We're Moving...to the Amazon!

We just met with our mission's leadership yesterday to finalize the details of our next "assignment"  and.... drumroll please........we've accepted a long term position at our mission's base in Boa Vista, Brazil!  

It has been quite the journey of sifting through options we were given to find the right fit for our family, and after much prayer and counsel, we are not only at peace, but excited!

Boa Vista is a city of 250,000 in the middle of nowhere in the Amazon.  You can't even get there from our current town by road and it is about 12 hours from the nearest major city! You can see on this map below how far we will be from our current city (point A on the map)....it's about 1,500 miles away.  The culture and environment of living in the Amazon region is practically like moving to another country.  There are MANY big changes ahead, but we are really excited!

  Serving directly in the Amazon area has been our goal ever since we started out on this journey with our mission in 2005.  So, away we go...and FAST!  Our mission has asked us to be there by April or sooner.  Our heads are spinning with details!

Us helping to load an airplane in Boa Vista that was preparing to fly out to a village

One of the reasons we're so excited to serve in Boa Vista is that ALL of the flights from this base are to tribes...bringing supplies and transportation to missionaries serving native people groups.  We have both been to Boa Vista before and we were passionately captivated by the ministry there and are thrilled to be able to invest our lives in this way!  Take a look at this and this blog post to read more about our trip there a few years ago.

Street vender in Boa Vista

The base in Boa Vista is greatly in need of more missionaries.  The team right now is only 3 couples and it is spread so thin!  Us and one other couple really feel compelled by the need and are going to help carry the load.

In Boa Vista we will have similar roles to what we have now.  

Jeyson will be serving through maintenance (his new skills will be especially useful in this remote location!) and he will get specialized training for each unique landing strip in the different villages.  He will serve as a co-pilot until he is ready, and then fly on his own to these villages.

I will be helping with the administration and ministering to women as God opens doors for new relationships. 

Asas de Socorro's hangar in Boa Vista

On the shore of one of the Amazon River's tributaries

 Since I mentioned that you can't get from Anapolis to Boa Vista by road (you can't really drive through the Amazon rainforest!), you might be wondering how in the world we're going to move there.   Let me tell you about the crazy logistics involved!

When we talk about moving to Boa Vista, we are NOT talking about renting a U-haul and hitching it to the back of a car.  Oh no…this is a LOT more intense of a move.  Since you can't get there by road, we are selling our car and many of our belongings and packing the essentials into crates.  These crates will be loaded into a truck and driven three days on rough roads to the beginning of the Amazon.  Then, the crates will be put on a barge and sent up river.  Lastly, they will be put on another truck and driven another few days to Boa Vista.  In total the move will take about 45-60 days!  Fortunately, we will be going by airline and meet our belongings on the other end!

Once we do arrive in Boa Vista, we will stay at a guesthouse for a few days as we search for a home to rent.  (It is impossible to do that online here.)  We will need to repurchase many of the basic items will leave behind in Anapolis, such as a refrigerator, a/c window units, and even kitchen cabinets, since homes in Brazil do no come with any of those items.  We will also need to search for a new vehicle, hopefully something that is able to handle Amazon roads. 

Phew!!!  Please pray for us…this can all be a bit much to think about, never mind actually DO!

The costs involved the move are high.  Between trucking/shipping our stuff, repurchasing some items we can't bring, and buying a vehicle, we are looking at a need of about $15,000 (even after selling some items here and using funds we have been saving for a move).  

That's where we would love for you to come in.  

Would you consider joining us on our journey up the Amazon to the place God has called us by helping us meet this financial need?

Would you consider:

1. Giving a one time gift of any amount to help us towards the $15,000 we need for the move?  Every bit will be a huge blessing to us!

2. Joining our ongoing support team?  

The cost of living in Boa Vista is substantially higher than in Anapolis as everything is shipped in and so costs more.  We are in need of more regular supporters that we can count on for any amount to meet our living expenses.

If you are interested in giving (one time or ongoing), to give online  please click here to get to the Mission Aviation Fellowship giving page.    Or to give by check click here and scroll down for info.  

Questions?  Please contact us at JeysonStephanie@yahoo.com

Whether you are able to give of not, would you please join us by praying for us as we have a million and one details to work out?  Financial and logistical.  Would you commit to praying for us faithfully until we settle in April?

Lots more blog posts and updates coming as we get ready for the journey ahead.  Stay tuned and live vicariously through us on this blog if you've ever wondered what it would be like to pack up everything and move to the Amazon.  We will soon find out!!