After a very long flight to Sao Paulo and then back to Manaus, we finally arrived, and set sail. We sailed a day and 1/2 to reach the first village. The Muras we visited were living in the "Flooded Forests." Every year the Amazon River rises more than 30 feet (9 m) and floods surrounding forests. These rising waters replenish nutrients in floodplain areas and regenerate floodplain lakes, floating meadows, and other seasonal habitats. Freshwater fish move into these flooded forests and often feed on the fruits that drop from the trees.


At each village our program was the same. The medical team which included a medical doctor, a nurse, a dentist and a dental hygienist would see patients first. The villagers all had several common ailments that included worms, parasites and colds.The children had white patches on their skin.A smooth white patch meant fungus.A bumpy white patch meant parasites. Most got worm medicine, vitamins and antibiotics for the white patches.

While the medical team was taking care of patients and the dental team was busy extracting teeth, the rest of us were free to walk through the villages visiting homes, playing with the kids and evangelizing.