How'd You Like to Spend Christmas on Marajo Island?

Just a few short days after Christmas, George and Finn packed up to head over and stay with some friends, while Tim and I packed up to go on an Amazon island-hopping adventure! Aboard the Luz de Amazonia III (Light of the Amazon), a Brazilian Bible Society boat, we gathered with a few students from our school, crew members, and 20 other Brazilians. Our plan was to visit three isolated river communities, populated by riberinhos, impoverished people who live along the river in remote areas. The communities we visited were located on Marajo Island, the largest river island in the world (purportedly, larger than Switzerland).

Interestingly enough, many of our fellow travelers had never seen the living conditions of these riberinhos, even while living all their lives in such close proximity to them.

We were supposed to have a cabin on the boat for the two of us, but somehow we ended up swinging in hammocks on the top deck instead. We were sleeping at the dock when the twin diesel engines cranked at 3 A.M., and we were on our way. Between the mosquitoes at the dock, the noise of the engines, and the swells on the bay, we snatched about three minutes of sleep each.

The morning hours found us drinking coffee, recovering from the short night's sleep, and preparing for our first port of call. We sorted and folded clothing items, as well as shoes, toys, and bags—all donated to the river people. We also arranged food parcels for each family.

People crowded the dock as we slid up to each landing. We greeted them as they boarded the boat, helped them find clothes, and distributed the food packages. The children also received a Christmas story book from the Bible Society. There was a brief time of storytelling and music for the kids and a Bible story for the adults. Then it was off to the next landing.

Many hours and three ports later, we were finished. We cleaned up the boat and headed back toward Belem. As we entered the bay, the boat began to bob on some decent-sized swells. And then they got bigger, dwarfing our craft. An then it began to rain—a real Amazon rain—and the wind howled—we were in the middle of a storm on the “sea” of the Amazon. I heard the props become airborne as the swells rolled by and saw life jackets being put on. There were a lot of green faces, and a few had to rush to the railing, while others were promising God all sorts of things if they made it through the storm. Tim learned that sniffing a lime can help with seasickness. We tried to figure out if there was a Jonah on board, but none was forthcoming.

The storm subsided after around three hours. It was at that point one of the oil lines broke, so we crawled along on half power for the rest of the voyage. I made a quick call to the caretakers of our sons, and told them we would be very late! The storm passed, dinner was served and the sun set on our adventure.

We praised the Lord for our safety and for the opportunity to see people who live isolated lives in need of a Savior. We pray our two short hours at each port made a difference, somehow, for eternity.