Back in the Routine and Some Summer Fun

For the past few updates I've been filling you in on our trip to Mato Grosso and the Xavante tribe. Since then, we've been busy getting back into our routine here in Anapolis.

We started up the next study with the couple's small group. We've been studying about building our marriages - working towards oneness rather than isolation. Every week it's a little different depending on who is able to make it. We've had really large weeks (like the one above from a few months ago) where our tiny living room is packed, and other weeks it's a small, more intimate group. No matter what, we always have a good discussion and invest in our marriages.
And, do you remember Cafe Club? (above) Now that school is back in session for the teens, we've been meeting together as a leadership team to plan the next meetings of Cafe Club this semester. As a team we decided that we really need to take Cafe Club to a deeper level. We decided that the actual Cafe Club events will still get teens (and adults) from the community to come out, make contacts, and present the Gospel. However, it will also serve as a bridge to a deeper level - an English small group evangelism/discipleship Bible study at.....our home!

When this was suggested by the leadership we both felt so excited. As you know, we've done a year of training at our church to lead an evangelism/discipleship small group, but although we've been making contacts it just hadn't come together. We were pretty discouraged but waiting for God's leading. We both feel like this is His answer.

Of course, we will still make contacts, but continue as friendship evangelism and begin this small group now with a specific goal of reaching these Cafe Club teens. So, that will be our new role at Cafe Club. We won't have any logistic responsibilities with the actual Cafe Club event, but we will be responsible for getting people from Cafe Club to come out to the study group at our home and leading that. Please be praying about this, that God will continue to lead us and that this group would truly bring people to the Lord.

Well with that update said, on to some fun pictures of things we've been up to....

Up until this week it has been SO dry here in Anapolis. Here there are only 2 seasons, wet and dry, and for the past 5 months or so it hasn't rained. As you drove down the highway you saw fires since it was so dry! Then this week it finally happened....rain! So, refreshing! The ground just soaked it up like a sponge!

Although we didn't go on any vacations this summer, we planned some fun Saturday trips.

We went fishing at a place that you can fish...

all day....

You then pay by the kilogram for what you catch and they fry it up for you on the spot.

Another Saturday we made a trip to Brasilia for a friend's wedding and we decided to make a fun date out of it by going to the zoo. We enjoyed seeing the animals, but our favorite parts were these telephone booths (or "big ears" in Portuguese) ....

And seeing snow!

Actually, it was cotton, but it looked a lot like snow and made me feel right at home :)

We hope you had a great summer too! Please leave a comment....we'd love to hear from you!

Xavante Wrap up

So, what does the health care part of the trip look like?



It looks like this.....

Haircuts.... This man was a professional barber and came in to cut hair for the day. Since Xavante hair styles are different, he had to pay extra attention to this clients so he could be sure they liked it.


Dental care....

I wish I had gotten a picture of the mobile clinic where the dentists did the heavy duty part of dental care, but above is a picture of a dentist applying some sweet tasting fluoride. I was just an extra set of hands since the kids didn't want to in and sit down to apply it.

And a dental student who was teaching people how to properly brush their teeth. It was incredible to see the difference!

This was the improvised reception area where people filled out their information and waited to see the doctor.

This is a medical student who helped with some nursing basics - checking pressure, etc.
And the doctor seeing patients...

Asas receives a lot of donated medicine for these clinics. We bring the medicine with us and set up a "pharmacy"

Here another medical student is explaining how this man should take his medicine.

The day was wrapped up with showing the Jesus film at night, in the Xavante language! Even though we couldn't understand anything, it was so neat to see our new friends hear the complete story (many) for the first time.

The following day, after another day spent together and providing health care, the Xavante people wanted to put on a special presentation for us. This is a presentation/dance that they do on special celebration days.

There was a lot of preparation involved before the presentation....(our friend Joao is on the right with the camera)

Everyone was busy getting dressed and painted....

Even the little kids too. The red paint is a seed that is crushed up and smeared on...

Everyone was getting ready....even this dog. The people said they paint their dog so that when he is older he will be brave.

Everything was about ready when one of the men called Jeyson over and asked to paint him. After Jeyson agreed, the man spit on his block of paint, wiped his hand in it, and started painting on Jeyson's chest....

Filling the square in....

Next, the forehead.... (notice the cute kid looking on with curiosity :)

Wait, we're not done yet, turn around!

Ready to go!

Everyone was so excited!

A quick picture...

Getting everyone's attention using a microphone. I loved the microphone stand - so creative!!

Everyone started settling in and sitting down to watch...

All of the young children through teenagers lined up and music started playing.

The dance involved walking back and forth and some footwork to a rhythm

It was especially fun to watch the young kids as they are still working on learning this

The first dance was over, and they did a great job!

Next it was time for all of the men to do a dance in a circle...and guess who they drafted to dance along? (it's really hard to spot Jeyson in these photos, isn't it :)

I also got pulled into the dance later on, though I'm pretty sure it's not traditional. It was a ton of fun and I'm sure we'll always remember it!

Visiting the Xavante really was one of the most special and unique experiences of my life.

And we look forward to more contact and ministry with isolated people groups in God's timing. We wish you could have been there with us, but we are so thankful for your vital role of support for us back home. We wouldn't be here without you!

Men and Women

Ok I promise that I'm ALMOST done posting about our trip....just this one and maybe one more. Then, they're so much to catch up on about our life back in Anapolis. Thanks for coming along for the ride to the Xavante village with us!




Women........

Growing up in a household that had five women, I've always felt right at home among ladies, even when they're from a completely different world. One of my favorite parts of this trip to the Xavante tribe was being able to spend hours talking with, learning from, and sharing with the women.

Although I had a lot in common with these women, life is also VERY different for them. In the Xavante tribe, women marry at a much younger age. The young woman next to me is 16 years old, she married when she was 12 years old and already has 3 children. It's hard to imagine so much responsibility on such young shoulders.

In general the women were very reserved, but like in any culture, they loved talking among themselves. There is never an end to the things we have to say to a friend or sister, is there? It's the same here :)

The women were also VERY hard working. While we were visiting, a large truck arrived with heavy bags and boxes. We heard some of the men instruct the women to go and get the stuff...quite different from the way we're used to things! The women also cook, clean, etc, except there isn't even any water in their homes. They carried baskets of dishes and clothes to a water pump/river a good distance away to wash everything by hand. They also got water from the river and brought it back for the families, like this girl above.

These handy baskets are very important for the women. We also saw a young girl (no older than 10) carrying water home from the river in bottles inside her basket. She had 4 (2 Liter) bottles in her basket, being carried by her head, and one in each arm. By the way, it's and uphill walk from the water!

However, the main purpose for these baskets is not carrying water. Do you know what it might be?

Any guesses?

Carrying babies, of course :)

The women had a good time letting some of us try it out...with a baby inside by the way! I was SO nervous that I would drop it, can you imagine? It was really pretty heavy and not as easy as it looks. Oh, and if you notice, many of the women have short hair. That's because when someone dies they cut their hair short out of mourning. Interesting and very symbolic.

Men....

Providers, protectors, teachers of the sons....in some ways life is pretty similar for men here as anywhere, but like the women it is also quite different.

After spending only a short time in the Xavante tribe, we're not experts on the culture, but here's what we observed. Since the women are responsible for most of the household tasks, the men spend a lot of time talking together, it's a big part of the culture.

Here's a large group of them spending time with a visiting Xavante village as well.

This was really neat because it meant that Jeyson was able to spend hours (HOURS) just talking with the men. Many did not speak Portuguese, but some did and Jeyson learned so much from them and was able to share some about our relationship with God.

They spoke S-L-O-W-L-Y and thoughfully, after all what's the hurry? No long to-do list to worry about. This man is twisting up some husk into a rope. This is then tied around their arms in a special way.

This is one man Jeyson spent an especially long time with. He says he wants to come visit Anapolis and see where we live. We would love to host him and we hope he comes!

The men play soccer and volleyball together in the sand in the middle of the village circle.


Almost all of the men have piercings through their ears and larger sticks are gradually put through. Different kinds of wood through the ears have different meanings.

Although the roles of the men was a different than what we're used to, the love for their family and children was obvious.