Beleza
By Nick Fancher
27 Sep 2007
This past August I was privileged to visit Altamira, Para, which is a state in Brasil. I had never been to Brasil, though I had been to Mexico and Haiti in the past. I expected it to be similar but I had no real frame of reference. What I couldn't fully prepare myself for was the authenticity and warmth to every person I met there and the vast variety of landscape and culture even within one small city.
The biggest difference from my trips to Mexico and Haiti was that on this trip I ate with, worked alongside and lived with native Brasilians. In the past I would experience a bit of the culture but for the most part I was surrounded by Americans and so I was not given an unbiased experience. This time I was in it, which meant I had to learn some Portuguese in order to communicate with anyone. This was a bit awkward at first but by the end of the week I was participating in their inside jokes.
Not only did I experience life in the city while staying in Altamira but I got a taste of the rural life as we traveled down the Xingu river. This is a wide a winding river that intersects with the Amazon. We spent three days on the boat, and though three days is less than seven, it drained me more than the entire week of labor in the city.
We were a family of 25 for those three days on that cramped river boat. We slept in hammocks in order to conserve space. Any posts on the boat or trees in the jungle that were more than five feet across served as a perfect bed frame. Parrots, pigs and howler monkeys were our companions in the jungle and the milky way was our bedtime story. We used the river for both recreational and hygienic purposes as we bathed in our swim trunks, using Ivory soap to wash with, only because it floats.
While traveling on the river we visited several villages in the jungle. This required a bit of hiking for some of us. While others took small motorcycles into the bush, I and a few others escorted the missionary kids who would rather walk. While in the villages we assisted Pastor Naldo in visiting with the village inhabitants. Pastor Naldo is native of Sao Paulo who is also an ex-gang member. He now travels down the river once a month, visiting all the church "planted" by him and the other pastors. While these church plants are many in number, they have yet to establish their own pastors and leaders and so Naldo visits them once a month to bring teaching, encouragement and financial provisions.
Along with Naldo was a medical doctor who had recently left a prominent position in the States to practice third world medicine in rural Brasil. He administered drugs to the sick (mostly they suffered from symptoms resulting from malnutrition and dehydration) and he advised them on better eating habits and sanitation practices (the Brazilians were not starving. Most of them simply needed to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet of meat and rice and beans. He also handed out bleach tablets to purify their spring water.) After he would meet with a patient they would move down the assembly line to our team who would then pray for the sick. I loved the pairing of the practical aid of medicine with the spiritual aid of prayer. Quite often physical pain is a result of a spiritual need while sometimes it may simply be dehydration.
Like with an old friend who is visiting for a short time, I know my time in Brasil was rich and full and I experienced much, but I still felt a loss at the end of our time together. However, I am giddy at the thought of what waits to be discovered and I plan on picking up where I left off when I return this next January.
