Schools of Samaipata and a vampire monkey

As I mentioned, the reason we came to Bolivia is we love the work that Rocky and Joske and their talented team at Mission Generation are doing in the schools of Latin America.

Anyone that knows me (and Katie to a lesser extent for that matter) knows that I am not an academic nor have I ever been. So, why are we excited about visiting schools? Great question. Simple answer. The schools of South America are begging for help with certain issues such as drop out rates, gang participation, teenage pregnancy, and drugs to name a few. Mission Generation has been using a Bible based curriculum that has dramatically helped each country where they are working.

While I am stoked about the reading, riting and rithmatic, I am ecstatic about the wide open door to proclaim the Gospel message in the PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!

We spoke in 5 different classrooms today in 3 different schools. In each class the kids shared about their daily life in California and I shared about having a true life purpose. All of us were able to speak freely about what Jesus means to us in our lives.

In between speaking in the schools, Carlos took us to a "zoo" today. We walk into the zoo and immediately notice 1) we are the only ones there and 2) there are monkeys jumping from tree to tree with no cages. One monkey that was in a cage (apparently for a reason) wanted to shake hands with everyone, especially Jake. The zoo attendant (read, volunteer from Germany) told us it was OK to shake the monkeys hand. Jake didn't want to shake. We finally cajoled the Big Guy to shake the monkeys hand...and it immediately grabbed Jake with BOTH hands and started screeching in a primal, possessed sort of way barring its vampire-like teeth. Needless to say we wont be petting any more monkeys any time soon. The irony of the whole thing is that Jake was the only one brave enough to hold a monkey earlier in the day.

After we were done visiting the schools, Carlos took us to the next valley via a "road" to visit a school they are in the process of constructing. At home we would call this a fire road in severe disrepair. Picture the road to Holy Jim Trail with a steep ascent. As an added bonus, it started to rain making it treacherous when we ran into an oncoming car. Carlos asked that we all get out of the car as he didn't want us to plummet to our death while he tried to pass the car.

Three highlights from this trip are 1) grabbing yogurt from a "factory" that was amazing. It looked like a looted building with cows all over 2) seeing tobacco growing in a field and it being dried on the side of the fence 3) the car ride home---going the safer "paved" route. This ride literally took us up into clouds that were so thick we came to a complete stop because we could not see the road at all. I had visions of either being slammed into by a drunk truck driver or spending the night in the car on the side of a Bolivian mountain. Either option was not appealing to me. If it wasn't for a very slow truck that passed us we never would have made it. I have never been so glad to suck diesel exhaust in my life!!!