You know it is really interesting to me. I have people all of the time coming up to me, asking if I have read this new book or that. Rarely, my answer is yes. Radical by David Platt, before that was A Call To Die by David Nasser, prior to that A Purpose Driven Life came out by Rick Warren, and way before that was The Word of God. People can get and read books easier and easier every year: Kindle, Nook, iPad, Internet. Shoot, you can get a book read to you for that matter on: mP3 formats, CD's, and podCasts. People write these books with, hopefully, an inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Certainly that was the case for the Bible. They write these books to point out things that are honestly missing from our day to day lives. The question popped into my head.... when are we going to quit anticipating the release of the new, next book and start DOING? When are the words on the pages of these books going to become reality? Radical talks about 5 topics we should base our lives on. A Call to Die challenges us to die to self and live for Christ. The Bible is our "trail guide" for life - and true life at that. When will begin to live our lives in a way that is evident of our sacrifices, that is evident of our time, that is evident of our heart, life, and treasure? When will we DO? When will we GO? When will we LIVE?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Got a little good news and a little bad news.......
Do you remember the "Pray" post? Well, we weren't 100 percent sure what all was going to happen so we just need some prayer to get us through the situation.
Liz and I went to the Federal Police the other day to get the extension on her visa. When we arrived the man behind the counter said, "No." Honestly, it through us off a good bit.... no one ever expected that she would not get an extension. After all, I got mine with no problem at all. It was crazy! Our translator, Doug, spent some time with the guy to get some information. After it was all said and done the man basically told Liz that she had three options. We went with option three since it meant we would be able to continue our ministry in Brazil with less hindrance in the future. Option three also meant that we had 8 days to get out of the country. So with little delay, we bought a ticket to Fort Lauderdale and landed early morning Tuesday.
The trip to the States was insane to say the least. Let's just go ahead and say we will never fly Suriname Air again. Before we left Belem the people at the counter for Suriname tried to tell us we had to get a Visa for their country. Once they figured out we wouldn't fall for that one, they tried to charge us for our luggage. 600 dollars, US, to be exact. As soon as I asked for the luggage back they changed their minds and decided to only charge us 200 bucks, which also included a "tax" we had to pay. Personally, I believe they pocketed the money.... We left Belem and arrived in Suriname where they decided to "beef up" their scare tactics. They called Liz and I over the intercom on the plane and told us to identify ourselves. We did, and were escorted to the jet hanger at the back of the airport. There, they told us that we were illegal in their country and would have to pay and fine and get a visa. I told them that I didn't want to be in their country and that they could just kick me out.... as a matter of fact, I had a ticket to fly out in about an hour. The lady left and came back a few minutes later. When she returned she told us that we didn't pay for our luggage to get to America and that we would have to pay if we wanted our luggage. I told her that was fine because the airline regulations required them to hold insurance on my luggage and that if it didn't get scanned in at Fort Lauderdale their Airline would be responsible. She let us pass.... We left Suriname and flew into Trinidad. There, we were met with a really nice Taxi driver and he showed us around the island while we were waiting on our 7 hour layover. After our event in Suriname we needed a little "vacation!" We finally arrived in Florida and drove 9 hours back to the Carolinas!
We are not sure why God has us back for this time. We know that Satan is working hard to "interrupt" the ministry God is doing through us in Brazil. But we also know God is in Control! We will be here until our permanent visas come through in Atlanta. Our lawyer in Brasilia told us that it could be as soon as next week before they are done processing the visa and we would be flying back to our new home in Brazil. But it could also be as late as the end of July as well. No matter how long it takes, we will be serving the Lord wherever he has us! Liz and I are filling up the calendar with Churches to share all of the awesome things the Lord has been doing and is still doing in Brazil. If your church is interested, we are willing to come and share anytime we are available. Let us know and we look forward to seeing you soon! You can contact us at amazonimpact@gmail.com or 843-696-2386 (Logan's Cell). God Bless!
Liz and I went to the Federal Police the other day to get the extension on her visa. When we arrived the man behind the counter said, "No." Honestly, it through us off a good bit.... no one ever expected that she would not get an extension. After all, I got mine with no problem at all. It was crazy! Our translator, Doug, spent some time with the guy to get some information. After it was all said and done the man basically told Liz that she had three options. We went with option three since it meant we would be able to continue our ministry in Brazil with less hindrance in the future. Option three also meant that we had 8 days to get out of the country. So with little delay, we bought a ticket to Fort Lauderdale and landed early morning Tuesday.
The trip to the States was insane to say the least. Let's just go ahead and say we will never fly Suriname Air again. Before we left Belem the people at the counter for Suriname tried to tell us we had to get a Visa for their country. Once they figured out we wouldn't fall for that one, they tried to charge us for our luggage. 600 dollars, US, to be exact. As soon as I asked for the luggage back they changed their minds and decided to only charge us 200 bucks, which also included a "tax" we had to pay. Personally, I believe they pocketed the money.... We left Belem and arrived in Suriname where they decided to "beef up" their scare tactics. They called Liz and I over the intercom on the plane and told us to identify ourselves. We did, and were escorted to the jet hanger at the back of the airport. There, they told us that we were illegal in their country and would have to pay and fine and get a visa. I told them that I didn't want to be in their country and that they could just kick me out.... as a matter of fact, I had a ticket to fly out in about an hour. The lady left and came back a few minutes later. When she returned she told us that we didn't pay for our luggage to get to America and that we would have to pay if we wanted our luggage. I told her that was fine because the airline regulations required them to hold insurance on my luggage and that if it didn't get scanned in at Fort Lauderdale their Airline would be responsible. She let us pass.... We left Suriname and flew into Trinidad. There, we were met with a really nice Taxi driver and he showed us around the island while we were waiting on our 7 hour layover. After our event in Suriname we needed a little "vacation!" We finally arrived in Florida and drove 9 hours back to the Carolinas!
We are not sure why God has us back for this time. We know that Satan is working hard to "interrupt" the ministry God is doing through us in Brazil. But we also know God is in Control! We will be here until our permanent visas come through in Atlanta. Our lawyer in Brasilia told us that it could be as soon as next week before they are done processing the visa and we would be flying back to our new home in Brazil. But it could also be as late as the end of July as well. No matter how long it takes, we will be serving the Lord wherever he has us! Liz and I are filling up the calendar with Churches to share all of the awesome things the Lord has been doing and is still doing in Brazil. If your church is interested, we are willing to come and share anytime we are available. Let us know and we look forward to seeing you soon! You can contact us at amazonimpact@gmail.com or 843-696-2386 (Logan's Cell). God Bless!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
English...
I am not too sure why I want to share these two things with you... because the story to follow is so extremely awesome.... but here it goes anyway. Two things... One, I have never in my life wanted a Q-Tip so bad and there was NO WAY to get one. Two, every word I type on this computer has a red squiggily line under it. So, if I spell something wrong, blame it on the fact that this computer does not speak English.
Liz and I went to the Hippie Fair this morning and walked around. We don`t have the opportunity to venture out together much just to hang out, so we take the opportunity every chance we get. It was honestly a beautiful day. That is, until we were reminded of the fact that we are still in rainy season. It poured, actually, harder than usual. Our street was flooded to the brim, almost waist deep at its highest point. The English Service starts at 4 p.m., at 4 p.m. you would have had to have a canoe, kayak, or maybe even a cruise liner to get on campus. I honestly didn`t believe anyone was going to show up- even to the point of contemplating canceling the service altogether. By 4:30, the house was packed. I thought it was pretty amazing actually. I mean people literally had to "wade in." I am not sure what God is doing lately, but I do know one thing, He is working mightily.
The service started out with praise and worship, but something was different today. Maybe in all of this learning how to be patient, how to be still, how to bow humbly before the cross, Christ has been teaching me lately; I am able to see things in a new light. God just kinda moved me aside and took over. We were in James 4 talking about the battles that rage within us. James gives us a 6 step process on how to win the battle, and how we better start fighting it now because none of us are promised tomorrow. I opened by sharing the story of what happened at Lider yesterday. I shared the story of Travis dying that night after getting hit by a train. How we knew he wasn't ready to "go" because he left his Playstation on pause at his house. And how only a week before he had accepted Christ. After the service we break up into different groups. This time, there was an extra group.
I had never given an invitation before at the English service. Afterall, the group leaders do that in their groups when everyone can understand what is going on a little better. Today God moved. Today I saw God do some incredibly amazing things through people's lives. When I was going over the groups I said, "if you really want to accept Christ and you mean it truly, there will be a special group over in the corner". 4 men showed up. I didn't know two of them very well, mainly in passing and friendly greetings at the English Service. Two of these guys I knew pretty well, from hanging out with them. They shared their testimonies. It was pretty cool actually, I had never seen it quite done that way. Hopefully, I will be able to post their testimonies on the site soon. But either way, English (one of my friend's nicknames) looked at me and said I have been coming here for years, I have thought about it, I have weighed it, I have sought out alternate routes, I don't completely understand, I never will, all I know is that I must surender to Him! Wow! It is incredible when you spend so long praying that God would show Himself to someone and lead them to Himself.... and when it happens, unfathomable....
To the 4 guys who took THE step of faith today... I pray God pours out a love, a grace, and a favor over you that blows your mind. I pray that He shows you things, helps you to understand, shares wisdom and guidance, and blesses you beyond all human understanding. I pray God uses you to do great and mighty things for His Kingdom, I know your country could use a few good men like you. I know both of our countries could. I pray you find it absolutely essential to seek after Him every day of your life. I pray you learn to walk by His side, to follow His guidance, and grow and become sharpened as you learn to die to self. I pray you learn faith that is absolutely unstoppable, impenetrable, and completely nonunderstandable to man. I lift you up in the name of Christ alone to be annointed for His Glory and Kingdom Growth. I pray for you. Welcome to the family... you will never be alone again.
I challenge the body of believers to stand behind these men and to lift them up in prayer. To be available to them in their time of need, and to reassure them in their faith constantly.
Thank God alone for His amazing Grace and favor that even a wretch like me, like us, can be saved and used by Him for an awesome purpose. To Christ be the Glory!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Jesus was at Lider Supermarket....
It is pretty cool when we have an opportunity to live out our religion as Christians. James 1:27 hit me tonight like an onibus flying down the road at 100 km/h, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
I walked to the Lider Supermarket tonight to go get some suco (juice) for my buddy Paul. He is definitely a connoisseur of 100% juice. So I figured I would pick up some 100% exotic, 100% Amazonian, 100% fruit and 100% juice for him to try out. As I was leaving, I walked by this feeble little lady and her, maybe, 2 year old son. They were sitting on the side of the road. I walked by without thinking much of it. Afterall, there are so many poor people you walk by everyday that you almost become numb to it after a while. It was as if Christ was also walking by... "You just walked by a widow who needs Me." I stopped short and turned around to this little lady rubbing her stomach and her little son standing by her side. All I could do was reach down and say "vamos" (let's go).
She didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend. Nao falo Portuguese, Nao falo Inglis. Language didn't matter at this point. A man you could not have missed if you tried was standing near us. I asked him if he spoke English. Sim! I asked him to tell the lady to get some groceries. He didn't understand, but spoke English well. I soon realized this was not a normal occurrence - that it was strange some white boy was interested in helping out "the least of these." It dawned on him as if the "light in the attic" clicked on, "This man is going to buy the groceries you need." The lady smiled a little bit, and the entire supermarket stopped, turned around, and tried to piece together what was going on. They didn't see Logan though.
The first thing she grabbed was a toothbrush for her son and some toothpaste. She reached down on the bottom shelf and grabbed one for herself. I wouldn't have cleaned the floor I walk on with the one she grabbed. I easily took it out of her hand and handed her a Colgate toothbrush. Afterall, I would have used that one. Throughout the entire "shopping spree" I knew Christ was walking next to her. Not only could I feel His presence, but everyone in that place knew, whether they understood or not, something was different, something was strange. As if, for a moment, the World had been stopped for this lady. As if, Christ wanted everyone there to see Him, to see His Glory. Me, I just stood there, putting one extra bag of this or box of that in the buggy, because she wouldn't dare take more than one. After only a couple bags of rice and beans she said "ta".
"Logan, a couple of bags of beans and rice could hardly be considered 'looking after'." The lady was humble, she didn't greed herself to whatever she pleased. Christ projected out all He has given me right in front of my face. She deserved the best of everything she needed. Deserved is a big word. I guess none of us deserve anything. Christ was walking with her tonight- she deserved the best of everything she needed, but only because of Him.
We get to the lady who just rang me up for some fruit juices. I slammed my backpack full of juice and now I was standing there with enough food to feed 2 for a month. I can only imagine her thinking how this crazy American guy was going to fit all that in one backpack. I don't think she understood what was going on either. Two and two clicked, and the clerk just stared at me with a smile, running things over the scanner. By this time, a large crowd had begun forming at the front of the store. All of the managers stood around the register, I imagine, trying to figure out what was going on.
I put my hand on this lady's shoulder. I told her in Portuguese, "Jesus Christ loves you." It was all I knew how to say in the moment. She looked up in the air, with her hands raised and said, "Obrigada Deus (Thank You God)!" I walked away not knowing what else I could say or do. I barely made it to the parking lot before I realized this lady has a TON of groceries and no way to get them home. I usually keep 50 Reais on me in case I get robbed. Here, you can pay your robbers off with about 50 bucks. I walked back up to the lady, who was talking with the people in the store about how she was going to get all of the groceries back to her village. Taxi! We walked outside and right in front of the store, stood a man with a taxi. She told him where her village was, and he laughed. Muito longe! Very far away! You could tell in his eyes something changed his heart. He looked at me and said 50 bucks. I handed it to him and saw them off.
Christ was walking by Lider Supermarket tonight and saw a widow with her son in need. He bought her some groceries and some "Ben 10" shampoo, and got them back to their village safely. Your prayers, your money, your sacrifice allows us to be a light that shines the name of Christ. Thank you for being willing to serve Him. Thank you for supporting us in this ministry here in Belem. Thank you for standing behind us in prayer. Thank you for standing behind us in the good and bad as we strive to serve Christ for His Glory here in Brazil.
Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’"
I walked to the Lider Supermarket tonight to go get some suco (juice) for my buddy Paul. He is definitely a connoisseur of 100% juice. So I figured I would pick up some 100% exotic, 100% Amazonian, 100% fruit and 100% juice for him to try out. As I was leaving, I walked by this feeble little lady and her, maybe, 2 year old son. They were sitting on the side of the road. I walked by without thinking much of it. Afterall, there are so many poor people you walk by everyday that you almost become numb to it after a while. It was as if Christ was also walking by... "You just walked by a widow who needs Me." I stopped short and turned around to this little lady rubbing her stomach and her little son standing by her side. All I could do was reach down and say "vamos" (let's go).
She didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend. Nao falo Portuguese, Nao falo Inglis. Language didn't matter at this point. A man you could not have missed if you tried was standing near us. I asked him if he spoke English. Sim! I asked him to tell the lady to get some groceries. He didn't understand, but spoke English well. I soon realized this was not a normal occurrence - that it was strange some white boy was interested in helping out "the least of these." It dawned on him as if the "light in the attic" clicked on, "This man is going to buy the groceries you need." The lady smiled a little bit, and the entire supermarket stopped, turned around, and tried to piece together what was going on. They didn't see Logan though.
The first thing she grabbed was a toothbrush for her son and some toothpaste. She reached down on the bottom shelf and grabbed one for herself. I wouldn't have cleaned the floor I walk on with the one she grabbed. I easily took it out of her hand and handed her a Colgate toothbrush. Afterall, I would have used that one. Throughout the entire "shopping spree" I knew Christ was walking next to her. Not only could I feel His presence, but everyone in that place knew, whether they understood or not, something was different, something was strange. As if, for a moment, the World had been stopped for this lady. As if, Christ wanted everyone there to see Him, to see His Glory. Me, I just stood there, putting one extra bag of this or box of that in the buggy, because she wouldn't dare take more than one. After only a couple bags of rice and beans she said "ta".
"Logan, a couple of bags of beans and rice could hardly be considered 'looking after'." The lady was humble, she didn't greed herself to whatever she pleased. Christ projected out all He has given me right in front of my face. She deserved the best of everything she needed. Deserved is a big word. I guess none of us deserve anything. Christ was walking with her tonight- she deserved the best of everything she needed, but only because of Him.
We get to the lady who just rang me up for some fruit juices. I slammed my backpack full of juice and now I was standing there with enough food to feed 2 for a month. I can only imagine her thinking how this crazy American guy was going to fit all that in one backpack. I don't think she understood what was going on either. Two and two clicked, and the clerk just stared at me with a smile, running things over the scanner. By this time, a large crowd had begun forming at the front of the store. All of the managers stood around the register, I imagine, trying to figure out what was going on.
I put my hand on this lady's shoulder. I told her in Portuguese, "Jesus Christ loves you." It was all I knew how to say in the moment. She looked up in the air, with her hands raised and said, "Obrigada Deus (Thank You God)!" I walked away not knowing what else I could say or do. I barely made it to the parking lot before I realized this lady has a TON of groceries and no way to get them home. I usually keep 50 Reais on me in case I get robbed. Here, you can pay your robbers off with about 50 bucks. I walked back up to the lady, who was talking with the people in the store about how she was going to get all of the groceries back to her village. Taxi! We walked outside and right in front of the store, stood a man with a taxi. She told him where her village was, and he laughed. Muito longe! Very far away! You could tell in his eyes something changed his heart. He looked at me and said 50 bucks. I handed it to him and saw them off.
Christ was walking by Lider Supermarket tonight and saw a widow with her son in need. He bought her some groceries and some "Ben 10" shampoo, and got them back to their village safely. Your prayers, your money, your sacrifice allows us to be a light that shines the name of Christ. Thank you for being willing to serve Him. Thank you for supporting us in this ministry here in Belem. Thank you for standing behind us in prayer. Thank you for standing behind us in the good and bad as we strive to serve Christ for His Glory here in Brazil.
Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’"
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
PRAY!
We need prayer! Really really bad! Everything is safe and no one is hurt, but just lift this situation up to the God of this Universe!
Long Weekend!
Monday morning came way too quick, but I guess most Mondays do. It has been a dream of mine since I could remember to actually be in the Amazon River Basin. Can you imagine... wildlife that is so rare it has been documented only once. Even rarer still, the fact that only one species of an animal will live on only one small island in the mouth of the Amazon. Birds that are so colorful they look like an 80's jumpsuit flying across the sky. Snakes that can eat an entire deer, with little ease. Phenomenal colors, variety of life, and breath-taking views harvest themselves in one of the only places left in the world that has not been fully discovered. This place truly points back to an amazing, awesome Creator! When you put such an amazing place with one of my favorite things in the world to do, you get, fishing in the Amazon. My first trip in 2009 promised little success for an opportunity to get to go fishing in the Amazon. When we arrived in 2011, that statistic proved itself even more true. Basically, we could never afford a 10,000 dollar fishing trip. A couple of months ago I met a guy, who knew a guy, who owned a fishing boat. A couple of months later, 5 guys went fishing on a beautiful Saturday morning. We didn't catch much, but what we did catch was pretty cool. We reeled in a skate (similar to a stingray) that was absolutely huge! I am pretty sure if it would have been any larger, it would have sunk the boat! We also caught yellow and orange catfish, shovel nose catfish, and a couple other types of smaller fish!
I noticed while we were fishing that I wasn't feeling too well. I didn't want to spoil the once in a lifetime opportunity to get to fish, so I kept pushing.... When I got home I knew something was wrong. I crashed Saturday night and woke up running a 102, and could barely move. I walked over to the Director's apartment to let him know I wasn't feeling well. I told him that I should be good for the Sunday evening English Service. Finding a fill in that short notice around here is quite a task! By the time I got home, I used the little bit of energy I had left to type out my message word-for-word, emailed it to Doc (the Director), and passed out. I woke up with Liz by my side, and fell back asleep after eating some "cure-all Amazon fruit and stew". Thanks for the prayers! This morning I woke up feeling much better, but moved on to the next headache.... testing an entire school of kids, by myself! I guess I didn't realize how much John (the missionary from Lima, Peru), was taking care of during his 9 day stay here.
There are a lot of things up in the air right now. We have a lot of stuff to take care of for our visas. We haven't heard back about the status of our long awaited visas - pray God moves them through the system with His authority! We have a lot of openings in our staff here at AVA, only a miracle from God will fill those positions at this point! At this point, we are hopeful and excited about ALL that God will do in the upcoming future. We ask that you would pray, with us, during this season of prayer - during this season of watching God make the impossible happen! James 5:16 tells us that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective! Will the righteous pray with us?
I noticed while we were fishing that I wasn't feeling too well. I didn't want to spoil the once in a lifetime opportunity to get to fish, so I kept pushing.... When I got home I knew something was wrong. I crashed Saturday night and woke up running a 102, and could barely move. I walked over to the Director's apartment to let him know I wasn't feeling well. I told him that I should be good for the Sunday evening English Service. Finding a fill in that short notice around here is quite a task! By the time I got home, I used the little bit of energy I had left to type out my message word-for-word, emailed it to Doc (the Director), and passed out. I woke up with Liz by my side, and fell back asleep after eating some "cure-all Amazon fruit and stew". Thanks for the prayers! This morning I woke up feeling much better, but moved on to the next headache.... testing an entire school of kids, by myself! I guess I didn't realize how much John (the missionary from Lima, Peru), was taking care of during his 9 day stay here.
There are a lot of things up in the air right now. We have a lot of stuff to take care of for our visas. We haven't heard back about the status of our long awaited visas - pray God moves them through the system with His authority! We have a lot of openings in our staff here at AVA, only a miracle from God will fill those positions at this point! At this point, we are hopeful and excited about ALL that God will do in the upcoming future. We ask that you would pray, with us, during this season of prayer - during this season of watching God make the impossible happen! James 5:16 tells us that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective! Will the righteous pray with us?
 |
| Rainbow Boa - Didn't quite make it across the street! |
 |
| Those blue strings there.... Yep, That would be the throttle and brake for the boat! |
 |
| Wilson and Harry - Harry is one of the leaders for Project Horizon |
 |
| As a matter of fact, he would be catching our bait in a Speedo! |
 |
| We got hungry and tired of trying to catch fish - so we fired up the bait! |
 |
| Not bad eatin' actually! |
 |
| Yes the fish he caught is the same size as the bait! |
 |
| Harry's First Fish!!!! |
 |
| Baby Skate |
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Ilho de Papagaio
That means Parrot Island. I have mentioned a couple of times, we have a NICS missionary here from Peru. There are only a few times in life where you get the opportunity to see the Amazon - especially in a unique way. At the beginning of the week I had to figure something out for John. We went to the Docas (an old port in the city that has been turned into a tourist attraction) to find something we could do to show John the Amazon. We were scheduled to leave this morning at 3 a.m. to get to the island where the parrots sleep at night.
3 a.m. comes early, but not for the Taxi driver who took us to the meeting point. This guy was crazy! He picks us up and we work out a deal to get us to the hotel where the bus would pick us up to take us to the boat dock. Pretty much, we thought we were going to die. If the car had wings, we could have just flown to the island. 120 km/h through red lights, across pedestrian crosswalks, in between cars, this man had no concern for life's well-being at all. The end of the Taxi ride came to a screeching stop in front of the hotel - skid marks and all! Thank the good Lord that the bus driver to the dock had more sense!
When we arrived we found out that we were the only 2 people going on the trip, and there was actually a guy who could speak English to show us what was going on ( I will share more about this guy in future posts- there is definitely a future relationship to be built there). When we arrived at the island, we had to wait a few minutes before the action began.
All of the parrots in the region sleep on this one island. Cicero (our guide) was telling us that the island was safe for the birds, because no boas (snakes) were on the island. The first documented occurrence about the parrots on the island was written by the Portuguese 400 years ago. As the sun comes up, these birds take flight into an orchestra of sound and movement - flying around and singing in an ocean of birds in the sky. It was actually quite phenomenal. The birds can live, in the wild, up to 35 or so years. In captivity, up to 80 plus years. In all of the commotion of the morning, "married birds" as they were defined, are able to recognize their mate's call. When they meet up in the wave of birds, they fly off together to go accomplish the tasks for the day. I found it quite interesting. In all of the commotion of life, they recognize their mate and fly off together. These parrots "stay married" till death do them part. They go out each morning to fulfill the duties of that day, together. They have each other for protection. They share the challenges of the day. They stick close together - no matter what happens.
It is interesting when God ordains these types of relationships in animals for us to learn from. No matter what, these birds stick together until death... no matter what. I thought about the significance of that in my own marriage. A lot of times, we wake up and head our separate ways - to get what we have to get done for that day. We reunite at the end of the day, to get ready to do it again the next. I wander how many more marriages would last, would stand strong, would stick together, no matter what, if in our daily lives we walked (instead of flew) together. Culture says it can't be done, I understand. But what if, what if we did walk together with our spouses each and every day, what if we were always there for one another, what if we were always there to protect, care for, and keep the other, what if we walked daily with our spouses? After all, the relationship of a husband and wife is supposed to reflect that of Christ and His church. Are we not supposed to walk daily with Christ? Does Christ not walk daily with us, to love and protect us, to be there for us when we fall, to encourage and guide us?
Ephesians 5:25-30 says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body."
Wow! How amazing it is to see that relationship portrayed in parrots! How amazing it is to stand back and look at our relationships with our spouses through the lens of Scripture! How amazing it is when Scripture is confirmed through God's creation!
Thought I would share some photos of the experience.
3 a.m. comes early, but not for the Taxi driver who took us to the meeting point. This guy was crazy! He picks us up and we work out a deal to get us to the hotel where the bus would pick us up to take us to the boat dock. Pretty much, we thought we were going to die. If the car had wings, we could have just flown to the island. 120 km/h through red lights, across pedestrian crosswalks, in between cars, this man had no concern for life's well-being at all. The end of the Taxi ride came to a screeching stop in front of the hotel - skid marks and all! Thank the good Lord that the bus driver to the dock had more sense!
When we arrived we found out that we were the only 2 people going on the trip, and there was actually a guy who could speak English to show us what was going on ( I will share more about this guy in future posts- there is definitely a future relationship to be built there). When we arrived at the island, we had to wait a few minutes before the action began.
All of the parrots in the region sleep on this one island. Cicero (our guide) was telling us that the island was safe for the birds, because no boas (snakes) were on the island. The first documented occurrence about the parrots on the island was written by the Portuguese 400 years ago. As the sun comes up, these birds take flight into an orchestra of sound and movement - flying around and singing in an ocean of birds in the sky. It was actually quite phenomenal. The birds can live, in the wild, up to 35 or so years. In captivity, up to 80 plus years. In all of the commotion of the morning, "married birds" as they were defined, are able to recognize their mate's call. When they meet up in the wave of birds, they fly off together to go accomplish the tasks for the day. I found it quite interesting. In all of the commotion of life, they recognize their mate and fly off together. These parrots "stay married" till death do them part. They go out each morning to fulfill the duties of that day, together. They have each other for protection. They share the challenges of the day. They stick close together - no matter what happens.
It is interesting when God ordains these types of relationships in animals for us to learn from. No matter what, these birds stick together until death... no matter what. I thought about the significance of that in my own marriage. A lot of times, we wake up and head our separate ways - to get what we have to get done for that day. We reunite at the end of the day, to get ready to do it again the next. I wander how many more marriages would last, would stand strong, would stick together, no matter what, if in our daily lives we walked (instead of flew) together. Culture says it can't be done, I understand. But what if, what if we did walk together with our spouses each and every day, what if we were always there for one another, what if we were always there to protect, care for, and keep the other, what if we walked daily with our spouses? After all, the relationship of a husband and wife is supposed to reflect that of Christ and His church. Are we not supposed to walk daily with Christ? Does Christ not walk daily with us, to love and protect us, to be there for us when we fall, to encourage and guide us?
Ephesians 5:25-30 says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body."
Wow! How amazing it is to see that relationship portrayed in parrots! How amazing it is to stand back and look at our relationships with our spouses through the lens of Scripture! How amazing it is when Scripture is confirmed through God's creation!
Thought I would share some photos of the experience.
 |
| Hard to see the parrots, but as the sun came up we were able to see them better! |
 |
| A "married" couple flying off to fulfill today's obligations |
 |
| Acai farmers living on Parrot Island |
 |
| Jungle to City - called to serve! |
 |
| A Moth |
 |
| Children waiting on the "School Boat" |
 |
| The School |
 |
| Belem, Brazil |
 |
| Send me an email if you want to know what this is - Definitely more than a small pineapple! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)