The Final Hours

The Loneliest Feeling,

The Final Week!

There I was sitting across the table from the girl who had broken my heart.  Through conversation she had told me that she had a new boyfriend, and that she was happy.  Though I wasn't completely convinced and still hesitant as to why she had instigated having breakfast alone with me.  I was also happy for this new opportunity to travel, and casually mentioned that Bogota would most likely not be in my itinerary because I didn't want to make her family feel obligated or uncomfortable.

"Jared, my family would love to see you. Berta asks about you all the time."

"Really? Should we really go to the park?  I know Austin would find it very interesting."

"Seriously, you should go.  They would love to see you again." was the response I was given.

If she had any reservations about our breaking up she wasn't hitting to me about them.  I expressed my desire to visit her family and made it clear that if I were to travel through Bogota, I would make every effort to visit them.

Months later, on buses through Ecuador  we realized that our departure flight out of BOG airport in Bogota, Colombia was drawing dangerously close.  I also realized that she had been correct, we should make a visit and say hi to everyone while in the city.

After sending emails and messages on facebook, I was growing concerned.  None of my messages received a response.  I persistently continued trying to contact my old friend, if for no other reason just to get an address.  As time passed without a response I actually grew concerned.  I had no contacted her since leaving the U.S. and was worried that something may be wrong.

Finally, the day before leaving Quito, Ecuador, and saying goodbye to my friends Ryan and Erica, I received my response.  "Jared, I wanted to be friends, but this is too stressful.  I hope you understand that I cannot be friends with you any longer.  I don't want you to ever email me again, and I am deleting you as a friend on facebook.  If you must visit my family please contact my mother for directions and information."

That was it.  There I sat, despite being in a tiny apartment with four people I was flooded with a sense of loneliness.  I never expected our relationship to be anything other than friends and for the longest time was completely comfortable breaking all contact.  What had changed?  Why would someone stir my emotions and ask to be friends only to reply with such a blunt email the very next time we had contact?

These shoes had walked around South America;
Tomorrow they were coming home to Charlotte.

I didn't understand it then, and I'm sure I don't understand it now, but God had an important lesson for me.  God is the only one who gives Joy.  We may find happiness or contentment in many things both good and bad.  Jesus told the woman at the well. "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:13-14.  This is true joy and fulfillment in life, to know Christ and have joy like a fountain coming from within.

We did go to Bogota, and we were treated like royalty.  I planned to post a blog about those last two days, but I will surmise by saying a deep heart-felt thanks to the Torres family.  Those last days were perfect and I hope I can one day show you how much your hospitality meant to my brother and I who were so tired, weak, and poor (literally, I had spent my last $10 in Quito). So Thank You once again! You were a world-class send off from our Adventure in South America!

THANK YOU!

Standing on the Northern and Southern Hemisphere Simultaneously!

Quito, Ecuador: The Final Steps to Bogota and Home!
March 30, 2011

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: It is the power of God unto Salvation to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

Ryan, Austin, and myself on the camp high rope course

We are leaving our 11th country Ecuador   We have spent the past three days with my old friend Ryan and his amazing wife Erica.  Ryan showed us his around the city where God has called him to serve as a full-time missionary.  We spent a day visiting the mission and attempting the high-rope course.  We are down to the last few days now and anxious to see old friends in Bogota, and catch our flight bringing us back home.

It is so exciting to see how God uses each of our talents for his glory.  Ryan has always been a true outdoors man   As he explains his duties in teaching local teens about the outdoors and Christ's love, I fondly recall my college days when he used to teach me these same things as we went rock climbing and rappelling together.  He has always enjoyed the outdoors and now he allows God to use his talents to impact the lives of Ecuadorian children and families to Christ.

Ryan took us to the equator and also to a local hot springs, while Erica worked tirelessly taking care of us.  She works so diligently helping Ryan learn Spanish, cooking, cleaning, making trips to the market and doing so many things that I am sure went unnoticed and unappreciated.  She made an overnight trip last three full days, and ultimately saying good-bye was a long difficult process.


Ryan, Erica if you are reading this thank you for your ministry and for all dedication to the cause of spreading the Gospel.  May you continue in your ministry, may God continue to use you, and thank you for your generosity in taking care of us and giving us a tour of your fantastic city.

"I will give thee rest"

March 17, 2011

Having been cared for and watched after on our long journey to Macchu Pichu and back, we left Cuzco,  Peru.  We went inland toward Lima the capital.  The bus stop and surrounding area was so dirty and uninviting, however, that we decided to leave immediately without even staying the night.  We simply caught the next bus out and continued on our way.

By this time Austin and I were exhausted.  Each stop, every single day had been carefully planned out in order to make the most of the few remaining days until our flight back to NC.  We were exhausted.  Having been in high elevation, cold, and rain ever since leaving Mendoza, Argentina, we finally rode the bus to lower elevations and warmer climates.  God kept showing me this verse. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give the rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29.

We had traveled and see God's wonderful creation.  We had learned of the vile history of mankind and how sin had corrupted everything, even the spreading of the gospel, using it instead as an excuse to gain riches and fame.  It was now time to rest and this rest came in the form of Mancora!

We arrived at Mancora a few days ago.  A small surfing village at the northwestern corner of Peru.  The Pacific Ocean was fantastic, and has never been more inviting than that week after spending nearly a month in the cold Peruvian/Bolivian Andes Mountains.  The Pacific was cool, and dark and the waves tall and rough, so different from the warm, quiet, gentle waves of the NC Atlantic coastline.  It was a fantastic experiences as surfers, boarders, and well sun-worshipers internationally gathered in this desert town to lounge by the sea.

Our hostel had a large pool, so after baking beside the salty ocean all day, we simply wandered a few dozen yards and relaxed on our lawn chairs beside the sparkling pool.  The plan was to only stay a couple of nights, but the sun was so warm and inviting that we finally decided we simply must leave on the 5th day.

And so we left Mancora behind after nearly a week of seafood, local fruits, sun bathing, and beautiful sunsets (being from the east coast I've only ever seen the sunrise over the ocean).  We traveled north and upward back up into the mountains entering country #11 Ecuador.

Machu Picchu at Last!

March 14, 2011

 There I sat overlooking the sacred, lost city of the Incas.  Nestled safely and quietly in the high mountain tops of the Peruvian mountains, the old jungle standing watch and surrounding the city on two sides leaving the luminous cliffs as defenders of the rear and back entrance to the city.  There I sat perched high above on what was once used as a lookout point and intended as a fortress the city ever fell and a last resort must be sought-out.

The city itself was designed to resemble the siloette of the condor which was worshiped as the god of the air and contained within the city were temples to many of the gods worshiped by the Incas: the snake representing the inner earth, he is wise and associated with the mind, the puma rules the animal kingdom with his strength he is the god of the body and the earth, the condor is great and all seeing, he sees ahead, behind, and below, nothing flies over him and because of this he is the god of the air and represents the soul of man.
I had been studying the Inca rulers the previous day and had learned all I could about their cities, customs, beliefs, life-style, music, etc.  I had learned that the Incas always followed a rule of three in all of there worship ceremonies.  The Sun, Moon, and Stars were all three worshiped.  The three parts of our being associated with the three great rulers of the animal kingdom as well as the three parts of the earth as discussed in the previous paragraph.

They also had a three great commands to live by: 1) work hard, 2) do not lie, 3) Do not steal.  In order to have a secure a good name for yourself in the afterlife, the Incas taught that you should follow three codes, love, work, and honesty.  These would be used to judge how you lived your mortal existence   There I sat reflecting on the past few days all that I had learned and the journey that I had made the previous day.  Let me explain.

March 12, the day after my birthday had been spent planning a route, learning about the Incas  and visiting ancient ruins.  March 13th, we began the day quit early to get as far outside of Cuzco as was possible by road.  Then we discovered that the local train which costs ruffly $2 for locals, cost nearly $70 for tourists just one-way.  So Austin and I decided to hike the 30 miles to Aguascalientes at the base of the mountain.

Thirty miles is much longer than it seems, and after an entire day of constant walking my legs ached, my feet were swollen, and my back ached from carrying a pack.  We were determined not to spend the night near the tracks and pressed on to the town.  I remember the torture of those last 2 miles.  To that point everything seemed fun, a bit exciting, challenging, and adventuresome.  When we were within 2 miles however, my legs could go no further.  Each 1/2 mile was a milestone worthy of celebration and a 5 minute break.  At dusk we were within 1/4 mile and as the last rays of golden, warmth disappeared we dragged ourselves wearily into town.

As I sat perched soaking in the view I had dreamed of experiencing for the past 10 years, my swollen ankles and aching legs seemed to regain life.  It was an unparalleled feeling, like looking into the night sky and gazing at the stars for the first time.  Here in that moment thousands of years seemed to come standing face to face, as the ancient stones watched idly as tourists crowded and shoved around the old ruins.

I sat looking down on these old foundations which had been lain down hundreds of years earlier, but here they were frozen in time.  I recalled Ephesians 1:4, "Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as a focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love." These foundations were abandoned due to the cruel Spanish who conquered the continent with hate disguised as 'God's Will". But what if the people who lived here, who sacrificed infants to false gods had been treated with love and not hate, how might history have been written differently.  How might the cause of Christ been expanded instead of destroyed.

The Best Birthday Ever!

March 11, 2011

Birthday #25 was probably the most exciting week of my physical life.  I had little idea how the day would play out, but from a very early age I had determined to see the lost city of Mochu Picchu.  And on this day of my journey I find myself in Cuzco the closest city to the ancient ruins.

Austin and I left the hostel and explored the old city.  The original city walls which remains mostly in tact consists of massive stone boulders perfectly cut and stacked.  The mystery of how this was done remain uncertain, but once in place the stones fit together so perfectly no mortar was used.  They simply stack like giant 1-2 ton lego blocks.  We visited a local museum to educate ourselves on local Incan traditions, lifestyles, and customs, and enjoyed some street food before returning to our hostel.

My Birthday Feast--And it was even happy to see me :)

As we walked back in through the hostel doors, Austin and I noticed that a pirate party would be held upstairs in the food area later that night. (If you know anything about me, dressing like a pirate is one of my favorite things to do).  Phil his wife Marika, who were still travelling with us, Austin and myself then went out to dinner that evening.  We decided to split a Guinea Pig.  Guinea Pig is a Peruvian favorite with it's very dark, rich meat.  It is a delicacy and very expensive and the entire rodent should be consumed leaving nothing to waste.

Desiring to both enjoy this treat to it's fullest and not wishing to insult the chief we proceeded to consume the entire animal.  I enjoyed the ears, while Phil and Austin each tried an eyeball.  Then we shared the tiny little brain after cracking open his skull.

Now we wondered back to the hostel which to our surprise was full of excitement as the staff prepaired for the pirate party, which I had somewhat forgotten.  Marika began helping me prepare.  She dug through her entire pack finding, "just the right pants" and "Oh the perfect shirt" and "These things that I had to wear". Seriously, her enthusiasm and British accent was really fun.  After she adorned me in all the proper scarves and beads and dangly things, she did my make up.  We had a bit of an argument during the make-up process when she made a slip of the tongue.  After a brief argument about proper terminology she finally admitted that by 'gay' she actually meant 'scary'.  I was "ready".

 When we walked into the grill, we were welcomed with a "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday!"  Then the staff gave me a cake!  Seriously, why would a hostel staff do that? Not having a normal knife I decided to use my sabor, which was turned out to be quit a popular idea.  We had a fantastic evening and finally got some sleep after the cake and a lot of dancing. Twenty-five was going to be a great year and it was already off to a perfect start!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Bolivia

I'm Alive, slightly embarrassed, and a bit bronzed from the scorching Bolivian sun, but alive non the less.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I shall be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10.  Even though this versed was continually recurring in my thoughts and even in my readings, sometimes it's necessary to have all distractions completely taken from you in order to fully explore the depth and power of this verse

Today's story begins in La Paz, Bolivia.  Now there are very few interesting stories that happen in La Paz, but as it happens altitude sickness is quit the exception.   Though it began in La Paz the story actually takes place in Coroica, so the tradition of uneventful, crowded, grimy, rainy, and otherwise gloomy stories for which La Paz may have a reputation can thus continue uninterrupted.

Phil and Marika-Aren't they Cute :D

This story I want to tell not for sympathy or even because it was unique, but mainly because it proves how God provides exactly what we need.  It also is the perfect opportunity for me to introduce a few very good friends who will always have a place in my heart because of the adventure we shared and the care they took of me.

Austin and I had just checked into our hostel in the bustling capital city of Bolivia, La Paz.  We turned in for the night and the next day, oh about lunch time, were watching the Rugby game in this very vibrant British hostel when I felt a stroke of long curly hair go walking past me.  To my delight it was Marika! A fun, outgoing, adventurous European whom we had met with her husband Phil in Brasil.  I knew they were in the city but didn't image I would just happen upon them so quickly in a city of this population.  Marika has a bright smile and a charmingly bubbly personality, she can make friends, and strikes conversations with nearly everyone she meets.  Phil is cool, somewhat quiet and reflective, very smart and very good at nearly everything he puts his mind to.  They are so fun and a perfect match.  If you guys are reading this thank you both so very much for taking the best care of me and my computer that week.  It was a great week and makes an awesome story.

The next day Austin was going into the Bolivian jungle, and I would  stay behind to work on my Spanish.  God however, had bigger plans.  I spent the next day struggling with my computer which apparently had suffered a hard drive crash, and was unable to use my language program at all.  Thus I was quit obliged to tag along when invited to go to a quiet mountain town of Corioca with Phil and Marika in Austin's absence   I thought it would be a great opportunity to just soak in the Bolivian countryside, but nothing could be farther from what happened the next few days!

Too my best understanding I developed altitude sickness.  Fortunately, I had escaped the loud parties and busy streets of La Paz and the next few days Phil and Marika took great care of me.  Phil repaired my computer, something I could never have done on my own, and Marika made sure I was comfortable and allowed me to relax and recover.  I suffered extremely high fever and was unable to eat anything.  Due to the fever staying hydrated was quit difficult.

I could barely manage strength to stay awake and sit up.  One day while going downstairs to the bathroom (which was outside just a short distance from the upstairs room the three of us were sharing) I found myself waking up with a splitting headache, and staring up at the blistering Bolivian sun shining through the palm trees and wondering how I got there and how long I had been lying on the pavement.  Most importantly however, I wondered had anyone seen me do something as embarrassing as passing out and collapsing.

After three days without food and only minimal hydration, I finally began to recover and manage to take in a little yogurt and some cool-aid mix we concocted to get some salt, sugars, and water into my system.  In effort to keep this story no longer than it already is, I shall summarize : I did not enjoy long walks and extended periods of quiet meditation in the Bolivian mountains, however, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect environment or better friends to help me recover from altitude sickness.



"...and Lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world"  Matthew 28:20.  So God promises to be with us lo, but today's story proves He takes the time to care for us and provide for us even in the highest of elevations.

At the Top of the World-A Cultural Experience on the Evils of Religion

The Evils of Religion

Men have for thousands of years used religion for selfish purposes, cults, sects, militant groups, all claim promises i.e. God's Divine purpose, eternal life, paradise, physical blessings, and the list goes on.  Christianity has taken a turn for evil thrusting humankind into the dark ages, attempting to control the entire known world politically, religiously, and especially financial.  The Catholic Church was a perversion of the gospel of the life of Jesus Christ and can even be considered a cult in most aspects.

One of the most blatent perversions of the Bible I have ever witnessed was the city of Potosi, Bolivia.  This city boasts the highest elevation of any city world. and was formerly the wealthiest city on earth.  The city dwllers exploited a silver mine.  A mountain on the edge of town was comprised almost entirely of silver.  Once this lofty town paved it's streets with silver due to the excessive quantities which were so readily available.

Austin and I spending time with a couple miners

When the Spanish Conquistadors came into this area of South America they noticed the mountain of silver.  They immediately began plotting ways of exploiting not only the vast riches contained within the mountain  but also local aboriginals into working long and tiring days in exchange for very poor wages.  They would exploit the mines silver as well as the labor of local tribes through a perversion of the Bible and the creation of untrue gods.

The Spanish created the "Dios" a typical satanic looking statue with horns and a tail.  They claimed that Mary and Jesus were the God's of heaven and earth, but the "Dios" ruled the underworld.  Any time they were working in the mines if they were lazy, slothful, or dishonest, the Dios would cause harm.  He killed many miners by cave-ins, falty explosions, and accidents.

Famous picture representing the false doctrine.

Locals cannot pronounce the letter 'D' and as a result the name of this god became "Tios".  To this day nearly the entire Potosi population worships the tios and is much too fearful to do otherwise.  Despite local evangelistic efforts no serious gains have been made to help free the local people of this perversion.  The Spanish had such an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with such a receptive audience willing to believe and follow so whole-heartily.  Instead they exploited, plundered  and lied.  As a result an entire area has for the past hundreds of years worshiped an nonexistent god.  To this day the Catholic Mass is attended by nearly the entire regions population, yet immediately they return to the mines and offer sacrifices in attempt to appease the wrath of the "Tios".