Distant rural communities visited

Liz and I left Patos on Monday evening at 6.11pm and travelled up the Teixeira mountain in the jeep arriving at Princesa Isabel about 8.25pm. We stayed at the "Ideal" sort of little hotel built on top of a petrol station. It's quite neat, clean and tidy but the ramp (no stairs) to get up to the rooms is quite a climb! We asked for a coffee prior to hitting the hay, but they only did coffee with sugar in so that was me out. I had a zero Guaraná instead (a Brazilian pop drink). We then headed for our earliest night in a long time.

We had breakfast at about 7am and after a good shower, despite brackish well water, we headed across the border into Pernambuco State to Flores where we were met by local pastor Nemias. Together we headed for our first visit of the day along dusty earth tracks to Seriema Community where EAB/ACEV drilled a well a few years ago. It was good to see the community surviving thanks to the well and growing all sorts of things like Moringa and Coconut trees, vegetables and elephant grass for the one cow that survived the drought!

Since the well being drilled we saw how the community itself had layed pipes so that all the houses have water on tap in their little houses, which is considered quite a luxury in these parts. The people remain very grateful. Liz got involved with some counselling whilst at Seriema and then we moved on to another rural community called Serra do Cruzeiro which involved negotiating some tracks which our jeep laps up! Again we met up with thankful people who are able to carry on in their community thanks to a well we drilled there about 5 years ago. 

It was a hot and dusty morning, but around noon we headed back into the town of Flores where Nemias and his wife live together with their son Isaque. There we had lunch and a siesta, prior to more visits in Flores later - but I'll tell you about these another time. Thanks for your prayers for our health and strength which make it possible to do such good trips as this one to Flores! The people liked it and the local Christians were encouraged.