In March 2012 Riverside Community Church in Peoria IL sent a mission team to Manaus, Brazil. Working in collaboration with the locally based Ray of Hope, Central Church and Wings of Help organizations, the mission's purpose was to minister to the indigenous Sateré Indian community of the Vila Nova village, on the Maraú lake, and also to supply humanitarian aid, as well as help to construct a new church building.



Gary Will, a Professor at Bradley University, was invited to join the mission during his sabbatical. As well as 'pitching in' with the everyday activities of the team, and equipped with just a 'point and shoot' camera, (to capture the spontaneity of the moment), Gary's main purpose was to visually narrate the 'characters' of Manaus, the rainforest and, in particular, the Sateré people themselves (with an unapologetic biased towards recording the lives of the beautiful children of the village!)