With a sweep of her weathered hand, Mariana motioned for Kenny Spurlin and his Brazilian translator to follow. They slipped past a row of stilted houses built above the Solimoes River, which, along with the Rio Negro, meet to form the world's longest river - the Amazon.

Two young children played with tethered goats while pigs, chickens and threadbare cattle jockeyed for a place to escape the afternoon sun. At the end of the path, just beyond a curious shanty with a generator and a satellite dish, Mariana ushered her guests inside her one-room home.

"I want to receive Jesus as my Savior but am afraid."