So the first day that me and Jarred arrived in Rurre we just hung out and decided to book a tour. We shopped around and finally with much thought decided on a rafting tour we had found. The company was Donato tours and this was a unique tour only they offered. We say a few pictures and decided it would be fun. At nine oclock we showed up to leave for our tour. They were getting a few last minute things together and then we headed to the river. A boat drove us about two and a half hours up stream, what we later found out was 25 km. They let us out with our guide ,we had a quick lunch ,and then we started to pump up our raft. After about five minutes of pumping up our raft I noticed the label that said about a four hundred pound limit. I told Jarred and after comparing weights we realized that we almost topped that alone not to mention our guide. We got the raft blown up and set out back for Rurre. It was not long before we realized that this was not so much rafting but maybe we will call it floating. Also that this was possible the smallest raft we had ever seen. It was a sight me and Jarred and our guide trying not to flip our raft while also trying not to lay on each other. We had seen some fairly large rapids down stream a ways so for an hour and a half we waited paitently while floating in the boat. We finally saw the rapids and paddled full speed ahead at them. The rapids were actually pretty freaking big and with the size of our boat we were both pretty worried about it. We came to the first wall of water that was about seven feet high and without flipping managed it well. It was a rough ride for about thirty seconds and at one point I thought we were gonna lose Jarred. We made it through the rapids and then it became calm again for the next three and a half hours ha. We later decided the tour should be called float and get as sun burnt as possibe. When we arrived at Rurre we had lost probably half of the air in the raft and most of the Beni river was in the boat. Needless to say it was a blast. We both now can barely move because of the sun burn covering about 88% of our bodies. Today we woke up early and headed to the mini bus place to get our tickets that we had reserved for the ride to Ixiamas. We had saved seats for the nine oclock bus because all but the front two seats on these buses we are not able to fit in. We walked in the office and asked to pay for our reserved seats for the nine oclock bus and the man then informs us that there is no nine oclock bus and that we can pay for another bus though. We both were pretty frustrated and got two front seats for a bus that was leaving when it filled up. We are now in Ixiamas safely. We sat today at the bus thingy for seven hours. Jarred got the middle front seat and usually they are good seats that have leg room, but it just so happened that on this bus it was a wooden box that was crammed between the front two seats haha. The engine also was positioned to blow hot air from the engine directly on his sunburnt feet. He put his feet on the console most of the trip. Anyway it is good to be home in Ixiamas. Hopefully we will start the test wells pretty soon. Prayers are needed. -Addison-

Since this week has been a little slow with the kids gone and us having a couple of days off in Rurrenabaque, I had alot of time to think. One of the things I have been thinking about is Easter weekend. I thought about all of this things I will miss and how that its ok with me. I wont see young boys in the church who are ususally sweaty with messed up hair wearing suspenders and clip-on bow ties. I wont see girls modeling their new dresses and maybe even a hat that matches that of their mothers. I wont hear plastic eggs given by Sunday school teachers popping open and candy falling to the floor during Brother Jerrys sermon. I begin to think how this what I think about when I think of Easter and these are things that we, the church, have made it. The Resurrection is sometimes, if not most times, an afterthought. The way Easter is, its kind of silly if you think about it. ´´Hey, did you see my new bright green shirt? O yeah, remember the tomb is empty? Man, I hope these Cadberry Eggs dont give me a cavity.´´ In a way, I am glad this Easter will be different for me. I think it will be refreshing. In all likelihood, I probably wont even go to church. And, I m ok with this. I plan on thinking alot about the Resurrection and not pastel colored shirts and jelly bellies. Furthermore, on the topic of the resurrection, I would like to share with the readers something I read last year by Brennan Manning, probably my favorite Christian author. In his book Abba´s Child, Manning writes that the church often times talks about two Resuurections. One is the physical resurrection of Jesus two thousand years ago and the other is the one promised to all believers in the end times. However, hardly anyone talks about how Jesus IS alive. We serve a risen Lord. According to Manning, if people really believed that our Lord was alive, they would be acting much different than carrying an attitude of serving a God who sits on a throne from a distance. I believe we are called to rejoice in that our Lord not only did rise, but he IS risen. – Jarred

I made it to RRbake this morning at about five fourty five. Me and Jarred are going to take two days and relax here in RRbake for Holy week. Jarred knew I was getting in this morning but he did not know it would be so early. It scared him when the owner of the hostile at six thirty knocked on the door and walked in the room. I am certian that from my description of my amigo that I gave him he could not be mistaken. Tall, white, red hair, cant miss him. We will head back to Ixiamas on saturday. -Addison-

Bolivar Sanga, our engineer overseeing the Quesimpuco bridge project, arrived in Bolivia this morning. He will be working with communities in the Quesimpuco area to get preliminary work on the bridge site ready for the first team coming in May. A road to the site must be cut, so materials can get to the site.

SIFAT and Auburn UMC are partnering to build a bridge in Quesimpuco to connect two mountains during the rainy season. For more information on the bridge project, download the January Journal.

Bridges to Prosperity, a nonprofit organization specializing in footbridges, is teaching us the technology to build our bridge. By empowering the community and making them part of the process, more bridges can be built throughout Bolivia.

An update on the bridge project will be in the March Journal, which is being sent to press tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for Bolivar and Benjo as they work with the people of the Quesimpuco area and bring them together to build a much-needed bridge for this area.

We finished the well yesterday.  It is recharging to thirty meters.  Usually we need it to recharge to about fifteen from the top, being fourty one meters but Don Juan will pump it until it is recharging to the top.  We finished about middle of the day yesterday and then we went to the homestead about a mile away to throw the cast net and play a little in the pond because it was a pretty day.  We played till about four thirty then headed home.  We got about a mile away and the truck shut off.  We were not able to get it started again.  Mr.Terry had his cell phone thankfully so he got on the roof of the truck to get signal and he called Mrs. Kathy.  He wanted her to get the battery put it in the other truck SUV thingy and come get us.  She showed up an hour later in a cab.  She could not get the battery to work.  We left the truck and headed into town.  Then I had one of those moments in my life were I have no idea how I got to this place.  Ha Mrs. Kathy had made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and had brought them with bottled water with her.  I was in a cab with eight people eating cookies, covered in grease, driving at sunset through the prettiest backcountry I have ever seen.  It was ridiculous and such a God moment.  I could not help but laugh.  When we got to town we ate spaggetti and then got the other SUV working and headed back to get the other truck.  We got there and finally figured out that if we pull the drive shaft out of the back wheels then we can drive it home in four wheel drive using only the front two tires.  What had happened was all the bumps we hit on the bad roads because of the rain had crammed the Universal drive shaft into itself and broke some stuff in the back axil or something.  We tied up the universal drive shaft with a rope under the truck and got the truck working and were about to leave when we went to start the SUV and it would not start.  The battery was dead.  We did not have jumper cables but were able to push start it to start it.  Then we began the two hour ride back home in first gear.  We had to stop four times to put a knew rope under to hold the universal drive shaft because it was burning holes through the rope.  Finally we greased up an old T-shirt and put it between the rope and shaft and it worked.  We got home at about 12:45.  Then me and Mr. Terry and Mrs. Kathy sat in the kitchen and told delirious stories for about thirty minutes.  It was great.  This morning I woke up about the time for sunday school and played with the kids. After that me and Mary Lou watched High School Musical.  Then Mrs Kathy made homeade.  It was delicious.  It has been a great day.  I am about to go play soccer with the church people before church. Tommorrow the Wallers and I are heading to Santa Cruz.  Hopefully I will catch a bus to La Paz.  Mrs Kathy has to have surgery for her sinus problems so pray for that.  It will be sad leaving these wonderful people.  They have been great and a blast to be around.  I will also miss the food ha.  They have been such a blessing from God not just for me for two weeks but for all of the people in this area who they have touched.  Pray for safe travels. -Addison-