Are you interested in learning practical skills to address hunger and malnutrition in the developing world? SIFAT is partnering with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Sparkman Center for Global Health to offer a 10-day field study course on SIFAT’s international campus near Lineville, Ala.

To get the latest information about this year’s first course, please visit our Field Course Study page. You can contact Kathy Bryson (brysonk@sifat.org), international training director, if you have questions or would like information on how to register.

Addison and I arrived in Cusco last night around 1030. We met a couple of guys from Chicago, the first Americans we have seen besides Rachel and Terry. They hitched a ride with us to our hotel and then left. Cusco is a neat city with somewhat of a European feel. Today we are taking a tour of I think some landmarks, Macchu Pichu tomorrow, and a city tour Monday before heading back to La Paz Monday night. I am uber excited about Macchu Pichu, a place I have wanted to see since the first time I came to Peru in 2005. We were unaware time changed and thus awoke an hour early. We found out because we thought our tour agency was late but the recepcionist at the hotel pointed to the clock. I felt like an idiot. I walked outside this morning around 730 (but really 630) and everything was quiet. I was like, man this town is dead.

SPECIAL NOTE: * To all of our financial supporters, no worries. We are using personal money for this trip.

This past saturday Jarred, Mateo, Rachel and I took all our boys to El Tigre.  El Tigre is a smaller villiage about 35 miles north of Ixiamas.  We left early Saturday morning and after the four hour drive we arrived to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  The road turned into a huge soccer field right on the edge of the mountians of Maddidi National Park.  We had sent a letter earlier to tell the town we were bringing our team from the Internada to play them.  We played six games of soccer in thirty six hours.  Ha is was a blast.  In the first four games Jarred only allowed two goals.  He played goalie for most of the games.  Lets just say with hands like a cat, eyes like a hawk, and the aggression of a medium size T-Rex, he was the man for the job.  It was one of the most fun weekends I have had and I think for Jarred probably also.  It was great to get to play with the boys because they are all really good and they make me look good.  I had five goals and three by basically standing and using my head.  NOTE: Bolivians are short.  When we arrived to Tigre all of the kids from the villiage brought us fresh fruit.  It was so cool.  They brought so much fruit we took a bag home with us.  That night we watched a movie with the whole villiage basically.  I dont know the exact number but there were probably 150 people for the movie.  The town hosted us and cooked all the meals for us and were just so amazingly warm to us.  It was a time that I saw God in the hearts of the people there.  With warm smiles and open arms they gave freely of what they had without hesitation.  Thank God for the people of El Tigre.  Jarred and I are back in La Paz now.  We landed about an hour ago.  We flew back from Rurre this time.  We woke up and caught the mini bus at four this morning and then waited for our flight at 3:00.  It was a 45 min flight otherwise it was gonna be another 18 hour bus ride.  It was worth the fifty bucks ha.  Friday we head to Peru, but first to show and tell for Mateo the Internada Directors niece at her school in the altiplano…haha..should be fun.

We cased early this morning and backwashed for about two hours.  We started to develop the well and were getting a rebound of three meters which on the well at the Internado we got only about a meter maybe.  We continued to pump the well and develop it and we could not pump it dry, which is good.  Just after lunch before we put our final pump on we had a rebound of thirteen meters.  Praise God.  This well will make and produce enough water.  There are times when the Hospital does not have water and now they can get it whenever they want.  This is a huge blessing from God and all the glory goes to him.  We have a few final touches on this one and after that they are set.  Thanks for the prayers.  They have worked.  Addison-

Our first test well that I talked about earlier we hit rock at about twenty meters.  There was water on top of the rock so we cased and started to develop the well.  It started rebounding and we were able to get about two liters a minute.  It is water but it is not enough for most families.  We decided to drill in the same area to see if we couldg get through the rock a little.  We drilled down and hit the rock and did not change shafts and we broke the steel pipe at the threads.  That was not fun but we did go to the hopital in town which is about a mile east away from the mountians.  We started yesterday and drilled for about an hour.  Today at lunch we are at 17 1/2 meters and it is a clay sand mixture.  I dont think that we are going to hit the rock and could possible get the third aquifer.  Be in prayer the whole proccess.  Also about the fact that we have to finish it quick because we are only here for five more days. Addison-