Rachel and I left Santa Cruz last night around 6:30, an hour later than the scheduled departure time. That should have put us in La Paz around 10 or 1030 this morning. We arrived at the bus terminal after 130 pm this afternoon. Raise your hand if you want to know why…..
I was sleeping peacefully on the bus (a first) when I was awakened by swift swurving of the bus and supposedly a loud thud which I did not hear. The bus pulled off to the shoulder. A lady got off the bus and soon came back on and I heard the word vaca, which is cow. The passengers gathered that the bus had hit a cow and one by one they filed off the bus to see what had happened. The front right side of the bus looked terrible. I dont remember much of what was said, probably because I couldnt understand it. So, during the mayhem, I walked about a quarter of a mile back down the road along with a couple of Bolivians. There we found that our bus did not hit a cow; it hit TWO cows. The cows died along with the front right headlight and fender of the bus but no passengers were hurt. We stayed at the scene about an hour while the drivers debated on what to do, whether to go back 3 hours to Santa Cruz, head to La Paz, or wait there for another bus. They eventually decided to keeping driving with one headlight. Our crippled mode of tranportation stumbled along the road until we arrived in Coachabamba around 730 am where we changed buses. To all the motherly type, dont worry. This could have happened in Clay County. I would say it was an adventure but unless otherwise noted, I ask that the readers assume each day is an adventure.
Before that, as Addison was saying, we did some work with the Wallers in San Julian. They were extremely nice and hospitable. I had sweet tea there. More than that, I was fascinated by what they are doing in Bolivia and around the world. Water for All has drilled over 2,000 wells in 13 countries, each one costing little more than $100 as oppossed to $7,000-$12,000 it costs to drill a well in Bolivia. We got to see the model project of what a piece of land can look like if the local people use wells and windmills to supply water to their crops and cattle. Terry had asked me if I minded climbing one of the windmills to take pictures of the land. I said sure and began my ascent. I was at a point where I thought I could get decent pictures but I thought to myself, since Ive come this far, I might as well go to the top. That I did. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by a small swarm of black wasps the size of eagles. Subsequently, I was stung on the thumb twice and in my hurry to scurry down the windmill I received a nice cut on the palm of my hand. The pictures turned out well.

Addison rocked the well going 5 feet in 5 minutes by hand. I got his autograph.

– Jarred

(Sorry for spelling in advance) Hello sorry I have not posted in so long…I have been slacking while my counterpart is on the ball. Wow, a lot has happened in the past few days. Santa Cruz is amazing. We were there for one night as Jarred said and its was glorious with the AC and Frig. Ha…the three musketeers are split up now Rach and J-Money left this morning for Santa Cruz then La Paz then Ixiamas. I am still here with the Wallers who are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. Mr. Terry is the well drilling gladiator who I am learning from and just for an example on the two hour car ride from Santa Cruz I learned more than I knew previously. His wife Mrs. Kathy has made French fries and spaghetti so far….need I say more. They have adopted three little Bolivian girls. One lives back in the states along w

*edit* : Administrator’s note: Somehow half of Addison’s post was lost. We’re not sure why, but if you want to see the site of Water for All, please visit Water for All to see some examples of what Addison & Jarred are learning.

This is the third installment of SIFAT Remembers. Ken Corson, cofounder of SIFAT, is writing this article to remind supporters (both old and new) about how SIFAT came to be, the beginnings of SIFAT and memories through the years. This article comes from the section he has titled the character of SIFAT.

Through my high school and college years I had been exposed to a type of religion that stressed preaching, evangelism and Bible study. Education, nutrition, medical work, literacy and the like were spoken of in condescending tones as, “the social gospel.” But I came to see that God made the body as well as the spirit. The Gospel includes ministering to every aspect of our being. We call this incarnational evangelism. There is no separation of the so-called evangelical gospel from the so-called social gospel. Many of my old friends thought that I strayed from the correct path by working with people with their physical as well as spiritual needs. In 1979 when SIFAT was created, thinking of ministry in holistic ways was not so common as it is today. It is gratifying to see that there are now many other Christian groups who work holistically. This process of incorporating all aspects of the human condition as legitimate fields for ministry led to what became the SIFAT motto of “Sharing God’s Love in Practical Ways.”

We arrived in Santa Cruz around 11:30 this morning. The bus ride was much smoother than the ride north towards Ixiamas. It is night and day difference from La Paz. The city itself is more modern looking and the people are mostly mestizo rather than indigeneous. Terry, the Baptist missionary (or as Tom says “mercenary”) has been extremely hospitable. He treated us to lunch today and we are staying the night in an apartment with the works. (That being hot showers, air conditioning, and a refrigerator). We even get to use a computer with normal keys. Example: I can actually push the @ button as opposed to alt+6+4 and @ comes on the screen) We will leave tomorrow morning for a town about 2 and a half hours away. We will go to church there tomorrow night and I am guessing begin with the wells Monday morning. It has been extremely interesting listening to Terry talk about the specific goals for Water for All, their origin, and missions in a more general context including the benefits local people receive by organizations focusing at starting from the bottom up rather than the top down. Today has been extremely educational for myself and I am looking forward to spending a few days here. – Jarred

Rachel, Addison, and I will be leaving for Santa Cruz tonight around 7 or 8 and should arrive there around 11 am tomorrow. From there, I believe we will be riding with the group from Texas another 2 and 1/2 hours to another town. For the next few days we will be receiving well drilling training with the goal of successfully installing a new well at the Internado and maybe after that at 2 Trees and ultimately in the future (after we have gone) needed communities around Ixiamas. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a partnership between SIFAT and the Texas group, Water for All. – Jarred