26 June 2014
It has been a busy 2 weeks since I arrived.  I didn't plan to wait this long before adding things to this Blog, but a lack of internet access has only recently been resolved.

I returned today from an overnight trip to a little town called Manaquiri.  Pastor Augusto took me to the central Manaus port at 6 AM yesterday and put me on the Express boat.  It was called the "Lancha the Flash V".  About 40 passengers were on it with me, in a long boat with two seats on each side and a central walkway down the middle.  A very loud motor was at the stern.  Good roof overhead, no windows so a wonderful breeze blew by as we crossed the Rio Negro, went through a flooded lake, and proceeded up the Rio Solimoes.  After about one hour of travel (approximately 25-30 mph) we hit something under the water.  A loud BOOM announced the destruction of something important.  The captain shut down the motor, inspected some things, and then we slowly got underway towards the center of the Rio Solimoes.  After we moved about a mile into the river, very slowly and with terrific vibrations, the engine was shut of again and we floated quietly down the river for about 40 minutes until another "Flash" boat came to offload us and continue the journey up river.  The Solimoes was 5-6 miles wide at this point as we had not yet entered the tributary towards Manaquiri.
I arrived about 1 hour late, but Pastor Wagner was still waiting to meet me. 
He took me to a small bakery for breakfast of bread with melted cheese, coffee, and sweet corn cake.

Next stop was to be the hospital, but his car wouldn't start.  So he put me on a Moto-Taxi and I rode through the winding streets that way.  From the hospital a woman named Dilma took me to my work site on the edge of town, called an UBAS (Unidade Basico Assistencia de Saude = Basic Unit of Health Assistance).  The two nurses, receptionist, and motorcycle driver there were very patient and helpful as I learned their system and attended 17 people of all ages. 
This morning, I saw 21 people there before going back to the port for my trip back to Manaus at noon.
We arrived in a spectacular cloudburst type of rainstorm. I had purchased an umbrella in Manaquiri because it was raining when I left there, and I used it in Manaus to help a woman with a 2-month old baby get from the boat to her home.  I got soaked. She and baby were very grateful.