i can't believe i have less than two weeks left.
i'm so sad to be leaving.
don't get me wrong...i miss y'all...but i really just love it here.
how about we all move to brazil? yeah? sounds like a great plan to me!
i have been doing so much since i posted last...
went on a boat trip with some canadians...it was so much fun...
a bunch of the younger missionaries went on the boat trip too...so we just had a blast hanging out and working...it was lots of fun...
y'all would croak if you could see what my job was at the church...i don't think we have any photographic proof that it happened though...
but basically...the church is on stilts, about my height above the ground...and currently it is flooded...probably waist deep water...so we were painting the church...inside and outside...
around the outside of the church was some lovely scaffolding of some boards just placed on support beams...probably about my height from the ground...
someone had to get the top of the wall...so i was given a ladder...and ladder is being used rather loosely in this case...it was a few boards nailed together...and i painted the wall...it was a rather precarious position...but i survived. :)
the following day, i was inside...on scaffolding...same deal...boards supported by "beams"...that was about nine feet up...every time a wave would come...it would knock the speed boat into the beams out front and shake the whole building...it was a blast...
the paint was also oil based...we mixed it with gasoline...and the only way to get it off was to use a wonderful dirty sock (okay, it was probably clean) soaked in gasoline...only in brazil! haha.
we also bathed by just jumping off the back of the boat all soaped up...haha. i love boat trips!
the amazon isn't even remotely clear...someone said it looked like chocolate milk...haha.
we went alligator hunting. we didn't catch anything...a few trees caught us...the current in the amazon is so strong that it would push us into a tree and we would just get stuck...it was pretty hilarious...our paddle man, paul, was in quite a lot of pain the following day...
hmm...we also worked at camp again...i think that was before the boat trip...yeah...pretty sure...anyways...at camp we laid the cement floor in the back part of the auditorium...i got the wonderful responsibility of running the "buffalo" or bull float...whichever you want to call it...it's this giant thing that you pull across the cement to make it smooth...quite the responsibility...i usually called in some reinforcement from joaquim...
let's see...climbed the mountain in alter do chao...we slept on top...i actually slept in a hammock hanging off the cross at the top of the mountain...you can't really see the cross...but you can google alter do chao and get an idea of where i was...you can see the "mountain"...
the other day we climbed a "mountain" in santarem...wait...that was yesterday...days are so long here...right after prayer (~7:30 AM) we headed to santarezinho to climb the "mountain" there. (it's a big pile a sand with a flat top).
the locals told us there wasn't anyway to climb to the top...but we found one...after creating several rock avalanches...we made it up to the top...took some pictures...then more or less slid back down the side of the mountain...
then...since we were so filthy dirty...we went down to the filter project and jumped in the tapajos for a while...it was quite fun.
i'm sure i've done many other things since i last posted...lots of church services and cell groups and stuff...
i have many many stories that i will tell when we are on vacation!
i don't have quite so many pictures...i've dropped my camera a few more times and it just keeps losing more functionality each time...it was even broken before i came...oh well...it happens.
my friends i have made here have taken gobs of pictures...i'll be able to get a hold of a bunch of those so i can really tell my story...
ohhhh!!! i held a snake.
it was awesome.
we found it...on the road.
and...i forgot to say that we did get an alligator...but it had gotten caught on a fishing line....the villagers gave it to us the morning after we had gone hunting...he wasn't very big...so we didn't eat him...we ended up letting him go...but...i got to brush my teeth standing next to him on the back of the boat...
bet you wish you could say that you've brushed your teeth standing next to an alligator.
haha.
i'm kinda scared...the printer just started making noises...odd.
hmm...what else do i need to tell y'all? i don't even know...
oh goodness!
i almost forgot the congresso!!
the congresso is amazing...i am so blessed to have had the opportunity to go!
there is a video about it on PAZ's website...check it out: www.projectamazon.org
it was such an amazing experience.
and i got to help set up for the whole thing...haha. we filled the little ice box things with the sodas each day in the morning...it was hard work...it was hot!
but it was a lot of fun...
there was a bird in our apartment this morning.
it pooped on sally's bed.
oh....and sally broke her nose working on the wall in the river village.
a board fell on her face. it was very tragic...okay...it wasn't very tragic...she took it like a champ. she's awesome....
i think i've reached the point where i can write no more...
i think i should learn how to write well before i try to post again. :)
love y'all...miss y'all.
