Day 4 – July 10th Campfire Exchange ~by Jason

*To those of you just tuning in, we have been going day by day, retelling the story of our river trip this past July.  For more photos from this trip click HERE 

Our Capitan

Day 4 – July 10th Campfire Exchange

While on the river, our captain was in communication with various communities and boats by radio. Of course, other people can listen in, including a military port that monitors radio communication on the river. They heard that we were holding medical clinics and requested that we stop and hold a clinic at their base. We stopped but as part of the deal they got a Bible study and a culto (church service) as well. It was a unique opportunity opened by the medical ministry.

The military base has a dark past. During a dictatorship it was here that many people were executed. Last year the river team was asked to stop at the base too. When they stopped, some of the men at the base informed the missionaries that the men were terrified of this one Mango tree on the base. At night they would hear shrieks and other awful sounds from around the tree. Last year they held a prayer meeting around the tree and this year we were able to follow up on the story. We asked around and found that they no longer hear screams from the tree. What an incredible testimony to God’s power over evil.

Back on the river again we reached a dangerous rocky portion of the river. We had to stop on the Brazilian side of the river to hire a local guide to lead us through the rocks. While we waited, we were able to tour an old Spanish fortress.

The Brazilian Fortress

The cracks in the walls has just a few bats

The guide arrived and led us safely through the rocks, well almost through. No sooner did we think we were through and the guide left did we hit a large submerged rock which gave us a good scare but fortunately caused no damage.

Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryla amazona)

Our next stop was at a family’s farm. Here we fished for Piranha and Surubi (large catfish) for dinner. That night we held a culto for the family by a campfire. I thought about the fact that we had stopped and were putting so much effort into visiting just one family’s farm. Such a river trip takes a lot of time, energy, and money to run. My North American concept of “productivity” of course had to question whether it was worth stopping for just one family. Perhaps not, but that is not the standard such a trip should be measured by. Seeing just how meaningful our visit was to the family made me remember that our life endeavors should be measured by the lives we touch with God’s love.

Surubi we caught for dinner

After the culto we had a little campfire cultural exchange. We taught the Bolivians how to toast marshmallows over a fire. They were a bit wary of our strange custom but those brave enough to try really enjoyed the treat. They in turn showed us how to toast plantains in a fire which took significantly longer than marshmallows but were never the less a tasty treat.

You can join us next year for a river trip! If you are interested, let us know!