Day 3

Work day 2 (our third day in Bolivia) was even better than work day one! We spent our time doing construction, playing soccer with the adults, and assisting in an after school program for kids.

Again, we were up at 6:45 to hit the road by 8:00. Our driver Johnny is proving to be one of the most valuable members of the team, since the roads here are nuts! Traffic lights are mere suggestions, tailgating is the norm, pedestrians are unpredictable, and right of way goes to the most aggressive driver. Johnny has been fantastic—we are in awe at his ability to navigate the perilous streets of Cochabamba.

A surprise awaited us in Uspa Uspa. The locals had continued the work when we were gone and had made quite a bit of progress. It's amazing how they work. They don't use any of the tools or standards that we do, yet their craftsmanship is something to be seen. For instance, they measure distances by walking it off. When they need to dig a ditch, they eyeball it for straightness. They don't use rebar to strengthen their concrete work—they simply pour a layer, let it set a little, and then stick rocks halfway into the drying concrete. When the concrete is dry, the rocks will function as rebar. It's crazy!

We continued the dirt and rock work, and then transitioned to concrete. I expected to mix the concrete by hand, but they had a mixer that sped the work up. Consistent with their other methods, the measurements for the concrete were: 1 bucket of water, 3 shovels full of cement, and 14 shovels full of gravel. When all of the materials were in the mixer, they would eyeball the consistency and tell us what we needed to add. But, their methods worked. We were able to lay a foundation for the external walls!

We were supposed to work from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, but we finished early. So, at 11:30 we went back up to the soccer court for some futbol. These are some of my favorite times—not because I love soccer so much, but because it is a great time with the local Bolivians with whom we otherwise would not be able to communicate. We played soccer for about an hour and then headed back down the hill for lunch.

After lunch, we returned to the FH Uspa Uspa headquarters for the after school program. About 50 or so kids showed up for help with their homework. Working with the kids was a little frustrating at first because of the language barrier. Those who were able to speak a little Spanish could help the kids with their math or art projects, but the older kids studying geography or natural science were pretty much on their own.

When all of the kids had finished their homework, we started to play. This is when all of the kids lit up. We kicked around a soccer ball, played keep away with a basketball, jumped rope, and took lots of pictures. The kids loved seeing their pictures on the digital cameras. (I would upload more pictures or video, but the internet connection here is pretty slow.)

Thanks for praying for us. Today was an amazing day. Chip Maxson was able to pray with a girl named Ophelia—she is sponsored by the Believers Fellowship youth group. He prayed that God would take care of her family and help her get through school. She didn't have a Bible, so he gave her a Spanish-English one that he brought. She was excited to receive the Bible, but even more excited that it had English, too! When Chip finished praying for Ophelia, they were both in tears. It was pretty moving.

Please continue to pray for us as we interact with the people of Uspa Uspa. Members of the community join us for the construction projects, and we get to spend a lot of time with the kids. All of this means that we have a lot of time with unbelievers. We don't speak the same language, but we are able to communicate. Please pray that we will have a positive influence on them!

I am very impressed with Food for the Hungry so far. They are a great organization—very intentional and skilled in their work.