Tim and I both woke up feeling much better. It was such a peaceful night, even with the sound of the monkeys and the cool breeze that came with the midnight rainstorm. I took some pictures and video of the church at sunrise and then we packed up our hammocks and hit the trail. Pastor Alcideles had ridden his motor bike to church, so he took Tim back while Sr. Antonio and I hit the trail. Being back in the middle of the jungle in the morning was just as beautiful and inspiring as the night before, only this time I could see all the places we had been when it was completly dark out.
Sr. Antonio and I kept a brisk pace. Occasionally, I would stop to capture a quick picture or video clip, but then I had to run to catch up. For at least an hour and a half, Sr. Antonio and I trekked along, not able to say much to each other. The silence was actually an amazing gift because it gave me a chance to think about life and spend time talking to God.
Before I knew it, Pastor Alcideles came around the corner and picked me up (he had dropped Tim off at the end of the trail). At first, I imagined that it would be slow going through the twisty, uneven jungle trail, but Pastor Alcideles was a great driver and sped right along. The thrill of the ride was such an opposite experience from the contemplative mood I had been in just minutes before. In no time at all, we were back at the trail head. One of the locals took me across the lake in his boat, then I hung out with Tim and some more of the locals at the dock until Pastor Alcideles returned with Sr. Antonio.
Back at the house, Tim and I unpacked from our short expedition, then showered up and waited for lunch. Pastor Alcideles’ wife cooked up an amazing spread that tasted great. Tim and I were grateful for the meal as it was the first one either of us had eaten since our flights two nights before.
The afternoon meal was followed by a much needed nap and then Tim and Pastor Alcideles headed out to meet the mayor of Uricutituba. The meeting went great and the mayor offered to do anything that required his approval, including signing whatever paperwork the lawyers say we’ll need. The only concern the mayor had was that we should consider taking orphans from Uricutituba as well as from big cities like Sao Paulo. Tim was of course fine with this (he had just heard that there wasn’t a problem with orphans around Uricutituba because of the strong sense of community and family that a small town brings).
After Tim returned, a large group of neighborhood kids started gathering in the courtyard to play volleyball with Hebekah, Alcideles’ 13 year old daughter. Some of the boys had seen Tim and decided that he needed to be on their team (Tim is six and a half feet tall). I also jumped in and had a great time playing with the kids who were all about the same age as my 8th grade students back home. There were also a number of younger kids watching the game and during the times I was sitting out, they huddled around me, fascinated by my cameras. I showed them clips from the video camera and they all laughed. I also got to take up close pictures of each one in exchange for showing them their picture on the LCD screen.
One of the little boys decided to get us fresh mangos so he shimmied up to the top of the tree and knocked some down. They were absolutely delicious. I ate four in a row, each of a varying ripeness. It was such a neat experience to get fruit right off the tree, and it tastes so much better too.
In the evening, we were treated to another amazing meal with Pastor Alcideles’ family. The meal times can be somewhat awkward when no one is talking, but tonight after dinner, Sr. Antonio stopped by and the four of us managed to have a discussion about sports, languages and the differences in our cultures. I even found myself being able to follow a lot of what was being said (not all the words, but an occasional concept). Finally we said good night ("boa noche" in Portuguese) and headed for bed.

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"A Nice Piece of Land..."