Quick Update

Well, I am back here in La Paz for a few days so I thought
I would let everyone know what is going on. Danny and I
have been working in Charazani the past month or so. We
have about three or four guys coming and hearing the
stories. Also, we have been visiting a community called
Pajan on Sundays to see if there is any interest. When we
head back tomorrow we are going to be emphasizing
obedience, mainly in the area of baptism. Its been decided
that we will be transitioning out of the Charazani area by
the end of the year. Jayson and Andy are going to be
investigating new areas where we can possibly go and work.

Some Prayer Requests:

• Obedience in Charazani
• Jayson and Andy as they research areas of Bolivia
• The possibility of training some people to go where we have been unable
• Guidance from God

Thanks so much to everyone who is keeping up with me. This

whole process down here wouldn`t be possible without you guys

praying for me. Drop me a line and let me know how you are

doing.

Once again I find myself back in La Paz, so I thought I would
share some pics of whats been going on lately.

Sweet view leaving Charazani. Its down there somewhere under the clouds.

Danny and I coming back from our last trip out to Canisaya. We thought we would take a shortcut, but it didn't end up that way.

I got to go home the begining of August for my sisters wedding. Its was a flippin sweet time getting to see the fam and friends. Always too short though.

Let them eat cake!

Well, its not quite a pink Caddie, but I did get to drive it.

Chillin with gramps.

See what happens when you get married. Beware.

*Not pictured: I have broken double digits on the "Bill vs. Mice" tracking system. Those dirty rats. (See earlier blog)

Unfortunately I didn't catch any pics or videos of possibly the funniest sight I have witnessed, at least in the last month. So, coming into La Paz this last time, Danny and I had to catch a but. About an hour and a half into the ride we stopped in a small town to drop some people off. There I am stretching my legs and watching the unloading of cargo off the top of the bus. When, lo and behold, the girl begins to had down a young piglet in a bag. Aparently this little guy had been up there for at leat three hours. Don't worry, he had a snout and two feet sticking out. That is at least until no one was willing to help the girl out and she dropped the little guy from 10 feet up. * No pigs were injured in this escapade.

Its been quite a while since my last post, but I don`t get to the internet too often. So here are a cool few things that have been going on and some sweet pics.

Well, as you can see I had a small rodent problem. It seems mice like food that my mom sent to me. Therefore, I do not like the mice. I had pity on two until I found out they ate my Peanut M&Ms. Then it was war. Highest body count in one night: 3

These are Alpacas on the Altiplano. Alpacas are the cousins of llamas and their wool make really nice sweaters. I haven’t seen them spit though.

This is Greg and I on our Hilo Hilo trip. At this point we are in our 6th hour of a ten hour hike. If you can see in the background we are at Sunchulli pass, and 16,700 feet. Don’t airliners fly at this altitude?

A little lower in altitude, and a great view.

My bed for a couple of nights. Comfy.

Change of Scenery

Amidst some crazy times down here in Bolivia, it looks like we are finally going to be leaving Apolo and heading for Charazani. The team has known for the past few months where we are headed, and we have actually been trying to leave for the last two week, but stuff just keeps coming up. My favorite is the perfectly leagal blockade. This is where an organization or group of people get an idea in their head, and then decide to completely shut down a road/town/government until they feel the issue has been resolved. Such is the situation we are coming out of right now. Patience is a virtue. If all goes well we will be heading out tomorrow morning for the 12 hour trip (in the back of a very large truck) to Charazani. Once we get set up in the new house, which I recently learned is near a trout stream!, we will start heading out to the communities.

Some cool stuff you could pray about:

• Charazani is the witchcraft capital of South America. We are bound to meet with some resistance. Pray that we can be bold in these situations.
• The people around here are believe in all kinds of spirts and the spirit world. Pray that we can show them The Way.
• Continued language learning.
• That the team will constantly seek God´s presence and direction in Charazani.

Thanks to everyone out there checking up on and praying for me. You stinkin rock.

Half Way There

Well, here it is, March 23, 2006. Thats right, I have officially been on the field for one year, and I have one left to go. Wow, things have been interesting so far. I have visited five different countries, spoken four different languages (including English), and the longest I have lived in one place is four months (and I am getting ready to move this week). It has definitely been an exciting ride so far and God has taught me a ton. Patience, endurance, importance of the body, and tons more. Another thing I am still learning is that things usually don`t go as planned. For instance, I was supposed to move to Charazani, our new base camp about a week and a half ago. Needless to say, that hasn`t happened yet. Its been almost four months since I have extensively been with a community, and I am getting a bit ancy. But, I guess God has everything worked out for his timing. So, I will try to keep all you guys updated as much as possible and lets hope the next continues to rock.

The Big Move

Well, the team is getting ready to move to Charazani. The moment we have been waiting for for over four months has finally arrived. Its a little bittersweet, but I am glad to finally get to a point where we will be going out and sharing with the people. We should be heading out on Wed., but andy has yet to find a truck to take us, so we shall see. Our new camp is at about 10,000 ft. which will be quite nippy for this Florida boy. But, alas, God always provides and there are hot springs available. Sweetness.
The picture has to do with a little celebration called carnival. Down here, that means taking a week off and throwing water balloons at each other. Not to be outdone by the locals, I built this launcher, a replica of the one I Built for my senior physics project. Lets just say we had the upper hand. Its also good for launching spoiled fruit and eggs. Life is good. Well, I hope you all enjoy and I will talk with you when I can. Keep in touch.

Bienvenidos

Hello all. It's bill coming to you from Apolo, Bolivia.
This is my new blogsite and thanks again to terry for
the facidious eye candy. My blogspot is going to be
taking place over my website, due to several reasons, mainly
to make things easier on terry. But don´t worry, I will
still try to get posts up as often as possible. Unfortunately for
blogging and email purposes, in about three weeks I am moving
to an area without internet access, so I don´t know how often
I will be able to blog. But alas, when I do blog, you will have the
opportunity to respond with any comments you see
fit. So, stay tuned to see what's happening in my world
and check back often.