Jen Fodor - The World Race 2008

AMAZING Film Series - Check it out!

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My good friend's have put together an amazing short documentary series called Deidox about how God is active in the world. Check out the trailer and please visit the website!!!!

Deidox Trailer from Deidox on Vimeo.

Download the entire film(s) at www.deidox.com - it's "pay what you want"!

Los Angeles, CA to Grand Rapids, MI to Now

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I'm back from the race.

Did this year really happen? At times I ask myself that... then I get to talk to some of my fellow racers on the phone and I am reminding... OF COURSE IT DID!! haha.

Honestly, I really have been enjoying being back to the states. I absolutely love seeing my friends and family. And being able to encourage the people I come in contact with where ever they may be in their walks in faith.

This year has EMPOWERED me to be the Woman of God I am called to be.
I know who I am in Christ Jesus.
I freaken love Jesus so much with all of my heart it hurts at times.
I want to bring life into every situation I come in contact with and UNLOCK the Kingdom where I am right now.

People ask me the question.... NOW WHAT?

The job question comes up quite frequently... God has been providing in weird ways and I am not worried at ALL! I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be. My motto to people has been "one day at a time"... I do have a tentative plan of moving back to California at the end of January... but I'm open to whatever God has for me right now and just taking it one day at time.

So currently I'm hanging out in Grand Rapids. Sleeping on a friends couch so I don't have to commute between GR & my parents house. Next week I'm gonna start work truck driving (a big pickup truck) again to save up some money. Hopefully some freelance video work will also come my way.

So that's my life at the current moment.

P.S. Any racers on the field right now... seriously think about staying a week with a few racers to readjust back into US life. It really helps to have someone you can relate to!

That's all for now!

Sicknesses 101

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

First.... I HAVE REACHED FULL SUPPORT!!!!! :-D it's so exciting. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support this year.... I cannot believe that I have reached my goal. thank you thank you THANK YOU!!! Couldn't do it without you.

So over the year our Jan 08 team has battled many many sicknesses.... take a look.

Eli got the typhoid in Bolivia...

5 of us had the dengue fever this year at various times. (Nate, Rusty, Me, Tammy &...also Steve not pictured in the photo.)

Matt got malaria...

Herpes on various legs, arms, or lips... (Robby, Becky, Matt, & Patrice)

Meredith had a really bad ear infection, which prolonged her journey to Africa...

Tickbite fever....(Gretchen, Tammy, Robby, Mark, & myself)

Robby, Eli, & Matt had to deal with wonderful parasites inside their stomaches....

Ring Worm.... Kelton, Me, Eli, & Nate.

Rubie had to deal with a weird throat infection or what she likes to call a peppermint patty stuck in her throat (haha)!

Andi & I had to deal with head lice...

I don't remember what sickness this was...but Tammy, Robby, & Matt had it. (haha love you guys)

We've all had to deal with diarrhea all year long....

Just normal typical 3rd world diseases... we all survived and are healthy and happy. Sickness didn't slow us down just made us stronger in the long run.... it was an amazing year!

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If you would like to support me further to help pay for my reimbursements including health insurance please click on support me! :)

Never Going Back to OK

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

5 days left on the Race nostalgic video mosaic
by Kim Daniels :)

Its not the end, but it feels like it is

I'm waking up, like I'm back from the dead

...

I'm never going back to okay.

Never Going Back to OK from Kim on Vimeo.

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Only $128 left to raise!!!!! Oh yeah!!! Please help me achieve my dream and not be in debt! So awesome - thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Click on Support Me!

The Killing Fields - Cambodia

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cambodia had a brutal mass genocide in the late 1970s by the Khmer Rouge . More than 2 million people were massacred.

Right before I came on The World Race I met a woman while waiting for a friend who was trying on some clothes at a department store.

She was a Cambodian and out of nowhere she went into graphic detail about what happened to her and her family when then Khmer Rouge were taking families hostage. She escaped and now was raising her family in California.

Being here in Cambodia and now remembering that story and seeing The Killing Fields (the place where the Khmer Rouge took the Cambodian people to be killed) has struck (yet again) at my heart the brutality that is out there in the world.

Why did so many people die?

Why couldn't it be stopped sooner?

After witnessing these burial grounds and camps I can't stop thinking about the theme of love vs. power.

I am reminded that power and control enforced by man never wins.

God is not a God of manipulative control. He doesn't use His power to you make you love Him. He is a good God who loves you regardless, but it's your choice if you want to follow Him.

He is one that desires to know you, but only you can make that decision to turn to Him.

Doesn't mean you have to be perfect. Doesn't mean you have to have it all together. He would rather you be broken and your heart open.

After witnessing so many different countries, playing with kids who don't have much, seeing The Killing Fields and so many other things, I know Jesus is the one who brings ultimate joy, peace, and love.

I don't want to go back to my wavering attitude about who God is.

I can now tell you that God really does redeem, heal, and love. And wants us to pursue Him no matter how perfect or imperfect you think your life is.

God is restoring Cambodia from the controlling power of evil. He's restoring America.

He's renewing and restoring so many communities around the world and so many people.

It's a beautiful thing to see people rising up

and saying no to evil and saying yes to love.

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Currently as of Nov 5th I am in need of $748! Only 15 days left until the end of the race. Please click on this LINK to support me! Thank you for all your support this year... I couldn't be more thankful!

Hong Kong Highlight Video

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Here is a Hong Kong highlight video I helped make!

We taught English in a primary school in Hong Kong. It was an enjoyable month.

Take a look.

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Getting so much closer to my goal... currently I have $908 dollars left to raise! Thank you everyone for your continuous support!

Funny India Video!

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So I made this video right before we left India. Then life happened & we got to Thailand and I got the dengue fever and was in the hospital...

But now I FINALLY got to edit it!

I think it's funny. Hopefully you will too!

Check it out.

India Video from jen on Vimeo.

Thanks to Rusty and Nate for their help making the video!

I'll have some posts about Hong Kong coming up, but tomorrow Sunday we head to Cambodia to meet up with the rest of the squad. The next month is really gonna fly by.

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Your support this year has been amazing!!! I'm so close to being at full support.... only $1500 to go!!! Just click on Support Me! on the left hand side of the screen. 1 month left thanks again and again and again! :-)

Quick Update Hong Kong

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We have made it safely to Hong Kong!

We are teaching English at a Primary School and it's pretty amazing!

It was national day on Wednesday and I got to see some pretty amazing fireworks! Check out a picture.

We are here until Oct 17th then on the 18th head back down to Cambodia.

Please be praying for our safety there's a typhoon headed our way.... but the locals seem not to be worried about it. Must be pretty normal.

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Each day I keep getting closer to our support goal! Currently I need $2113. Thanks for all of your support this year!

My Time in Thailand

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This year has been about building relationships from the people on my team that I've been traveling/living with and everyone we have met at each of the countries we've visited. It really has been awesome being here in Thailand and working with She Self Help & Empower. I have loved getting to know the girls that have taken that step to leave the sex industry and really start caring about themselves and their self worth.

When we weren't working at the shop during the day usually about 4 times a week we have been hitting the streets on Bangla Road in Patong, Thailand.

We would go prayer walk the streets and hit the bars. Talking to different girls and getting to know them and what their life is like. The one thing my team and I kept repeating over and over is that it's all about love.

Sometimes in life you want things to change in an instant for maybe a certain person or situation.

I just want these girls to leave their jobs to come and work making jewelry (or just put them in my pocket and take them with me), but it takes genuine friendships of visiting and getting to know them to build up that trust.

And the only way real change will happen in their life is through people praying for them that the Holy Spirit will start moving in their hearts to step out to make the change.

So please be praying for:

Miow and Pawn

Phung

And also Nan and Took.... who I don't have photos of.

But lets not forget....
All the girls at SHE

And Mark & Sharon the founders of SHE.

I just hope and pray that one day they will be moved to make a change like the girls at SHE so they know and realize "they ARE worth it!"

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Thanks to everyone who has been supporting me! I am getting closer and still am in need of $2153!!! Please click on Support Me! if you would like to help me finish my journey. Thanks again!

Supporters Update - Thailand!

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the happenings of Jen Fodor. We have spent the last 5 weeks in India, the weather was brutal and hot, the last 10 days I've had to battle the dengue fever and thankfully have made it through!

We are now in Thailand spilt up into small groups once again and are working with a ministry called SHE MINISTRIES that empowers girls who want to get out of the sex trafficking industry. They give them jobs making jewelry so they can find their self worth once again.

Even though the dengue has set me back the next week we will be working in the bar scene in Phuket and Patong, Thailand. Please be praying for our ministry and that the girls we meet will be open to the new opportunities that will be set before them.

I am staying on the race until the very end, but I have NOT made my support goal. So please consider supporting me - I still need $3000. By you saving money on two cups of coffee a week you are putting me $15 closer to my goal so please make my journey apart of your daily life.

Thanks for everyone's support this year... Couldn't do it without you!!!!

Love,
Jen

Please visit my blog and see what I was working on in India:

http://jenniferfodor.theworldrace.org

Video of Burmese Refugee Struggles

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Some people on our team have been working with Burmese Refugees.

Here's a short video I helped with about the struggles they face in New Delhi.

I've mainly been working at the orphanage but for the short time I have spent they are some of the most genuine people I've ever met.

Please take a look...

New Delhi Burmese Struggles from jen on Vimeo.

India Photos!

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Photos!!! I've been enjoying my time here in India... I've been working at an orphanage and working with university students. A couple weeks ago we also visited the Taj Mahal.

Enjoy the pics.

One week and we head to Thailand!

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Support Update.

Currently I have $10,900.00 I NEED $2,900! Please help me if you can. Thanks to everyone who has supported me so far! Love you all.

My India Birthday

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I celebrated my big 2-7 on the 10th in INDIA! It was fun!

-Went on a birthday run.

-I had a relaxing afternoon.

-Ate pizza at pizza hut! (what could be more indian than that?)

Check out this video and pictures. ((vimeo was down so you tube it is!)

birthday hat.

being sung to.

team r-japan aka kaleo!

rachel cutting the cake.

dance party!

Who would ever think I would celebrate a Birthday in India?!

Thanks to my teammates and squad for the encouragements and a great day!

Safe and Sound - now on to India!

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

For those of you that haven't heard our entire team (minus my team Kaleo) were robbed by gunpoint Tuesday night. My team was returning from Botswana and arrived about 5 mins after it happened. Thankfully no one was hurt! This is an email that our squad leader Rusty Jackson wrote to our parents. I seriously have loved Africa so much and was really shocked all of this had happened, but God is good and everyone is safe.

We leave for India today which I am super pumped about! Thank you to everyone for your prayers.

Much love,

Jen

Rusty Jackson's Letter:

Dear World Race parents,

First off I want to apologize to ya'll for just now getting in touch with you. The last couple days have been hectic and stressful to say the least. And my TOP priority has been getting the squad moved out of the hostel and into a location where the folks can feel safe. Not to mention, some of us have been scrambling to get new passports and visas for our upcoming trip to India. So thank you very much for your patience in all this. I can't even imagine the worry ya'll must have been going thru and are still going through.

I'm sure you have heard all sorts of things about what happened two nights ago, so let me just give you the facts. Tuesday afternoon the whole squad, minus Patrice's team, (Patrice, Nate, Angie, Andi and Jen) arrived at The Brown Sugar Hostel in Johannesburg.

I realize it's got a funny name, but the hostel is not in a bad part of Jo'Burg plus we have stayed there three different times while in Africa. So I felt safe about bringing the team here. Anyway, around 8p that evening probably four, maybe five men came into the hostel armed with pistols and told everyone to get on their face in the lounge area. That's where about 12 of us were and the rest of the squad was being held in their dorm room.

Guns were pointed at people, threats were made, but NO ONE was physically harmed. Praise the Lord! However, LOTS of our stuff was taken: cash, cameras, computers, passports, phones, clothes, IPOD's, etc. I'd say the whole thing lasted about 20 minutes. As soon as it was over, the first thing we did was to make sure everyone was OK. Then we started taking an inventory of what was taken, I called AIM, and then people began calling and canceling cards. So anyway, things are just now settling down.

Just so you know, I got the squad at a missionary base an hour away from Jo'Burg. Luckily, when we get to India our team coaches Michael and Kathy Hindes will be there to help us process thru everything. Believe me, we are taking this matter seriously and we do understand the need for counseling at this time.

Now speaking of India, those that needed new passports got them and the whole squad has its visas. So, we will fly out in two groups this weekend. The first will leave Friday and the next group Saturday.

Again thank you for your patience. I love each one of your kids so much and their safety and well-being is my main concern.

Philippians 3:8

Mozambique & Me

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

my month in mozambique in a nutshell via photossss....

we look an 18 hr bus drive to beira, mozambique.

the bus broke down.

so why not video and take random pictures as we wait for 2 hours?

this is mama rita's house where she houses the 20 or so orphans. she housed all 6 of us north americans. their hospitality was amazing... to say the very least.

this is mama rita.

and peter. they are some of the people that saw the need for taking all of the kids in...

this is the land where they are dreaming of putting the real orphanage one day... i seriously love their vision and they completely want to be self sufficient with having their own means of income.

one day they were mashing maize... i tried it out.

in the house there were a lot of rats around. this is one that killed by the poison... jonah doesn't wince.

some of the beautiful kids we would play with...

how many people can we pack into the mini bus? this was a question we would ask each day...

another mode of transportation to the rural parts of africa.... known as "the bush"....

we rode for many many hours.... lets just say we had some sore bums near the end of the trip.

once we arrived at various places in the bush... we would encounter as we would like to call it.... "the art of staring"

me trying to set up our tents.

i'm trying from inside my tent to take a nap during the middle of the day since we started travel at 3am in the morning...

on our way back to swaziland we got a fun day of snorkeling!

amazing times in mozambique!

A Day In the Life of an Orphan

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hey Everyone,

I haven't had the time to edit video as I have liked, but my teammate Nate put together an awesome blog of a "Day In the Life of an Orphan".... check out his blog below of our time at Mama Ritas!

Also his blog at http://nateevans.theworldrace.org

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From Nate Evans Blog:

In my last blog I mentioned about a lady named Mama Rita and the 20 orphans that she helps take care of at her house. We spent over 2 weeks with her and a man named Peter who has 12 more orphans at his house. About 8 days of that was spent living at Mama Rita's house. I learned about contentment, serving and incarnational living with the poor all while getting to know beautiful people of the Lord.

And although I am currently in Cape Town, South Africa, the next two or three blogs I do will be about the life-changing time I had in Mozambique.

So come meet some beautiful orphans and the people who serve them.

This is Patricia.

She is 7 years old and is in the 3^rd grade.

She has one biological sister named Anaclesia that is 10 years old and 19 other brothers and sisters ranging from 2 years old to 21 years old.

She likes singing and playing with her friends.

Mama Rita had this to say about her,

"I love the deeds of Patricia. She doesn't fight with others. If she wants something, she makes sure to ask. She is always very kind to visitors and she has a beautiful smile."

Here is her back story:

When she was 5 years old, her Father and Mother both found out they had contracted the HIV Aids virus. They committed suicide by taking poison shortly after they had found out.

The parents were both members of the local church Mama Rita and her late husband Ezekiel had founded. Patricia's relatives would not accept custody and so Mama Rita took her into her home.

At first, Patricia took the death of her parents pretty hard and wouldn't eat. She was so thin, she was taken to hospital and they found out she was extremely malnourished. Eventually she was able to cope with her parents death better after spending month's in the loving, Christ centered environment that is Mama Rita's house.

Now, I want you to walk through a typical day for Patricia.

Monday through Friday she attends school from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. She walks there with a few of her brothers and sisters.

(I apologize for some of the photo quality of the pics. I had to leave in a rush and had to take some of these pictures from video footage. None the less I hope you still get a good idea of what her day is like!)

A good part of the day for Patricia is spent here. Outside the house with the other children and Mom's just hanging out.

As she plays around the house, her mom and other mom's spend most of the day preparing the food.

But even before the food can be prepared, the maize has to be mashed. And although Patricia is too young to do this task, the time will come well this one of her daily tasks in helping prepare the food.

And trust me this picture doesn't really do this justice. Doing this is a cardio-vascular workout few Americans have ever known.

A close up view of this daily cardio-vascular task.

No video games, cable t.v. or toys to occupy her time. She often plays this simple game similar to jacks except played with rocks. (The way all the kids hang out and play together is actually a beautiful thing to witness)

Need water? Well, she can't just turn on the faucet because there isn't one. The water has to be fetched from this well down the street. Which she and other kids have the responsibility of doing.

And what does her family do at night? Just what you thought African orphans might do.
Get together to watch their favorite Brazilian soap opera!

(I'm not kidding about this one. I thought it was hilarious to see 20 African orphans so dedicated to watching a soap opera every night!)

This is Mama Rita with her 2 year old son Martz. She is the mother of 20 children, so I imagine being in her arms like that is a pretty special privelage.

Night time has come and Patricia (center with braids) prepares to find her place on the mattresses along with her 19 brother and sisters.

She hopes to fall asleep right away but often can't until everyone else is finally settled in.

She is usually woken up around 6 a.m. when other kids start stirring around.

My next blog will have some video footage of the kids at Mama Rita's......

Get exited!

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This Blog is from:

http://nateevans.theworldrace.org

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I am still in need of support. $1250... pretty much ASAP! :) I seriously could not be doing this kind of work without all of you!

Quick Update

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So we've made it back to South Africa. Right now we are in Jo-Berg and on Saturday we will head to Cape Town. I must say it was quite a change from being in Mozambique and Swaziland these two months.

I will hopefully be able to put together a short highlight video of our time in Mozambique these next days!

Support Update: I need $1250 by July 2nd (a total o f $11,040) in order to keep me on the race! Thanks for all of your support thus far! I couldn't be doing this without you guys!!!

Mama Rita & Love

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What has this past month been like?

It's been joyful. It's been hard. It's been draining.

Even during the hard times our team has went through God has been teaching me more about love.

I learn about God best through experience. It's been hard at times to accept that God doesn't speak to me always directly through the Word, but it's through people, places, and a little singing, and dancing.

It's funny because I wrote in my journal a few weeks back that I needed to really start studying in the Bible what true hope, joy, and love is.

I was slightly discouraged since I feel like I don't always understand the Bible a 100% or know the history behind it - it discourages me from reading it.

Jesus knows me though and even though I was not putting forth the effort to follow through He taught me through Mama Rita. There may be a language barrier, but she is a woman who exemplifies joy and love not only in her personality, but also by what she does.

I have always read about taking care of widows and orphans, but I have never really seen it put into practice. She is a widow herself and lives in a tiny two-bedroom house and cares for 22 orphans.

She welcomed us with open arms and was so hospitable to our entire team. They fed us meals better than they would prepare for themselves. They gave us the best they had. And it wasn't possible to not accept it because that would be stripping them of their way of blessing us and expressing their love.

Living in this community was amazing! Mama Rita took these kids into her house even though she barely has anything herself.

This truly spoke to me about the love God has for each and everyone of us.

Through experiences like this, maybe - just maybe the scriptures will now become even more alive, living and active to me.

And I will be inspired in a deeper way to take the time to learn and study more about my faith.

Update!

Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hey everyone!!!

We have made it safely to Mozambique. We encountered the 18 hr bus drive and only broke down once! We are now working with Mama Rita who is one of the most joyus people I have ever met. I will have pictures and video in the next couple weeks! Just wanted to give you all a quick update.

Curently I have $8900 in my support account and am in need of $1450! Thank you everyone for your support so far. I know the Lord will provide.

Lucky the Lion ESCAPES!

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Sawabona!

So this past month we have been living and camping at a safari game park. It was quite the adventure! It was amazing going on walks in the morning and being able to see random zebras, giraffes, and ostriches. There was also though LUCKY THE LION!

One day he escaped.... Check out the video!

Lucky the Lion Escaped! from jen on Vimeo.

Also here is a video from our walks in the morning. They have an on site herpetologist (person that studies snakes and reptiles) and one morning we went nilemonitor (lizard) hunting.....

Safari Adventures! from jen on Vimeo.

Random fact: One of my favorite things about the race is meeting new people. I loved getting to know the workers of where we were staying.

Here are some other random pics.....

visiting the snake house and freaking out over the boa constrictor...

when lucky the lion was having a better day...

normal days included...

while eating our breakfast each morning we would watch barry the crocidile doing his thing he does best... chillin`

we would wake up each morning and randomly animals would be hanging outside of our tents...

Good times at the Safari place!

Friday = Mozambique!

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

It has been an amazing month here is Swaziland. Working with the orphans and seeing the hope and joy on the kid's faces in the midst of poverty and dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic... I really can't even put it into words at times.

Our next country we go to is Mozambique. We start our journey on Friday stay a night in a hostel and on Saturday we take a 18 hour bus ride to Beira. We don't know exactly what this month will look like, but we do know we will be working at some orphanages. Please be praying for my team (rrr Japan aka Kaleo) that we get there safely. I may be out of Internet contact for a little while.

Thanks again for all of your continual prayers and support!

Beautiful Swazi Voices!

Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Here's some Swazi's singing it up! I got this from my friend Nate's blog.

Hope you enjoy!

The Swazi people are so beautiful!

Nsoko Project

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Financial Update: I have $8735.00 raised as of May 28th! Thank for your support so far. I still in need $1615.00 by June 1st! Love you all!!!

Swaziland Video!

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Here is a short video of what I've been doing this past month in Swaziland!

Nsoko, Swaziland from jen on Vimeo.

Besides playing and working with orphans I've been using my skills putting together a promotional video for G42 and also have been busy filming follow up work for Dear Francis! It's been a busy month. On Thursday we head to Mozambique.

Please consider supporting me so I am not sent home from the race! Right now I have $8000... woohoo praise God! I need $10,350 by June 1st! All donations are tax deductible. And really just think... $10 a person adds up quick! :)

Nsoko, Swaziland

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hello hello hello from Swaziland, Africa!

So much has been going on these past 3 weeks that I've wanted to share, but have been without Internet access.

Now that we are in Africa our teams have split off into different parts of Southern Africa. Our first month lead us to Nosoko, Swaziland where we have been working with an organization called G42 (Generation 42). (Click on the link if you would like more info about the organization).

Swaziland is one of the most affected countries in Africa dealing with HIV/AIDS. 600,000 children have been orphaned, and 16,000 adults and children died from AIDS in 2006 alone. In order to help the next generation of Swazi's our contact in Nosoko has established 6 care points in this region of Swaziland where each day orphans come get fed and have a small school session where they learn basic Saswati and English.

Part of our ministry this month was that our team, (Japan aka Kaleo) started a database of all the kids at each of the care points. Our team would take photos of the kids and then take down their information about family background, their favorite subject at school etc etc. This is going to be used for people who would like to sponsor these children in the United States and else where so they can get proper education and food since many of them are without immediate family.

You always hear about what other organizations are doing like Compassion where you donate money each month for a child in Africa or another 3rd world country. It's awesome to actually see and meet the children who are going to be sponsored by people back in the states!

I really enjoyed this time with the kids because we had plenty of time to just play and love the kids each day.

Here are some photos:

(the team walking to the care point)

(she wasn't too happy... later she fell asleep in my arms)

Oh and in a couple days I will have some video!!! Stay tuned..

p.s. some of my talented teammates took these photos.

*****My support right now is at $7700.00. I need to to have $10,000.00 by June 1st (10 days) if I want to continue doing this ministry. If you feel led please consider supporting me on the left side of the screen! Thanks.******

Bread Run - Coachabomba, Bolivia

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of my favorite days here in Coachabomba was a Saturday about 2 weeks ago. Before heading to the village outside of town we went to the market to buy bread, cereal, bags of milk, and fruit to give away.

The joy on the kids faces was amazing! It was a good day.

Isaiah 58:7-9a ...Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'

Workin' It in the Rainforest!

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Part of our time here in Bolivia has been working with various orphanages around the Coachabomba area. We have been helping with the up keep and playing with the kids at each place. It's been awesome!

About 4 days ago we returned from the rainforest in Chapare. We spent a good 10 days helping to build an orphanage. I became an expert in varnishing, painting, and even tried my hand at using a machaete to mow the lawn.

Here are some pics from our experience.

this is where we slept.

we would work from about 9-5 each day.

some of my teammates cleaning the bricks.

where ever you go there are massive amounts of kids! one night i got literally dragged into the church to put together an impromptu Fiesta Con Dios. my friend kelton and i thought of random songs and games to play with the kids... we were both exhausted after working so much during the day, but to see the excitement on their faces was amazing!

me & rachel with some of the neighborhood kids.

the beginning of the staircase we built.

working on the lawn.

(gotta love my tubular socks! - haha!)

the orphanage almost complete!

the many roosters that were around to wake us up bright and early!

another sweet memory besides the games and songs night was when some girls asked me to play volleyball with them the next day. so 6 of us girls met up with the teenagers at their school... little did we know it was gonna be a FULL FLEDGED volleyball game.

Under the lights. Their coach was present. We shook hands. They used the whistle. They were all in their high school uniforms practicing on us for their championship game!

We were all laughing so hard... some of us were in our flip flops. It was Bolivia VS. The US World Race team...

hahaha.

I haven't been in a legit volleyball game since high school....

I wish I had pictures.... if we only knew how intense it was gonna be!

Needless to say.... Bolivia won! haha.

mud slide 101

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

flashback to iquitos, peru....

when it rained it rained. the mud was thick. thus i got dragged into the mud flight... one good lesson. never point and laugh.

yummy yummy good mud times in iquitos, peru!

thanks to mark and rachel for the photos!

yo <3 bolivia - tunari mtn.

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

man, bolivia is beautiful!

on friday we left cochabomba, bolivia to go to a small village to deliver some food since one of their main food sources is potatoes. after visiting the village we went a bit farther because our host wanted to take us on a hike. all of us thought.... oh this will just be a nice little afternoon hike. take some nice scenic pictures - you know. we were already at 14,000 ft when the bus stopped to drop us off.

no one had any idea what they were getting their selves into.

it began with a nice grassy fields, rocks to climb through, llamas, and sheep playing in the distance....

we kept telling each other... not much further, not much further....

once we kept getting closer it turned into a 70-80 degree rock climb... and there was even remnants of snow!

there were times where i thought i CANNOT do this anymore. if it wasn't for some of my teammates support and encouragement i wouldn't have pushed through at all.

it was SCARY... i think about it and man i would have never done anything like this 3 or 4 years ago.

but I conquered Tunari Mountain and reached the highest peak in Bolivia at 17,000 ft!

not everyone made it. altitude played a huge factor... some people felt like they were drunk... others got light headed. i actually felt ok and had no real side affects from the altitude. just sore sore arms from hanging on for dear life at times....hahahaha!

i really can't believe we did this.... climbed 3000 ft to reach 17,000ft... intense!

us coming back down concentrating so hard.....

[fyi: i usually dislike analogies to rock climbing and stuff.... ]

but really this hike really reminds me of life and all the struggles and challenges we go through...
goodtimes.
badtimes.
challenges.
places where you think you just can't make it anymore.
the Lord seriously brought me through....what a day.

the fan debacle - nauta, peru.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

my friend kim put together these two videos!

we really needed a fan for the girls.

this is where we lived when we were on the amazon....

Covert Operation from Kim on Vimeo.

reconciliation... (i'm near the end of the video).

Covert Operation Reconciliation from Kim on Vimeo.

more updates on what's been going on later today!

Robison - Iquitos, Peru.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

after living in nauta on the amazon for 2 weeks. we finished our time in peru in iquitos.

it was good.

we really got involved in a village just right outside of town.

the Lord led us to help a family.

meet robison. he's 13 years old and has been out of school for 3 years due to his horrible eye sight. he had surgery in december so he could see better.... however the next step after receiving the surgery was to get glasses. however, his family couldn't afford to get the bifocals he needed. we met the family about a week before school started and robison's vision was starting to reverse.

after doing a little research we knew this was something that we could help the family with. we then brought robison and his grandmother to the doctor's office so he could pick out his new bifocals.

all week we had been sharing with the church in the village different worship styles. one night it was a powerful painting. another night it was going back to our Jewish roots and putting together a Jewish Sadir. We talked about the old covenant before Jesus' time and talked about the new covenant and at the end it was a time of giving thanks of what God had been doing in our lives and what he has brought us out of...

it was awesome.

at the end we gave Robison his glasses and some school supplies so he could start school the next day!

it was a great night and it was wonderful to be able to bless this family with something so simple as glasses that will help him down the long road!

our team with the whole family.

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each day i am getting closer to reaching my full support of $13,800! thank you to everyone who has been supporting and encouraging me throughout these months. i still need of a little bit more.... if you feel lead please click on the support me! link on the left hand side of the page. thanks so much everyone! i have been growing so much over these months and truly have been learning what it is to follow my Rabbi - Jesus.