Today while some of the group rode horses up to a remote village, the Van Dykes and Van Dries traveled by pickup trucks to two additional villages. Like our trip on Wednesday we traveled narrow, bumpy roads around hair pin curves. Unlike Wednesday, we did not travel with our careful, cautious bus driver. The young truck driver drove much faster, (Ray renamed him Mario Andretti) and much closer to edge than we would have liked. There were many prayers offered from the backseat of that pickup truck.

To my BSF friends I have a total new appreciation for Isaiah 40:4 - "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain."

The trip was well worth it! In the Pull San Jose community we first visited the trout farm that the church has established. Hopefully we'll be able to upload some pictures of the young men catching the trout they would later serve us for lunch. We then visited the congregation who started building a facility in 2007 and just six months ago put up the walls. At this time they meet in the roofless building "unless it's raining too hard". They humbly requested help with a roof because "the rain can be very cold". It was not until we asked them about the windows, door, and floor that were still missing that they even told us what they would like to complete those parts of the building. They then gave us beautiful handmade gifts. It was truly humbling to receive from those who gave from the very little that they have.

After a huge lunch served by the church members, we traveled on to the Leime Capulis Pungo Community and visited with the Iglesia Evangelica Belen congregation who would like assistance in adding a second story to their building.

We so appreciate your continued prayers.