Adventures in the Brasilian Forest

These past weeks have been wild. We've been going out on the edge having some pretty awesome adventures, hitchhiking (don't worry, with 4 missionaries it's tranquil), meeting people who travel all over South America. 

The man with the backpack with the missionaries in our district is on a life long trip to get to know God's wonders. He has two sets of clothes, some money, a Bible, lots of maps, and a face that tells of many experiences. 

Today we hitched a ride to get out of the Brasilian forest with some construction workers and a bulldozer. I had an encounter with a hundred ants on my legs going at my flesh.  It was a lot of Indiana Jones fun.  Some bites, some scratches and a lot of experiences that will never be forgotten. 

Today was our second attempt to try and reach the hidden waterfall. The last time was a failure, because we ran out of time and had to catch the bus back. This time we made it a little bit further, descending down the mountain but the ants made a very large barrier so that we could not enter any further into the green Brasilian forest. I felt like Cusco from Emperor´s New Groove because I saw several little flies stuck on spiderwebs being eaten by spiders the size of my face. I'll send some videos through a member's email (our missionary email does not permit us to send large files). Some awesome Brasilian wilderness footage awaits everyone at home.

p-day fashion

bus ride home

We also headed up to Guamiranga to make some hard cement floors with Brother Elias and his wife. They have some pretty land where they raise puppies and chickens.   I learned how to make an area with a wood perimeter, fill it with dirt and then pour and place the cement. It took a whole day to make the cement flooring but it was surely worth it. Making cement floors and chasing after really fast chickens. 

Editor's observations: 

1) There must be a different definition for "tranquil" than the one I know.

2) It appears that the elders have no more white athletic socks.  Only dark dress socks.

3) It also appears to be nearly impossible to pose for a picture without the ubiquitous Brazilian hand gestures.