Stretching over 4,345 miles, the Amazon River Basin is an expansive, yet isolated region. The Amazon River is the longest river in the world and runs through the South American countries of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Brazil and accounts for 20% of the fresh water that drains into the world’s oceans. There are an estimated 30,000 villages on the banks of the Amazon River with no Gospel presence.
About the Amazon
The Amazon River
- Is the Second Longest River on Earth
- Affects sea level in the Caribbean Sea
- Empties into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate of about 58 million gallons per second
- Has more species of fish than in the Atlantic Ocean. Some fish weigh up to 400 pounds!
The Amazon Pink River Dolphin
- Is the largest and smartest out of the five freshwater species.
- A full-grown dolphin can grow up to 9 feet long, weigh up to 400 pounds, and live to 30 years old
The Toucan
- Their tongue is like a feather that is used to catch and flick food down its throat.
- Spends more time hopping than flying.
- Have a loud frog-like call that can be heard up to a half mile away in the jungle.
Sloths
- Are three times stronger than us
- Take 30 days to digest a leaf
- No one knows how long they live and without sloths, there would be no avocados
The Meeting of the Waters
- The point at which the Rio Negro River and Rio Solimões River meet to form the mighty Amazon
- The effect is that these 2 rivers run alongside each other for miles, stubbornly refusing to unite, in a marvel of nature that is visible from space.
- For a visual idea of the sheer quantities of water on display, imagine a volume of water at least a dozen times greater than all the water plummeting over the Victoria Falls, Falls Iguassu and Niagara Falls combined!
The Monkey
- Common monkeys in the Amazon are the Howler, Spider, Squirrel, Capuchin, Tamarin and Marmoset.
- Howler monkeys can smell out their food (fruits and nuts) up to 2 km away!
- Spider Monkeys have a bigger brain than Howlers (Howler Monkeys are the largest monkey in the Amazon), making them one of the most intelligent primates in the Amazon region!
Prayer
Prayer is the Key! Prayer is the key to every aspect of taking part in mission outreach. In the beginning we pray for guidance on whether God wants us to go on a trip. We pray He will show us what His will is. As we continue to prepare to “go”, God will help us as we pray for wisdom in dealing with all the details. Also, we begin to pray for the people that we will be ministering to and ask God to prepare the hearts of all involved. Once we are there, He continues to speak to our hearts and direct our paths in response to seeking His face, by revealing Himself and unleashing the supernatural power of prayer in action. Even after we return back home, God continues on in the work of building up His church and His people, through the prayers that we offer on behalf of those we touched lives with while serving in His harvest fields.
Where Do We Fit In
Amazon Outreach has partnered with churches on the Amazon River that are currently involved in evangelizing the people living in the Amazon River Basin. The pastors and missionaries precede us, follow us, and have a good knowledge of the people and the culture. We are dealing with three cultures in our ministry; the American culture, the Brazilian culture and the village culture. It is not our desire to change any of these cultures but to work in harmony together. The Brazilian churches we partner with have developed their own mission strategies to reach the remote villages of the Amazon and our most important job is to help build relationships with these villagers and break down barriers so that doors will be opened for the Gospel. We need to remember first and foremost that we are in Brazil to serve God and serve the Brazilian leaders.