Thursday
Last night I managed to get the TV in my room to work just in time for the 10 O'Clock news with William Waack (seriously, that really was his name).
I didn't understand a word, but David Cameron's speech announcing his intention to hold a european referendum was one of the main headlines. You might not be that interested in the UK, but they think it's big news in Brazil!
There is only one channel you can get in Tefè, which makes it all the more surprising that each of the rooms in our budget hotel is equipped with a TV.
My room has a bed, a fridge and a TV... that is quite literally IT. I anticipated living out of a suitcase and I have not been disappointed! We have also only had cold water in the accomodation in which we have stayed. This makes showers refreshing but brief! However it's amazing how quickly it's possible to adapt to this so that it starts to feel normal. It has reminded me of how conditioned we are in the UK to needing home comforts.
I'm pleased to say that all the students passed their assessments... eventually. Part of the issue here is that some find reading and writing a real challenge. One pastor in his 50s only learnt to read in the last few years. What motivated him to learn was that he became a Christian and really wanted to read the Bible.
We therefore had to employ a degree of flexibility to the assessment process: a combination of written answers and an interview type approach to test knowledge.
To celebrate the end of the module, the cook produced the biggest chocolate cake I have ever seen. Unfortunately I didn't have my phone on me, so I couldn't take a picture that I can upload to this blog. However it was easily the size of a car tyre!
In the post-assessment celebrations I also discovered that the students have given me a nickname.
Apparently everyone in this region is given a nickname. As far as I can gather it is usually an animal or celebrity.
Andrew is called 'Giraffe' because he is very tall,
And my nickname?
Turtle.
I was assured that this was not because I am a) slow b) wrinkly or c) known for carrying a shell around on my back, but because my head is the shape of a turtle's head!
Apparently this is not as bad as it sounds.
Turtle meat is a delicacy in the Amazon. Catching a turtle will get you good money. Turtles are considered noble, handsome creatures in the Amazon. (OK, so I made that last sentence up.)
But however you wrap it up, the fact remains that while I have been labouring to teach theology to these guys for the last few days, they have been imagining me as a turtle!
It could have been worse however ... they've nicknamed Peter 'Dinosaur'!
This morning we took a trip to the local market.
The fish market was noisy, smelly and full of unusual catches. One fisherman selling piranha proudly showed us it's teeth (see photo).
Tambaqui - which we have eaten a lot here - was also on sale.
Live chickens were also on offer, instant death awaiting those that were sold!
And there were lots of unusual fruit and vegetables: bunches of bananas, fresh pineapples, mangoes, green oranges, tucumas (see yesterdays blog) and cacao pods, which contain cacao beans - from which is made chocolate.
It has been a really hot today - in the mid-30s (sorry to rub it in), so we bought a coconut each from a local stall holder, who hacked the top off and gave us a straw each to drink the milk. Fantastic!
Religion dominates Brazilian culture. Almost everyone believes in God and this is seen in the most unlikely places.
Our coconut man's stall was emblazoned with the phrase: 'God gave me this'. (Together with the more questionable phrase: 'The strength of your jealousy is the speed of my success'!)
On a clothing store we saw the phrase: 'Obrigado Jesus' (thankyou Jesus). One of the boats in the harbour was named 'Monte Sinai II'. Another was named 'King David', another 'Jehovah Nissi' (the Lord is my Banner).
I particularly liked the Bible text on a local pharmacy: 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' (Phil 4:13)!
Unfortunately in Brazil this religious veneer is often akin to superstition, and is fueled by the strong presence of the Catholic Church. We popped our heads into the large Catholic church that dominates the town centre yesterday evening while a service was in full swing. The vast wealth of the Vatican, in evidence even in this far flung place, jarred with the poverty we have seen.
It's not just the Catholic church that holds sway here, the grandest building in Tefè is the Freemason's temple.
Spiritualism is also a major issue here. We met up with a British pastor this afternoon - Bryn Jones - who came to Tefè 40 years ago as a pioneer missionary when Tefè had a population of 3,000 compared to the 70,000 it has today. He is now in his 70s but he comes back here every year to teach in the seminary. As you can imagine he had lots of fascinating stories to tell! He told of occasions when spells were cast over him and his family and threats made.
In the UK the major obstacles to the gospel is apathy and materialism, here it is superstition and religion.
It's a reminder that even a nominally Christian culture is not as good as it sounds. Many Christians in the UK are mourning the end of our 'christian culture', but Brazil is a reminder of the danger of external religion. True faith is neither individualistic (I can believe anything I want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else) nor is it communal (I must believe what those around me believe), if it is worth anything it must be personal and it must be based on objective truth.
This is why the work of independent seminaries like the one we have been visiting is so important.
Teaching future Christian leaders to read and interpret the Bible for themselves and identify false teachers and false teaching is vital. Brazil needs discerning Christian leaders who will 'hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.' (Titus 1:9).
We eat with the students from the seminary at lunch and dinner time. They now have a new subject and new lecturer.
It has been really good to get to know some of these pastors and young Christian workers over the last few days. Tomorrow morning we travel across lake Tefè and then drive to Alvarines, a village of 8,000 people further into the interior. This was the first church Andrew pastored when he, Jenny and his daughters arrived in Brazil.
The plan is to stay for Friday and Saturday night and visit lots of Andrew's old church members in their homes. On Sunday morning Peter will speak at the church in Alvarines before we head back to Tefè, where I will speak at a local church in the evening. Please pray for health, safety and wisdom as we seek to minister to the folk we meet.
Andrew has told us to expect to see a very simple way of life and to eat some very different foods. Apparently piranha, crocodile eggs and roast monkey are all eaten by locals.
We have immodium on standby...!
He has also said that it is highly unlikely that we will get any sort internet connection in Alvarines, so expect the next update sometime late on Sunday when God-willing we will get back to Tefè.
Postscript: Just as I was about to post this we have had news that Andrew's father has been taken into hospital. He had a minor stroke a week before we left the UK, but had recovered well. Please pray for Andrew and his family. We are unsure as yet how this might affect the rest of the trip.
