June 2013 - Brazil

June 2013 – Newsletter 1

From Pete and Sandra Kerry

Hi (Oi!)

We are thinking of you all. We arrived at 0430 Thursday 6^th June (Brasil time). The flight was 18.5 hours over a 27 hour period. London-Lisbon-SaoPaulo-Manaus-Boa Vista.

We flew from Sao Paulo and stopped at Manaus, the capital of Amazonas. After 1 hour of fumigation inside the aircraft, we flew onto Boa Vista, Roraima. We were greeted by the coordinator and his wife and another elder and his wife Jorge and Dores (big smiles!). We found out that we were going to stay with them and not the coordinator, as originally planned. After cramming all our bags into their 2 cars, we drove to their house in Bela Vista, Boa Vista. We were expecting to sleep on the floor but when we arrived we were shown into a bedroom which had its own toilet and shower. They said ‘This is yours for 6 months’! What a blessing. We not only have our own room but also privacy.

Another blessing that has been an answer to prayer is the water. We were concerned about drinking tap water. After asking questions, we found out that the tap water is treated and is ok to drink. We have had no problems at all with our stomachs and so after 10 days of drinking tap water, we are sure that it is ok! We have been told to be careful of the water when we go outside the main city area and also if any houses have water tanks on the roof.

We have acclimatized to the heat and humidity quite quickly. We realize that all the brothers are in the same situation. Even a brother and his wife that have come to Boa Vista from Sao Paulo said that their biggest challenge was the increase in heat and humidity. It is basically the hottest part of Brasil. Everyone carries on with life and sweats so we just join in! The house we are staying in and also the Kingdom Hall do not have air conditioning. However we do have electric fans that provide some relief.

The roads and houses remind us of Africa, when we visited Mombasa in Kenya. There are no pavements and many roads do not have any surface. The soil is red and covered in a type of sand.

We have met several brothers from other congregations including a brother that helps the Bethel translate the publications into Mucaxi, a local indigenous tribe near Boa Vista. They have their own congregation here as well.

A typical day as pioneers in Boa Vista, Roraima

We wake up at 0600. We put our insect repellent and sun cream on! After breakfast, we leave the house at 0700 and walk from the house to the group arrangement.

The coordinators house  (picture above) where we sometimes meet for the ministry is 2Km from where we are, so we preach to EVERYONE on the streets as we walk.

The people are very receptive and always willing to listen, even if they miss their taxi or bus! We use tracts and a brief presentation. We always leave them with an invitation to the meetings.

We arrive at the ministry group at 0815. Each day, a local pioneer and I take it in turns to take the ministry group. We then do house to house ministry. The houses are made of old timber planks or concrete. The roofs are corrugated material. They all have a bit of land around them where they grow things to sell.

Many invite us onto their porch or shaded area to talk or sit down. They are very polite and it is easy to spend all morning just talking with 10 or 12 people. Most people are at home.

Some brothers have motorbikes and bicycles that they use on the ministry. A picture of Pete on the back of a pioneer’s motorbike. 

The heat gets intense and so by 1200 we have to stop. We walk back, or a brother drives us back to the house where we shower, change our clothes, eat a main meal, and sleep for a couple of hours. Late afternoon and evening is spent on return visits or studies and also preparation for the meetings. We go to bed about 2200 ready for the next day.

Animals

There are many dogs roaming around on the streets but they are all quite tame and do not cause any problems. So far we have seen a cobra, lizards, cockroaches, mosquitos, cats, dogs, horses and a range of birds. There are hummingbirds outside the house that we are living in.

Food

The food is abundant! Despite trying to eat less, we are encouraged to eat everything that is served. All the food is fresh and full of flavor. After the ministry, one sister picked a load of lemons off her tree and made fresh lemonade with ice. Yummy!

This meal is a unique dish that is eaten is eaten in Rio de Janeiro. Our hosts prepared it for us today.

    It is a leaf filled with rice, mince and spices. Very tasty. (Sandra eating the food above)

    We will send updates in a couple of weeks and we are sure that we will have many experiences     to share.

    Jehovah is certainly blessing the preaching and the congregations here.

    We have told the brothers many things about you all and shown them photos.

   They are eager to say ‘Oi’!

   Until next time.