First Baptist Church planning an Amazon medical mission trip

submitted by Cristina Smith

First Baptist Church of Waukon is sponsoring another mission trip to Brazil March 8-18 to the Amazon region of northern Brazil. A team comprised of medical personnel will be treating Amazonians medically and spiritually in the jungles of the Amazon.
The medical team will fly into Manaus in the state of Amazonas, and continue another three hours by bus into the interior to the city of Itacoatiára. Here they will board a 15-passenger two-deck aluminum boat which will be their home for ten days. They will go down one of the Amazon’s tributaries, stopping at villages each day and setting up clinics and triage units to see patients.
In the evenings, there will be evangelistic meetings in which Rev. Duane Smith of First Baptist Church will be preaching with the aid of a translator. Team members will also rotate sharing their testimonies as well.
The trip is organized by Rev. Smith, whose cousin, Rick Parker, is a missionary with Word of Life Ministries in Itacoatiára, Brazil. Rick and Kim Parker will be their hosts for the duration of the trip. Other team members from First Baptist Church will include Larry Barthel, M.D. and Connie Barthel, MPAS, PA-C; Alicia Strong, R.N., B.S.N. and Joshua Strong; Jeff Goettel, Paramedic and Elaine Goettel; and Tim Cooper, Paramedic and Martha Cooper. They will be joined by other medical professionals from across the United States for a team of about 13 members, as well as the hosts and translators.
Itacoatiára is the third most populous town in the Brazilian state of Amazonas and is located on the metropolitan area of Manaus, on the borders of Amazonas River. Its population was 90,889 in 2009 and its area is 8,600 square kilometers. Itacoatiára has an important port, which is responsible for a considerable amount of cargo transportation in Amazonas. It is an ideal location for the boat, “Seara,” to port and be used to distribute food, medicines, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Amazon area.
Members of the mission team are preparing physically for the trip, as temperatures soar to 95 degrees during the day and close to 100% humidity daily. They will face the rigor of intense heat, working in less than sterile environments at the clinics, sleeping in hammocks on the boat, and treating patients during the day with church services conducted each night.
Not all will be work for the mission team, however; there is time for some play as well that will include swimming in the Amazon River (not in piranha-infested waters, however), seeing the beauty of the Amazon Jungle, eating fruits and vegetables known only to the Amazon area, and the satisfaction of helping people physically and spiritually.
This mission trip is proving to be an expensive trip, as the team members will take with them all the necessary medicines and supplies. Due to the World Cup being held in Brazil this year, the airfare was significantly higher than past mission trips.
Anyone who would like to donate funds may write a check out to First Baptist Church (designate it clearly for “Amazon Medical Mission Trip”) and mail to: First Baptist Church, 614 Rossville, Waukon, IA 52172. Donations will be dispersed equally between all team members or according to the donor’s instruction.