CBM MISSION TRIP

Tuesday, April 14th: Travel Day

Ten (10) of the Thirteen (13) Trip Participants flew from: Columbus, OH to Washington, DC Washington, DC to Panama City, Panama Panama City, Panama to Manus, Brazil — Arrival time to boat around 4:30AM This was a full day of traveling for us Ohioans. We left for Columbus around 3am and then arrived in Manaus 24 hours later. We were bringing 23 suitcases full of medication and hygiene kit supplies. While prepping to leave we were getting mixed messages on how much luggage we could bring with us from the different airlines we were flying with. We were expecting to pay extra for all the luggage, but we were able to talk with the airline on what we were doing in Brazil and our pastor had written a humanitarian effort letter to help support us. A praise we had was being able to check all 23 suitcases for free as well as making it through customs with no issues. One hiccup we almost had landing in Manaus was fog, momentary concern we’d fly to Georgetown, Guyana. This would have added another 1-2 hours north to this specific flight. Thankfully we circled around Manaus again and were able to land safely. CBM was ready for us, loaded our luggage in a pickup truck and bus and we traveled 20-30 minutes by bus to the dock.

Wednesday, April 15th: Traveling down the Amazon

Once we arrived on the boat, we were served a snack of ham & cheese sandwiches and chocolate cake to welcome us on to the boat. We then were able to sleep some after the long day of flights. They had quite the spread for breakfast: Hard boiled eggs, chicken/cheese filled puffs, juice, lots of fruit, avocado, guava jam filled pastries, other breads, and ham and cheese slices. We then learned more about the Amazon region and history of how the mission came to be. There are other boat missions as well, but CBM stands out from the rest. This mission wants to not only bring medicines and healthcare to the Amazon villages, but they want to build relationships with the individuals and families in the villages. They train missionaries that live and do life in the village regions they serve to continue building on these relationships to help spread the love of Christ. The mission is: “Christ, Life, and Health.” Each trip they go on brings these 3 things to the villages. We then ate more food. Lunch and dinners have staple foods of rice, beans, and pasta noodles. Then there are usually 2 meat dishes, a veggie side or salad, fruit and dessert. After lunch, we worked on unpacking the 23 suitcases of medication and hygiene kits we brought with us from Ohio. Some other group members worked on counting out medications that are used frequently in the pharmacy. They put smaller packs together to be able to send them out with the villagers during the medical clinics. We relaxed in the evening and did some stargazing without any light pollution. You can see the sky so much clearer here out on the Amazon, specifically, the Southern Cross.

Thursday, April 16th: 1st day of clinic

Location: Sao Pedro do Mocambo | Verse: 1 Samuel 21: 1-6

We ate breakfast with the amazing spread of bread, eggs, and fruit (I truly don’t think the food can get any better here). Then we had our first devotion with the whole crew, the region’s pastor, his wife, and son included. We fumbled our way through songs in Portuguese; the crew, through English. One of our members provided a heart-felt devotional about the importance of loving each other, the villagers we would be serving, and our God who made all this possible.

While we were sorted into our respective jobs, nothing could’ve prepared us about the sheer volume of patients and members of the village that would come onto this boat seeking medical care. We quickly formed connections with; not only each other, but also the community members as a whole. Some kinks were needed to work through as a team with the first couple patients seen, but as the day went on and we continued to have more patients coming on to the boat, we began to work as a well-oiled machine. We were able to carry our newfound skill sets to the other villages, allowing the care provided to go smoothly. Having two Portuguese translators allowed flexibility and allowed us to see more patients in the village. We saw patients in the morning and then took a longer break for lunch. We refueled our energy, and then saw the remainder of our patients in the afternoon. Our clinic day went from about 9:30AM-4:00PM. After clinic, our boat loaded all our passengers, and we waved goodbye as we made our journey to our next location.

At this time, Michael introduced the ultrasound potential. He explained the CBM mission group received a grant, allowing the purchase of an ultrasound probe that connects to an app on his iPad. With the proper training and technique, the ultrasound can be used for multiple different medical purposes. Such as identifying a pneumothorax, assessing veins and arteries for clots, identifying the cardiac structure and anatomy, and providing expecting mothers the opportunity to hear their baby’s heartbeat and imaging of their profile. One of the group members watched training videos, to try to learn how to use the ultrasound probe, specifically for expecting mothers.

Friday, April 17th: 2nd day of clinic

Location: Santo Antonio do Mocambo | Verse: 1 Corinthian 12: 12-14

This morning’s devotional was interactive. Each American and Brazilian were offered a piece of paper with a number on it, and we were to write our name on the paper. Then, we were to find the person who had the corresponding number as ours, forming a pair of an American and a Brazilian. Then we had to complete a puzzle with our pieces, the puzzle forming an image of Jesus. The message stating that we are all a child of God, and we all deserve the space for acceptance, forgiveness, and love. We are created equal under God’s eye, no matter if we are from the Amazon or the so-called “arm-pit of America”… aka Ohio.

This was a busy day with a total of 139 medical patients, 16 dental patients, 28 dental procedures, and 23 reading glasses provided. Each patient seen on the boat allowed us each to find a deeper connection to God during our trip on the Amazon. Whether it was a story about troubled times, or the first patient to have an ultrasound while on the boat. You could feel the growing love for each other and the experience.

The first ultrasound experience was a little rocky at first, but with continued practice and lasting patience from the patient (who was pregnant with twins!), we were able to find the heartbeat of one of the babies, and this mother got to listen to the heartbeat again since her last appointment a couple months ago. How great is our God that we got to provide this memory to her just a few weeks away from her delivery, and she never had to leave her village for it? Sure provided a lasting memory to our group.

Saturday, April 18th: 3rd day of clinic

Location: Sao Tome do Mocambo

Devotional was given by one of the members of CBM, Santana. English translation was provided so all understood the heartfelt message provided. She gave out several verses for members to read, some in Portuguese and some in English, incorporating each person and their own religious journey into her message. God is our refuge, he gives us strength, is involved in everything, His grace is sufficient, and He provides what we need.

This day was our busiest clinic day of the trip, and the biggest town visited. With a total of 179 medical patients, 20 dental patients, 35 dental procedures, and 25 reading glasses provided. Our clinic ran from about 9:30AM to 5:00PM that day. More ultrasounds were done and sonograms of the baby’s profile provided to the mothers. One common enjoyment that brought every family who visited the clinic was a printed and framed photo of them. The adults’ and children’s faces would light up, often causing siblings to bicker over who got to hold the photo. Our pharmacist and pharmacy assistant did an amazing job not only providing education to the patients on how to take their medication, but also keeping the medical providers updated on what we did and did not have in stock to bring patients. Giving the medical providers more of an understanding of what medications seemed most important to bring on further trips.

of dangerous terrain on elderly patients receiving medical care in the Amazon. Upon entry to the house, we took off our shoes (just as we ask the patients to do prior to coming on to the boat), and we introduced ourselves. The patient and her family were welcoming to their home and expressed gratitude. She received comparable care to that offered on the boat. We were so thankful to have that opportunity to ensure all patients were seen in the village, young or elder.

The few of us who went on the house-call also got to walk around the village with the pastor, the pastor’s wife, and son. They showed us the children’s school, a nightclub, and introduced us to one of the fellow believers living in the village. They explained to us how there had been push back from this community, allowing a Protestant Church of Christ congregation into their village. The people in the village opened their hearts and provided us breakfast the next morning, showing their appreciation for medical care. We never need appreciation for accept God’s calling for us to serve, but the villager’s warmth and love was well received.

I particularly remember an elderly sun tanned grandpa to whom I gave a cap and when he put it on, turned and gave me the biggest smile from ear to ear! No words needed to be spoken, just a mutual thumbs-up, and a wave. It was a God moment when he shared God’s love in return for the smallest gift I gave him.

Sunday, April 19th: Church Service

Location: Igesia de Cristo do Mocambo

We attended a church service in the evening. The crew members and missionary family put together songs and communion meditation. The village members attended the church service as well, more than a typical Sunday as we understood. Andy, a retired pastor in our group did a sermon with translation during the service. He spoke on the parable story of Jesus feeding 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Santana, a missionary/crew member, later shared with us that she had heard this story many times, but impacted her differently this time. She shared that the bag that held the bread in it was left behind, and a boy from the village brought it back to the boat. He asked if it was a real bread loaf and asked if he could have it and also if his brother could have the 2nd loaf. This story of sharing bread became real and how great it is to know that it can touch so many lives with just a small amount of bread and fish.

Monday, April 20th: The Pastor’s Village

Location: Remanso | Verses: Micah 6:8, Matthew 25: 31-40

On this day, we saw a total of 111 medical patients, 23 dental patients, 35 dental procedures, and 8 reading glasses provided. This was a special village for some of the crew members, for this village was the home of Rosie (aka “PePe”) and the pastor and his family. We docked right at Rosie’s grandfather’s house, and was welcomed by all her and the pastor’s family members and friends. The care we provided felt so close to us that day because we knew these patients’ family members. How important those people have become during our trip! In the personal opinion of this writer, I had never felt closer to God during this day. I felt that the care provided was personal and very individualized. We gave evidenced-based medical care to the mother of the pastor who had fallen and broken her arm, managing her pain control with medication we had available, and encouraging her to go to the hospital soon for X-rays and a cast. We even provided medical care and education to the pastor and his family.

As we continued to learn more of the pastor and his family's testimony and story, we all continued to be moved by their resilience and devotion to God. Their family has had tragic loss in their family, calling two of their sons home to the Lord all too early. While for some, this may have turned their faith away from God, this only strengthened their devotion and mission to spread his word.

A small group of us were provided the opportunity to visit the pastor’s and his family’s home. Despite being away from their home on this trip with us, they still wanted to serve us! You could tell there was pride in their home that they have built from the ground up. They showed us around their village, where their sons attended school, and the all sacred soccer field. While they had faced their own hardships, they were proud of where they came from and felt fortunate to have their family close to care for one another.

Tuesday, April 21st: Last Day of Clinic

Location: Maranhao and Sororoca

These villages were smaller comparatively to the other villages clinics were held. We were done with medical visits at Maranhao around 10:30 am, so we had a longer break between clinics this day. We did start the day off with devotions from Merle, who is on his 41st trip on the Amazon. We also treated the Brazilians to some music by singing the Doxology to them with Mennonite 4 part harmony pride. This particular village was built on a steep hill. They were also doing some construction work and building a school. Construction differences from the US were clear! The medical providers and translators completed a house call with a 95 year old who was unable to go down the hill to the clinic on the boat. The providers declared she was of excellent health! Her daughters regularly come to spend time with her and help care for her.

The 2nd village of the day was Sororoca and we started the clinic around 1:30 that afternoon. It was a busier village than the morning with 53 total patients and 9 dentists patients. We also took group pictures at this location and played some futbol with some of the local kiddos.

Wednesday, April 22nd: Sao Sebastiao

On this day, we had the opportunity to explore the “headquarters” of CBM. We took the town exploring shops that claim that they are “one-stop shops!”, little residential areas where people had gorgeous flowers growing in their front lawns, and even pharmacies to compare to those back in the US. This was one of the larger cities that we visited during our trip, so it was fun to have the opportunity to explore more and really gain perspective on what it means to live in a place like Sao Sebastiao.

One thing that was surprising in all the villages that we visited was just how many people you can fit on a motorcycle, bike, or moped! Families of five would find someway to get everyone on the bike. Mothers holding infants, toddlers clinging an older sibling, or the father who was driving. Also, I noticed no safety measures, such as helmet, boots, jacket, etc, were worn. While that is hard for me to accept, there is understanding that this is the way of life here on the Amazon.

Later in the day, the group visited two Church of Christ congregations. We sang, we ate (a lot), we prayed for each other, we thanked God that we had the opportunity to meet one another. We perused through the garden and green house that Santana helps maintain. It was enjoyable watching group members compare their own gardens to the one we saw, dissecting similarities and differences to their own.

The next morning we were met with emotional goodbyes with some of the crew members who would remain in Sao Sebastiao. This shows that even through language barriers, we find opportunities to form friendships and connections to each other that make saying goodbye so hard.

Thursday, April 23rd: The Journey back to Manaus

This day brought a lot of reflection on how the past 10 days have impacted each of us. As some took their last chance to snooze in a hammock, others found an opportunity to dive back into the world of their books. However, I think most of the group members were having a reflection of how this trip has impacted their faith. Connections to God were strengthened and new pathways in our beliefs were formed. This was a slow day that allowed for bird watching, feeling the breeze flow through the hair, and defeating your fellow friends in card games. We don’t often have days like this when we are home, a day to sit and reflect. So before I start to think about a grocery list for meals for a new week at home and all the work emails I have been letting accumulate, I think I will just enjoy the breeze through my hair one last time.

Friday, April 24th: Exploring Manaus

Manaus is a busy and bustling city of around 2.5 million people. Prior to coming to Brazil, I learned that Manaus was created by the Brazilian government to move more civilization to the Amazon, encouraging factory productions and thus bringing more job opportunities to the area. You get the idea as you pull into Manaus, spotting large cargo ships loading or unloading in docks. It is a city of production, made prevalent from the fish and meat market, fresh vegetables, and souvenirs for sale in the market. Everywhere you looked, someone was at a stand trying to sell a product. Cars are honking, bikes are whizzing by, and people are filling the sidewalks. It was not an easy city to navigate, but I was happy to be with our group and having each of us looking out for each other.

The finality of the trip felt solidified with the docking of the boat to prepare for the celebration of another successful trip. A few of our group members braved the mysterious waters of the Amazon river to swim, and we also had the opportunity to take a boat tour of the docking area. It was quite crazy to compare the houses we saw on the tour compared to the villages that we provided care at.

Emotions came to a high at the cookout, celebrating and sharing a meal as a whole group one last time. We discussed what our homes are like with each other and what comes next in each of our journeys. Words really can not describe how thankful and grateful we were to have the boat crew. From preparing our meals, cleaning our rooms, ensuring safety as we were able to rest, and leading worship and devotions, this crew allows this mission to run smoothly. We hope they know how much we appreciate their servitude and hope we have all have a chance to meet again.