On the 28th of February 2001, Buck and Luciene moved to the Amazon Basin of Brazil. We lived in Macapá, right on the equator. Why would a web designer give up his career and take his family from their comfortable life in Columbus, Ohio, USA, to live on the Amazon River? We came with a vision to save the Amazon, to tell people about Jesus, and plant a Vineyard church. We have planted a church, and we are turning it over to the national leaders, heading back to the States in Sept. 2009.

 
I finally was able to upload the photo album, check it out at http://www.holylamb.com/webalbums/album1-MarchApril2003/
posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, April 24, 2003

 
24 April 2003
I haven’t been able to get online all day. Very frustrating.

I finally got the thank you’s mailed today. What a relief. Very late, almost time to start the ones for April.

I have been working on an online photo album. I was working on it last night at about 1 am, had it almost done, tweaked it a little bit and wiped out all the work I had just done, had to redo it today. That was a real bummer. It turned out better though, I think. I just wish I could get online to upload it.

I am so grateful to C & E, who made it possible for us to have a good digital camera, and have these digital images to share with everyone. I am starting to get the hang of the digital world. I have lost some images, I guess in the transfer they got truncated or something, and I am still playing around with the image size, etc. It is fun though, I have started taking more photos again. C & E, you glacier loving snowbirds, thank you from the hot tropical Amazon, and God bless!


23 April 2003

It rained today, like it can only rain in a tropical rainforest area. Buckets, like three gallons to the square inch per minute it seems like sometimes. Makes it hard to drive, or to walk, because with that much water laying everywhere, you can’t tell where the potholes are, or how deep they are. I saw a man almost fall down, fell into a hole, he was just walking along the side of the street, and it looked like a shallow puddle, then boom, he’s going in, and stumbling.

My brother-in-law was riding his motorcycle one time, right after a hard rain, and right at an intersection, as he was slowing almost to a stop, going through a big puddle, bang, he and the bike are in the hole, literally, the hole was that big. It was very fortunate that he was going slow, or it could have been fatal. We all laugh about it now, but if he had been going fast, the story may have ended much differently.

I worked hard on doing thank you’s for our supporters the last couple of days, and was very happy that they were done, so I could take them to the post office and get them sent out. I also had two bills that had to be paid at different banks.

Here, a wait in a line at the bank can mean hours. The girls were in school so Luciene, Josiah, and I, as well as a friend named Luciana, went so that she could wait in one line at one bank, and Luciene and I could wait in the other. We were so fortunate, because of the hard rain people didn’t go out, so the wait was only about 15 minutes. That is really unusual, really a blessing.

Afterward we went to the post office to mail the thank you’s, only to be told that they couldn’t accept them, because they were too small. I had brought some boxes of thank you’s from the States, but they don’t meet Brazilian postal code. So, we had to do all the addresses again, and I went and ordered a rubber stamp, so I don’t have to hand write our return address on all of them again. It will be handy in the future also. So it will be another day or two until the thank you’s go out. Then another two weeks until people get them.

Xexel is still telling people that he plans to steal our dog. I found myself getting very angry at him, very frustrated that there was nothing that I can do. I started thinking about giving him a good butt whooping, but then caught myself. I mean, that is not usually the best way to win someone to the Lord J I plan to go to his house, and talk to his parents. I talked to someone today that said that they would take me there, and show me where he lives. I have tried to reach out to him, but he takes it as further weakness. He feels like he can get away with anything now, since I didn’t call the police, or beat him up. He said that his dream, what he wants to be when he grows up is a policeman.




posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, April 24, 2003

 
Once again, someone tried to rob us, and got nothing. A gang of
boys, all of them about 14 years old managed to lure Zadok, our large
Rottweiler into the back yard, and shut the gate (I fixed that so I
can lock it open, so they can't do that again). They got the girls
bike out and hid it in some bushes down the street (we were able to
recover it), but they were really after our new Rottweiler puppy so
they could sell her and get some money. They almost got her, but
they didn't realize that there was a second gate on the other side of
the house that was open, and Zadok almost got them :-) We came home
right at that moment, just at the right time to foil them. They have
been going by the house, eyeing it, just waiting for a chance to
strike again.

The leader is Xexel, along with his friend Raium. They carry knives,
have said that they have killed people, they fight with other rival
gangs, and have been terrorizing some of the kids we work with. They
have been in and out of jail, and they just keep getting worse.
Please pray for them, that they would be saved, and become leaders in
the Kingdom of God. The neighbors keep saying that there is no hope
for them, and I keep saying that there is hope, and His name is
Jesus!

There was an armed robbery just two blocks away from us yesterday.
Two armed men on a motorcycle robbed our neighbor that had just come
home from the bank. This is where these young boys are heading in a
couple of years if they aren't reached for Christ. There is such a
need for the young people of Brazil. Please pray with us that God
would raise up workers for the harvest. The fruit is just rotting on
the trees.

Thank you so much for your prayers. Truly, your prayers have kept us
safe from harm, and will continue to open doors to spread the
kingdom. God bless you.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, April 18, 2003

 
I have had a headache constantly for about five days now. I’m not sure what it is from. Could be from Dengue fever, could be the flu, or could be from high blood pressure. I forgot my blood pressure medicine in the States. I guess I should probably go to the doctor, but the doctor here has never even taken my blood pressure that I can remember. I think I need a new doctor.

When I think about death, my death, I wonder, if I die, who will go? Who will go to the poor, who will be the hands of Jesus to the people of the Amazon? Who will have the compassion on those that are suffering, who will burn with a desire to create a model creating jobs for those that are going hungry, provide training for the kids that are at risk on the streets, who will hug the children that know no love at home?

You must be out there, somewhere. Everyone must die, eventually. One thing that we all have in common is that we are all dying. Every day brings us one step closer to death. I do not want to die, and leave no one to continue the work. I want to hear the Lord say “Well done.” Part of that is preparing those that will come after. Part of that is leaving a legacy of leadership to take up the banner, to stand in the gap for the lost, to be the hands of grace to the multitudes that are like sheep without a shepherd.

Lord, send faithful workers, people that can be raised up to harvest the fields that are white, rotting on the trees. Give me wisdom Lord, that I may lead your people with compassion, with vision, and with the love of God. Help me to walk in humility, to make known your wonderful grace, to reflect your unity, to accept your diversity, to embrace your suffering, and to spread your love throughout history. Help me to plant seeds in good soil, and bring forth much fruit.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, April 15, 2003

 
I have been having a lot of problems getting online. Sometimes I try all day just to get my e-mail. I'm not sure if this blogging will be the best option for me, can't use it if I can't get online. I may have to write stuff in word, and paste it in. Sometimes I get a really cool idea on something to write about, but after spending a couple of hours trying to get online, I forget what was so great. They have high-speed connections here, but I am leary about signing up with a regular expense like that, when we never really know what our support is going to be like.

We would really like to start some kind of tentmaking business, something that we can have to supplement our support, and also to train others in, to support their families, and for pastors to have a trade, so that when they plant a church, they have a means of support. If you have experience with something, especially something that would work in the Amazon region of Brazil, please let us know. We are working on a couple of ideas. If you have business expertise, or any grant writing experience, and would be willing to help out, please contact us as well.

I came up with a cool game you can play the next time you are going to take a trip on the Amazon. Challenge someone to see who can catch the most mosquitoes in say 10 minutes. Let them go first. When they are done with their 10 minutes, wet your hands, and then have a go at it. You'll find that wetting your hands will increase your mosquito catching abilities by about 50%. All you have to do is touch them and they get stuck to your hands. You'll win for sure. We have screens on our windows, and we spray regularly in our room, but we still seem to get a lot of them in our room with us, so we sometimes make a game of it with the family, and see who can catch the most. Besides being fun, it helps us all sleep better :-)


posted by Eduardo Buck at Saturday, April 05, 2003