On July 1st, we flew from Salvador to Brasilia to Manaus. Everything went very smoothly with our flights. Hyrum loved sitting with Grandpa and Grandma on the airplane, and it was fun that Jonathon and I could sit together and watch a movie. Having older kids who don't need constant help and attention is pretty great.
We landed at 11:10 at night, so we were really happy that we got a hotel close to the airport (Ibis Manaus Aeroporto). Immediately after stepping off the plane, we knew that Manaus was going to be much hotter and more humid than Salvador. We also got a taste of the mosquitoes in the area because Hyrum got 3 bites in the airport alone. Gah! Hopefully, our anti-malarials work! We grabbed all of our bags and got two taxis to the hotel. We crashed in bed immediately after arriving and slept hard. Our room was nothing fancy, but we felt safe, and it was worth it for the location.
The hotel had a nice continental breakfast with lots of Brazilian classics, so we ate a good breakfast and then headed across town to the hotel we would be staying in for the rest of the trip. I was in charge of all the planning for this trip, so I felt a lot of pressure trying to make sure we had good places to stay and excursions that were fun and worthwhile. I researched a lot of hotels in Manaus and even booked a couple of them, but I just kept coming back to the Holiday Inn. It seemed silly to stay in a Holiday Inn while in Brazil, but it just felt right. We have always had good experiences with Holiday Inns, and we knew what to expect because they are built and operated to American standards. It also had everything we wanted: larger rooms for families, a good breakfast, and a swimming pool. I ended up cancelling all the other hotels I had looked at, and we were so happy with the decision.
Since it was still early in the morning, we left our bags at the front desk and left to go find the church. We got two ubers and gave them the address of the nearest chapel. The church's online meeting times had not been updated, so we had no idea what time the wards started, so we just decided to show up and hope. When we arrived, we immediately ran into the missionaries. It turned out that we missed the first Sacrament meeting and were already halfway through the second one. We snuck in the back though and were able to be there for a lovely fast and testimony meeting. I didn't understand a lot of what was said, but I could feel the Spirit and felt a love for these Saints and their testimonies of the gospel. The closing hymn was accompanied by a man playing the violin because they had no piano. I really enjoyed hearing it done that way.
After the meeting many people came up and talked to us. The Elder's Quorum President spoke a little bit of English and helped the boys get to their classes and even stayed with them to help in any way he could. The adults all went to Sunday School, and Jonathon participated by making comments during the lesson and saying the closing prayer. We felt very welcomed.
After the meetings were over, the Elder's Quorum President came by again to make sure we had a ride back to our hotel and even volunteered an oven if we needed a place to cook our lunch. The kindness and generosity of the ward was admirable, and it really taught us a lot about how we can do better in our own ward to help people feel like they belong.
We texted a picture of all of us in front of the chapel to my cousin, Vaughn, who served his mission in Manaus. We told him we attended the Colônia Oliveira Machado Ward, and it turns out that he served in that building for 9 months. That was a fun connection!
By about 3:30, we were ready to head out and walk around the downtown area a little bit. We got our Ubers and went to the Teatro Amazonas. It is the most famous landmark in Manaus, and for good reason. The building itself is pretty grand and stands out because it is pink, but the dome is what makes it really special. It is tiled with the colors and pattern of the Brazilian flag. Since it was Sunday, it was closed, but we walked all around it and enjoyed the plaza next to it. We started to walk around the rest of the town a little bit, but we were the only ones around except for several homeless people. There were no other residents or tourists in sight. It was really strange, and we felt uncomfortable since we knew Manaus wasn't the safest city, so we decided to head back to the main square and get some dinner.
We found a little outdoor restaurant with some Amazonian specialty dishes. Jonathon and my dad shared a giant fish called a tambaqui, along with beans, rice, and farofa. The tambaqui is a fish native to the Amazon river basin. It is a very important part of their cuisine and culture. The dish looked a little crazy when it was brought out, but surprisingly, Jonathon and dad loved it! The rest of us had fish sticks or chicken sandwiches with fries, along with the most delicious Brazilian lemonade. When we had finished our food, a little woman came and asked for our leftovers. There are so many poor people in Brazil, and it has been an eye-opening experience for all of us. We asked the waiter, and he said it would be fine. He packaged it up and gave her the leftovers. She was particularly excited about the fish head and eyes. Apparently, that is the best part. Who would have guessed?
After dinner, we stopped for ice cream at a cute little shop in the main plaza. By this time, the city had awoken from sleep and there were lots of people in the area. The plaza had taken on a carnival-type atmosphere with people selling balloons, cotton candy, and other treats in the shadow of the Teatro. There was music wafting through the air and even a clown walking around delighting the children. We realized that people must stay indoors during the heat of the day and then venture out when the temperature cooled down a bit. I'm glad we stayed long enough to see the fun, joyful side of the city.
As we headed home, I received a WhatsApp message from a woman in our ward in Salvador saying that she noticed we weren't in church that day and was wondering if there was anything we needed. I was so touched. I have only known this woman for a month, and already she was a better minister than I have ever been. The next day I received another similar message from another woman in the ward. These Brazilian Saints have taught us so much about being disciples of Jesus Christ and definitely have my heart.
It was still pretty early in the evening, so we let the kids swim for a little bit in the hotel pool before going to bed. We had our first big excursion the next day, so we wanted everyone to get plenty of rest. Unfortunately, we knew that two members of our group were not going to be rested. Nathan and Leah had still not arrived because of many flight issues. They were now scheduled to arrive early Monday morning at 2:30am.
Sundays are always hard on trips, but we did the best we could. We are so grateful for the opportunity to attend Church anywhere around the world and still feel the same Spirit and learn the same Gospel. What a privilege it is to be part of Jesus Christ's church.
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