Rachel, Mateo, Judith, Addison, and I arrived in Ixiamas about two hours ago. We are all fairly tired from the 26 hour trip from La Paz. I think Addison and I had about 5 hours combined sleep since Friday morning. Ixiamas seems to be a nice little town but we atill have some exploring to do. The kids should be arriving at the Internado sometime tomorrow since classes begin on Monday. I think Addison and I have already been ¨hired¨ to harvest some rice on Monday. I am sure it will be a fun and educational experience.- Jarred

Hola everyone, all is well. Last night we went to the Bolivia vs Peru soccer game and it was quite amazing. Bolivia won 2 to 1 so big victory for the home country. I have never been to a game with so much energy at certain points. It was a blast. We caught a soccer ball that was thrown into the stands, we both were pretty pumped. We woke up this morning and headed to the market with Rachel, Mateo, and Judith. We got supplies for Ixiamas and just walked around for about four hours then had lunch. It was interesting because it was up in the altiplano region just outside of La Paz and the people were not really used to seeing (Greengos) or basically Caucasian people. We got a lot that we needed though so we will be ready for Ixiamos. After the market we went to Mateo’s house to meet his ‘family – Addison

Mateos family were extremely nice and welcoming. We looked at a ton of pictures and played with his nephew, Ziki, and two neices Paola and Nicole. They were alot of fun. Mateo’s sister-in-law gave us a mug of arroz con leche which was delicious. Basically, it was just hot milk, rice, and cinnamon. We played with lots of stuffed animals including pumba, simba, nala, a panda bear, and a killer whale. We leave for Ixiamas tomorrow at 11 am and are excited about getting to work at the internado.-Jarred

We made it to La Paz! The flight went well and all is good. Jarred got stopped at both security checkpoints because he is a pretty suspicious person, but other than that no troubles getting into the country. Woke up at 4 am on the plane to catch the sunrise, it was amazing. We flew over the mountians while the sun was coming up and all I can come up with is that Gods pretty big. The city is very interesting, even as I type I can barely think because of all the car horns and yelling from buses. I think we are going to a soccer game tonight so that should be fun. Keep us in your prayers. Miss and love you mom, dad, tay, cars, boo, and cam.

Mucho amor,

Addison

Jarred Griffin and Addison Shock are flying to Bolivia today. They will be serving in our internado in Ixiamas as interns for three months. While in Ixiamas, they will be posting to the blog to keep everyone updated about their experience. Please check regularly for their posts.

As I packed for the three-month trip last night, I hit a wall when my bag was completely full and I still had several things left to put in it. At first I was frustrated, and then I smiled and thought to myself, “Jarred, you are such an American.” I began to see things as not as important as they were fifteen minutes prior. I decided I didn’t need four pairs of shoes, or seven shirts, or a bulky bottle of peroxide. Before I began packing, I was positive that one of the most important “items to bring” were my steel toed boots. “These are a must-have,” I thought to myself. Before I was finished, I was somewhat mad at myself for putting so much emphasis on something so huge, heavy, and uncomfortable. Through this packing experience, I was reminded of something Donald Miller writes about in Through Painted Deserts. In his book, Miller tells of his experience with overpacking for a hike into the Grand Canyon. He compared it to life in that we often times weigh ourselves down with things we think are important but in the end turn out to be a hindrance. Nevertheless, I am excited about leaving today and I am ready to get to work.

Jarred