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Information especially for Volunteers coming to WAVE This is information intended for volunteers and short-term missionary personnel coming to participate in WAVE in Field 1 of Eastern South America. We hope that this information will be of help in preparing to come to serve the Lord here in Brazil. Please address any questions to us at: frederick@pobox.com General Information Our field makes up 35% of the land area of Brazil. The state of Amazonas is about twice the size of Texas. The language is Portuguese. The most prevalent religion is Catholicism. Evangelical Christians comprise about 7% of the population. Brazilians are a friendly and welcoming people. They are very gracious and kind and want to please. Greetings are by handshake for men and women greet each other with a "kiss on both cheeks", although for Americans they would probably greet with a handshake. The climate is hot, especially during the dry season. In the states of Amazonas, Rondônia, and Acre, the dry season is from June until about October. The "winter" or rainy season will be from late October to May. In Roraima, Pará and Amapá, the seasons are reversed. The temperature averages high 90s year round. A Brazilian meal is rice, beans, and some kind of meat. There is an abundance of fish. There is good tropical fruit, many of them unknown to Americans. Vegetables are in less abundance. In the city of Manaus, Amazonas, McDonalds has just arrived but fast food as Americans know it is not found in other areas. Brazilians have snack places that serve "salgados" which are fried meat and/or cheese pastries, hot dogs and Brazilian sandwiches. In the cities there are some good restaurants although the menu doesn't vary much - rice, beans and meat. The fish is especially good . In Manaus and Rondônia you can find Japanese and Italian restaurants. Brazilian food is unlike Mexican in that they do not use hot spices. You need to drink a lot of water, bottled water is the safest although in some places filtered water is ok. Tipping and taxes are usually included in the bill. Hotels and tourist areas often add 10 percent service fees as well as government tax. Commonly asked questions: What do I wear? All clothing should be comfortable and suitable for a hot climate. Cottons and cotton blend clothing is best. It is best if you do not bring your best or favorite outfits, many times seating is rustic and dirty and clothing can be easily torn and stained. For evangelism, VBS, and other ministry activities: Slacks, jeans and t-shirts are acceptable for men and women. Men and women should avoid wearing shorts although women can wear culottes or split skirts. Good walking shoes are recommended. For Worship: Dresses or skirts are best for women although slacks or jeans are acceptable. Normally suits are not necessary but ties are good for men who will be preaching. Brazilian pastors normally wear long-sleeves and ties when preaching and in larger churches they also wear a sports coat or suit. For leisure: What is acceptable in the US is usually acceptable in Brazil. Avoid short and tight clothing. Men are encouraged to only wear shorts during leisure times. What can I eat and drink? A safe rule is to eat only fruits and vegetables that are peeled or cooked. Soft drinks and bottled water are good but NOT ice. Be careful about drinking juice since most have been made with tap water and/or ice. You will need to drink a lot of water while you are here. We suggest you bring in some favorite snacks so that you have some "familiar" comfort foods during your stay. What is the climate like? Hot - high 90s everyday. You will want to use a good sunscreen. How do I get Brazilian money? You can exchange dollars but it is not recommended that you bring in a lot of cash due to the risk of it being stolen. Visa credit cards and some debit cards are accepted in many stores and banks and can be used for getting cash from bank machines BUT you will need to know your PIN number. Master Cards are not as commonly accepted, especially not in Roraima. Traveler's Checks are difficult and time consuming to exchange. What about Malaria preventative and vaccinations? Please consult the health department, CDC or your physician for advice and suggestions. Prescription medications should be brought in as well as a contact number for your physician at home. Teams should have someone responsible for a first-aid kit, which could include: sunburn relief, aspirin, ibuprofen and/or Tylenol, band-aids, medication for diarrhea and nausea, and antibiotic treatment for cuts. We do recommend that all visitors be up to date on Tetanus and Diphtheria. You will need the yellow fever immunization and should consider seriously the hepatitis series. Malaria is present and volunteers may want to consider preventive medication. Please contact your local health department, CDC or your doctor for up-to-date information about what is needed. Dengue Fever is a common "tropical" disease and there is no vaccine prevention so volunteers will need to use repellent in areas with mosquitoes. This disease is found in all areas, even the cities. Usually the symptoms are like a flu illness that can last for 2 or more weeks and cause high fever, headache, body aches, nausea & vomiting, anorexia, depression and malaise. You should not take aspirin to treat this illness. Children are prone to hemorrhagic complications that can cause bleeding and shock in its severest form. Volunteers sleeping out in the open (like on boats) should use mosquito netting. This can be purchased here. What kind of health care is there? In the cities emergency treatment is usually adequate for cuts, broken bones, etc. Outside the cities there is little or no medical treatment available. Diagnosis of illnesses is limited. Most modern clinics and hospitals found in the cities use disposable needles. What about safety precautions? Volunteers should drink plenty of water (only bottled or filtered water), avoid eating fruits and vegetables that haven't been cooked, avoid ice and make sure your meat is well done. Volunteers should be careful buying food from street vendors. Use common sense and be aware of what is going on around you. Don't call unnecessary attention to yourself. Leave expensive jewelry at home. It would probably be best not to use clothing with the American Flag emblem. Brazilians usually love Americans but it is best to be cautious. It is best for women not to carry purses if they can do without them. Traffic: Be careful and attentive when walking. Generally speaking, the pedestrian does not have the right of way. Sun: You are close to the equator while here so use a sunscreen. Insects: Use a good repellent when in areas with mosquitoes and other pesky insects. Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors. It is a good idea for the team leader to have a copy of everyone's passport. What about travel? Everyone needs a valid USA passport and visa from the Brazilian consulate. The best way for volunteers to come to Field 1 is to fly to Manaus, Amazonas, go through customs, and then take a connecting flight to their destination. Some groups go to São Paulo, check through customs and then take a connecting flight to Manaus and then on to other destinations. This adds an extra day of travel coming and going and usually involves a long layover in São Paulo. The only airline that is flying direct Miami/Manaus/Miami right now is VARIG (a Brazilian airline.) Make sure the missionaries on the field have your latest travel itinerary by confirmed email. You MUST clear customs and pick up your baggage in Manaus or São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro and make a connecting flight to Manaus and then to your destination. We will arrange pickup for you at your destination. There are at least four airlines flying from the states to Brazil - Varig (Brazilian airline), TAM , TransBrazil and Aeropostal (Venezuelan Airline). .Aeropostal flies Miami/Caracas/Manaus Boa Vista, Roraima, only receives VARIG flights, so those coming into the country on other airlines would have to transfer to the Varig airline to travel to Roraima. There is a daily flight at around midnight and one four times a week at noon from Manaus. Acre and Rondônia receive daily flights from VARIG, VASP and TAM airlines. Suggested items to bring:
Items you do NOT need to bring:
Suggestions: Be prepared to be flexible and willing to fit in. We may do some things differently than in the U.S. but generally conform to western patterns. You will likely work with a translator that will help you communicate. Time is not as important for Brazilians as it is for Americans so many times activities will not start at the time mentioned but team members should try to follow schedules due to transportation and other logistics. Be sensitive to the Brazilians around you, don't use hand sanitizer immediately after shaking hands with people or make a big public, production of it, be discreet. Don't carry your drinks and snacks around groups of people you are working with or church members without offering them some also. It is best to find a private location for teams to have their breaks. Also, remember people may not speak English but many understand it and even if they don't understand English they understand body language and facial expressions. Do not use the A-ok hand sign since it is an obscene gesture in Brazil. For evangelism write your testimony and bring in copies in both English and Portuguese. Other evangelism items that are useful are the witness bracelets and evangelcube. You will probably want to exchange a little money at the airport in Miami so you have some cash when you first get into Brazil. A VISA credit card and some VISA debit cards are good for getting cash from atm machines but you will need to know your pin number for the credit card as well as the debit card. Master Card is not a good substitute. Using the card is safer than bringing in a lot of extra cash. Hints for working with a Translator: MESSAGES DO’S
DON’T
For more help go to the IMB volunteer in missions web-page:
ON HIS MISSION, IN HIS NAME, FOR HIS GLORY Ken, Suzanne, David, Lydia, Joshua & Samuel |
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