My story began before we landed in La Paz at 5 in the morning. It started before the first flight from Atlanta, and the second from Miami, the one hour taxi ride in the capital of Bolivia, the 28 hour bus ride on Death Road, and the last van ride to our ministry site. It even started before I sipped my hot coffee in the comforts of that café shop where I first discovered the race almost 4 years ago. It started where all things start, where all things begin, and with the One who brings all things to life, including our dreams.
My dream is to travel, meeting people different from me, people who have their own dreams and are willing to share a piece of their own story. My dream is to travel with a purpose, to search the world loosing and gaining, gaining and loosing pieces of people, of places and of time. My writings will be made up of those pieces, pieces of those who may not be able to speak for themselves and pieces of those whose stories need to be shared with the world.
This is a story about a man named Jack. He is a lively and vigorous 75 year old from the South, and much like my story his began long ago at a pivotal moment when he gave his life to Christ at 17 years of age. Since then Jack vowed to follow the calling that God had put on his life in the quaint but bustling town of Rurrenabaque Bolivia.
Jack’s ministry is really simple. His mission in everyday life is simply to love people. In doing that he is consistently putting others first. And although his way of life is fairly humble, there are many words to describe this man and he certainly does not lead a life for the faint of heart. Recently Jack led our all girl missionary group, and four young men up a 2000 foot mountain making his own trail through thick jungle and camping at the top. In the morning he made his way down facing steep drops and sharp rocks, following that with a quick 200 yard swim in the Beni river to catch a peakay peakay and take us back to his Bolivian home. Let me remind you that Jack is 75, and that doesn’t even come close to some of the things he has done in his lifetime.
One time Jack wrestled a stranded crocodile with his bare hands, wrapped it in a hammock and tossed it in the back of his car with his family to call it his pet. Later it escaped under the backyard fence and made its way into town and eventually into the town’s newspaper. Another time on his dining room table Jack preformed experimental throat surgery on a rooster. Yep a rooster. ‘Crowy’ just crowed to loud. The first surgery was unsuccessful, as the rooster made even more loud strange and annoying noises. The second surgery he performed was even more unsuccessful, Crowy didn’t make it through the night, mouth to mouth resuscitation just didn’t cut it. Jack is not a doctor, or a veterinarian, clearly, but we love him just the same. He is a fine and excellent example of a man of God and an inspiration to those who want to live a life full of purpose and excitement, especially in your old age.
This man’s ministry is called ‘Mision El Faro’ which translates to The Lighthouse Mission’ and is formed around taking in young needy boys and providing them with meals, education, a home and a new life with Christ. He lives in his house with multiple boys at a time, providing a youth gathering on Saturday nights in his front yard and preaching on Sunday nights. But really Jack gives at any and all possible moments to pregnant momas, struggling families and even stray animals. Jack does it all, and all out of his own retirement money saved up from his days as a United States elementary school teacher. Jack is all this and more and it has been a pleasure getting to know bits of his story and his ministry. And much like my own, Jack’s story isn’t over, in many ways it is just beginning, but the pieces I’ve gathered from Jack will never be lost and always cherished.
