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.

 
Macapá just received a tour ship called the Astor, I believe it is German owned and operated. I worked as a tour guide, and I found it fun and challenging. I was very impressed by the level of competence and how smoothly everything went. My friend Inacio, who really put it all together and was the driving force in even getting the ship to stop here, really did a great job. He of course had lots of help from his wife, and from other tour operators from Belém and even from Rio.

Inacio has been working on getting tour ships here for two years, and we have worked together on various projects, like bird watching guides, and information on the area around here. It is nice to see it all coming together, all of his hard work is finally paying off.

There were seven busses of tourists in the morning, each with between forty and forty five people. The busses were nice and air conditioned, there was more than ample security both in uniform and out of uniform, and everything went smoothly, especially considering that this is the first time in years that we have had a tour ship stop here. As I said, I was much encouraged, and hope to see more of this in the future.

I really see tourism as a necessary step in saving the Amazon. Here in the state of Amapá, we have like 75% of our area as protected jungle, and if we can show to the government and to the people that this is a good thing for the economy, perhaps we can change the mentality of a quick profit by cutting down and selling the trees, to investing in eco hotels and areas of preservation that tourists can come and spend time in the mighty Amazon jungle.

Labels: amazon jungle, Macapa, tour guide, tourism

posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, October 30, 2007

 
We have been having difficulty getting internet access, I couldn't connect all afternoon, so please, if communication becomes delayed, have some patience.

Thank each of you that regularly prays for us, we so appreciate it, and we do so need it. God bless you!
posted by Eduardo Buck at Monday, October 15, 2007

 
After years of faithful service, my Leica Digilux camera is literally falling apart. Some screws fell out- of course from strategic locations :-( The on-off switch now falls off. I hope I can get a replacement screw from Leica. The new M8 looks beautiful, but is a little out of my price range :-) The only other camera I have is a manual Leica M2, which I find hard to go back to now, after being so accustomed to the digital age.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Saturday, October 06, 2007

 
The dollar is at an all time low. The lowest it has been in over seven years. On top of that, prices are soaring. For example, the price of milk has risen 60% in the last month, from R$5 to R$8 for 400gr of powdered milk. This has led to some serious discomfort. Please pray with us, that God would give us wisdom, guide us every step of the way, and provide every need.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, October 02, 2007