It has been several years since posting. The other medium is less private but easier. The posts of the Middle East and Africa I did have a concern for the safety of the people we helped. That was not the case in 2022 during a three wk. An Ag irrigation consulting trip to Tunisa. I May post that one someday.

For now, our trip to take in the culture we found in New Mexico and Utah merits the time to post here.

Santa Fe dates 400 years. But first to live in region was 500 AD. I have seen Mesa Verda in Colorado, but our American Natives are properly honored at many New Mexico sites. This trip was to one site.

The Indian Hoop Boy Dancer
on museum hill

The Hispanic Artisans today represent Spanish contributions of the first explorers, missionaries, a successful Pueblo uprising in 1680 reflected in local governance and memorial to Franciscan Martyrs. 

The Santa Fe Trail Started in Missouri 1821 with first 40 wagons arriving in 1824. These trade goods and then Americans shifted the culture. Annexation followed by 1848. Territory to statehood by 1912.

    

Today these cultures are integrated only as New Mexico can. On Palm Sunday three inner city churches proceed to the City Plaza. A Bagpipe Player, a Scottish tradition, leads the first NM Protestant Church.

Sunrise in Arches National Park
The changes from the pine and snowcap mountains to the upper Colorado River floor is dramatic.

Entrance into Arches NP requires a steep serpentine drive up a sandstone cliff.

 

Arrived at the Delicate Arch early morning. 

Amazing to see these ancient petrographs along the hiking trail to the Arch

 

View along roadway can see La Sal Mountains in distance blending into the clouds. 

The Devil's Garden hike after passing though sandstone folds leads to prickly pear sand gardens and the Landscape Arch

Debbie in the Arch's Garden of Eden

Balanced Rock along main route before the Eden turn-off. 

The La Sal Mountains in the gap

No this is not me on top of a Garden rock.

Dropped my backpack for photo at one of the Window arches. Hiked nearly ten miles all together. 

Devil's Bridge in April 2024. Sedona has its unique beauty. But one bridge does not compare to the 2,000 arches saw this year.

May 2024 was a far different experience in Arizona. After 30 inches of snow that weekend, I had to work in one afternoon on the Sun Bowl slopes before going home.

 

Mission to Beni, Boliva to build a Church

Sunday June 17, 2018 Asamblea De Dios Bolivia - Municipality Puente San Pablo

The pastor's message was current, strong and clear of the concern for the young and

the influences from the outside. Not unlike what may have heard a generation ago.



Song and community was friendly

What is it to believe? Faith in Christ's Grace. A daily struggle to understand. At some point, at least for some a strong need to serve is tapped. When I lost a friend. It was a even more poignant when I realized he had followed me into the military because of admiration for my drive to make a better unit. A great need grew in me to find a meaningful direction. I have tried to use my few talents to help others. This brought me to many countries including Bolivia.




San Pablo is three hours from Trinidad, on the road to Santa Cruz. The plane flight from La Paz to Trinidad is less than a hour.  Samarian Purse built the San Pablo Church with voluntary support a few years ago. Some thirty minutes down a gravel road, past newly cleared fields of rice, soybean and corn is the village of New Dawn (Nueva Aurora).

The new Nueva Aurora Church will allow congregation members to participate weekly at Sunday, though the week, Sunday School programs and members needs will be met. Before travel to San Pablo limited worship to once or twice a month. The new church in Nueva Aurora will benefit many.

Team members made the trip not as a romantic adventure, but to make a difference. Samaritan's Purse believes in sharing the gospel. Many team members have talents which helps does that. Also the resilience of a community is as much a credit to the love of family as God's love. Programs that help mothers better care for infants, fathers care for his wife and new born, hand washing stations at schools, safer water supplies for communities all support the welfare of the family. Finally development programs that encourage better use of resources for greater profits, healthier food to eat and sell, in some cases finally having anything to sell made the exceptional finally the norm. The average small landholder should have the opportunity to enjoy some of the same things the large operators in the Department enjoy now. By sharing our knowledge, labor and skills, as an volunteer we are helping these people realize a little bit of their own hopes, dreams and aspirations.

It was not all work! Fellowship grew daily from sharing meals, excursions to river, town and La Paz. But our meals was a big part of the adventure. This has been the only event I have gained weight.


Great Food & Fellowship with Abby SP Intern

Team with pastor's family provide meals in San Pablo

Late night Steak Snacks

Last meal with Samaritan's Purse Staff

Shopping in La Paz



Catching a rooftop sunrise

Still why go?

I have believed  for over twelve years that a greater purpose must be out there. I had a need to do something useful. I believed if I had the health to travel and my skills and ability could serve then it was something I needed  to do.

In 2014 I made the first trip guided by the bible passage from Ephesians 2:4-10 10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them"

After 2016 I did feel the release from the need, but still I believed this was something I should do. At that point I made three trips in a year to Africa. The results of the last trip, to Liberia, was posted here on the blog as Sept. 2017. I also plan to post the May 2017 development trip to Guinea which demonstrated benefits of drip irrigation later on the Development Blog.

This 2018  trip to Beni was important to keep me grounded. The bible passage I have found that describes the lesson is: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 7 even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Simply put you may have done OK, but do not get a big head. There will always be one more job to do.

My group from North America helped for two weeks. Now the good people of San Pablo and Nueva Aurora with their faith, strong family ties and the leadership of the local Samaritan's Purse staff can move forward to do god's work and help meet human need.



 Sharing the gospel is a primary objective.

Emily makes a testimonial Saturday Night Nueva Aurora (New Dawn)
Community Center  -  Grace Wright, Samaritan Purse Cultural Aide Translates



Working with children is an important part of the exchange




Children from local school sing at Nueva Aurora Community Center

Team members participated where their talents were best to share fellowship and the gospel.

Team Games - The water cup race



Team Organization



Nueva Aurora Church Construction Project 2018

Alberto - Local Mason, Land Owner, Tapioca farmer, and our fishing guide.
Last Day Nueva Aurora Church Construction Project- Footings poured and four walls raised.

Day One Church Site Nueva Aurora.
Location 15° 40' South, 64° 55' West; Yes it is south of the equator!

Columns with deep footings in place

Forms set and concrete poured



Tying iron rebar
This tedious job was already completed for the footing, but the columns and horizontal sections were completed



Local trees provided lumber. 
Milled by hand with a Stihl Chainsaw

Lumber from one log for church rafters



"The Pit" Provided the earth fill needed for the church floor.
All building on the  Llanos de Moxos savannas and wetlands must be raised above water levels.



Not all Work!
Local family provided a TV so workers could watch one of the World Cup Football matches

Prepared a noon meal at the farm home in Nueva Aurora



Local girl helps on a Saturday







Packing the Church floor required days packing each wheelbarrow load of earth

Building the wall. Mixing brick mortar, cutting, hauling and laying
bricks  required many men.

Last score of brick before framing columns
The outline of the west windows forming.



Pouring Cement into a column



Fransico, Samaritan Purse Beni Religious Director, on site entire time.
When not working as a master building, spent time on phone coordinating for material, labor or the next project.

Family and Religion - Components of a resilience equation

A decade after a civil war

Five years ago, I asked one of my hosts why are the children always sound happy? He said “when their bellies are full children are happy”. This was a region of West Africa that had experienced two civil wars. Most of the people had left and lived in refugee camps subsisting on donated rations. Others hid in the jungle and survived on cassava root. They could did not work to buy food, plant crops or even fish. They only survived. Today, their children are the most important part of life. Now each day the first three hours is invested in getting the children up, dressed, fed and off to school. The adult work day then starts at 9:30. I met several walking to their fields passing our Farmer to Farmer project. In five years there has been improvements. Funds available for small investments, modest construction and new fields or groves. One man discussed our USAID sponsored project, sharing he had purchased seedlings for his grove from the famer I had helped five years before. It is gratifying to hear credit given our work





Doris with grandson
Her café was a 20 min. walk
provided breakfast



Resilience is the best word to describe many of the people in developing countries I have visited. When describing their life without electricity or running water, the dirt roads and lack of employment, wearing donated clothing, making meals over open charcoal fires, and gasoline sold from glass jars; most comments are: “I cannot imagine living that way”. Any yet for most this is a way of life for years. How is it these people persevere?

Every Saturday she would hire a trail bike
Travel to Guinea crossing border in a
dugout canoe to buy food not produced locally























             Rainy Season and Feeder Roads

 Feeder roads turn into quagmires during monsoon.

  

Season of rolling empty fuel barrels

Grass Jar Fuel Stations
As raining season progress fuel runs low
Supply w 55 gal drums moved by 4-wheel drive







 

Farmer to Farmer project sponsor USAID



Mayor Farmer Association Farm

Nursery is sown once rain flood valley. In 2-3 wk. rice is then hand transplanted into the 146 production sites. Diversion of runoff to provides water. The water is managed with canals, gates and ditches. In dry season swamp dries up.

Due to the Ebola crises the 100 members dropped to current 60. Weeding still looks good.

Project is to develop irrigation scheme to enable a second rice crop. Developed farm business plan to use river. Analysis can make profit.



Walking on main street taking goat to market day

 

Children, Family and Religion 

 Principle with Students

First Day of School
Everyone helps with cleaning. Turquoise building on hill
Lutheran church sponsor, the sanctuary provides pews
for over flow of the 700 prospective students.

 

Choir Director

Another constant I believe fosters resilience is religion. Where I stayed the work of missionaries can be seen in the several churches with active congregations. Each morning a church bell rings at 5 and 5:30, then Muslim prayers were broadcast from a mosque at 6:00. The core value shared was working to improve communities. Religion had an impact. It was just amazing to see so many churches! Granted the sanctuaries were open air buildings, power if any was from portable generators and bulletins written on blackboards. Worship was important part of life. The daily greeting on the street as you walked to breakfast, was a thankfulness to God. The Lutheran pastor had trained in Guinea during his refugee years. Now the missionary in Totota Town is training new lay pastors. Their sermons provide guidance and hope. Church leadership supplements children education with schools. The choirs were joyous. The faith created by the religious activity is part of the resilience equation.

Portable genitor provides power for the Lutheran  Self with Robert Host, Minister and Deacons  at Assembly of God

Church lights and mic. over 150 attending

Transparency - who is contributing and watching the count.

Singing Traditional Gospel
and
a Youth Choir  

Making joyous music



Traditional Dialect Salsa Choir
 

Brian Palmer, Missionary, repairs his truck used to serve parish back on poor dirt road



Ezekiel Saas, Minister, to serve congregation
purchased own vehicle suited for distance and poor roads.

Today, after three damaging hurricanes and Mexico’s’ earthquake there is cause to be concern for other people. Will they have the resilience to rebuild? Individually if we have the ability to help it is important to show compassion. Leaders need to prepare for the next challenge. Better organized, reinforced structures, and also invest in the institutions that are the fabric that builds people’s resilience.