We’re sitting at gate 243 waiting to board. Some of us are snacking (Chick-fil-A, empanadas, and homemade treats). We just met Earl’s daughter, Kim, and she’s patiently answering all of our questions.

 Last night, Ray worked until 23:00 hours and I spent the day packing and getting the house in order. We went to bed at 04:00 and only slept about three hours. John worked last night as well, and didn’t get any sleep. We’re in for a long day!

 This morning, we all met at Tomoka Christian Church. Bridget thought to bring a Brazil flag and we took a group photo before leaving for the airport. That was so cute!

 We’re finally on the plane for Brazil! What a fiasco. Originally our gate was 103. When we arrived in Panama, we walked over to gate 103 and Rob offered to watch our luggage while we explored the airport. Nancy wanted to find a Starbucks to get her legendary collectible mug from Brazil. Ray and I stopped at a few shops before heading over to Starbucks as well. I got an iced coffee and he ordered a double espresso. We walked the entire airport and then returned to the gate. I have 15.2k steps already today!

 When we returned to the gate, Kim started going over logistics of the trip…. room assignments and such. John mentioned our gate had changed to 141, so I googled it and saw that it had changed to gate 123. Then John realized 141 was the flight number, not the gate. (He WAS sleep deprived LOL). One of us went to check the monitor, and it still read flight 141 was out of gate 103. We waited until about 19:15 and there were still no updates on the billboard. Ray and I decided to walk over to gate 123 just in case. When we got there, I asked the Copa attendant at the desk, in Spanish, about the gate change. She confirmed it had changed to 123.

The billboard still didn’t reflect the update, and the rest of the group at gate 103 said their monitor showed Flight 141 to Manaus. After some time, I asked a different flight attendant and he confirmed the gate change as well. What in the world?! Our monitor at gate 123 was still blank, but then we heard an announcement (in Spanish) about Flight 141 boarding soon out of gate 123. I let the others know and they joined us right before we starting boarding at 20:35.

 We’re currently relaxing on the bow drinking delicious milkshakes. Earlier today we separated all of the supplies we’d brought. Some people made goodie bags for kids and some helped separate meds in the pharmacy. Afterwards, we counted out vitamins and Tylenol into individual baggies for easy dispensing from the pharmacy.

 I’m lying in bed after a COLD shower. I guess no one mentioned we’d be showering with brown, cold, river water. I am grateful, though, to have our own bathroom attached to our bedroom. The beds are bunkbeds, and they’re smaller than a twin. My feet hit the bottom of the bed (I’m 5’7”). I’m sad that Ray and I can’t snuggle for the duration of this trip. Our room is about the size of a bedroom on a train. You can stretch your arms out and reach both walls. It’s TINY. I am so grateful I brought my own pillow. Someone who’d previously gone on this mission trip suggested that.

 I’m excited to see patients tomorrow. I’m not really sure what to expect. We docked at São Sebastião and walked around a little before dinner and devotional. Today’s devotional was led by Rob. His Bible Verse was Hebrews 13:6 “So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

 Today we stopped at the first village called Boralho. We saw patients from 10:00 until 16:30 with lunch in between. Lunch was delicious! There’s a dining room on the second floor of the boat and lunch is served buffet style. Actually, all meals are served buffet style. They usually have sodas and juices available during meals as well as filtered water all day. Coffee is ONLY available at breakfast. I wish I’d known that before traveling. I would have brought some instant coffee or a kettle, since I like to drink coffee throughout the day, and especially after each meal.

 We saw 78 patients today: 54 medical patients, 21 dental, and 3 for eyeglasses. This morning’s devotion was led by Nancy and her verse was Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers and sisters. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Nancy taught us a card game called 5 Crowns. We only made it to round four before it was time for dinner. Dinner was lunch leftovers, warmed up. After dinner, we played Headsup, boys vs girls. Rob, Ray, and John were on a team against me, Nancy, Joan and Nicole. We played several hilarious rounds before it was time for bed.

 We just pulled up to our second village, called Saracura. There are already people waiting for us; mostly kids! We’re about to do our devotional. Ray is leading, and I’m translating for him. His verse is Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

 We saw 132 patients today: 90 medical patients, 37 dental, and 5 for eyeglasses.

 Everyone is currently relaxing on the top deck. Today we were in Ilha Das Onças. It was a challenging day. The patients were needy, aggressive and difficult. We saw 85 patients: 54 for medical, 21 dental, and 10 for eyeglasses. Currently, some of us are sleeping in redes: Joan, Ray, John and Nicole. Bruce, Nancy, Rob and I are sitting in chairs. It’s beautiful weather. HOT. Because the boat is moving, though, there’s a nice breeze keeping us cool. I’m grateful there’s A/C on the boat! We have A/C in our bedrooms, in the dining room, the dental office, and in the pharmacy.

 This morning, I spoke the devotion. My verse was Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love towards us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” After dinner we played cards again. We played 99 and I won a fierce battle with John!

 Happy Mother’s Day! The crew decorated the dining room and clinic with balloons and treats for Mother’s Day. That was so sweet!

 This morning Nicole spoke the devotion and I translated for her. Her verse was Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” I was sad that we didn’t attend a local church. I guess sometimes it works out that we can, but this trip didn’t allow for it. I packed that long dress for nothing, LOL. Rob led communion and a short church service on the top deck. It was wonderful.

 The first village we went to today was Vila Bentes. We saw 92 patients: 70 medical patients, 18 dental and 4 for eyeglasses. During lunch, we traveled to another village called Águia. There were saw 51 patients: 34 medical patients, 11 dental patients, and 6 for eye glasses. We finished well after dark; around 18:30!

 After dinner, we played Uno with two of the crew members, Antonio and his dad Christiano. Even though there was a language barrier, it was so much fun. At one point I caught them both cheating and called them out. They were mumbling to each other in Portuguese “do you have…?” “what’s in his hand, the guy next to you?” I looked over at them and said “Então, estão a jogar juntos o quê?” Christiano turned bright red and they both erupted in laughter. After the game ended, Antonio approached me and laughed, “Esqueci que você falava português…”

 Today we saw 57 patients in the village of Guariba: 39 were medical patients, 14 were dental patients, and 4 were eye glass patients. We finished with that village around 14:00 and the rest of the afternoon was free time while we cruised to the next village. I slept from 14:00 to 19:00, intentionally missing dinner. They feed you so much, here! Every day you have breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.

 This morning, John spoke the devotion. His verse was Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

 I joined everyone in the dining room around 19:30 for card games. We played 5 Crowns again, this time making it to the very end, round 13!

 Everyone is starting to come upstairs for devotional. Some of the crew members are still eating breakfast. Every morning, we have breakfast at 07:00 and then the crew eats after we do. After, we all come upstairs for devotional time. It’s my favorite part of this trip! We sing praise and worship songs in Portuguese and English and then listen to a short message led by someone new each day. I love that I’ve learned some of my favorite worship songs (like Open the Eyes of My Heart) in Portuguese, and that I’ve learned some new songs (like Estou Alegre) too!

 We’re currently relaxing on the top deck. Joan, Ray, John, Rob, and Nancy are asleep in redes. Bridget and I are in chairs. She spoke the devotion this morning. Her verse was Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 Today we were in the village of Maranhão. We saw 53 patients: 33 medical, 15 dental, and 5 for eyeglasses. Our next destination is four hours away, so the rest of the day is free time. Nayara, our dentist, is leaving the boat today. She is truly a sweetheart and I’m so grateful to have met her.

 We just arrived at São Sebastião after an hour boat ride. This morning, we went to our last village, Taborai. We saw 68 patients: 62 medical and 6 for eyeglasses. It was bittersweet. This trip has been exhausting, but rewarding. I’ve loved working in the pharmacy with Mara. I’ve loved translating for our Physician’s Assistant, John. It’s been a whirlwind, getting pulled in a bunch of directions all day. The patients have been incredible: appreciative, somber, and grateful.

 This morning, Bruce spoke the devotion and I translated for him. His verse was Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” After lunch, we cruised/relaxed until now. I think we’re going to get to walk around and shop.

 I’m sitting in the dining room looking through photos now. Nancy created a Google Photos Album for all of us to share our pictures from this trip. We need to select 16 for the blog. I asked everyone to go through the album and “like” photos; I will select the top liked pictures for the blog.

 We are currently on our way to Manaus. This trip will take 21 hours by boat. Earlier today, at São Sebastião, we walked to Santana’s house. It was SO HOT. The temperature said 92ᵒF but “feels like 102ᵒF” due to humidity. Along the way, we stopped at a little store and some of us got ice cream. Santana’s house was beautiful. The garden was amazing too; what a paradise! We purchased a bunch of jewelry from her to support the mission. Ray and I purchased four necklaces, two keychains, and three bracelets for R160.00 which is $32. They’re pretty, and will make nice gifts too. We were supposed to stay in that city longer, but there was a mix-up with our schedule. Junior thought we were leaving Friday night into Saturday, when in reality our flight is Friday morning, and we’re leaving Thursday night. As a result, we didn’t spend much time in São Sebastião. We should arrive in Manaus tomorrow afternoon. We will be rushed, but should have a couple of hours to shop. I’m excited for shopping! Ray and I want to buy redes and find some souvenirs.

 This is being written several days after the trip has ended. I tried keeping up with journaling, but that last day was SO BUSY. Thursday morning, we woke up at 06:15 and had breakfast as usual. We didn’t have our normal devotional time as the crew was busy preparing for the final day. Joan spoke the devotion and it was weird not having to translate it into Portuguese. Her verse was 2 Timothy 1:7 “For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

 After devotional time, most of us spent a couple of hours on the top deck watching the scenery. It was peaceful and beautiful. Joan brought her binoculars and the group was able to see monkeys and exotic birds. We ate lunch and then Junior exchanged money for us. How kind of them to provide that service! The crew exchanged our US dollars into Reais and they exchanged it back for us after shopping.

 Shopping was really rushed, but so much fun. First, we went to this huge market that sold lots of souvenirs. It was fun haggling with the sellers. Then we walked to the Havaiana’s store. I own a couple of them already but really wanted a pair with the Brazil flag on them. Unfortunately, they were overpriced at the Havaiana’s store. Most pairs there cost R80 when you could purchase them (and I had) for R35 or R40 at the supermarkets. After, we went to the rede store. Ray and I bought seven! We’re planning to build a gazebo and hang up six in there and one on our front porch. Because our group was purchasing 23 redes collectively, the owners discounted them. The large three-person redes were discounted from R120 to R100 and the two-person redes were discounted from R80 to R70. Ray and I purchased four, three-person redes and three, two-person redes for R610, or $119.50 total. The rede store accepts credit cards, so we opted to do that to save on the exchange. The redes were SO HEAVY. I was grateful Ray brought his rucking bag. He was able to fit four in there and carried the rest in the bags they provided. The last store we went to was the market. It was smaller than ones I’d been to in the past. That was a little disappointing as I wasn’t able to find everything on my list. Ray and I bought a pair of Havaianas each for R25 and R35 respectively. We also bought some hot sauce, candies, cookies, and other snacks. We quickly returned to the boat and took off for our final location.

 We were all super sweaty and disgusting from walking around in the heat (most of us carrying heavy bags). I decided to shower so that I could pack up all of my things. We were told that we could swim in the river at the dock, but I had no intention of doing so. LOL. There was no way I was jumping in water I couldn’t see into! While we cruised to the final destination, everyone packed up their bags and got ready for another long day of travel.

 The dock was really beautiful. Kim said it was built by some of the church members. There was a large covered area with a long picnic table underneath. There was a small kitchen, and a TV on the wall. By now it was dark outside. Nevertheless, Rob, Nancy, Nicole, John, and Ray decided they were going to jump off of the boat into the river! Rob jumped first, followed by Ray and John. Nancy and Nicole went up to the second floor of the boat and while they were contemplating the jump, Rob went up to the top deck and jumped! The ladies eventually jumped as well.

 The crew had prepared a delicious meal for us; a churrasco with kielbasa, steak, grilled pineapple, French fries, and an assortment of other things. Rob gave a speech, and Kim translated. Then Junior followed with a speech of his own. We exchanged some gifts with the crew, prayed, and enjoyed our final hours together.

 Some of us laid down to catch a couple of hours of sleep before travel, then the crew took us, in pairs, to the other side of the river on a tiny boat. There, a bus was waiting for us to take us to the airport. It was a cute little final boat ride!