Brazil Mission Trip 2021 - Ray of Hope - Mountain Springs Church
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Informational Meeting - Virtual
Nov 17 & Jan 12 at 6:30pm
Click HERE or contact missions@mountainsprings.org for
meeting link. 2021
Brazil Mission Trip
Ray of Hope
Amazon
For more than a decade Mountain
Springs Church has teamed up with
Ray of Hope Amazon to send a
mission team to the Amazon region
of Brazil. The Amazon River is the
second longest river in the world,
and the largest in terms of water flow
and drainage area. About one
million indigenous peoples live in the
small villages surrounding the City of
Manaus, and many of these people
face poverty, disease, predators, floods, drought, and discrimination. They live a
simple lifestyle, and sustain
themselves with hunting, fishing,
raising small livestock, and whatever
vegetables can be grown. When
traveling along the Amazon River, you
will see floating houses made of
boards, a few smaller tribes who still
live in huts, and larger villages with
schools, churches and soccer fields.
Some tribes are very small, consisting
of five or six families. Others are quite
large numbering in the thousands.
MANY NEEDS
NUTRITION: Ray of Hope Amazon tries to address immediate hunger needs as well
as developing ways to address chronic food and nutrition shortages by
providing villagers with a hot meal during the Kid’s Camps and target needy families
for food distribution. Mountain Springs Church sponsors these meals while visiting
the villages of Itaboca, Sao Pedro and other villages deep in the Amazon Rainforest.
SPECIAL NEEDS: These children are considered cursed in many villages, they often spend hours lying alone in hammocks and many of them lack the most basic care. When the Ray of Hope team hears of a special needs child, they teach parents about Jesus’ love for special needs individuals and show them how to properly care for them. They give additional aid to families by providing medical care, wheelchairs, monthly support, and food, as needed. In 2018, MSC was present when Ray of Hope provided a life changing wheelchair to an individual in the village of Sao Pedro. HEALTH CARE: The families in the Amazon are generally very poor, and the hospital can be a long boat ride away. They often lack resources to seek medical help. Ray of Hope works with doctors and dentists to bring quality care along the river and to educate the villagers how they can protect and prevent deadly infections. Mountain Springs Church has teamed up with Ray of Hope provide clean water for many villagers’ homes in the Itaboca Lake region to help prevent disease. One of the goals of Mountain Springs is to equip a well in the village of Itaboca with a water well to bring clean drinking water supply to the school, clinic and village center. FLOODING: The Amazon River may rise between 25 ft and 50 ft every year! Homes are built on stilts on high ground, but there are times when the river rises such that families are forced to move their belongings into the home’s rafters out of the water and build raised platforms within the home to stay dry. Hardships include snakes and piranhas swimming in the lower levels, gardens that are flooded, and cook stoves that are inaccessible. Teams of volunteers provide emergency relief to flood victims. Several years ago the MSC Team visited one such village where the only building that stayed dry was the pastor’s home that then doubled as the church.
SINGLE MOMS: When a family is lacking in basic necessities, husbands often make the long
trip into the city of Manaus, disappearing into the Favela (slums) not to be heard from again.
Mothers are left to raise children alone. Ray of Hope
makes special efforts to care for these needy families.
SPIRITUAL: Ray of Hope brings the love of Jesus into
all its activities, sharing the hope that only comes from
Him.
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and
drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,
rivers of living water will flow from within them.” - John
7:37-38
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved
children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a
fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” - Ephesians 5:1
THE TRIP
Focus Discipleship, evangelism, and mercy.
Partner Ray of Hope Amazon, www.rayofhopeamazon.org
Dates Wednesday, June 23 – Saturday, July 3 or 2nd trip early-August
Leaders Chris Steenmeyer, Brandon Combs and Tom Kerby
Age 16 and up
Cost $1,800.00 + Airfare (Approximate cost $1,000 - $1,600)
Approx. $500 for recommended and required immunizations and malaria prevention
meds (costs will vary and could be less)
This adventure-packed mercy trip will
open your eyes to the needs of the
poor in the remote areas of the
Amazon River and give you the
opportunity to share the love of Jesus,
as well as disciple Amazon believers.
You will travel by boat along the
Amazon River with the Ray of Hope
team each of whom have huge hearts
for the needy. The boat will be your
“home” for the duration of the trip (we will sleep on the boat each night in
hammocks). You will also stay in a Manaus hotel at the beginning and end of the
trip.
GOALS
To disciple and love the Amazon people, and to encourage and support both the
Ray of Hope ministry team and village pastors and churches.
MINISTRY WILL INCLUDE: Mountain
Springs Church has adopted the remote
villages of Itaboca and Sao Pedro; in the
villages the team will be leading VBS style
children’s camps to include worship,
sports, crafts, and games. The team will
continue to develop relationships with
youth, teens and parents as we visit and
pray with families in their homes. You will
have the opportunity to love special needs children, give testimonies, perform skits,
lead special church services and camps, distribute clothes, toys & bibles, possibly
help repair churches or homes, help equip a well and other possible construction
projects.
LANGUAGE: Mainly Portuguese. We will provide some
simple language training, but Ray of Hope has a great team
of interpreters who will join us on the trip.
IMMUNIZATIONS
ROUTINE IMMUNIZATIONS: measles/mumps/rubella
(MMR), diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT), varicella
(Chicken Pox vaccine), polio, etc. You must be up to date
on all your routine vaccinations.
RECOMMENDED: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Rabies
REQUIRED: Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Malaria medicine
WEATHER
Sunny, 85-90 degrees with 100% humidity. Brief hard rain is typical.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
WATER: It is important that you consume a lot of
water to avoid dehydration due to the heat and
humidity and Ray of Hope will be supply us with
bottled water for our entire trip. However, if you are
offered other options by locals, never drink water
directly from the tap or a well, it has to be first treated,
filtered or boiled. Be cautious when accepting cold
drinks (i.e.: with ice) and use bottled water when
brushing teeth. When taking a shower, avoid drinking
the water.
FOOD: Ray of Hope provides healthy meals, prepared
with purified water while traveling on the boat.
However, in the city, consume only food that is boiled,
cooked or pealed.
SWIMMING: Since we are traveling by boat and, you
will want to swim in the Amazon River to cool off, you
will need to know how to swim. If you don’t swim and feel led to go on the trip, consider
taking swimming lessons.
SLEEPING: We travel on a double-decker open air boat (see photo above). You will be
sleeping in a hammock with a mosquito net.
FINANCES AND SCHEDULE: A $200 non-refundable deposit is due upon acceptance to the
team after the application/interview process (if writing a check, make payable to Mountain
Springs Church with Brazil 2021 in the memo line). You will be contacted shortly after the
review of your application.
Team Meetings: Will be held monthly, either in person or virtually. Please contact
team leader for details.
VIRTUAL INFORMATIONAL MEETING SCHEDULE
DATE TIME DETAILS
Contact missions@mountainsprings.org for Zoom
17 - Nov 6:30pm
meeting link.
Contact missions@mountainsprings.org for Zoom
12 - Jan 6:30pm
meeting link.
Applications are submitted online or upon request at missions@mountainsprings.org.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
DUE DATE AMOUNT DETAILS
$200.00 non-refundable deposit due upon
$200.00
application and interview completed.
1 - Feb $600.00
1 - March $600.00
Non-refundable tickets will be purchased at
1 - April $600.00
this time.
1 - May $600.00
Based on airfare, approximately
1 - June Final Balance Due
$200.00-$800.00
*If writing a check, make payable to “Mountain Springs Church” with “Brazil 2021” in the memo
line.
LEADERS’ CONTACT INFO
For general trip information contact: Chris Steenmeyer csteenmeyer@mountainsprings.org
Brandon Combs bcombs@mountainsprings.org
Tom Kerby takerby_99@yahoo.com
For donation/payment related information contact Tom Kerby at takerby_99@yahoo.com.
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