This blog is gonna be short. First things first- I want to give a shoutout to Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Belch, and the Conley family, whose monthly support has been a constant blessing. Thank you all!
Here’s what has happened in Bolivia thus far:
-Took 22-hour bus ride from Mendoza, Argentina to the Bolivian border.
-Got rained on for an hour at the border. My khaki poncho matched my cargo shorts perfectly. Some Bolivian dude told me I looked like Indiana Jones. He was probably patronizing me, but it was still the best compliment I’ve received since the Obama administration.
-Took 18-hour bus ride from the border to La Paz. As I slept on the floor in the back of the bus, soaking in the aroma of the poorly-ventilated bathrooms and my burning flesh (as there was a well-camouflaged, scalding hot radiator pipe on the floor), a random Bolivian woman approached me around 3 AM, laid her 6 year-old son Oliver in my arms, and simply walked away . . . nice kid; wants to be a cowboy like me. (Evidently if you are from Texas, you are a cowboy.)
-Arrived at our mission base.
-Managed my altitude sickness like a champ until the fourth morning, where my migraine headache became so severe I was forced to go to the hospital. So severe was my pain, I’m pretty sure I saw Russell Crowe from Gladiator hooking me to an oxygen tank.
-Watched Gladiator. Still mad Joaquin Phoenix did not win Best Supporting Actor. The Academy screwed up big time!
-Watched Heart of Man. I kid you not, it’s a life-changing movie. SERIOUSLY- GO WATCH IT! Buy it, rent it, pirate it- it’s worth the jail time.
-Lost 3 straight games of chess to a 13-year old boy who had learned to play the game four months ago. Oh, the humanity!!
-Smoked a bunch of elementary school kids in soccer. I mean- I DESTROYED THESE KIDS. Some 10-year old got in my way at one point . . . No regrets.
-Watched my friend Meg eat a moth. (The things people will bet on . . .)
-Had some of my personal eggs stolen by teammate Averi. She was without apology.
-Criticised my friend Amys’ gramar and punctation.
Anyways, Bolivia has been a hoot (I’m gonna try to bring “hoot back”). I’m feeling better now. I appreciate you taking the time to read through this blog. Sometimes I just gotta let loose and shoot for some laughs when I write. Hopefully next week’s blog will entail something a bit more spiritually profound! Haha! Keep praying, subscribe, and donate.
-Matt
