This is the "Genesis", a boat that Gustavo and Pastor Avalino have dreamed about for seven years. We used all of the lumber that was provided, and finished everything that we could do. We sealed the inside of the hull with oil to protect the wood from being eaten by bugs and worms, we put all of the supports in place for the deck to be built on and then put a large portion of the decking boards in place. We finished by putting the beams in place for the second and third floor to be built on. When more lumber is purchased and the motor is finished, another team will complete the work, and when the rains come later this summer, the ground around the "Genesis" will be flooded, and she will be released from her moorings and launched into her mission. Gustavo said there are hundreds of people who live in the villages along the Amazon that die every year from snake bites alone. Their lives can be saved with one injection from a needle. One injection. One needle. The "Genesis" is going to provide those needles, and so much more.
On our last day before going down to see the boat one last time, I wrote out the words to the "Great Commission" from Matthew 28: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." I signed it from the Go Mission Team of 2010, carefully folded it and put it in a small plastic bag, then I asked Mike to find a special hiding place for it in the hold. I'm sure he wondered what in the world I was trying to hide in the boat, but I just wanted it to be there when the boat goes out.
It has been such a humbling experience to be involved in something like this, and I can picture the "Genesis" gliding through the waters of the Amazon, carrying the precious cargo of those who can heal the body and the soul. I feel so privileged to have been chosen to be a part of such an incredible mission.
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