boldness to share the gospel remain strong as we press on towards day 3 of ministry tomorrow. Your prayers are felt and continually needed. We can’t wait to share more upon return home…..
Story by Meg Shipley

Team 2 Arrives Safely

2011-05-22T19:57:00.003-05:00

Hello,

Team 2 arrived safely and all of their luggage and donation items made it as well. Yesterday after arriving they had some time to rest and visit a real churrascaria, Brazilian style. Today they were able to walk around the city of Manaus a bit and then they attended church this evening where they were able to meet the tranlators they'll be working with and experience a church service with the partnering church. We've been partnering with the same church for about 6 years now and their team is just amazing. They truly love the Lord and have such a servant's heart.

By now the team is probably on their way to the boat, their floating hotel for the week, to begin the long overnight journey up the river. They may even continue traveling through Monday depending on how far the villages are that they'll be ministering to.

Here's how you can pray for the team:

* Safe travels tonight
* Unity among the N. American and Brazilian teams
* Boldness and courage of the teams
* Open hearts of the villagers that they'll visit
* For the Lord to be glorified by their works and his kingdom advanced

You can also be praying for team 1 as they arrived home safely today. Pray for them as they adjust to returning home. Sometimes this can be difficult; returning to a land of immense blessings after seeing such poverty, day-to-day living and hunting for food. What's usually very convicting about the people of the Amazon is that, though they may seem poor in our eyes, they are quite happy people. They are simple, they don't want or need much and they live in true community by helping and caring for each other. Tim will usually ask the team, "Who's better off? Us or them?"

Thank you for praying and for checking in.

Have a great evening,
Kelli Coblentz

Traveling Down the River

2011-05-20T11:28:00.002-05:00

Hello,

The team's travels went well through the night. Thank you for your prayers! They are still traveling and will soon be stopping in a village for one last service opportunity before heading on to Manaus.

Please pray for continued safety as they travel and for a great last service / witnessing opportunity with the Amazon people.

We're sorry that you haven't been able to hear directly from the team and see pictures from their experiences, but hopefully that means when they return there will be plenty of stories to be shared on the blog.

Thank you for checking in and for praying.

God bless,
Kelli Coblentz

Headed Back to Manaus

2011-05-19T22:30:00.002-05:00

Bom Noite (Good Evening) !

All is well with the team and they had another great day serving and loving on the Amazon people of Brazil. Right now they are headed back to Manaus. They will travel all night and most of the day tomorrow, but will take some time to stop in another village to serve.

Please continue to pray for safe travels during the night, for receptive hearts of the last village they'll visit and for a strong finish for our team.

Thank you for checking in and for your prayers.

Kelli Coblentz

Another Great Day in the Jungle

2011-05-19T07:55:00.002-05:00

Bom Dia! (Good Morning!

The team had another great day serving the people of the Amazon.

The medical team was extremely busy as they saw over 100 patients. To give you an idea of what folks are treated for it's primarily minor issues such as infections from an open wound (typically see lots of these), colds, and worms which can only unfortunately be treated with a "band-aid" of medications since the patients aren't able to seek out consistent treatment. The dentist is usually busy pulling teeth, which are rotted and causing a lot of pain. One year the dentist worked until probably 9pm, didn't stop for dinner, pulling teeth. It was already dark out and he was using his headlamp to see. So as you can tell, there are quite a few folks, young and old, that have issues with rotting teeth due to lack of hygiene and access to routine dental care.

The women's team had a great meeting with the women in the village. This team will usually spend time getting to know the women by serving them through the washing of their hands or feet and painting their nails. These women work very hard for their family and these are ways our team can love on them. Then usually one of the girls on the North American team will share her testimony along with the gospel and from there dialog with the women about their beliefs.

The children's team played with a lot of kids. The kids just love when teams like ours show up. They love the affection, the Bible stories, crafts and play time. They don't get to play with everyday items like bubbles, soccer balls and beach balls like kids in the U.S. do so it's amazing how they can play with one of these for hours and never get bored. Typically the team will also do face painting, which is always a hit!

The mens's team had a good time visiting with the men and (I'm sure) getting whipped at the soccer game. It's really neat to see the walls of these very hard working village men come down through laughter at our U.S. guys trying to keep up with soccer. And the Brazilians are even playing bare foot!

Yesterday evening at the church service at least 13 men came forward to accept Christ. Praise the Lord! Keep in mind this is unusual for a man to do in front of his village at a church service, typically out of fear of being kicked out of the village, kids being kicked out of school and losing all that they have.

The team is in a new village today called Pari and they will be there until 1:00pm. At that time they will travel for a couple of hours to another village. After serving and ministering to that village this afternoon, they will start the long boat ride back to Manaus and will probably stop at another village along the way.

Everyone is healthy, everyone is feeling good. Things are going great! Tim asked me to apologize that they aren't able to post a story or photo on the blog. They're not getting a good connection with the satellite router, which is not uncommon given that they are in a very remote location.

Please continue to pray for safe travels, good health, boldness of the team, receptive hearts of the villages they visit, and a strong finish.

Thank you for your prayers and for checking in.

Kelli Coblentz

Tuesdays work in the Amazon

2011-05-17T21:11:00.003-05:00

Our first full day of work in the Amazon was awesome! Our morning starts with breakfast at 7:00 am, followed by devotion at 8:00. We get off the boat at 9:00 & start our ministry work. There were many people lined up at 9:00 waiting to see the doctor & dentist so our medical team was immediately busy. Our mens & womens team walked around the village to meet people say hello. We found out that there had been a death in the village & we were invited to go to the funeral (a first for me after 20
Amazon trips). Our trip pastor Djard shared at the funeral & then I spoke briefly & we prayed for the family. Later we were able to talk with the dead mans only daughter & she said she didn’t feel that God loved her & would let her into heaven. Our boat women shared with her what the bible says about freedom through Christ & that salvation is a free gift & she asked Jesus Christ to come into her heart! What an awesome day!
I took some of the north American men & we met some of the men in the village. There was an older man named Jose that we made an immediate connection with. We asked him questions about the type of animals he hunted & fished & we built a bridge by showing him pictures of the animals I hunt & fish in Texas. His face lit up as I asked him to tell us stories about seeing giant anacondas & he mentioned that he had even killed 2 jaguars that were eating his animals. He showed us his fishing nets & spears that he uses to feed his family & also showed us the skins of the deer he killed & the tails of armadillos he has eaten. Jose said he had 2 absessed teeth that were giving him pain & he said he had tried to remove them with a hammer ( the people in the jungle are remarkably tough & resilient as you can tell by the story of Jose)!!!! Jose & others in the village later came to the “church service” we had in front of the school. Jarrad Brandt gave his testimony & our Brazilian pastor preached & multiple people raised their hand that they accepted Christ for the first time.
The team is doing great & everyone is feeling well. Please pray for continued open doors for the gospel & continued unity with our North American & Brazilian team.

Ready to Serve

2011-05-16T22:21:00.002-05:00

Good Evening,

All is well with the team. They attended church on Sunday with the church they're partnering with and met the translators they'll be serving with. They also sang a song for the church and then the church sang the same song in Portugese, which was sweet and just a great reminder that although we may speak a different language we worship the same Lord.

They traveled all night and day today where they are now docked in front of the village they'll visit and serve tomorrow.

How can you pray for the team?

* Unity with the translators and among each ministry team
* Receptive hearts of the village they'll be serving
* Wisdom and discernment for the medical / dental teams as they treat patients
* For the North American team to be open to what God wants to do in, through and to them
* Praise God for keeping them safe and for the translators, for they are an integral resource to the team. Thank the Lord also for the boat crew who work very hard to transport the team, cook and clean for them and keep them safe.

They are having trouble connecting to the satellite router which allows them to post on the blog so hopefully those issues will be resolved so that you will be able to hear updates and stories directly from the team.

Thank you for praying and for checking in.

Kelli Coblentz

Team 1 made it to Manaus

2011-05-14T20:07:00.002-05:00

Team 1 made it to Manaus after spending a sleepless Friday night in the Miami airport. Praise the Lord that all the luggage made it & we are settled into our hotel.

Our plan tomorrow is breakfast at 7:30, devo at 8:30, spend some time seeing the city, church service Sunday evening & then jump on the boat & head down the river.
The team is doing great but a little tired so we will be ready for Sunday ater a good nights rest.

Please pray for:
* unity with Brazilian church
* unity among North American team members
* safety as we take the boat down the Amazon river on unday night
* Brazilian hearts open to the gospel message

Going to the Amazon Jungle

2011-05-12T10:06:00.000-05:00

In a few short days we will be on a boat headed down the Amazon River. For several months now, we’ve been praying for the people of the Amazon. My prayer has been that The Lord would be working in their hearts, and whatever work He would have us do there, has already begun before we ever leave Dallas. In Manaus, we will meet our partner church & then
jump on a boat and go from village to village down the Amazon River. We will be carrying medical supplies, doctors, dentists, clothes, everyday items, etc… The most important thing we will have, however, is the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. If someone knows of Jesus in the Amazon, they typically have a misunderstanding of Who He is, His grace, and the salvation that He offers. Our teams have trained hard to be as effective as we can on this trip, while maintaining an attitude of flexibility knowing only our Creator knows what is in store. We will have our bibles, testimonies, ‘evangecubes’ and the love of Christ so that we can articulate the gospel as clearly as we can. It continues to amaze me that a sovereign God would use us to impact the eternity of others. I hope that one day we will be with the people of the Amazon Jungle in heaven.  Too often I have gone on these trips with much anticipation of how God is going to use me to impact the lives of others. Every single time, it seems that I am the one who comes back changed. I pray that our team would be effective in sharing, but also effective in receiving whatever life lessons God has for us around the corner. I pray we would grow spiritually and that God would use this trip to conform us to the character of His Son, Jesus Christ. I pray that we would also grow as a team and comeback here to do effective ministry in Dallas. I hope we will apply everyday what we’ve learned in preparation for the Amazon Jungle.

How has our team prepared for this trip?
• Meetings, meetings, & more meetings
• Raise $$ from friends & family (thanks to all of you who give to make this possible)
• Immunizations (yellow fever, tetanus, typhoid, Hep A, Hep B)
• Team building as a group
• Training to effectively & clearly share our testimony & the Gospel of Jesus Christ

How can you pray?
· God will be glorified by our team & time in Amazon Jungle
• Unity with the Brazilian partner church
• Brazilian hearts open to Jesus Christ
• Safety, protection & good health
• This experience will refocus our hearts for those in Dallas who don’t know Christ’s love

Reflecting on what God did in the Amazon Jungle

2010-06-01T10:56:00.004-05:00

Now that both 2010 Watermark Amazon teams are home safe, it is time to reflect of what God did through our faithfulness. Both trips were very different, (one was on the Rio Negro River & the other on the Salomoes River) but both trips were similar. We did medical/dental work, children’s VBS, women’s & men’s ministry. While providing free medical care & donations items for people who don’t have access to proper health care, our main focus was to share the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. Only in heaven will we know the full impact of our trip but there were many people in the Amazon who professed salvation in Christ while we were there. The best part is that even though the North Americans have come home, the work doesn’t stop since our Brazilian partner church will follow up with the new believers & disciple & shepherd them in their new faith in Christ.

A STORY OF 2 DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO THE GOSPEL
I will tell a story of two different men who had 2 different responses to the "good news of Jesus". Max was a young man we met on week 1. After sharing our testimonies & the good news of Christ with the evangecube we started asking Max some questions. He used to live in the big city & used to go to church but went down the wrong path & got involved in selling drugs before coming out to this small village to escape from the law for something bad he had done. The more we talked with Max he mentioned that he had been having dreams that he was preaching to villages in the Jungle!! Can you believe this. Forward to the next week when we met another young man named Jefferson. After playing soccer with the young men to establish a relationship, we shared Christ & Jefferson raised his hand that he believed this message & accepted Jesus Christ into his life. Max never made a decision even though it was clear that God was getting his attention. Jefferson accepted Christ & came to the church service that night. He was smiling & after the service came & gave all the North American men a huge hug & even teared up as he was telling us that he will never forget us. This type of behavior is not typical for Brazilian men to show emotion so we could tell his heart was very moved. Our prayer is that the soil of the hearts of the Brazilian believers would be receptive to the gospel & that they would bear much fruit in spite of the persecution which will follow.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE AMAZON
I have been working in the Amazon Jungle since 2001 & I have never experienced a situation like what happened on Thursday & Friday of last week. I really struggle whether to write this as I don’t want to sensationalize what happened but I will tell you the facts of what Lori Kjeldgaard& I experienced first hand. Below is an account of a girl we ministered to who had a demon inside of her.
When we arrived in Anama, an Amazon town of 6,000 people, I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical day when the local pastor told us that alcohol, drugs & prostitution with kids from ages 10-16 were some of the major problems in the town. We were called into a situation with a 14 year old girl named Raquel who was taken by her father to see a witch doctor. Raquel was very soft spoken & showed me the scars on both her wrists that looked like she had tried to kill herself. Her mother told us that she had a demon in her & that recently at school she put both her hands through a glass door. Her mother said that 5 adult school teachers couldn’t control her as she fought them. Geraldo, one of our Brazilian translators, began praying for Raquel & very quickly she began shaking. This wasn’t a shaking like anything I have ever seen but it looked like there was something inside her trying to get out. As Lori & I were praying, Geraldo commanded the demon to identify himself by name & a voice inside the girl in a gruff voice said “diabo” the Portuguese name for Devil. Raquel was shaking uncontrollably, her arms were flailing & her elbows pounded the wall, her legs were kicking & her face was in a snarl but the scariest part was her eyes. I have never seen a look like that before and the only way I can describe her eyes were “pure evil”. All I could see were the whites of her eyes & her fingers were contorted in strange positions. Geraldo kept praying for her & commanded the Devil by name to leave her & she immediately went limp. After 30 seconds she sat up & acted like nothing had happened. She adjusted the berets in her hair like she was a school girl getting ready to go to school. She said she didn’t remember anything & her demeanor was very calm. After watching this I lost my appetite & felt like I wanted to puke & I was reminded that Satan is real & he is like a roaring lion seeking to kill, steal & destroy. After some time of reflection on what I saw, I am encouraged that God we serve is in control & is mighty to save & we had an awesome prayer & worship time on the boat later that night.

ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS
• Pray for the new believers & that they would be strong in their faith in the face of persecution
• Pray for the new believers that they would be discipled & grow strong in the faith
• Pray for our partner church (IPM) in Manaus
• Pray for Raquel & family that Satan would have no power over their family
• Pray for the North American teams that we would be forever changed

Spiritual warfare in the Amazon

2010-05-28T09:14:00.001-05:00

Thursday in the Amazon was an interesting day. We are in the village of Anama & there is a church here with 80 people but the village size is 6,000 total. At the beginning of the day, the pastor gave us some feedback on the village & informed us that the major problems in the village are alcohol, drugs & prostitution (with boys & girls ages 10-16 being used as prostitutes). We had a good day doing VBS with kids & playing soccer & sharing Christ with others but there was also some VERY INTENSE spiritual warfare. I saw some things that really opened my eyes that Satan does not want us here & that he has a strong hold in this part of the Amazon.
Friday will be our last day of work & we are working close to the village from yesterday. There is a small church here that has suffered some very intense spiritual warfare. Some of the people from the church have suffered persecution where villagers throw stones or threaten to beat them. I want everyone to know that our team is safe & everyone is healthy. We are excited to see what God has in store for our last day of work. Our luggage has been held in Manaus but that has actually turned out to be a blessing as that has made our team share their belongings & has brought us closer. I feel that this whole week has lead us to this point in this village where God wants to do something glorious. For our devo this morning I shared Psalm 96 “declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deed among all peoples”. Our “job description” this week is to point people to our amazing God & share how much he desires a personal relationship with each one of us.
We will work in this village all day culminating with a celebration church service at 5:00 PM. After that we will have dinner & start the long boat ride back to Manaus. We will start processing the trip tonight by asking questions like “what have you learned this week about God, other people, or yourself”, “what has God taught you this week about contentment & simplicity of life”, etc. We will arrive Manaus early in the morning & spend Saturday relaxing & seeing the city. Our flight leaves Manaus Saturday night late & we arrive back to Dallas 10:00 am Sunday morning.
PRAYER REQUESTS
• Spiritual warfare- pray that God would protect our team. That Satan would have no power in this village & that people who have visited the local witch doctor would open their hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Safety for our team as we travel on the river at night
• Our team would process well the trip & what God wants to teach us as we come home

Next to last day of work in the Amazon

2010-05-27T09:32:00.002-05:00

Bom dia! Wednesday was an amazing day. We were in Villa Nova – no, not the college! It was this village of about 100 families. This village has been through many floods, and each year the river gets closer to their homes. We arrived there in the morning, and we were able to go and spend time getting to know the people of the village. The children’s team used bubbles, Frisbees and kickballs to invite the kids to listen to our VBS story. We had about 20 kids initially, but the meeting was cut short, because the children of the village had to leave to go to school. They attend a school on the other side of the river. Because of this, the children’s team was able to break off and join various other groups. The women split into two teams, and one team visited two amazing women of the river. We crossed the brown water on 2x4’s and entered one of the women’s homes. She told us of how her daughter had been healed of gastritis after she prayed for healing. She had a strong faith in God, and it was very encouraging to hear her story. The next house belonged to a women who was not a believer. We had the opportunity to ride out the crazy Amazon thunderstorm in her home, and share the gospel with her. She told of us how she had many friends and family that believed, but that she still wasn’t sure. It was a little disappointing to hear how she keeps putting off her decision, when it seems like she really does know that God exists. We just did our best to show her that we love her, and she allowed us to pray over her.

As always, the men’s team was the sacrificial lamb to the Brazilian men in soccer. But they had the opportunity to share Christ with the evangecube (tool that demonstrates a picture story of the bible) & get to know them and invite them to the church service that evening. The children’s team held a second VBS when the kids returned from school. We had 31 kids crowded in a storeroom, and we shared the story of Jesus calming the storm – very relevant given the storm we had earlier that afternoon! The kids colored and prayed with us, and then of course, wanted to play more games. Red Rover is the favorite in all the villages. The women held a women’s health meeting while VBS was happening, and around 25 women of the village arrived to learn. All day the medical team was busy. There were waiting lists to see the doctor, nurses and dentist, and they all did a great job attending to the villagers.
Later in the evening we all went to the church service. There was a great turnout; many villagers came to worship with us, including the women whose decision for Christ was still wavering. While she still did not make her decision, it was evident that God was working her heart during the service. We sang some of the Portuguese songs with people, and they (tried) to sing the songs in English with us! It is such a blessing to see people worshipping God in an entirely different manner and language, but the mutual understanding we have in the wonder of Him. The children stayed remarkably quiet through the whole service, thanks in part to Lauren folding origami for them to play with. At the end of the service, the men gathered together to pray, and to give the Brazilian men some gifts. We hugged the people goodbye, and promised them that if we didn’t see them again here on earth, we would see them again in Heaven.
Story by Jennifer Bryant
UPDATE FROM TIM- Everyone is feeling great except for some minor stomach cramps from one person. The trip so far is going well but it is much different than last week. Last week the people along the Rio Negro seemed much more open to the gospel. This week the people on the Salomoes River seem a little more apathetic but I have learned not to try to judge a trip through our North American way of seeing things. It is hard to measure what God is doing as Paul said, some people plant seeds & some people harvest. We got an update on the luggage, it arrived in Manaus yesterday & was put on a boat heading up river. We are supposed to get the bags around 4:00 PM today but I will believe that when I see it. We got word that 4 bags were confiscated by Brazilian customs because of the medical supplies, please pray that the rest of the bags made it through & that one of the confiscated bags wasn’t someone personal luggage.
PRAYER REQUESTS
• Open hearts for the gospel in the village of Anama
• Continued unity with the Brazilian translators
• Bags would arrive so people can change clothes
• Safe travel on the river (especially traveling at night)

Our God is mighty to save

2010-05-26T08:56:00.002-05:00

Update from Tuesday work on the Amazon River!! God is so amazing and just showing us His power more and more every day we are here. It is hot to say the least, but God’s strength is seeing us through. I am so encouraged by the ‘team’ attitude that everyone has. The town we visited was called TImbo and this was the first time this village has hosted a North American team. All the team ministries hit the ground running as soon as we docked, drawing upon the opportunities God was going to present to us. We all walked to the school in the village, just in awe of the beautiful scenery that the Amazon jungle presents.
The VBS peeps got an opportunity to spend some quality time with the children, Marielle, one of our translators has been amazing getting the children organized and excited about learning. Our medical team continues to triage, treat and minister to those in need. The boats dentist has been busy extracting teeth and filling cavities, while our physician has been treating children with worms, providing meds for STDs/skin infections, and treating men with back pain.
Our women’s team got to tour the village of 60 houses from a young woman, play a game of soccer, share testimonies and love on people.
Our men’s team is exhausted from chasing Brazilian kids around the soccer field in the jungle heat, and yes, we got beat. God provided an opportunity for us to share the Gospel today with a few men, and one young man, Jefferson accepted Christ. We have been so blessed with the teams leadership. Tim, DK and Lori continue to encourage, guide and stretch us along the way.
Please continue to pray for empowerment of the team, and that any experience we come across will bring us into a deeper relationship with Christ.
Things seen on the river today: People in small boats using umbrellas for sun protection, a floating building with five dogs on it, a stuffed pirana, a jaguar paw, Gods love.
Story by Lejon Boudreaux
WEDNESDAY PRAYER REQUEST: We are getting off the boat today in the village of Villa Nova. It is a large village with 100 families but only 8 families come to the small church. North American & Brazilian teams have come in the past but the people to date have been resistant to the gospel. Pray that God will open the hearts of the village of Villa Nova & that our team would love the villagers well & boldly share of the freedom we have in Christ.

Team 2 faces some early challenges

2010-05-24T21:31:00.001-05:00

Things are going well for Team #2 but the trip started with some challenges. Half of the luggage for team 2 didn’t arrive & since our boat was leaving Manaus Sunday night after the church service we couldn’t wait on the bags. Hopefully the luggage will arrive in Manaus tomorrow & we can have the bags sent by boat up the Salomoes River to our mission site. When I picked up Team 2 at the airport at 5:15 AM there were some long faces when they realized that many of the bags didn’t make it but everyone has had a great attitude. We are sharing sunblock, clothes & snacks so hopefully this will help our team bond even more. We tell team members in the training process to pack an extra change of clothes, anti-malarial & other meds, cameras, & passports in their carryon luggage so worst case scenario people will be wearing some stinky clothes a little longer that they would like. This should help give the team a new perspective on how the Amazon people are able to survive without any of the creature comforts we are used to.
Everyone is feeling great after a hot day ministering in the Amazon sun. I will work on doing an update tomorrow of the ministry to date so check back in.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
• Good attitudes from North American team whether the luggage arrives or not
• Safety as we travel up the Salomoes River
• Unity between the North American team & Brazilian host church
• Open hearts to the gospel.

Team 1 is back home safe! Missing the Amazon!

2010-05-24T10:58:00.002-05:00

Team 1 landed back in Dallas yesterday. We had an AMAZING time. As I prayed for this trip, I prayed all the things you would think that I would. For many to come to know Christ, for good health for the teams, for team unity, that God would use us, etc… One thing I’d continue to pray is that God would “spoil” us…that He would bless us beyond our imaginations. Well, He did just that. This was a week of adventure to remember!!! We caught alligators, dodged jaguars, swam with pink dolphins, went on jungle tours, canoe rides, searched for waterfalls, and toured the villages, all while loving on the people of the jungle!

I absolutely LOVE the people of the Amazon. They live VERY simple lives and seem content. Some of the folks we met actually moved to the remote villages from the city. There are no cars, no paved roads, no TVs, very little electricity (on a timer from a generator), no computers, no cell phones, just simple lives of providing. They live in actual “Acts 2” community. Our team was able to clarify to them God’s love through the gospel.

Every day we would wake up in a new village. We wake up at 6:45A for breakfast at 7A (not much “getting ready” in the Amazon). The Brazilians on our boat were ROCKSTARS!!! They served us sacrficially and we will not soon forget the way they loved us! We would have a devotional from 8A-9A, and at 9A we were off to love on villagers. The medical team would find a place in the village to open up a temporary clinic. They saw around 200 patients!!! The dental team would convert a room on the boat to a dentist office. They did many tooth extractions, some surgeries, and gave out hundreds of toothbrushes! These teams donated their service and supplies and were able to tie their love to the Gospel.

The women’s team would meet with the women of the villages. They would help them cook, and do their daily duties and get to know them. They would share stories with them and tell them of the love of Jesus! The Men’s team would round up as many men as they could find and play soccer (“fut bol”). Soccer in the Amazon heat was an interesting experience. Goalie was a much desired position. We’d then share the gospel with the men, share our testimonies and tour their village.

The VBS/Children’s teams were my heroes. They loved those kids like crazy. The language barrier was not a problem for them. They constantly played games, did skits, and taught lessons. They were constantly going and their area was always filled with laughter.

Before our departure, we would always have a church service in the village. We would sing, and someone would teach a message centered on grace and the gospel. Many came and many believed! Praying now that God would bless Team 2 abundantly and make them effective in ministry to The Villages of the Amazon.

We went to give and we received. We went to teach and we were taught. We went to love and we were loved. God bless the Amazon!

Philemon 1:6 I am blessed to know this team and I am encouraed by the way they serve our awesome God. Thank you!
-JP

Headed back to Manaus

2010-05-21T21:02:00.001-05:00

As I write, we’re on the boat clipping down river back towards Manaus. Last night we went gator hunting, please don’t rub it in my face that the girls boat caught one and the guy’s boat didn’t. However, upon realizing they had just beaten us, we promptly motored over and stole it from them. We visited our final village today. The weather was good as there was no rain and we were even given some shade from the clouds in the sky. The VBS team threw down some Daniel and the lion’s den for the kids. The women’s team normally just meets with the older women of the village, but this time they got to hold a meeting with the teenage girls also. Maryann was able to share her testimony with them as she shares a large sports background with the girls. We departed back for Manaus at 1pm. On the boat, we took some time to sit down as a group and voice our thoughts, surprises, and feelings about the trip. Then we built some quality relationships with a half dozen pink dolphins (which actually do exists, but they’re not nearly as photogenic as flipper) and even went swimming with them for a bit.
As far as I know, we’re returning to Manaus with everyone that we left with. Thank you for your prayers so far in our trip, please pray for safe travels for both our teams. Team 2 departs DFW on Saturday to replace us and continue ministering to the villagers of the Amazon river.
Shout out to Em and my fam! See y’all soon!
-Austin Walker
UPDATE FROM TIM--It is hard to believe that the 1st team is heading home Saturday night. Team 2 will arrive ready to work on Sunday morning at 5:15 AM. God has been so faithful this week by opening up doors & opportunity for us to share Christ. In our last village today during the “church” service I asked several questions, “Do you believe the bible is God’s word”? “Do you believe Jesus Christ is God’s son?” “Do you believe that is you were to die today you know 100% that you would go to heaven?” There was only 1 person in the village that raised his hand when I asked about assurance of salvation. I talked about John 14:6 where Christ said “I am the way , the truth & the life…” Eph2:8,9 “It is by grace we are saved through faith…” & Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved.” I spent some time doing illustrations about grace & faith & discussing That salvation is a free gift. What an incredible thing that the God of the universe would use simple North Americans to bring his good news to the people of the Amazon Jungle.

God is so good

2010-05-21T08:25:00.002-05:00

Bom Dia from the Amazon! Our team is doing well and God is moving in powerful ways. The Rio Negro is a beautiful river… We wake up every morning to a glassy river that looks like a mirror (because there is no wind) and go to bed every night with the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Everywhere you look is picturesque and a beautiful reminder that God is here and ever present in the villages of the Amazon. The food is wonderful and the Brazilians serving alongside of us are gracious, kind and their love of God is evident.
This morning we docked at a very small village Costanao, only 5-7 families. It was by far the hottest day yet because there was no wind even at 7 am, yet our group continues to share the love of Christ despite not being comfortable or in the best of circumstances. Everyone is a blessing and encouragement to one another and I am honored to serve alongside of them. The key word is FLEXIBILITY… and we are demonstrating it! When we arrived, the children were at school in another village so there were only a couple children, but KyLea was able to minister and share the gospel with them through an Evangacube and their mom heard as well. There wasn’t a need for all the nurses so the ladies all served together and ministered to the women of the village. One neat story was that an 85 year-old woman led us through the jungle, without shoes on, to show us her mandioca field. She plants, harvests and prepares this plant to sell. Once we were back in the village some of our ladies followed her into her home to hear more about her life there and she was overcome with a sick feeling. They all prayed over her and she was able to come to the church service and accepted Christ into her life. Praise be to Jesus! The medical and dental teams are staying busy and serving to the villagers physical health as well as spiritual. They wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the patient and knowledgeable Brazilian translators. They estimated seeing about 50-60 patients today between the two villages.
We then loaded up and during lunch headed a little further down the river to another village, Bom Jesus. After our mandatory siesta, which I don’t know what we would do without, we went into the village to start ministering. The men went with the Vice President of the village on a hunt for a waterfall, which did not prove successful! They had fun despite the failed trip and they were able to spend that time sharing the Gospel with him. It was a hard village to interact with because the Assembly of God church has a big presence there and because of the restrictions placed on them by the church, the men are not allowed to play soccer and the women can’t cut their hair or paint their nails. Those are our main points of entry to get to know the people so we had to find other routes. The VBS team completely loved on the children by teaching them songs, playing games and learning Bible stories. Six children were added to the kingdom today because of their ministry! The women’s ministry organized a meeting for the ladies of the village to share our stories and get to know them better. We had about 10 women attend and Maryann introduced our group, I shared my testimony and Ally presented the gospel with the Evangacube. God totally ordained this plan because 3 of the women related with my story. One woman asked to share her testimony as well. At the age of 14, her sister and she accepted Christ when a visiting group came into their village. Once they came home and shared with their family, their father beat them and held a knife to their throat and told them to choose, God or their family. The girls chose Christ and had to leave and went to the church to pray for 3 months for their father. Eventually their father came to know Christ and has been Redeemed! Other ladies shared their stories as well. I have never been so moved to tears as I was today. We surrounded these sisters and laid our hands on them, prayed, cried and rejoiced in what the Lord has done and is continuing to do!
Thank you to everyone who is continuing to pray for us. Know that you have a hand in this and it would not be possible without all of you! God is moving mightily in the hearts of these people who have been forgotten by so many. Continue to pray for the people who have accepted Christ and for those who have heard but not yet received. Pray for the two villages we are going to visit tomorrow. God is good and we can’t wait to share all of our experiences with you when we return! God Bless you all, goodnight!

Story by Brittni Harrison

Trip Updates- The team is doing well & everyone is healthy. Our team has had an incredible time in the jungle serving people who have nothing We got to go on an alligator hunt last night & one of the Brazilian guys caught a small alligator with his bare hands. One of the men in the village yesterday showed us a jaguar he killed last week. He speared the Jaguar because it was coming afer him. The village ate the meat & we saw the fresh jaguar shin. The man then offered te jaguar head to me as a gift. Dont tell my wife but I am bringing the skull & teeth home to remember this incredible place.

Prayer Requests
Continued unity
Safe passage home (by boat &plane)
strength for me as I am staying for another week
Our team would process this trip well & see how God wants to use this experience to refocus our hearts for those at home.

2010-05-21T08:25:00.000-05:00

God is working on hearts in the Amazon

2010-05-19T23:16:00.001-05:00

After 18 hours of traveling up the Rio Negro river, Tuesday we we were excited to reach our first village. We have been diligently praying for these people and traveled a good distance to love them and tell them of our great Savior, Jesus Christ. We camped outside the village on the boat and started our day with prayer and devotional led by our Brazil pastor, Djard.
As we got off the boat we were met with smiles and some looks of curiosity. Our boat becomes a passing hospital for their village. The guys and I (this is JP), headed for the soccer field. Through the translator we challenged their young men to a game of soccer. That was stupid. Or, at least we had no hope of victory on the soccer field, but it was fun. I got to play goalie, and I may have found my calling.  After playing soccer & developing a relationship with the guys, we circled the guys up and Matt shared his testimony, then Kyle shared the gospel using the evangacube. There was a guy, who told us his name was Max. He was the son-in-law of the President of the village. It was clear he was a leader, on and off the soccer field. Many of the guys checked out, but “Max” (real name Antonio) engaged. He told us he had been to a church in the big city of Manaus before and that he had pursued God, but then he walked away from the faith. As we asked more, it was clear that he was “hiding” in the village from something he had done in the city.

This village had no church in it. Some villages have Catholic churches (which are actually 4 wood walls…think of a poorly built shed). As we talked to Max more, he told us that he had been having dreams that he was preaching to the village. WOW! We shared the gospel every way we knew how. I am not sure Max was ready and/or willing to accept God’s grace, but it was clear God was doing something.
Our day punctuated with a church service where the majority of the village attended. 4 people made a decision to trust Christ. Max was not one of them, but he was wrestling with the idea. Then, I had the privilege and the honor to baptize Ally and Kylea in the Amazon, after they shared their testimony with the village! Before we left, Max gave Matt and I some gifts of necklaces and earrings for our wives.
What a great day! To God be the glory. Today is Wednesday and we are about to jump off in a new village…we already visited a different village this morning. Side note: we went in one of the huts on the water, where a guy had hammocks hanging on his Porch looking over palm trees and the Amazon River (Think Carona commercial…beautiful scene!). In his hut he had one faded poster which was of a house in America. THE IRONY! We hang pics of their “beach” paradise, and they hang pics of our suburban structures!
Story by Jonathan Pokluda
Update from Tim Coblentz- The team is doing great & everyone is healthy. The Amazon sun is at times unbearable & so we will stand in the shade as we talk with the villagers. Our translators are awesome & the boat crew is very helpful. Everyone on the boat is surprised by how good the food is. Lunch & dinner will consist of rice & beans & some kind of meat. Breakfast is always eggs, some kind of spam stuff, cheese & hotdog buns (that’s right, hotdog buns for breakfast).
PRAYER REQUESTS:
• Continued good health
• Safety as we travel on the Amazon
• Unity between the North American team & Brazilian
• Open hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ

Welcome to the Jungle!!!

2010-05-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

If you are wondering how we can update the blog from the blog from the jungles of the Amazon it is due to the miracle of techonology as we have a satellite router that is finally working. As of Tuesday noon, the team is healthy & safe. I will try to give another udpate tonight of todays events.

We made it to Brazil, at 5:15AM!! We went through customs and found our host, with no complications! Praise the Lord! We went to Hotel Monaco to eat breakfast and rest up after our long flight. After what we all agreed was the best nap ever, we toured the street market in downtown Manaus to buy lots of goodies. The town is beautiful, the hotel… not so much! We ate lunch at “Bufalo Churrascaria”, where they had authentic Brazilian food, brought out on skewers… they had everything from normal looking beef and chicken to cow tongue and chicken hearts… It was better not to ask what you were eating, but the chicken hearts were quite tasty once you got past the thought of actually eating a chicken heart! We went to a church service with our host church where we sang songs and listened to a sermon in Portuguese. It was so moving to listen to the service with fellow believers even though we couldn’t understand what they were saying! We sang “You are Holy” but in Portuguese, and a new song where two of our members helped lead the song. The whole congregation prayed over us for our travels. After the service, we packed up and headed off to the boat! We had a light dinner and went straight to bed, which we were all ridiculously thankful for, despite the reeeeally close quarters. The boat started on its journey down the Amazon while we were sleeping!

This morning we woke up and went to a village called Novo Airao to get some supplies and see the village. The Amazon River is bigger than you can imagine, but so calm for a river! There are so many trees, but all different kinds of trees next to each other, unlike in the states. We’ve seen some animals… dolphins and crocodiles and lot of multi-color birds. The Brazilian team that is on the boat with us is really nice and super helpful. We had lots of team building today and organizing so that we’re ready to go into the village tomorrow. We travelled up the Rio Negro 18 hours and will travel slowly back towards Manaus each day. Tomorrow, we will see all that the village of Abacaba has to offer! Can’t wait to meet the people and be able to love on them. I got to meet the dentist on board, Marcus, with whom I will be working. He’s from Manaus and is a full time missionary dentist. God has really been good to us and blessed us well already. I can’t wait to see what other miracles he will perform through us.

Story by Alana Macalik

Ready to Serve

2010-05-17T21:47:00.009-05:00

Good Evening,

All is well with the team. They travelled all night last night and all day today up the Rio Negro. They finally reached their destination around 6:00pm Dallas time. Tomorrow morning they'll begin serving and lovin' on the people there in the village.

Here's what a typical day looks like:

7:00am breakfast (eggs, fruit, ham, cheese, bread, juice, coffee)

7:30am team devotional

8:00am - 12:00pm in the village loving on and serving the people

12:00pm lunch (rice and beans are a definite! plus chicken, fish or beef)

1:00pm - 2:00pm rest/siesta

2:00pm - 6:00pm back to serving the people (there's also usually a soccer game with the guys from the village and our guys/gals)

6:00pm dinner (more rice and beans, meat, fruit, dessert, and cold Coke or Guarana (my personal favorite!)

7:00pm church service with the villagers

Many times the church service is held outdoors underneath a tree or in an open area, if the village doesn't have a church or other type of structure that could be used for the church service. They'll sing songs together and then the local pastor will introduce our team and typically one of the North American team members will give their testimony, which is then followed by a sermon, more singing and then sometimes they'll hand out donations to the head of each family after church. One of the most beautiful experiences, for me, has been hearing another culture sing the same songs as us in the United States, but in their native language. It is so powerful to see the Lord transcending languages and two cultures singing and praising in different languages and traditions, but to the same Almighty God.

How can you pray for the team tonight/tomorrow?

* Thank the Lord for each team member and their obedience to His calling to go. Most of them are using precious vacation time to serve the Lord and the unreached in a very hot and humid place. Thank him for them stepping out of their comfort zones into the UNcomfortable.

* Thank the Lord for the translators and their hearts to serve our team by helping them communicate.

* Pray for open hearts of the villagers to receive the free gift of salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ and for boldness of the team to share the Good News.

* Pray for unity with the translators. It can be awkward using a translator to speak so pray that they will all work well together. Pray that the Lord would help both the North American and the Brazilian communicate well with each other and with the villagers they will speak with.

* Pray for wisdom and guidance for the medical team to treat their patients.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. Ephesians 6:19.

Thank you for checking in and for your prayers.

Have a blessed day,

Kelli Coblentz

Team Arrives Safely in Brazil

2010-05-16T09:56:00.006-05:00

Good Morning,

The team arrived safely in Manaus this morning and all of their checked luggage made it as well. Praise God! You'll see the team above, just before they left Dallas.

The team will rest until about 1:00 when they'll head to an authentic Brazilian churrascaria for lunch. They will enjoy all the meat they can stand! After lunch they'll have some team time through a devotion and then they might have some time to check out the city for a little while.

They'll attend church tonight in Manaus and they'll get to meet the tranlators who will be working with them all week. After church they'll get on the boat and head down the Amazon River and travel all night so that they'll be able to begin serving and loving on the Amazon people on Monday.

How can you pray for the team today?

* Team unity with both the North Americans and the NA team with the Brazilians.

* Safe travel tonight on the river. Pray for the Captain and his crew to be guided well down the river and kept from harm's way.

* For the Lord to prepare the hearts of the people the team will serve and interact with on Monday and for them to be able to see & hear & believe the Good News of Jesus Christ.

* For opportunities to share the Good News and for boldness in the team.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6

Thank you for checking in and praying for the team,
Kelli Coblentz

Getting ready for the Jungle

2010-05-10T15:35:00.001-05:00

In a few short days we will be on a boat headed down the Amazon River through the thick of the Amazon Jungle. For several months now, we’ve been praying for the people of the Amazon. My prayer has been that The Lord would be working in their hearts, and whatever work He would have us do there, has already begun before we ever leave Dallas. In Manaus, we will jump on a boat and go from village to village down the Amazon River. We will be carrying medical supplies, doctors, dentists, medicine, clothes, everyday items, etc… The most important thing we will have, however, is the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ.

If someone knows of Jesus in the Amazon, they typically have a misunderstanding of Who He is, His grace, and the salvation that He offers. Our teams have trained hard to be as effective as we can on this trip, while maintaining an attitude of flexibility knowing only our Creator knows what is in store. We will have our bibles, testimonies, ‘evangecubes’ and the love of Christ so that we can articulate the gospel as clearly as we can. It continues to amaze me that a sovereign God would use us to impact the eternity of others. I hope that one day we will be with the people of the Amazon Jungle in heaven.

Too often I have gone on these trips with much anticipation of how God is going to use me to impact the lives of others. Every single time, it seems that I am the one who comes back changed. I pray that our team would be effective in sharing, but also effective in receiving whatever life lessons God has for us around the corner. I pray we would grow spiritually and that God would use this trip to conform us to the character of His Son, Jesus Christ. I pray that we would also grow as a team and comeback here to do effective ministry in Dallas. I hope we will apply everyday what we’ve learned in preparation for the Amazon Jungle.

By Jonathan Pokluda

How has our team prepared for this trip?

· Meetings, meetings, & more meetings

· Raise $$ from friends & family (thanks to all of you who give to make this possible)

· Immunizations (yellow fever, tetanus, typhoid, Hep A, Hep B)

· Team building as a group

· Training to effectively & clearly share our testimony & the Gospel message

How can you pray?

· God will be glorified by our team & time in Amazon Jungle

· Unity with the Brazilian partner church

· Brazilian hearts open to Jesus Christ

· Safety, protection & good health

This experience will refocus our hearts for those in Dallas who don’t know Christ’s love

Travelling Back

2009-05-22T17:51:00.011-05:00

Boa tarde!

The team is travelling back to Manaus right now. They travelled all night and most of the day today but they were going to take some time for a hike in the jungle this afternoon. Hope they got to do that!

The team is doing great, everyone is feeling well, but I'm sure they are somewhat sad to be leaving the jungle behind. The great thing about partnering with the church in Manaus is that the folks they met and shared the gospel with aren't left behind or forgotten about. Their missions team will continue pouring into those villages so they don't need to worry about "who will check in with them"?

I believe one of the hardest things about short-term mission trips is keeping in mind our job and God's job. We, especially those of us from the US, tend to want instant gratification or results. Right? We do something and we want to know/see the results of our work right away, and with trips like this we may never see that. But as long as we're doing our job of planting the seed and sharing the Good News, we can take comfort in the Lord and his job of changing hearts.

The team spent most of the day resting and reflecting, both individually and as a team. Some of the questions they'll think/talk through are:

- How has your perspective changed regarding God, others and yourself?
- What have you learned regarding your needs versus your wants?
- Who is better off, you or the folks living in the Amazon Jungle? Why?

- If you had the choice, would you choose to be born and raised in the US or the jungle? Why?

How can you pray for the team tonight?

- Safe and timely arrival in Manaus to make their flight tonight

- Praise God for the opportunity each of these folks had. Thank him for challenging everyone to get out of their comfort zone and for being right there beside them along the way.

- Pray for all of their bags to make it back to the US and that they'll make their connection in Atlanta tomorrow morning for their flight home to Dallas.

**Return home flight schedule

- 11:25PM Central Time, depart Manaus
- 6:02AM Central Time, arrive Atlanta
- 7:40AM Central Time, depart Atlanta
- 10:10AM Central Time, arrive DFW

- Thank God for changing their perspective and giving them an appreciation for the luxuries and choices and conveniences here in the US, and also pray that through that process they'll have a renewed spirit and desire to serve those in need right here in Dallas, if they aren't already.

- Last, I'll echo the prayer request for team one from last week...Pray for team two's re-entry to the US. They'll be returning to a place so very different from what they've just experienced. Many different thoughts and emotions could surface; humility, confusion, compassion, sadness, rejuvenated spirit for the Lord, changed perspective...and much more. One of the toughest thoughts is "why was I born here in the US with all of these choices, opportunities and luxuries? What is God trying to teach me when I look at those born in the jungle with close to nothing, yet they are happy, content, enjoy their simple life and mostly choose to stay in the jungle their whole life...we, on the other hand, why do we constantly pursue the "next"?

Thanks for checking in and for praying for the team! I've enjoyed keeping you posted and I'm SO looking forward to seeing my husband tomorrow morning :) If I receive any further updates, I'll be sure to share; otherwise, have a great memorial weekend and don't forget to take time to remember our troops and, most importantly, our freedom.

Have a great evening!

Kelli

Be joyful always

1 Thessalonians 5:16

One More Day..

2009-05-21T20:38:00.003-05:00

Good Evening!

All went well with the team today with their last full day of serving. They were in two different villages today. They are having a great time serving the people and playing with the kiddos and loving on chubby little babies. I believe tomorrow they'll just work a half day and then start heading back to Manaus.

How can you pray tonight?

- Endurance and perseverance for a strong finish tomorrow.

- Praise God for the work he's doing through our partner church. They are located in Manaus and their mission's pastor has a goal of planting 100 churches by 2010 and they have probably over 90 churches planted so far.

- Pray that the folks they meet tomorrow will have open hearts to the Gospel.

Thank you for checking in and praying for our team!
Have a nice evening,
Kelli Coblentz

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6

Day Two Servin' & Doing Great!

2009-05-20T19:45:00.002-05:00

Boa tarde!

The team is doing great and they had a good day yesterday serving. Today they were in a village called Alexandre. It was a village of about 20-25 families and all of the ministry teams were doing what they do best! Even though the village is small, there could be people coming from other villages in small dugout canoes like you see in the picture.

To give you an idea of a typical day, here is the team's schedule:

6:30AM - wake up
7:00 - breakfast (eggs, fruit, ham, cheese, bread, juice, coffee)
7:30 - team devotional
8:00 - 12:00PM off the boat and into the village to begin serving and loving on the people
12:00 - lunch (some sort of meat plus rice & beans)
1:00 - 2:30 rest/siesta
2:30 - 6:00 back to serving the people of the village
6:00 - church service

7:00 - dinner (more meat, rice & beans)

In the evenings, sometimes they'll have team time in which each of the ministry teams share how their day went. The kids team doesn't see what the women's team is up to, or sports team doesn't know what's going on with the kids, and the medical team doesn't even get off the boat! So, it's a good opportunity for everyone to get the "big picture" of what happened each day and to hear about anything that may have really touched someone.

No matter what, I can guarantee you they are having fun in the evening. They might play Uno, a favorite of the Brazilians. Or, they will play different card games, they might play maffia and they almost always have a farkle. "Huh?!" Some of you might be thinking. Farkle is a dice game in which there are consequences for the loser, and all players know what the risk is before playing. Sometimes it's having to eat the next day without using your hands, or maybe it's wearing leopard tights with a Nemo fish hat (becuase we don't have the heart to donate TIGHTS to folks that barely wear any clothes because it's so hot) or maybe, like Darren on this trip....it's not being able to take a shower for the whole week. I hear he's really starting to stink...

How can you pray for the team tonight?

- Safe travel on the boat to the next village

- Praise God for keeping everyone safe and healthy.

- For the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts and lives of the villagers that were met by our team today.

- Praise God for translators! I can't express enough how crucial they are for our team. Praise God for their hearts. They are on fire for the Lord and deeply love the folks in the Amazon, who are often referred to as the "forgotten ones".

- Pray for strength and perseverance. The team has 1.5 days left of service so pray for a strong finish.

Thank you for checking in and for praying for our folks!

Have a blessed evening,

Kelli Coblentz

Ready to Serve!

2009-05-19T09:21:00.003-05:00

Bom dia!

All is well on the JJ Mesquita, the team's mode of transportation (and more) while they're in the Amazon jungle. It's also where they sleep, eat, shower, fellowship, etc. In case you haven't seen the posts from last week's team, to the right is a picture of the boat. The bottom deck contains a pharmacy, rooms for the medical & dental teams to treat patients, a kitchen where all the meals are prepared and boarding for boat crew and Brazilian team. The second deck contains boarding for the North American team, a common area for dining and fellowship, and the captain's seat. The top deck is sometimes used for evening devotionals or just a place to seek solitude.

Everyone is doing well and is excited and ready to work today! They traveled all night Sunday and all day yesterday on the Solimeus River, the complete opposite direction from last week's trip, and arrived in their first village early this morning called Irixi.

All of the ministry teams will have a chance to love on and serve the villagers today. The VBS team will be with the kids singing songs, telling a bible story, making some sort of craft and playing with the kids. The women's team will help educate the women about proper health and hygiene. The sports team will play soccer with the young men of the villages. And finally, the medical/dental team will treat those that need medical attention. Through each of these ministry teams, the intention is to build relationships in order to share Christ.

How can you pray for the team today?

- Boldness and comfort as they get uncomfortable talking through a translator to share the Good News.

- Praise God for safe travels with the river being so high. The team saw an entire town flooded so be praying for the people that are without homes or a place to go.

- Pray for the the Lord to work in the hearts of those who will hear the Gospel. Pray for them to be moved by the Holy Spirit, to be eternally impacted by the love and deeds of the team (both N. Americans and Brazilians).

- Praise God for the translators!

Thanks for checking in and thanks for praying!

Have a blessed day,

Kelli Coblentz

But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Romans 10:8-15

Headed into the Jungle

2009-05-17T21:27:00.005-05:00

Boa noche! (Good Evening)

The team arrived savely in Manaus and all of the bags made it as well.

Tonight they went to church with the partner church there in Manaus, met the translators they'll be working with and then they boarded the boat. They will travel all night on the Salomeus river. The river is very high and many homes are flooded and people displaced, as you may have read from the first week's blog.

Everyone is doing well and are excited about sharing Christ with the people in the Amazon jungle.

How can you pray for the team tonight?

- Safe travel tonight on the river.

- Praise God for allowing this opportunity and providing a local church partner that continues to serve the people of the Amazon Jungle even after we leave. Their goal is to build 100 churches in the jungle by 2010 and they have over 80 so far!! Continue praying for the Lord to raise up leaders in the villages of the Amazon to serve Him and bring forth His message to others.

- Team unity and working well with the translators. To have someone translate everything you say is a different form of communication to learn. Pray that the Lord would bless that parternship and that the Holy Spirit would work through the translation to effectively communicate to the villagers.

- A good night's rest for our folks as the guys sleep in hammocks for the first night and the gals in bunk beds in very small rooms that sleep four.

Thanks for your prayers!
Kelli Coblentz

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:4-10

Beginnings

2009-05-16T08:59:00.003-05:00

Bom dia!

Thanks for checking in with us. Team one made it back to Manaus safely yesterday and are currently on their way back to the US and should arrive in Dallas at 10:10AM.

And while team one is about to being their re-entry to the US, another team is at the airport now beginning their journey to the Amazon Jungle.

How can you pray for both teams?

- Pray for team one's re-entry to the US. They'll be returning to a place so very different from what they've just experienced. Many different thoughts and emotions could surface; humility, confusion, compassion, rejuvenated spirit for the Lord, changed perspective...and much more. One of the toughest thoughts is "why was I born here in the US with all of these choices, opportunities and luxuries? What is God trying to teach me when I look at those born in the jungle with close to nothing, yet they are happy, content, enjoy their simple life and mostly choose to stay in the jungle their whole life...we, on the other hand, why do we constantly pursue the "next"?

- Pray for team one and protection from Satan. They are tired, physically, emotionally and perhaps spiritually and Satan is looking for opportunities to trip them up. Pray that the Lord would keep them rooted in Him.

- Praise God for a great trip for team one. Thank him for his provision of the opportunity and the translators, boat crew, partnership church in Manaus that help make these trips possible.

- Pray for safe travels for team two and for the Lord to prepare their hearts for his plan. Pray that he would do a mighty work in, through and to them by their obedience to his call to go on this trip.

- Pray for the villagers that team two will meet. That they would shine the light of Christ and that the Lord's kingdom would be advanced through their works.

Thanks again for your prayers.
Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz

The Long Journey Home Begins

2009-05-14T15:39:00.003-05:00

Boa tarde!

Thank you for checking in with us.

Yesterday the team visited a village called Aninga and today they were in Boa Vista. Boa Vista was a fairly large village as it is a central hub along the river. All ministry teams were in full swing today: VBS, medical/dental, women's health and the sports team. The sports team played soccer with some of the boys in the village and several of the boys prayed to receive Christ. So that was exciting!

JP and Tim had the opportunity to share their testimonies and the Gospel on public radio, which is pretty neat! There is only one radio station in the Amazon Jungle and about 80 villages tune in to listen. They estimate that's about 10,000 people so what an amazing opportunity!

The team is doing great, though they are a bit sad that today was their last day of service. The river is extremely high and since they have to travel up river against the current to get back to Manaus, they need to start that journey. It will be a 33 hour boat ride and they will spend time resting and reflecting, individually and as a team. Some of the questions they'll think/talk through are:

- How has your perspective changed regarding God, others and yourself?

- What have you learned regarding your needs versus your wants?

- Who is better off, you or the folks living in the Amazon Jungle?

How can you pray for the team today?

- Safe travels today (boat ride back) and tomorrow (flying home)...that the team would make their connections and that all bags would make it back home.

- For the villagers whose lives have been impacted this week...that the Lord would use the local team to foster continued transformation of the hearts of those in the Amazon region and that God would be glorified through the teams that will come in the future!

- For our team to be still with the Lord. Reflect upon what He is teaching them from this experience.

- That the Lord would prepare them for, oftentimes, the 'culture shock' of returning home.

Thank you for your prayers and support of the team!

Team 2 - you may not want to read the next bit of information, but Tim asked me to post it. The boat crew killed a poisionous snake on the boat last night. Of course the guys thought this was so cool; hence, why Tim asked me to mention it ;) It's the first time one of our teams has ever had a snake get on the boat, but the crew is up all during the night watching out for the safety of everyone and they happened to see the snake.

Have a blessed day!

Kelli Coblentz

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness..

Colossians 2:6-7

All is Well

2009-05-13T20:42:00.004-05:00

Boa Noche!

All is well on the JJ Mesquita. The team had their second day of serving in the jungle today. I'm not sure yet how their day went or what the village was like as I received the update this morning before they got started. Hopefully, I'll have more for you in the morning.

To give you an idea, here is the team's general daily schedule:

6:30AM - wake up

7:00 - breakfast (eggs, fruit, ham, cheese, bread, juice, coffee)

7:30 - team devotional

8:00 - 12:00PM off the boat and into the village to begin serving and loving on the people

12:00 - lunch (some sort of meat plus rice & beans)

1:00 - 2:30 rest/siesta

2:30 - 6:00 back to serving the people of the village (includes an afternoon soccer game with the guys)

6:00 - dinner (more meat, rice & beans)

7:00 - church service.

People may come from other nearby villages to get medical/dental care or to attend church. They travel in small dug out canoes like the one you see in the picture.

Prayers for tonight and tomorrow:

- Open hearts of the villagers and that, through the work of the team, God's kingdom would be glorified and greatly increase in number

- Unity with the translators

- That all are getting good rest. (the girls get bunk beds in very small rooms on the boat; whereas, the guys hang hammocks up in the common area of the boat to sleep in)

- For the medical and dental teams...wisdom & guidance to treat their patients

- For the women's ministry team...to share their hurts & struggles with the women of the village and how a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ & his saving grace overcomes any of our sins...past or future.

- For the children's ministry team...to love on those kids & to learn from their simple, loving spirits

- For the sports team...to enjoy getting beat at soccer (because they will!) and that the Lord would open up opportunities to share Christ with the men and teenagers with whom they'll play.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Kelli Coblentz

A Great First Day of Servin' and Lovin'

2009-05-12T16:56:00.002-05:00

Boa tarde (good afternoon)!

Today the team arrived in their first village and had a great day of serving and loving on the villagers. The village was large, about 100 families, and it was the first time they've had a Christian team visit.

All of the ministry teams were able to work today. The children's team had VBS for the kiddos, the medical team had patients to see, the women's team helped educate the women on healthy living and the sports team (I'm sure) got beat a few times playing soccer. Typically after the guys play soccer for a while, a couple of the guys will engage in a conversation with a few guys they played with the intention of sharing Christ. About 12 guys prayed to accept Christ today.

After the team serves in each village, a church service will be held with the locals. While the teams are engaged with kids, patients, women and men they are inviting them to attend church that afternoon or evening. The service can be held in a church, if the village has one, outside in an open area or just under a few trees in the shade. Really, it's just whatever place is available.

The service is usually opened up with singing and followed by one of our Brazilian team members introducing the North American team and maybe giving a short message. Typically, one of the N. American team members will share their testimony and the service is closed with more singing. It's such a beautiful thing to hear the Brazilians singing the same songs we do, but in a different language. And, such a moving experience to see God transcending languages.

How can you pray for the team tonight?

-Thank the Lord for his provision for each of our N. Americans to have this opportunity.

- Thank the Lord for the translators. Without them, the team would not be able to share the Gospel. Thank God for their hearts. They are an amazing group of people, with huge hearts to serve the villagers of the Amazon Jungle.

- Pray for the Lord to work in the hearts of those individuals that prayed to accept Christ today. We aren't sure where their hearts or intentions are in that prayer, but our God does. Pray that they would be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

- Pray for continued boldness of our team to share the Good News.

- Safe travel tonight on the boat.

- Pray for sustained energy. It is very hot and humid there and it's easy to get tired and worn down very quickly.

Thanks for checking in and thank you for your prayers!

Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;I will sing of you among the peoples.For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;your faithfulness reaches to the skies.Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57: 9-11

Still Traveling...

2009-05-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

Boa Noche (good evening),

The team is doing well. They travelled all night and all day today...and will continue through the night. They will reach their first village early in the morning. The river they are on is very high, as I mentioned earlier. They have seen houses filled with water, a cow standing on the roof of a house under water, and people displaced from their homes with nowhere to go. As you can imagine, those folks are in desperate need of help.

They are in the middle of nowhere and are oftentimes referred to as the "forgotten people" as they don't have anyone looking after them. No 'government assistance' or 'disaster relief' exists in the jungle so please keep these folks in your prayers as they try to make life possible under such difficult circumstances.

To the right is a village that was flooded on a previous trip. It wasn't quite as bad as what our team is witnessing right now, but you can see how the cows are up to their bellies in water. In the top picture, you can see houses in the upper left. The only way to get to the houses is by boat and, most likely, the water was inside the house at some point so many of their belongings were probably ruined.

Thank you for checking in and thank you for your prayers!

Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz

Traveling on the JJ Mesquita

2009-05-11T09:34:00.005-05:00

Bom Dia!

All is well with the team. They boarded their mobile living quarters, known as the JJ Mequita and shown to the right, and they traveled all night up the Amazon river.

To give you an idea of the layout of the boat, the bottom deck contains a pharmacy, rooms for the medical & dental teams to treat patients, a kitchen where all the meals are prepared and boarding for boat crew and Brazilian team. The second deck contains boarding for the North American team, a common area for dining and fellowship, and the captain's seat. The top deck is sometimes used for evening devotionals or just a place to seek solitude.

They will be going into villages that have never been visited by a Christian team, which is exciting! I'm not sure if they'll make their first stop today or if they will continue traveling today, but everyone is excited to visit their first village where they will spend the day serving and loving on the Amazon people by ministering to their medical, physical and spiritual needs. The river they are traveling on is very high and many of the families living alongside it have been displaced from their homes, so they are in great need of care as you can imagine.

Here's how you can pray for the team today:

- For team unity and that the North American team would feel comfortable working with the translators.

- Pray that these unreached villages would be receptive to the Gospel and that they would see and believe the Good News through the team loving them right where they are.

- Boldness in sharing the gospel tomorrow and that no one on the team would feel insecure or ill-equipped to share Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide their words and lead them in that conversation.

- Pray for the families that are in need of care and that the team will be able to reach them.

- We are having trouble with the satellite phone so please pray that the issues would be resolved so we can continue to receive updates on the team.

Thank you for your prayers and for checking in with us!

Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel

Ephesians 6:19

Team Arrives in Manaus

2009-05-10T08:02:00.004-05:00

Bom Dia! (that's good morning in Portuguese)

The team arrived in Manaus around midnight and we want to thank you for your prayers for safe travels thus far and for protecting the donation bags because, as far as I know, they all made it through security. If you're wondering why some bags wouldn't make it through...all bags must be screened before you are allowed to exit the airport. Typically one or two bags are pulled aside after being screened because the medical/dental supplies are noticed and the security officers want to double check that we're not bringing anything illegal or unsafe into the country. We bring over large containers of ipubrofen, vitamins, antibiotics, cortizone/neosporin type creams, saline solution and other supplies for the medical/dental team. With the labels being in English and the officers not speaking/reading much English, they have the ability to confiscate the items if they aren't comfortable with our explanation of what the items are used for.

So - thanks for the prayers about the dontation items!

Today the team will probably have lunch at an all-you-can-eat Brazilian style barbeque at a churrascaria. Tasty meats of all sorts and Brazilian favorites like Guaraná soda and grilled pineapple that is to die for! They might get the opportunity to do a little site seeing in Manaus before they attend church tonight with the host church which is their door into the jungle. They will get to meet their translators and from there they will hop on the boat for the long journey into the jungle to begin the work the Lord has called them to.

How can you pray for the team today?

- For the Lord to begin forming great relationships between the North Americans and the translators so that they will be a dynamic team working together in the villages.

- For the Lord to continue preparing the hearts of the team (N.Americans and Brazilians) for what they will witness and experience during this trip.

- That the Lord would prepare the hearts and minds of the villagers and that they would be receptive to hearing the gospel and their hearts would be moved to learn more about Jesus if they don't know him.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:1-6

Blessings,Kelli Coblentz

Getting Uncomfortable

2009-05-09T14:06:00.003-05:00

Welcome! And welcome back to some of you!

It's hard to believe, but the time is finally here! Our Watermark Young Adults team is headed to the Amazon Jungle. I am so excited about this trip even though it means leaving behind my wife & two dogs. Our team has been training & preparing for this day for the last 7 months & it is finally here.

Why in the world do we want to leave air conditioning & the comforts of Dallas? To share God's love with the people in the Amazon Jungle. As the headline of this post says, Psalm 96 "Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples!" We all at one time have seen the danger of people who use "religious systems" to manipulate people & our desire is to share with the people of Brazil that true freedom comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

How can you pray for us:

Pray that God is glorified by our team & time in Brazil.

Pray for the safety of our team

Unity, humility & servant hearts as we seek to serve & come alongside our partner church in Brazil

Pray that all our flight connections make it on time

Pray for open doors for us to share the saving love of Christ

Pray that our team will be forever changed & that we will have a new appreciation for how AWESOME OUR GOD IS!

Thanks for your prayers & check in often as we will be calling from a satellite phone to give updates.

Tim Coblentz

Living By Faith and Homeward Bound

2008-05-02T08:22:00.008-05:00

Bom Dia! Today is the team's last day of ministry...they will stop at a village to serve for about half a day somewhere along the Amazon River on their 30+ hour boat ride back to Manaus... which started Thursday night when they boarded the boat after the evening worship service in Enseada.

Captain "Hi" and crew will push on traveling all day today and through the night so that the team can arrive Manaus early Saturday morning in time to head to the airport and catch their flight back to Miami and then on to Dallas.

Here's what you can pray for today and tomorrow:
- Health of the team, especially those dealing with sinus pressure and are soon to board flights
- Safe travels today (boat ride back) and tomorrow (flying home)...that the team would make their connections and that all bags would make it back home
- For the villagers whose lives have been impacted this week...that the Lord would use the local team to foster continued transformation of the hearts of those in the Amazon region and that God would be glorified through the teams that will come in the future!

Thanks again for your prayers and support for this team!

Blessings,
Angela Ardis
(Brazil trip - August 2007)

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.." Colossians 2:6-7

His Transforming Power

2008-05-01T08:54:00.013-05:00

Bom Dia! Last night was a good night for the team, as they planted seeds in Sao Jose. Today the team is in the village of Enseada where there are about 50 families.

The team especially needs your prayers today because this village has a reputation for being extremely unwelcoming to Christian believers. In fact, the villagers have thrown rocks at believers on previous visits in effort to send them on their way...but thanks to God's transforming power through His gift of grace, the main instigator of the rock throwing...he and his family recently became Christians. As such, the team is hoping to receive a warmer welcome today but would certainly appreciate your prayers that God would remove the roadblocks and open the hearts of the villagers to receive the good News!

The medical and dental teams are already working, and the other teams are preparing and rounding up folks to participate in the women's, children's, and sports ministries later this morning. The schedule is the same as yesterday.

Tonight after the worship service the team will begin the long journey back to Manaus (over 30 hours in total)....traveling all night tonight, working half day tomorrow and then continuing to travel in the afternoon and throughout Friday night to reach Manaus early Saturday morning.

Here's what you can pray for today:

- Health of the team...in additional to the allergies/sinus infections and stomach issues that are troubling a few, one of team members has pink eye in both eyes. Prayers for healing!!

- Strength and endurance for the team...that the Lord would sustain an insatiable appetite for the team to share the gift of grace with the villagers and that the team would not feel weary from multiple days in the Amazon's heat and humidity

- The long boat ride back...for the Lord to guide captain "Hi" and the crew as they navigate the dark river at night

- For the flights back...that the team would make their connections and that all bags would make it back home

- For follow-up with the villagers that the team has met this week...that the local team would continue to foster and grow the seeds that have been planted this week

Thanks again for your prayers and have a blessed day!

Angela Ardis

(Brazil trip - August 2007)

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6

Spreading the Good News!

2008-04-30T08:33:00.009-05:00

Boa Tarde! (Good Afternoon)

Yesterday was a great day for the team. The sports team was able to share Christ with some of the men after playing soccer, and 5 accepted Christ. Several others also accepted Christ in the evening service. Praise God for those changed hearts!!

This morning (Wednesday), they arrived in a village called Sao Jose. There is another village nearby, and combined, there are about 25 families. The team will have the same schedule as yesterday (see blog below).

The Amazon River is really high right now, so part of this village is flooded. As a result, the medical/dental teams are working directly from the boat rather than up in the village. Tim said there was a line of eager patients waiting to be seen along the front of the boat; this is one of the biggest crowd drawers. Patients may live in the village they are visiting or come from a nearby village by boat. There is an administrator taking names and asking about their condition to keep the process efficient, which is important given the amount of people needing treatment. Typical treatments are for upset stomachs, depression, worms (primarily in kids), minor cuts or non-healing wounds. The dentist spends his time pulling teeth as they don't have equipment to handle much else.

The children's and women's ministries are going well, and the sports team I'm sure will enjoy getting beat at soccer again today if they are able to find a big enough patch of dry land to play. The children's team usually starts VBS at 10:00a so they walk around the village until then letting the kiddos know where to meet. The children's team typically holds two VBS sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Today, they cancelled school so that the kids could attend the morning VBS activities. There are usually 2-3 Brazilian translators working with our team and one will play guitar while the others teach the words and motions of the songs to the kids. Our team will join in too...either in front of the class or mixed in with the kids. Then they'll tell a bible story and do an associated craft.

The women's team will meet with the women of the village. Usually consists of 7-10 women from the village. A village "woman" could be anywhere from 13 to 70... women grow up a lot quicker than N. Americans due to their responsibility at such an early age. The team will love on these women and share tips for proper hygiene and health maintenance. One or two of the girls from our team will share their testimony and what a personal relationship with Christ has done for them, and hopefully the vulnerability of our team will spur on great discussions with the women of the village.

The team really needs prayers for a handful of folks who are not feeling well (allergies, sinus infections, and a couple stomach issues). Prayers that God will provide them healing and the strength to give of themselves to the villagers, in spite of their ailments.

Other things you can pray for today:
- That the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work through the team
- For boldness
- For open hearts of the villagers to receive the free gift of grace
- For strength and endurance for the team

Thanks for your prayers!

Blessings,
Angela Ardis
(Brazil trip - August 2007)

"He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Luke 10:2

First Full Day in a Village

2008-04-29T08:41:00.020-05:00

Bom Dia! (Good Morning!)

All is well on the JJ Mesquita. The team traveled all night and visited two very small villages today with about 10 families each. The families in theses villages make their living by fishing, growing corn or hunting animals in the jungle.

To give you an idea, here is the team's general daily schedule:

6:30AM - wake up
7:00 - breakfast (eggs, fruit, ham, cheese, bread, juice, coffee)
7:30 - team devotional
8:00 - 12:00PM off the boat and into the village to begin serving and loving on the people
12:00 - lunch (some sort of meat plus rice & beans)
1:00 - 2:30 rest/siesta
2:30 - 6:00 back to serving the people of the village (includes an afternoon soccer game with the guys)
6:00 - dinner (more meat, rice & beans)
7:00 - church service

You might be wondering what the 'church service' is like if a village doesn't have a church or common area building structure. Many times it's finding an open area outdoors to accomodate the villagers and then worshipping just like we would here in N. America. They'll sing songs, introduce the team, one of the Americans will share their testimony while a translator translates and then Tim or the Brazilian missions pastor will preach.

Prayers for today:
- Open hearts of the villagers and that, through the work of the team, God's kingdom would be glorified and greatly increase in number
- Unity with the translators
- That the guys acclimate quickly to their hammocks and rest well in them (the girls get bunk beds in tiny rooms on the boat; whereas, the guys hang hammocks up in the common area of the boat to sleep at night)
- Sustained health of the team (a few are still dealing with allergies/sinus infections)
- For the medical and dental teams...wisdom & guidance to treat their patients
- For the women's ministry team...to share their hurts & struggles with the women of the village and how a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ & his saving grace overcomes any of our sins...past or future
- For the children's ministry team...to love on those kids & to learn from their simple, loving spirits
- For the sports team...to enjoy getting beat at soccer (because they will!) and that the Lord would open up opportunities to share Christ with the men and teenagers with whom they'll play.

Thank you so much for your prayers and have a blessed day!

Angela Ardis
(Brazil trip - August 2007)

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." - Psalms 96:1-3

Up the River We Will Go!

2008-04-28T17:59:00.018-05:00

The team traveled up the Amazon river all night and all day in the JJ Mesquita, their mobile living quarters for the week. To the right is a picture of the boat. The bottom deck contains a pharmacy, rooms for the medical & dental teams to treat patients, a kitchen where all the meals are prepared and boarding for boat crew and Brazilian team. The second deck contains boarding for the American team, a common area for dining and fellowship, and the captain's seat. The top deck is sometimes used for evening devotionals or just a place to seek solitude.

While traveling on the boat today, the team (Brazilians & Americans) spent time getting to know each other as well as preparing the donation items to hand out at the villages. They arrived at Itaprangu, a fairly large city in the jungle, around 5pm tonight and plan to attend a worship service in the city at a satellite church of our host church from Manaus. The team will share testimonies and preach at the service, and then everyone will get back on the boat. They will travel all night again (30 hours in total up river from Manaus!) and arrive in their first village sometime tomorrow morning.

The team is rested but a few are dealing with sinus infections/allergies. Please pray for healing for these few! Everyone is excited to visit their first village tomorrow where they will spend the day serving and loving on the Amazon people by ministering to their medical, physical and spiritual needs.

Here's how you can pray for the team today:
- For the boat crew as they journey further up river throughout the night again and that God will guide their way along the dark river
- For team unity and that the American team would feel comfortable working with the translators.
- That the Lord would prepare the hearts and minds of the people and that they would be receptive to hearing the gospel and their hearts would be moved to learn more about Jesus if they don't know him.
- Boldness in sharing the gospel tomorrow and that no one on the team would feel insecure or ill-equipped to share Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide their words and lead them in that conversation.
- Team health & energy. The food is going to be different for some, so it's not uncommon to have a few upset stomachs...and energy because it is very hot and very humid. Specifically, pray for strength and healing for those few dealing with sinus infections/allergies

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,
Angela Ardis
(Brazil trip - August 2007)

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel" - Ephesians 6:19

Praise the Lord!

2008-04-27T21:03:00.002-05:00

Praise the Lord! All personal bags and all but one donation bag made it in time for the boat. Thank you for your prayers! More to come tomorrow.

God Bless.

Angela Ardis
(Brazil trip - August 2007)

Prayer and Worship

2008-04-27T16:46:00.015-05:00

I spoke to Tim this afternoon (Sunday), and the team is still waiting on 3 bags (2 donation bags and 1 personal bag) to arrive. Thank you so much for your prayers for the bags to arrive. Thank you also for your prayers for the safe return of teh first team, as they arrived home safely late last night. Hopefully, the airline can locate the bags that are still missing before the second team heads down river. Please pray that these bags arrive before the boat leaves tonight!

The team spent today in meditation, rest and worship. They spent the morning together as a group planning and praying for the week, and tonight they are worshipping at our partner church in Manaus. What an amazing experience it is to worship with fellow Christians in another part of the world and hear them sing praise to God in Portuguese! Whether the songs are familiar or not, you cannot help but join in and feel the presence of the Lord in that place and give praise for how awesome and big God is!

Immediately after church the American team as well as the Brazilian team and translators from the church will board buses headed for the docks and the boat. They will journey all night to reach their first village.

How can you pray for the team today?
- That the 3 bags still missing arrive tonight before the team boards the boat
- For the boat crew as they journey down river throughout the night and that God will guide their way down the dark river
- For boldness for both the Americans and Brazilians as they spend their first evening together getting to know each other to build team synergy and unity
- For the hearts of the people in the first village they will visit that they will be open to hearing about God's free gift of grace and be transformed because of it

Blessings,
Angela Ardis
(Brazil trip - August 2007)

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:8-10

Bom Dia de Manaus!

2008-04-25T21:25:00.031-05:00

...or Good Morning from Manaus!

The first team departed for home, as the second team traveled from Dallas and arrived in Manaus around 5 am this morning (Saturday) after a slight delay in Miami. Everyone arrived safely but the team's luggage and the donation bags are still in route.

Please pray that the bags arrive today and that all the donation bags make it through customs/security! This is important because all bags must be screened before you are allowed to exit the airport, and typically a couple donation bags are pulled aside after being screened because the medical/dental supplies (large bottles of ibuprofen, vitamins, antibiotics, neosporin, etc. with labels in English) are a yellow flag for the security officers who then want to double check to make sure we're not bringing anything illegal or unsafe into the country.

Today the team will do a little site seeing in Manaus and rest up one last time in the comforts we often take for granted (comfy bed, air conditioning, etc.) before they hop on the boat tomorrow for the long journey into the jungle to share the love of Christ with everyone they meet.

How can you pray for the team today?

- That the bags arrive today before the team boards the boat tomorrow night
- For patience as the team waits for their bags in the same clothes they have had on since Friday morning

- For rest - physical, emotional and spiritual rest as the team prepares to embark for the jungle

- For unity, humility and servant hearts as the team seeks to glorify God in service with the Brazilian team from the church in Manaus

- That the entire team would have an insatiable desire to share God's grace

- For open doors for the team to share God' grace and love

- That all involved would be transformed forever and have a new perspective of what a MIGHTY God we serve!

Thanks again for your prayers and please check back as the team will be calling from a satellite phone each day to give updates.

Blessings,

Angela Ardis
(Brazil trip - August 2007)

"And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ." Eph 1:9-10

Endings and Beginnings

2008-04-24T20:13:00.007-05:00

Good evening!

Thank you so much for praying for the team. They had a good day today serving the people of Villa Nova and we trust that the Lord is working through them to touch the lives of those they encounter.

Tomorrow will be their last day of work. Then they'll make their way back to Manaus and head back home to Dallas. It's a long boat ride and journey back home and, while their work in the jungle may be finished, the Lord is still at work in both the team and the villages.

And while this team's trip is coming to an end, another team will begin their's Friday morning. I'll be part of that team and I couldn't be more excited! A bit sad to leave our dogs, but excited to join my husband :) and a few others from the first team who are staying for week two. And..just ready to love on those sweet people of the jungle, hold a baby or two and play with the kids.

How can you pray for both teams?

Team unity and pure motives for team 1. They are vulnerable to Satan as they become increasingly fatigued and hot. He wants to interrupt God's plan for them.

Praise God for keeping the team safe as they travel and for continued safety as they travel on to the next village tonight and back to Manaus on Friday evening.

Praise God for the provision of translators. They make these trips possible!

Pray for a strong finish for team 1.

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold
Psalm 18: 1-2

For team 2: safe travels and that all of our donation items make it through customs. Please also pray that the Lord would begin working in the hearts of the lost.

Keep traveling with us electronically! We'll continue to provide daily updates.

Thanks again for your prayers. I look forward to providing a trip summary when we return.

Blessings,
Kelli Coblentz

Day Three: Villa Nova

2008-04-24T09:15:00.003-05:00

Good morning!

All went well in the village of Nazare. The team is having a great time serving the people and playing with the kiddos and loving on chubby little babies. They got some relief yesterday with some rain, praise God for that! However, today will be hot as it's usually very hot and humid after a nice rain.

Today they are in Villa Nova. This village does have a church and a lay pastor so some of the people are believers. Each of the ministries (VBS, womens, sports, medical/dental) will be serving the people today and tonight they will attend a worship service in the village.

How can you pray today?

Healing and recovery for a couple of folks with upset stomachs. It's not uncommon with the change in diet, climate, lack of rest and physical stress their bodies are going through.

Endurance and perseverance. Protection from the heat.

Boldness to share the gospel

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:17-20

Blessings,
Kelli Coblentz

Day Two: Nazare

2008-04-23T09:15:00.007-05:00

Good Morning!

The team has arrived in Nazare, a small village far north.

This village has been visited by Christians before; however, they are not believers. Many are involved with a religion that teaches them their salvation is based on works and that they do not need a bible, they just need to listen to what their leader tells them. There is also a lot of witchcraft and jungle scorcery in this village.

The medical and dental teams are already at work. The VBS, women's and sports teams are preparing for the day. The childrens team typically holds two VBS sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They have anywhere from 10 to 50 kids, with 50 being a very large class. Average is about 25-30. There are usually 2-3 Brazilian translators working with our team and one will play guitar while the others teach the words and motions of the songs to the kids. Our team will join in too...either in front of the class or mixed in with the kids. Then they'll tell a bible story and do an associated craft.

The womens team will meet with the women of the village. Usually consists of 7-10 women from the village. A village "woman" could be anywhere from 13 to 70.. as the women grow up a lot quicker than N. Americans due to their responsibility at such an early age. The women are taught proper hygiene and health maintenance. One or two of the girls from our team will share their testimony and what a personal relationship with Christ has done for them. Hopefully the vulnerability of our team will spur on great discussions with the women of the village.

How can you pray today?

Pray for the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work through the team. Pray for boldness. Pray for open hearts of the villagers to receive the free gift of life, based on grace alone and not works. Eph 2:8

Pray for healing as one of our guys broke his nose while playing soccer. He is doing fine, but please pray that he is able to continue serving and enjoy the trip.

Strength and endurance for the team. I was informed that they are very tired and it's very hot. I looked up the weather: 90 degrees and 66% humidity.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40: 29-31

Thanks for your prayers!

Kelli Coblentz

Open Doors

2008-04-22T22:59:00.003-05:00

Good Evening!

The team arrived in Codojas about 5:00AM this morning and had a great first day of serving and loving on the people. The church that we are partnering with in Manaus is planting a church there. The medical and dental teams did not set up as this village turned out to be a large town that actually has a medical clinic. The VBS, sports outreach and women's teams were in full force and those on the medical/dental teams spent the day visiting with people in the town and inviting them to the church service in the evening.

Each day the team visits a village there is a church service held in the evening. This service is similar to a Protestant church service here. The service opens up with singing and then the village pastor will say a few words and then turn it over to one of the Brazilians we are partnering with to deliver a sermon and/or one of our team members will share their testimony.

They'll be traveling overnight to the next village and should arrive by morning.

How can you pray for the team?

Strength & endurance. It is very hot and humid in the Amazon Jungle and you can get dehydrated and exhausted easily and quickly.

Safety as they travel through the night to the next village.

Open doors to share the gospel. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Colossians 4:3-4

Praise God for opening the door in Codojas and for that town to be receptive to building a church. Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in that community and bring forth leaders within the church to disciple their people and increase the kingdom of the Lord.

Thanks for checking in with us and thank you for praying,

Kelli Coblentz

Rollin' Up the River

2008-04-21T16:51:00.004-05:00

Good Afternoon!
Just got an update from the team. All is well and looks like their plans were adjusted as they are still en route to the first village, Codojas, which they are scheduled to arrive late tonight or early tomorrow morning. They will have traveled more than 24 hours up river from Manaus to reach the first village, which is farther than any of our teams have ever traveled up river.

They are on the Salamone River System and I wish I could provide a link to information on that, but I couldn't find anything. Must be a really remote river that feeds off a main river or a slang name for it. Kind of like those of us who live in Dallas call 75 "central".

The reason they are traveling so far is the local church we partner with really wanted to make contact with the people in this village. What an outreach! That is convicting for me as I think how it can be an inconvenience for me to just go across town, in my vehicle that would take me just a few minutes.

The team is doing well, everyone is excited to arrive and get to work!

Here's how you can pray:

- Safe travels. I don't know how to spell the Captain's name, but it is pronounced "hi" so pray for him and his team as they navigate the boat, especially at night.

- Team unity. What a great opportunity to really get to know the translators and bond with them.

- Boldness in the village. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. Ephesians 6:19

Have a great day and thanks for checking in with us,

Kelli Coblentz

Boarding the Boat

2008-04-20T08:56:00.004-05:00

Bom dia! (Good Morning!)

All is well with the team in Manaus. Today they will meet the translators from the local church that we partner with to serve the Amazon Jungle and also attend worship service with them. Then they'll hop on the JJ Mesquita, which is the boat pictured here, and begin the long journey into the jungle to begin loving on and serving the villagers tomorrow. The team is excited!

How can you pray today?

- Safe travel on the river.

- Praise God for allowing this opportunity and providing a local church partner that continues to serve the people of the Amazon Jungle even after we leave. Their goal is to build 100 churches in the jungle by 2010 and they have about 80 so far!! Continue praying for the Lord to raise up leaders in the villages of the Amazon to serve Him and bring forth His message to others.

- Continue praying for the Lord to work in the hearts of the lost

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over alla nd thorugh all and in all. Ephesians 4: 3-6

Thanks for your prayers!

Have a blessed Sunday,

Kelli Coblentz

Team Arrives in Manaus

2008-04-19T07:32:00.005-05:00

Good morning!
The team arrived in Manaus around midnight and we want to thank you for your prayers for safe travels thus far and for protecting the donation bags as they all made it through security. If you're wondering why some bags wouldn't make it through...all bags must be screened before you are allowed to exit the airport. Typically one or two bags are pulled aside after being screened because the medical/dental supplies are noticed and the security officers want to double check that we're not bringing anything illegal or unsafe into the country. We bring over large containers of ipubrofen, vitamins, antibiotics, cortizone/neosporin type creams, saline solution and other supplies for the medical/dental team. With the labels being in English and the officers not speaking/reading much English, they have the ability to confiscate the items if they aren't comfortable with our explanation of what the items are used for.

So - thanks for the prayers about the dontation items!

Today the team will do a little site seeing in Manaus and rest up one last time in a comfy bed before they hop on the boat tomorrow for the long journey into the jungle to begin the work the Lord has called them to.

How can you pray for the team today?

A time to rest today.

Team unity.

Pray that God will do a mighty work in the hearts of the lost. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has glinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Cor 4:3-6

Blessings,
Kelli Coblentz

Getting Out of Our Comfort Zone

2008-04-17T20:45:00.005-05:00

Welcome! And welcome back to some of you!

It's hard to believe, but the time is finally here! Our Watermark Young Adults team is headed back to the Amazon Jungle. I am so excited about this trip even though it means leaving behind my wife & two dogs. Our team of 18 young adults has been training & preparing for this day for the last 7 months & it is finally here.

Why in the world do we want to leave air conditioning & the comforts of Dallas? To share God's love with the people in the Amazon Jungle. As the headline of this post says, Psalm 96 "Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples!" We all at one time have seen the danger of people who use "religious systems" to manipulate people & our desire is to share with the people of Brazil that true freedom comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

How can you pray for us:

Pray that God is glorified by our team & time in Brazil.

Pray for safety for our team

Unity, humility & servant hearts as we seek to serve & come alongside our partner church in

Brazil

Pray that all our flight connections make it on time

Pray for open doors for us to share the saving love of Christ

Pray that our team will be forever changed & that we will have a new appreciation for how AWESOME OUR GOD IS!

Thanks for your prayers & check in often as we will be calling from a satellite phone to give updates.

Tim Coblentz

Resting & Reflecting

2007-08-10T10:02:00.000-05:00

Bom Dia!

The team had a great last day of serving the Amazon villagers yesterday. They have been traveling all night and will travel all day today back to Manaus and should arrive late tonight.

Today will be spent resting and reflecting. They'll begin mentally preparing for their return home, a place so very different from what they've just experienced. Many different thoughts and emotions could surface; humility, confusion, compassion, rejuvenated spirit for the Lord, changed perspective...and much more

During my visits to the jungle, their life made me realize how the many choices here in the U.S. diminish the need for relationships. I began to think about the word “freedom”. We can pick and choose pretty much whatever we want in life. We work where we want, eat whatever we are craving, listen to our favorite music, buy from the closest grocery store, email or use cell phones to stay in touch with friends and family…and the choices go on and on. But, is life really better here because we have so much? Thinking about my grandparents life, I realized how far from relationships we have evolved. And yet, with all these choices, we still want more. We long for what we don’t have. We aren’t satisfied with what we’ve got. Content, few are.

So “who is better off?” A question Tim normally asks the team. A tough question but, in many ways, I think they are. They live life through relationships. Everyone looks out for & serves one another. They care deeply for their neighbor. They love each other unconditionally. House size, type of car, or salary doesn’t matter…it’s all about serving each other. Giving to one another. Thinking about others first. And they truly are happy people. Simple and content with the most gentle, humble spirits and with great faith in the Lord.

They truly depend on one another. True community. Living through relationships. Satisfaction & pleasure come from their relationship with the Lord. And always smiling. Content with life though, in our opinion, they have so little. But do they?

What a comforting yet humble reminder of God's provision for his children!

While the team has finished their time of service in the jungle, their mission continues as they head back to Dallas. Their mission field is all around them...at work, their neighborhood, at the gym, the cleaners, wherever they go.

Prayer for today:
- Safe travel today on the boat.

- To be still with the Lord. Reflect upon what He is teaching them from this experience.

- Rest & preparation for the long flights home.

- That the Lord would prepare them for, oftentimes, the 'culture shock' of returning home.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57: 9-11

Thank you for your prayers!

Have a blessed day!

Kelli Coblentz

Finishing Strong

2007-08-09T08:59:00.001-05:00

Bom Dia!

Thank you so much for praying for our 5 sick ones. They are all about 80% well so praise the Lord for settling their stomachs and also protecting the others.

Today is the team's last day to love on and serve the people of the Amazon jungle. They are in a small village today called San Jose, about 50 families. They'll carry out the same schedule as every other day this week.

Each evening they've held a church service and a few days ago I gave you an idea of what it typically looks like, but here's what their services have been like this week: A Brazilian from the partner church leads worship by introducing the N. American (NA) team after which the NA team sings a worship song and one of the NA team members shares their testimony. Then a salvation message is given either by the local pastor, if there is one, or the Brazilian partner church. Then the NA team hands out donation items to each family in the village. Donations consist of sandals, hats, clothes, baby items, toothbrush/paste, and soap.

Our team's, and the church they are partnering with, goal is to love on the people of these villages by ministering to their medical, physical and spiritual needs while sharing Christ. While these villagers work, primarily on farms, as lumberjacks or fishermen, they don't really earn an income. They grow their own food or fish daily for their meals. As you can imagine, it would take several months or even a year of work to 'earn' enough to travel by speedboat into a city and to then pay for medical care.

The partner church is located in Manaus and their goal is to plant 200 churches in the Amazon Jungle. Currently, they've planted 83 and our team, along with future teams, is there to help increase that number.

Prayer for today:

- A strong finish. The team is tired and they need prayer for strength & endurance.

- Continued healing of those with upset stomachs and protection for the rest.

- Open doors to share Christ. Pray for those that haven't had the opportunity.

- Team unity and pure motives. They are vulnerable to Satan as they become increasingly fatigued and hot. He wants to interrupt God's plan for them.

- Praise for keeping the team safe as they travel and for continued safety.

- Praise for the provision of translators and a Captain who's kept them out of harms way while traveling during the night

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold

Psalm 18: 1-2

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz

Prayer Request

2007-08-08T18:14:00.000-05:00

Five of the team members have stomach cramps and diarrhea. Please pray for strength, recovery and to be protected from dehydration. Please also pray for sustained health of the others.

The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:28b-29

Thank you for praying!
Kelli Coblentz

Soaring on wings like eagles...

2007-08-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

Bom Dia!

Thank you for checking in with us. Most of all, thank you for your continued prayers! The team is doing well, though they are beginning to feel the effects of the heat & humidity.

Today they are in a medium sized village with 70 families called San Jose. This village has never been visited by a "missionary" team but the village leaders informed a local missionary that they welcome our North American team. Praise the Lord for an answered prayer of open hearts and receptive spirits! May the Lord do a mighty work through the different ministries today.

When I spoke to Tim about 8:30AM this morning, he said he could already see families heading down the river from surrounding villages to see the medical team so that's exciting! As usual, they will have their day's work cut out for them. Many times the doctors and dentists are so busy they choose not to break for lunch in order to see everyone in need of care.

To give you an idea of the other ministries:

- The childrens team typically holds two VBS sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They have anywhere from 10 to 50 kids, with 50 being a very large class. Average is about 25-30. There are usually 2-3 Brazilian translators working with our team and one will play guitar while the others teach the words and motions of the songs to the kids. Our team will join in too...either in front of the class or mixed in with the kids. Then they'll tell a bible story and do an associated craft.
- The womens team will meet with the women of the village. Usually consists of 7-10 women from the village. A village "woman" could be anywhere from 13 to 70.. as the women grow up a lot quicker than N. Americans due to their responsibility at such an early age. The women are taught proper hygiene and health maintenance. One or two of the girls from our team will share their testimony and what a personal relationship with Christ has done for them. Hopefully the vulnerability of our team will spur on great discussions with the women of the village.

Prayer for today

- A couple of our girls have upset stomachs. Please pray for healing and that they would not become dehydrated as that could worsen the situation.

- The team is becoming tired. Please pray for enduring strength and energy.

- Relief from the heat...rain or clouds would be much appreciated by the team.

- Receptive hearts of the villagers and that the Lord would reveal himself through the team.

- For the Lord to be glorified by the team's work in the village and how they respond to one another

- Pray for the team to have a servant's heart. Being tired and hot...it's easy to do what they want to do rather than what the Lord called them there for.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint

Isaiah 40: 29-31

Thank you for your prayers & for journeying with us!

Have a blessed day,

Kelli Coblentz

So far, So good!

2007-08-07T09:10:00.000-05:00

Bom Dia!

Yesterday was a great day for the team in Andirobao.

The medical/dental team saw 63 patients so they had a busy afternoon. Typical treatments are for upset stomachs, depression, worms (primarily in kids), minor cuts or non-healing wounds. The dentist spends his time pulling teeth as they don't have equipment to handle much else.

The childrens and womens ministries all went well and the sports team played soccer. The sports team was able to share Christ with some of the men after playing and 5 accepted Christ!

This morning they arrived in a village called Panelão, which has 85 familes. The team will have the same schedule throughout the week so they are already out in the village. The children's team usually starts VBS at 10:00 so they're probably out walking the village and letting the kiddos know where to meet.

The medical team most likely has a line of eager patients waiting to be seen. Patients may live in the village they are visiting or come from a nearby village by boat. There is an administrator taking names and asking about their condition to keep the process efficient, which is important given the amount of people needing treatment.

Everyone is feeling well and in great spirits. I was told it is very very hot and very humid.

I was also told they are in a very beautiful village....so I'm feeling a little jealous right now that I can't be there, too!!

Prayer for today:

- Open hearts of the villagers to hear about Christ.

- Team unity, both in their ministries and with the translators

- Health and protection from the heat

- Wisdom and discernment for the medical/dental team to treat patients

- Opportunities to share the gospel

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Romans 10: 14-15

Thanks for your prayers!

Have a blessed day,

Kelli Coblentz

Soon to Arrive in First Village

2007-08-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

Bom Dia!

All is well on the JJ Mesquita. The team has been traveling all night and is still en route to the first village they'll serve. They should arrive at 2:00 today.

Today's village is called Andirobao and has about 100 families so is considered a fairly large village. This village does not have a church and we don't think there is much of a Christian presence or influence in the village, but they are open to meeting Christians and hearing about Christ.

To give you an idea, here is the team's daily schedule:

6:30AM - wake up

7:00 - breakfast

7:30 - team devotional

8:00 - 12:00PM off the boat and into the village to begin serving and loving on the people

12:00 - lunch

1:00 - 2:30 rest/siesta

2:30 - 6:00 back to serving the people of the village

6:00 - dinner

7:00 - church service

You might be wondering what 'church service' is if a village doesn't have a church. Many times it's finding an open area, many times outdoors, to accomodate the villagers and then worshipping just like we would here in N. America. They'll sing songs, introduce the Watermark team and one of the Portuguese team members will give a sermon while a translator translates for the Watermark team. Some worship services will be the reverse where Tim or another member of the team will preach or share their testimony and a Brazilian will translate.

This morning, while they're still traveling, they'll be sorting through donation and ministry items to get them organized and ready for easy access during the day. The team brought over 21 large bags of medicine, clothes, toiletries and other donation items so there is a lot to sort through.

Prayer for today:

- Open hearts of the villagers and that, through the work of the team, God's kingdom would be multiplied and greatly increase in number

- Unity with the translators

- Sustained health of the team

- Wisdom & guidance for the medical and dental teams to treat their patients

- Humility and vulnerability of the women's team to share their hurts & struggles with the women of the village and how a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ & his saving grace overcomes any of our sins...past or future

- For the kids team...to love on those kids & to learn from their simple, loving spirits

- For the sports team...to enjoy getting beat at soccer, because they will!, and that the Lord would open up opportunities to share Christ with the men and teenagers they'll play with.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57: 9-11

Have a blessed day!
Kelli Coblentz

All Aboard!!

2007-08-05T19:02:00.000-05:00

Boa Noite! (Good Evening)

Well the team had a nice day today in Manaus. Today was considered a free day so they spent the day resting, did some shopping, held a team devotional and went to church this evening at the church that is partnering with them this week in the jungle.

They are currently on a bus headed down to the river where they'll board the JJ Mesquita, their mobile living quarters this coming week. Above is a picture of the boat. The bottom deck contains a pharmacy, rooms for the medical & dental teams to treat patients, a kitchen where all the meals are prepared and boarding for boat crew.

The second deck contains boarding for the team, a common area for dining and fellowship and the captain's seat. The top deck will be used for evening devotionals or just a place to seek solitude. It's amazingly beautiful, if a clear evening, because you can see many more stars than in Texas. One trip we were blessed to see the Milky Way...that was neat!

The team is in great shape and are excited to get on the boat. They will travel all night and arrive at their first village to serve in the morning.

Here's how you can pray for the team tonight:

- Safe travel down the river

- Comfort in the rooms as they are very small, tight quarters

- That they would all feel comfortable working with the translators. Let's also not forget to thank the Lord for the provision of translators because they are the means to which the team is able to communicate with the locals in the village.

- That the Lord would prepare the hearts and minds of the people the team will serve. That they would be receptive to hearing the gospel and their hearts would be moved to learn more about Jesus if they don't know him.

- Confidence in sharing the gospel. That no one on the team would feel insecure or ill-equipped to share Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide their words and lead them in that conversation.

- Team health & energy. The food is going to be different on the boat so it's not uncommom to have upset stomachs. And energy because it is very hot and very humid. It doesn't take much moving around to feel exhausted by the heat.

- Team unity and a servant's heart.

- Praise the Lord for uniting such a great group of young adults and for choosing them to be vessels to share His love and grace. I thank Him for their obediance to step out of their comfort zone to enter an unknown territory for Him.

The ministry items made it through security, praise God for an answered prayer! Customs didn't like the bags with medication and thoroughly questioned the team, but in the end they didn't confiscate anything.

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,

Kelli Coblentz

Safe in Sao Paulo

2007-08-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

Bom Dia! (That's "good morning" in Portuguese)

The team arrived safely this morning in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Their connecting flight to Manaus was delayed a little while, but I'm sure they didn't mind as it's usually a mad dash in the Sao Paulo airport to make that connection.

The flight from Sao Paulo to Manaus is about 4 hours, with a quick stop in Brazilia. Once they arrive in Manaus they'll enjoy an all-you-can-eat Brazilian style barbeque at a churrascaria. Tasty meats of all sorts and Brazilian favorites like grilled pineapple that is to die for! They will be ready for a nice nap! But instead they'll be visiting the Manaus Opera House (shown below)

Here's how you can pray for the team today:

- Team unity. They are probably tired as they've been traveling for almost 24 hours and are still in flight, which is a perfect time for Satan to attack their attitudes, spirits and how they respond to each other.

- That all of their ministry items will be safe, especially the medical & dental supplies. When they arrive in Manaus, there is a possibility to have every single bag checked. The security officers speak very little English and many times don't give you the opportunity to explain what the items are for.

- Safety in Manaus as they check out the city

- Team health

- A good night's rest

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings,
Kelli Coblentz

Welcome to the Jungle!!!

2007-08-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

Well it is that time again. Our Watermark Young Adults team is headed back to the Amazon Jungle. I am so excited about this trip even though it means leaving behind my new wife. Our team of 22 young adults has been training & preparing for this day for the last 9 months & it is finally here.

Why in the world do we want to leave air condition & the comforts of Dallas? To share God's love with the people in the Amazon Jungle. As the headline of this post says, Psalm 96 "Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples!" We all at one time have seen the danger of people who use "religious systems" to manipulate people & our desire is to share with the people of Brazil that true freedom comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

How can you pray for us:

Pray that God is glorified by our team & time in Brazil.

Pray for safety for our team

Unity, humility & servant hearts as we seek to serve & come alongside our partner church in Brazil

Pray that all our flight connections make it on time

Pray for open doors for us to share the saving love of Christ

Pray that our team will be forever changed & that we will have a new appreciation for how AWESOME OUR GOD IS!

Thanks for your prayers & check in often as we will be calling from a satellite phone to give updates.

Tim Coblentz

Half the team delayed in Miami

2007-03-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Team,

I just got off the phone with Tim at 8:00pm Monday. He told me that the teams flight from Manaus to Miami got delayed and because of this only 8 people made it through customs in time to board the flight to Dallas. Eleven team members will spend the night in Miami and travel to Dallas tomorrow.

Other than this he said the team is doing well. They had a great time on Saturday visiting an orphanage in Manaus and meeting with the young adults of the host church. Then on Sunday they enjoyed worshiping God Brazilian style, and in the afternoon they had fun browsing through souvenir shops for Brazil Soccer Jerseys and mounted Piranha.

Once Tim gets home and catches his breath I am sure he will post more details about the trip and hopefully share some of their photos, so check back in the next few days.

Agape,
Chris Truax

High Spirits pushing through to the end

2007-03-16T15:06:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Team,

The team had a great day of ministry yesterday in Tera Preta. They had a women's meeting with 15 villagers with a lot of honest discussion and openness.

Today they are in the smaller village of Chita. It is not quite as hot today as yesterday, but still very energy draining with high humidity. This village has had a bad problem with Malaria, so even though all of our team members are taking Malaria medication please pray that the Lord supernaturally protects them. On the plus side, the team is healthy and no one has had to miss any of the ministry. They are holding a VBS and a women's meeting right now and then later tonight will have their last evening meeting. The boat will start heading back to Manaus tonight.

Saturday the team will get to visit an orphanage run by the host church they have been working with, and later get to meet with the young adults from the church. Sunday they will go to services at the host church and then get to do a little site seeing and souvenir buying in Manaus. They are scheduled to fly back home on Monday.

Please pray for:
Continued strength and energy to finish strong
Safe travel - by boat and by plane
Continued team unity til the end
That the team will come home and continue their life of mission here in Dallas
That Watermark members will continue to shine The Light into the darkness where ever they are

Agape,
Chris Truax

Thursday Afternoon Update

2007-03-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Team,

The team is now in the city of Tera Preta. A missionary named Susan Miller from New York first brought the Gospel to this village many years ago. Probably because of some of the ground work she laid down the team is having their best day of ministry including many great conversations with the men of the village. It is also the hottest day of ministry. 95 degrees and 95% humidity can really take it out of you, so pray for strength and endurance. Also pray for a few of the team who are experiencing minor stomach issues. Tomorrow is their last day of ministry before the boat starts heading back up river on Friday night to Manaus, so pray that the team finishes strong. Giving God their best at all times.

Their normal day looks like this:

7:00am -- Breakfast

8:00am -- Devotional

9:00am -- Ministry in the village

12:00pm -- Lunch

1:00pm -- Mandatory Siesta

2:00pm -- Ministry in the village

6:00pm -- Dinner

7:00pm -- Church Service in the village

9ish -- back on the boat and head to a new village over night

Santa Maria here we come

2007-03-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

The team had a great evening service in Bella Vista Tuesday night with about 20 people in attendance. The team got to sing in English for the Brazilians, and one of them gave their testimony. A Brazilian gave a short message and then the team got to hand out some donated items to the people (hats, children's clothes, etc.).

The boat traveled the river again during the night and they awoke to the village of Santa Maria. It is a fairly large village with about 30 families. It has a small church presence, but not many of the villagers are believers. They set up for all their different ministries: Med Clinic, Sports, Children's, Women's. The team is doing well health wise, but you can pray for some of the guys who are really sore from playing soccer two days in a row against far superior competition. But they continued to play so that they could get open opportunities to share the Gospel with the men of the villages.

The team is enjoying the food. They are getting rice and beans for every meal with a variety of meats: chicken, beef, and fish.

Continue to Pray for:

Open Hearts and opportunities to share the Gospel
Repentance that leads to Salvation
Good Health
Team Unity
No Language or Culture Barriers
God's Glory to be Magnified

Agape,

Chris

Rolling Down the River

2007-03-13T12:56:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Team,

I heard from Tim this morning. He told me the team is doing great. They are enjoying the food, environment, and ministry. Yesterday in the village of Araras they got the opportunity to share the Gospel with many Brazilians. One guy on the campaign experienced for the first time someone accepting Christ. He felt priveledged to be the one who shared the Gospel with the man, and was able to witness God changing the man's heart in front of his eyes. They held an evening meeting in the village that went well, and then they boarded the boat. While they ate dinner and slept the boat traveled to their next village.

This morning they arrived in Bella Vista. They again setup a medical/dental clinic. Also throughout the day will be doing VBS-style children's ministry, sports outreach, women's health clinics, and more to open up strategic opportunities to share the Truth of who God is to the Lost.

Agape,

Chris

NOTE: the pictures being used are from a previous Watermark Brazil trip. I have no way of getting up to date pictures, but these should give you an idea of what their ministry looks like.

Arrived in Manaus at 1 am

2007-03-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Team,

I just heard from Tim Coblentz the leader of the Brazil trip and I wanted to pass on to you what he said. They arrived in Manaus at 1 am with all of their bags except one, and it was filled with donated items. The Lord guided them through the baggage and screening area allowing them to pass through unscreened while everyone else had to be screened. This was a blessing from God because any donated items or medical supplies could have been confiscated if their bags had been screened! After getting out of the airport they went straight to the boat. They got to the boat and started down the Amazon river at about 2:30 am.

They slept as much as they could and when they awoke they were at their first village, the village of Araras. They setup a medical clinic and got hard to work. This afternoon they have a meeting setup with the teens in the village to talk to them about drugs, alcohol, and sex and of course to point them to Christ who can help them with all things. In the evening they will have a meeting with the women of the village to talk about health issues and they will also have an opportunity to share Christ with them. Tomorrow they will minister in a new village.

Pray for:

Continued good health
Strength of the team (that they sleep well)
Bodies to be healed both physically and spiritually
God to receive all the Glory due His Name

Agape,

Chris Truax (Mission Trip Leader with e3, and Watermark Member)

2 days away & counting......

2007-03-08T22:27:00.001-06:00

2 days away & counting.... Travel with us electronically as we journey from the concrete jungle of Dallas to the Amazon Jungle of Brazil. The trip dates are Sunday, March 11 through Monday, March 19 so check back periodically as we give updates on what God is doing through us to impact His world..........

Who are we? From Dallas, our group of 19 is part of Watermark Community Church working in partnership with E3 Partners. We are sales reps, nurses, marketing people and photographers. Those are our jobs but we are not defined by WHAT we do but rather WHO we are. Our real worth can only be understood by realizing who we are in Christ, created in His image we can only experience true significane in life as part of a personal relaitonship with God through Christ.

What are we going to do? Our mission is to demonstrate Christ's love to the people of the Amazon by using our God-given gifts & talents to love & serve people who are less fortunate.
Living on a boat as we travel up & down the Amazon River, we are partnering with an ongoing mission to the Brazilian interior as we show Christ's love by ministering to their medical, spiritual & physical needs. Our group will be split into a medical/dental team, sport's outreach, women's team & childrens/VBS team.

What do we believe? We believe that the "mission field" is not just in Brazil, or Africa, or Asia. We believe the mission field is all around us. Everyone one of us is surrounded by people who need to hear the truth of who Christ is & how much he loves them! Join us this week & make a comittment to get out of your comfort zone & be a missionary in your own back yard.

Our team leaves Dallas on March 11 but the trip really started 6 months ago. Our team has been through 7 training meetings, multiple immunizations, team building exercises, evangelism role-playing & cultural awareness training.

Here is how you can join us in prayer:

God be glorified by who we are & what we do
Unity among the North American & Brazilian team
Good health, safety & protection
Boldness & clarity in declaring Christ
This experience will refocus our hearts on those who don't know God's love in Dallas
Our team will gain perspective on how blessed we are in Dallas

We will be in the middle of the Amazon Jungle but through the marvel of technology (satellite phone) we plan to check in daily & give updates so you will know what is happening & how you can pray together with us.

ARCHIVE 2006: Back in the concrete jungle

2006-05-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and encouragement for our '06 Brazil Amazon Team. Everyone arrived home Sunday safe and tired. There are some remaining stomach issues and the team is in need of rest so your continued prayers would be appreciated. The most frustrating part of the trip proved to be the airfare problems coming home. Our TAM flight from Sao Paulo to i was delayed so by the time we went through customs in Miami we were late in making our Dallas connection. There were issues with our luggage so some of our team had to literally run through the airport trying to make our original Dallas flight while the remainder of the team had to fly standby on 2 later flights. Even though it was a hassle, I feel blessed that these issues were the worst of our problems returning home.

In my experience, it is harder to assimilate back into Dallas life than it is to actually go to Brazil. While in the Amazon, our team becomes very close. Except while we are ministering in the village, our team spends all our time on the boat so we get to know each other very well. After spending so much time together, we get home & each person goes their own seperate way. In Brazil, we spend so much time together and rely so much on each other but back in Dallas we fall back into our independent ways.

Seeing people in the Amazon that struggle to survive, I sometimes ask myself, "Who is better off?" Even though we have all the creature comforts of home, I see people in the Amazon who are genuinley happy. We spend so much time accumulating "stuff" and they spend so much time living in true community because that is all they have. We have all the technology and creature comforts that money can buy but I envy the simplicity of their life.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR:
Rest and renewal for the Brazil team.
Reflection on what God has done through us and in us.
New believers as they will experience trials because of the decision they have made.
IPM mother church in Manaus, Brazil.

I will update again in a couple days when I can give statistics of what we accomplished on the trip. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement.

Tim Coblentz

ARCHIVE 2006: Friday @ 10pm

2006-05-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Warriors,

Just got a voice mail from Tim. He said the entire team is feeling better, no more stomach issues, praise God! They were able to minister all day in a village with all their ministries (Medical, Women's, Children's, Sport's). They had another great evening church service where 6 people came forward to profess faith in Christ!

They will travel through the night back to Manaus. Then Saturday they will spend the morning getting to do a little shopping and tourist-y things. They start their flight home at 2pm, but do not arrive in Dallas until 10am Sunday.

Pray for the follow-up of these new believers and seekers by the Brazilian church that the team has been partnered with this entire week. Please continue to pray for safety and health of the team. A lot of times I get ill when I return because my body lets its defenses down (and I am in an airplane for many hours breathing recirculated air). Please pray against this knowing that many of those on the trip will need to be back at work on Monday.

The next update will probably be from Tim. I have enjoyed the privilege of keeping you updated on the team. Thanks so much for being faithful to lift up this team in prayer!

Agape,
Chris Truax

ARCHIVE 2006: Thursday @ 9:30am

2006-05-18T10:26:00.000-05:00

Hey Prayer Team,

I got an update from Tim filling me in on the last few days and what is in store for the next few. One praise is that team unity is still thriving. One prayer request is they still have some with stomach issues.

On Tuesday they spent the day in the village of Santa Anna doing medical and their other ministries. What is extra cool about this is 5 yrs ago the villagers of Santa Anna rejected having a team come because they were evangelicals. The Lord opened up the door for the team because of the medical team. The president of Santa Anna's wife became sick and he knows that medical assistance out in the villages is rare so he invited the team to come.

On Wednesday they visited two villages. I learned from Tim that the region they are in is experiencing flooding which is effecting many villages and also hindering some of their work. They still were able to get to the village of Santa Grasso in the morning to minister to the people and then in the afternoon they went to the village of Santa Elizia. That night they had a church service in Santa Elizia. Only a few showed up but the Lord moved mightily and 8 to 10 people professed faith in Christ!

Thursday has turned out to be a rest day for the team. They are traveling back towards Manaus all day but will stop in a village called Novo Rem Maso on the way. Friday was supposed to be their rest/travel day but since they are doing that today they will be able to minister to villages off of the Rio Negro as they travel back to Manaus.

Keep praying that the Lord will move mightily through the team and that He would guide their travels. This blog is more overview of the events of the team but start preparing yourself for what I know will be awesome stories that God is allowing each of the team members to be a part of. Hopefully we will get to post some of those stories here.

Agape,
Chris Truax

ARCHIVE 2006: Monday at 5:00pm

2006-05-15T17:11:00.000-05:00

The team is doing great and wishes to convey a belated Happy Mother's Day to all of their mothers. I know you are proud of your sons and daughters and Proverbs 23:25 probably rings true with you, "May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!".

Today they ministered in the village of Sao Benedito. They setup a medical clinic with their team consisting of 3 Doctors, 2 Dentists, and 4 Nurses. They also started their ministry to women, teaching them health advice for them and their families. They even got to pull aside some teenage girls and talk to them about health issues.

The sports ministry started, targeting the young men. They play Frisbee or soccer with them for a little while and then sit down with them and share the gospel. The children's ministry also started and I am sure they had many kids to entertain and train up with bible stories.

Their normal day looks like this:
7:00am -- Breakfast
8:00am -- Devotional
9:00am -- Ministry in the village
12:00pm -- Lunch
1:00pm -- Mandatory Siesta
2:00pm -- Ministry in the village
6:00pm -- Dinner
7:00pm -- Church Service in the village
9ish -- back on the boat and head to a new village over night

Prayer Requests:

the weather - it is very hot and humid and it is taxing on everyone
upset stomach - there are 2 individuals with minor upset stomachs
continued safety and strength.

Agape,

Chris

ARCHIVE 2006: Sunday at 7:30pm

2006-05-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Team,

I got a voice message from Tim at 7:30pm giving me an update to pass on to all of you. He said everything is going well. They traveled in the boat all night last night and some of today with no troubles. This afternoon they were able to start ministering to the Brazilians in the Amazon village called Itapeacu. This evening they will have a church service in the village and probably get to show off their great singing talents (because for some reason the villagers like to hear songs sung in a language they cannot understand or maybe they are just being polite), but more importantly the Gospel will be shared probably through the Jesus film.

After the service they will get back on the boat and travel during the night to a new village were they will minister Monday. On Monday they will get to set up a medical clinic, and also start the other ministries such as children's and women's that they have prepared to do.

Tim did say one of the ladies on the team has an upset stomach, so please pray for her health.

Agape,
Chris Truax

ARCHIVE 2006: Arrived in Manaus

2006-05-13T16:04:00.000-05:00

Hello Prayer Team,

Thanks for lifting up the Brazil/Watermark/e3 team in prayer! I just got a text message from Tim (their fearless leader) and he said after 23 hours of travel time they have all safely made it to Manaus, Brazil. They will be meeting with the host church tonight and then boarding the boat that will be their home for the next few days, and start to head down river through the night (The boat in the picture is the boat we called home last year, the boat this year will be similar).

Pray for:

Everyone to be able to adjust to sleeping in hammocks so that they can recharge before the ministry starts Sunday afternoon.
Clear night for the boat to navigate the river safely and quickly.
Continued team unity. Lack of 'good' sleep can lead to short tempers.

Agape,

Chris Truax (on staff at e3 and a member of Watermark and was on the Brazil team last year)

PS Check back for periodic updates!