Wonders of the World

Que tal my fellow bloggers? How is life treating y'all today? Here in Cusco, Peru, life couldn't get any better! We wrapped up our work over here with one week of vacationing to Machu Picchu (one of the seven wonders of the world). It has been a blast and everything I imagined! I want to share that experience with you, but first I want to talk about what a success we have had during our time here due to a majority of you who have supported and donated to our project, making our dream into a reality!

 Our goal, for the ones who haven't read the past blogs was to install 50 water purification filters in the small community of Malingas, where there is no running water just a man made canal that runs on the edge of the town. Luckily we were donated enough money to get an order in earlier in the summer and by the time another group of 4 would arrive to Peru on the 9th of July, they would bring the filters and we could go to work building and installing. And that... is just what we did!

We built 50 water filters over a period of about 5 days and installed all of them in families homes. It was a restless effort, but also extremely rewarding. That is why I want to share it with y'all because it could not have been possible without YOU! Sitting in these people's home and having a glass of clean water with them will be moments I will never forget, FOREVER!

The kids were so incredibly appreciative too! They knew exactly what this meant for their health and they were well aware of the positive affects it will have on them. Will, Alex, and I, grew incredibly close with one family. The mom's name was Mary and she had FIVE KIDS! haha. But they were our original pilot family and got this whole project started. Mary went to EVERY home with us throughout that week and helped us install and explain to them in her perfect Spanish, how good this filter actually was! I will never forget having to leave those kids for the last time... Such an emotional moment for all of us, and there was not a dry eye in our car as we pulled out of Malingas for the last time!

I believe that was the most ministering I have ever done in my life, and the name Jesus Christo came out of my mouth maybe once or twice. But it didn't have to. These people knew and understood that this was for something greater than our own pride. They knew what we college students had given up to come help their life out... I just believe we are called to minister more than preaching the gospel! Now don't get me wrong I think that is SOOO necessary. But how do we preach?

Words honestly have little significance for me! That is just being brutally honest. You can tell me a lot of things and I will take your word for it, but will put little investment in it. I have been cheated and lied to many times in my life and also in my career of football! So until I see words put into action, that is when I believe and invest! I believe that is how evangelism should be as well! My cousin Will, who is on this trip with me, said something incredibly powerful the other night when we were talking, he quoted a Saint and said,

"Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary use words!"

I think that is about the most accurate definition of evangelism and sharing the gospel that there is. I get so frustrated sometimes when people miss that! Thankfully that is exactly what we talked about on the plane ride here and a promise that we made each other! We were going to invest our time, money, and love in these people, and through those things we will let His light shine!

So yes, our dream was made a reality! And today as you're reading this, there are atleast 50 families, full of multi-generation homes, that are drinking clean water! On top of those families, we also installed FIVE filters in the local school. So HUNDREDS of kids are benefitting from your donations as well! I love it! Gets me fired up just writing to y'all about it! But that wrapped up our time out in that community and we finished up our time in Northern Peru hanging out with our host family, the Davidsons, for a few days before catching a flight to Cusco.

Before I go further, I know this isn't twitter, but I have to give a shout out to John Mark Davidson, his wife Tara, and their four kids: Kellyn, Parker, Kase, and Mack. This family is the real deal! I, along with the two others, have grown incredibly close to them and as hard as it was to leave those families in Malingas, this family was just as hard. They went above and beyond to make our time in Peru well worth it and an experience that would be unforgettable! That is exactly what they did! So someday we will sit around a table, play a game of Settlers of Catan, and drink plenty of coffee, but until then your family will be in our prayers and always looked up to for what y'all are doing and what y'all represent! We truly do love y'all!

So fast forward through a nights stay in Lima, a few scary flights, and lots of restless nights, and we are here in Cusco, Peru. Cusco is pretty much the hub city for tourists going to Machu Picchu. It is an incredible little city built all inside of a valley! Every time I take a picture it just doesn't do this place justice!

We caught a bus up to Aguascalientes and stayed the night there before waking up at 4 am to start our trek up Machu Picchu. We wanted to get up early enough to see the sunrise, but because of a little storm the night before and a little cooler weather than usual, the sun never showed its face till late that afternoon. We did climb to the top of the mountain that usually would look down over all the ruins, but we were inside all the clouds and couldn't see anything! But after a hike down the mountain we came out of the clouds and saw one of the most gorgeous sites I have ever seen!

Most people hire a guide to walk them through all the ruins and explain to them what was what, and this was used for that, and all that boring stuff. But because we are cheap and not your typical scholar college students, we decided we would walk them and make our own stories up for what meant what, and who was sacrificed here, and who lived in this hut.... Needless to say it was a lot of fun (also tagged along in groups until we got kicked out trying to catch as much info as we could ha). But after going about 12 hours without eating and doing plenty of hiking and walking, we got our last pics and headed back to the city.

It was incredible to see this "lost city of the Incans", and try to imagine a day in their shoes. For not having the tools we have today, this people had to have been very intellectual and hard workers to get this place to look the way they did! I could only praise the Lord, once again, for his creation! For his handiwork of all the mountains surrounding this place. For the waterfalls in the distance, and the animals that roamed the ruins. It was definitely eye opening experience that I think everyone should get to see once time in their life. I have met a few people on this trip that were openly atheists, and asked me why I believe what I believe. Sometimes I just want to say, "Open your eyes!! Look around you!" I just know God has put things in this world to capture our attention and revert that right back to him! So next time you come across something beautiful, something magnificent that stops you dead in your tracks, instead of taking a picture, posting it on your instagram and praying for a lot of likes, thank The Father for putting you exactly where you are and giving you the ability the SEE!

That's a quick recap of our last week! We have a few more days here in Cusco before flying back to the states! I have had a blast, but I am sooo ready to get back! I can't wait to see my momma! ha! But there are so many others! I have realized on this trip how much some people mean to me. How I take so many relationships for granted, and that I don't always allow myself to tell people how much they mean to me! I am also extremely excited about this upcoming football season! My passion for the game is at an all time high right now, and I can't wait to be back with all my teammates and coaches! What is awesome about my school and my team is that we truly are a family! I play ball with my brothers, and there isn't much that can separate that brotherhood! I look forward to getting back and seeing my boy Bennie, and knocking a few more workouts out before we get amped up! Overall, this trip has been everything I needed! I did not take this trip for my own good! I felt called to help the less fortunate, just as I believe we all are! Do I think you have to go to South America to do that? No. I think if you look down your street in your neighborhood in Austin, Tx, you can find someone less fortunate! But through coming down here to Peru and trying to help these people out, I truly believe I was the one that was helped out. These families showed me so much about life, and opened my eyes to a whole new level of happiness and joy!

I hope when it is all said and done, that I gave to these families at least half of what they gave me! I no longer play ball for just Texas, my family name, and my Savior, but I now play for several families in Northern Peru! Not because they are football's biggest fans, but because they are MY biggest fans! 

Are you really living?

I am starting to think this whole blogging thing might not be for me! ha! I am convinced I have ADD and probably ADHD as well. I just can't make myself sit down and gather my thoughts, much less try to write them down and be grammatically correct. Since the last time we talked, time has seemed to fly and I know these next couple weeks are gonna go by even faster! So that is another excuse for why I haven't gotten on here to blog, I just don't want to waste any time! But I got a free morning, a cup of coffee, and some fun stories to share with ya. So pull up a chair, grab a cup yourself, and lets share some coffee together and tell stories.

I am a pretty spur the moment type of guy. I don't really like making plans, because I very rarely am able to uphold them. Ask my parents, ex-girlfriends, or really anybody for that matter. But if I have a tank of gas and spare time, you can bet I'm up for anything! So with that being said (And I am aware this is somewhat of a bad thing for me to be this way), we decided to pack up and go to the mountains with a family here in Piura. We decided one night late that we would tag along, and the next morning we headed out for a two day trip. Lemme tell ya, this was with out a doubt one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have never seen God's creation and handy work like I did this last weekend.

 We got there mid-afternoon and decided to take a short hike to a waterfall and grab some pics! We saw a sweet camping ground right on the edge of the waterfall and had an awesome view of the beginning of the sunset.

We headed back to the cabin before it got dark made a campfire and just got to sit around and hear this families story. Awesome people that had everything every American could dream of having. Lived in Chicago, had three boys and great jobs. Rob and Luchy decided to sell just about everything, rent out their house, and move with their three boys to Peru. Luchy is originally from Peru and still has some family here. So they wanted to come experience this culture, put their kids in school here, and actually live life! Something about campfires, big bright stars over my head, and an awesome group of people, really inspired me that night.

 Alex, Will and I, decided we wanted to take a full day hike in the morning up to a high mountain top. So we found two little guys (an 11 and 13 year old) that weren't in school because it was Saturday, and planned to leave after breakfast in the morning. We started, and let me just say, it wasn't just a hike, I would call it more of a trek... straight up hill! It took us a few hours longer than we thought, but we made it to the top and it was the most rewarding experience I've ever had. Our view was incredible. Our praise songs were even more powerful. And our love for each other got even stronger than it already was. I am loving these two people that are on this trip with me! But anyways, we were able to sit on top of the mountain for quite some time and just take pictures, as you will see, some a little bit funnier than others...

After we had caught our breath and got our legs back under us we decided to head back so we would make it in time for a late lunch. As I was saying, it was pretty steep coming up so we had to go pretty much straight back down with wobbly legs. Alex had a close call:

 On the other side of that grass is a straight drop off basically. It looks like she is laughing but I think it was a halfway cry as well. Scared us all, so after her fall we slowed down a bit and took our time. But we did make it back down. We were awaited with an incredible lunch, one I've never really cooked the way they did. Well, I'll just let you decide for yourself:

 Yeah that is two full fish!

We loaded up that afternoon and headed back home and just reminisced all night on the activities we have been able to experience so far.

 That is basically the funnest thing we have done since the last time we talked. I did get very homesick on the 4th. We decided to blast the Star Spangled Banner and order pizza. Then we pulled up youtube videos of fireworks, so we somewhat got our July 4th fix the best we could.

But for what is going on in my spiritual life right now... I know, I know, just go get another cup of coffee and we will try to wrap this up.

The first afternoon on our trip to the mountains, I climbed up to a rock a little ways up and just spent about an hour just looking over the valley and talking with my God. I have really been struggling lately with how comfortable my life was back home. I always had all my needs met, and honestly never had to worry about a thing. I NEVER took risks. I always somewhat knew what the outcome was gonna be before I ever took that chance, and I just felt like I wasn't actually LIVING.

 One of my favorite movies is Braveheart, and I love what William Wallace says:

"Every man dies, not every man truly lives!"

That's just how I have been feeling lately. Am I really living? What's holding me back from going all out? What's holding me back from being kind to everyone? And loving everyone? I know I am alive, but am I living? I truly believe that we are called to be risk takers. I don't think this life was called to be boring. I don't think we were supposed to plant ourselves in one spot and be there forever in the same ruts our parents, grandparents, and their parents were in. I think we were called to be trailblazers. I think Jesus, this Man that we are trying to resemble was the ultimate risk taker. I think his ultimate commandment to his apostles before he left was to be risk takers. They all knew it wasn't gonna be easy, but it was promised to them that it would be worth it.

So with that, I wanna go to the most dangerous parts of this world. I wanna skydive! I wanna jump off waterfalls! I wanna scuba dive in deep dangerous waters! I just want to live! Our time on this Earth is said to be just a glimpse of time compared to eternity. We aren't promised tomorrow, nor tonight! After Jesus left his parents as a boy, was he ever still? Did he plant himself in one spot and not leave? Did he put himself in a safe zone where he knew nothing would affect him or his family? From what I am reading, I see that he did completely opposite. Every time he performed a miracle he moved on to the next city. And instead of staying where he was safe, he stared death right in it's eyes and marched right to it head first! Now that, my friend, is a risk taker!

You see, I talked about physical activities and things I can do that I know are either awesome experiences or could be detrimental. And those are definitely things I want to do now, but I think that is what we as humans first think of when you hear the word risky. What if being a risk taker was saying a little prayer. A little prayer with few words, but saying it whole heartedly and with complete submission? Because I promise you, God answers prayers. And He hears every single one of them. Scripture promises us that! So my prayer today is this:

Father, thank you for this day! Thank you for filling my lungs with air to breath throughout this day and experience your creation and see you in everything today! Lord I need you, though I deny that with my actions constantly, please don't give up on me! Dad, I have faith in you, and I believe in you and through you, but please drown my doubts out. I ask that because you are powerful, almighty, divine, and omnipresent! You placed the mountains and filled the oceans with water. You are more than our mind can grasp, so much more that we limit your mercy, your grace, and your strength. But today father, please forgive me for my human limits I place upon you! I am called to be like you Jesus, I strive daily, and fail. I don't just fail, but I fail hard! So I pray this morning that you take the steering wheel away from me! You take control of my life and do with it what you please! I will do anything Lord! Anything! Place my feet where you want them and I will run! Make me a risk taker! Make me a risk taker because that is what you are! You have already won this battle, so let us find peace in that! We love you and we praise you! Thank you for hearing this prayer, and already answering it! Amen!

So until next time folks, I will continue to try and make memories and have stories to share over a cup of coffee, but now it's your turn! Go LIVE! Create stories! But most importantly take risks! 

What is God to you?

Woke up this Saturday morning feeling energized like never before. Not gonna lie, I was beginning to get pretty tired! Tired of sleeping in a 100 degrees room, well trying to sleep... Tired of the SLOW pace of the Peruvian lifestyle! My body was just tired. But after a croissant sandwich, a cup of coffee, some quiet time, and a little FaceTime session with my boy Nick Brandt and great friend Zac Allen, I was encouraged and ready to knock out this second half of my trip! Second half! That's right, we are officially half way through this trek. At the end of catching up with Nick, he prayed for Will and I and just encouraged us to not grow weary! We prayed that we "leave it all on the field", and have no regrets when we hop on the plane back to the US of A. That is exactly what I needed to hear, because it would be so easy to sit back, look at what we have already accomplished in our time, and just rest up before we get back to our fast pace lifestyle in America. So thanks Nick for your thoughts and time, so pumped for the opportunity you have been given and praying for you non-stop!

"I love God!" All of us have said or heard someone say that in our lifetime! If you haven't well now you have at least read it because I can proudly proclaim that I do. I love what that statement means to me! But I began to wonder while I was over here, who is God? What is God? And what does that look like?

I searched into my thoughts and what he looks like to me: I see God in creation. Creation of land, trees, mountains, stars, clouds, and probably the most, I see him in people. I see God in sunsets and sunrises. I see God through forgiveness, through His word, and through early morning cups of coffee. I see God through water no matter if it is rivers, lakes, oceans, or ponds, Jesus clearly talks about water A LOT! I see God through colors, music, and the list could go on and on and on. We all have our little ways that we see God and consider him, but I decided to look at scripture and see exactly what God himself refers to Him as.

One thing that I started doing when I got here was I wrote down all the names He refers to Himself as. I read a couple every morning and just proclaim him as that during the day. It has been powerful to me and that is one thing I suggest you do if you are having trouble proclaiming him on a daily basis. Here are just a few...

Bridegroom- Matt. 9:15

Author and Perfecter of our Faith- Hebrews 12:2

Alpha- Revelation 1:8

Comforter- Jeremiah 8:18

Cornerstone- Ephesians 2:20

Everlasting Father- Isaiah 9:6

I AM- Exodus 3:14

Life- John 11:25

Mediator- 1 Timothy 2:5

Rock- Deuteronomy 32:4

Teacher- Matthew 26:18

Way- John 14:6

I love these and the list could keep going, but there is one of these that really sticks out to me! Everlasting Father! Isaiah 9:6 says...

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

I know we have always been told growing up that he is our Father in Heaven. And we usually start our prayers with "Dear Heavenly Father", but do you actually see him as your Daddy? Have you ever addressed him as "Daddy"? If you haven't, I suggest that be a new step you decide to take in your relationship with the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, and the Everlasting Father!

I have been blessed with an incredible earthly father, that has done his best as humanly possible to show his love for me in every aspect of my life! So because of him, I have been able to see how much more my Heavenly Daddy pursues me and cherishes me! Obviously, not everyone has been as fortunate as I have been with having a dad like I do. Because of this, there is hope for that love you never received, and it clearly comes from the Pops up stairs! So many of my teammates were raised only by their mom. And there is no doubt the mom in those situations did an incredible job. But there is just something about a fathers love that children long for!

With Father's day on my mind this last week it has been on my heart to start looking at God as Dad. To address Daddy in prayer, and to present my fears to Dad like I did so often as a child on the edge of my bed! Thank you to my father here on earth that decided to actually be a Dad and love his children the way he has! But more importantly thank you to my Daddy that pursued me long before I was born, and the one who continues to love me unconditionally every moment that I drive those nails a little deeper in his hands!

You are, the great I AM! You are, my Everlasting Daddy!

Football Americano takes on Peru

It's been too long my blogging familia! Things have been crazy here in Peru! If you follow me on instagram, you probably have somewhat of an idea about what has been going on in my world. But if not, and if you do, you are about to get to here some awesome whimsical stories!

I love to live by the quote, "If what you did yesterday still looks big to you today, then you haven't done much today! So win the day, everyday!" I guess I haven't done much today because the last few days of my life have been everything I could have dreamed this trip would become and much more! From confirming that our water filter system is top of the line and changing the lives inside our pilot family, to building houses, to playing football with a bunch of inmates, this week could not have been any more fun than it was!

I will go back to the first couple of weeks we were here. South America is a very strong Catholic nation (for the most part). They are very excited about the Pope being from here so it has definitely lit a fire in all of them recently. Knowing where we were, and knowing that I grew up in a Protestant/Evangelical church my whole life, I wanted to experience some of their culture. So, we saw a huge cathedral and decided we wanted to go catch a mass. Luckily we had met some friends here, Micah and Jocelyn (from Boston), and they actually knew the "Padre" here at the local church. We all loaded up and headed up there. Sadly we were a bit late for mass, but we were able to catch Padre before he headed for his siesta. We introduced ourselves and made a connection that he was actually from Oklahoma and is a big football americano fan! He knew of my brother and I both and was excited Colt was finally on a great team and with an awesome coach with the 49ers. Now this is where the story gets crazy. He reasoning for saying this was because the week of June 15th, Coach Harbaugh, the head coach of the 49ers, would be making a trip here to Piura, Peru, to volunteer for a week. What a freakin small world! Blows my mind! Padre was excited for the opportunity to get us together and do a little work with each other during the time being!

Quick side note: I actually was blessed enough to be recruited by Coach Harbaugh during his time at Stanford. He made a trip down to my state championship game my senior year and just made a huge impact on me and my family. I knew he was a great guy and probably even a better coach just from my short time with him, but man was I just brushing the surface.

A few weeks went by and before we knew it Harbaugh and his crew rolled into the big city of Piura. With him he had some great guys! A couple John's, Scott, Rich, Mark, and several of their sons. All in all, I think there was about 12 of them. We started out of first day of work building a house with these guys and Padre. It was a blast and we were able to complete a house pretty quickly with all of us working at once. We sat around a dinner table that afternoon and shot the bull for quite some time!

The next day, was what we were all really looking forward to. We loaded up in a van and headed to the local prison. Rumor was on the way out there, that the prisons in Peru are known to be quite dangerous and not somewhere you would ever want to be sent. We couldn't bring any phones in so I was unable to post pictures, but lets just say it was definitely eye opening! Alex sat the trip out, but Will, John Mark and I were pumped to embrace this opportunity. I brought a couple footballs along with a few others that Coach brought, and we were off! By the time we went through all the security and entered the "yard", we were embraced with hugs by all the inmates. We quickly found out Harbaugh and his crew had been here before, not once, but several times over the past 4 or 5 years. These inmates looked forward to this day, this day of hope! After putting the guys through a little punt pass and kick competition, we let the games begin! I quarterbacked team blanco, and Coach Harbaugh quarterbacked team azul. It was a heated competition and the competitors inside all of us quickly came out... especially in Harbaugh. He instantly was coaching in the Super Bowl again... Barking out orders and drawing of schemes to shut us down. After a 4th quarter comeback by team blanco, we were looking at a 4th and goal from about the 20. We had made rules that you had to count to "tres alligator" before you could rush the qb, but these Peruvians don't follow rules very well (probably why several of these guys are where they are). With that being said, I was running for my life. I called hut and instantly was running in circles. Finally after a few backwards laterals, I had the ball back in my hands and was running to the sideline. As I'm scanning across the endzone looking for a gringo to throw the ball to, I see a little peruvian who had dropped several of my passes throughout the day. A couple of times he accidentally used his head and eye ball as a third hand. He was destined to catch this pass. I'm getting close to crossing the line of scrimmage, and he was getting close to the soccer goal that marked our end zone. I cocked back and put a little mustard on the ball and said a quick prayer that this kid catch the pelota to tie the game up. The ball was in the air FOREVER, and I felt like Joe Montana throwing a lob ball in the back of the end zone, but with out a doubt my man came up with a sliding catch to save the game. Everyone went crazy! The crowd went nuts! There were chest-bumps, side-bumps, and I even heard "GOOOAAALLLLL".

Well maybe it wasn't quite that intense, but that all did happen. And for those guys that had to go back to their cells afterwards, it was that intense! It was a day out of their cell to play a game with a couple of guys they had no clue who they were! They just knew we weren't from there, and we loved to spend time with them. They didn't understand why we did, because no one else in their lives had ever wanted to, but who truly understands the basis of love? Not me, I just know that's what love does.

That wrapped up our trip with the Harbaugh clan, and then we headed out to Tambo Grande to check out our water filtration system with our pilot family. She informed us that she is loving it, and it is continuing to bless her large family! What awesome news it was to us and instant joy it brought to our hearts. We also were asked to come help the local nurse put on a workshop about health for the children of the community. We were able to talk to the moms about eating healthy and drinking clean water and gave us an opportunity to present to several woman our filtration system. The eyes of these ladies grew very big and couldn't believe it was even possible! They are all wanting one in their house and as many as we can install in their school. Because of that we are about to put our first order in for a new batch. We are thinking each water filter costs right at about $20 to buy, put together, and install in a home. I put on my last blog a video about our project and said I would post a link to how you can donate to us so we can put as many in as possible during our time here.

 Overall, it has been a week of awesome adventure and memories I will never forget. We made stories that I can't wait to share with my grandkids someday! Stories that even now, sitting here writing this blog, bring tears to my eyes and a smile like nothing ever has. Thanks so much to Coach Harbaugh and the rest of his crew for taking time out of their busy schedules to come give back to the less fortunate. Because of guys like them, this world truly is a better place. So excited for Colt, and the opportunity he gets to play for a coach like Jim Harbaugh, and get to experience everyday what I got to do for one week. Thanks for all the prayers again! We are all staying healthy for the most part, and waking up everyday with a renewed energy to serve the people of Peru.

I'm not gonna lie, I get very annoyed of hashtags. Even though I use them pretty often, I think they are just extremely uncalled for. But I love one that John Mark uses often and it is just this: #lifeisneverboring. If your life is boring and you are in a rut, make a change! This life we are called to on this earth is not to be boring! It is supposed to be colorful, adventurous, full of risks, and NEVER boring!

Donation information for water purification system:

Below I am going to write a step-by-step process to donate through our account on E-Give. It seems like a lot of steps but it really isn't that bad. I just want to go into detail on everything you need to do. Trust me, it will be worth it. At the end of all of this, please send an email to peruwaterfiltrationsystem@gmail.com to confirm your donation with the amount you donated included. We ask that you do this because there are a few other projects that are also being funded through this account and we want to make sure completely 100% of your donation goes to the water filtration system project. Also remember, all donations are tax-deductible! Thanks again for all your support!

1. Go to the E-Give website (http://www.egive-usa.com)

2. On the left side of the screen, in the "Givers" section, click on "Make a Gift- Sign up Today"

3. Go to "Option 2" by typing in your preferred e-mail address and clicking "Sign-up"

4. You will be taken to a page to input account info. You will need to input your name, e-mail, phone number, address, city, state, zip-code, country, and create a password. Once all the information is filled in, click "Sign-Up"

5. E-Give will now send an e-mail to the provided account to verify its authenticity

6. Go to your e-mail account and click on the e-mail from "makeagift"

7. Follow the instructions on the e-mail

8. After the account is verified, log into your account with your e-mail address and password

9. Once you are logged in, click on "Recipient Organizations"

10. Look for "Peru Mission-Davidson Family", click on the box, and click "Save Organizations" at the very bottom of the page.

11. Next, click "Bank information"

12. Click "Add a New Banking Account"

13. You will need the name on the account, the routing number, and the account number

14. Once all the information is filled in, click "Next Step" and follow the directions.

15. When you are ready to make a donation, click "Make a Gift" on the top right hand corner and follow the instructions from there.

16. After making the gift please send an email confirming how much you donated to peruwaterfiltrationsystem@gmail.com

Thanks again for all your love and support! You are saving lives daily!

Water to Wine... Almost

GOOOAAAALLLLLL! Well, that is something I was able to yell while jumping up and down with the fellow Peruvians last week, but not so much last night. It is the time of year, for all you non-"soccer" fans, when teams are playing their qualifying matches for the World Cup next year. As most of you that are reading this are from America, you probably aren't near as much a fan of this futbol as these South Americans. Peru, upset Ecuador this past weekend, but their luck was not carried over last night, into a very unbalanced playing field against Colombia. These poor Peruvians are die-hard fans of their team and they just aren't near as good as the others. We were all excited and had hope though because Brazil is hosting the World Cup, therefore they receive an automatic bid and that opened up a spot for one more team. As it looks right now, Peru won't be that team but you never know.

It is interesting to me how sports in general, are able to bring so many "different" types of people together, and in that moment they are one. They are one group of fans, rooting for one common goal, and holding onto this glimpse of hope in that one moment.

I just finished writing a 15 page paper on this subject for my final exam in a class. But I never saw it from the lenses of another country. Peru, a country holding it's own and fighting day in and day out to survive, finds hope through their national soccer team. It has been so much fun seeing this different side of the Peruvians! So much, that we have made it possible to catch a game the day before we fly out of Lima and head back to America. I'm excited to be in that environment, wear my jersey, a chant until I can't chant anymore.

But more about what has been going on in my world. Work has been pretty tough this week. A lot of wood choppin and hauling it off. We are doing a lot of cleaning up around the trees, which consists of that and also cutting the grass/weeds. I'm excited to see the final outcome when I leave. I won't be part of the crew that sees the production, but definitely do plan to come back and see what we have been fortunate enough to get started. Although I really enjoy manual labor........... haha My favorite project we are working on is our water purification system for the small community where our mango farms are located. In this community there is no running water, just buckets in hand that they dip water out of the canal a company out of America built for them several years ago. They built a reservoir in the foothills of the Andes that runs into this canal and supplies all these farms with water to irrigate their properties, but also water for these people to drink. This sound great huh? Yeah, the problem is, that reservoir has to travel a long ways before it reaches Malingas. Another problem is, this is where people bath, wash their clothes, and use the restroom. So needless to say, it isn't real clean!

Because of this problem, our team has come up with a pretty easy to make water filter for houses through Malingas. We have installed our first system in a house the medical center directed us to, and we will be going to see that family in the morning to see how it has helped them out. We have made a pretty cool video that I have the link to. If you are interested in donating after seeing it, we are in the process of getting an account set up specifically for purchasing the water filter piece we use. I will put up on my next blog a way to do that. It would be much appreciated and is immediate help to these people.

https://vimeo.com/67917967

Everyone has great ideas for these small communities but never turn those ideas into action. The number ONE cause for sickness is dirty drinking water for this community and the kids are suffering because of this! Until you see these kids faces, and their want for help, you will never understand that want we have to put these filters in! It has been a blessing for us getting to go into these families houses, sit and talk with them, and just hopefully give them a little help with a simple water filtration system.

Other than that, my blogging has been a little slow because of this new board game called Settlers of Catan. I am completely addicted. And I must say, I'm pretty good too! There have been some cases of Dengue Fever going around in our small community. So because of that I have been loading up on mosquito repellent... Not to mention my Malaria medication got stolen :/ We have met some really cool families who are also from the states that are over here to help in the schools throughout Peru. It is interesting when you see an American over here, you HAVE to talk to each other.

Will, Alex, and I all found a really nice gym to work out at in Piura Thursday night through Monday morning. It might be one of the nicest weight rooms I have ever been in. Never would have thought that would be possible over here. Also Will is continuing to catch my passes day after day, and for all my media friends out there that like to cut certain pieces out of my blog and write articles about *cough cough*.... write about this: Yes I am throwing the ball better than ever! Glad I am on this trip for sure, and helping these people out is exactly what I want to be doing right now, but I am beginning to get anxious and excited about the direction our season is going to go!

That's all for tonight! Gotta get back to my reading for the night. Thanks again for all your prayers and support throughout my life, and especially this trip! They will continue to be needed, but more importantly pray for these people! Pray that their hearts are open to our love! Pray that they will see Christ through our efforts without us even having to mention his Him. Pray that our water filters will continue to work and that we find sufficient funds to continue to put them into houses for free! Pray that the people of Peru will listen and learn from us on how to survive and live a healthier life, so that when we are gone they will continue this. Most importantly do not pray that this task will be easy for us! If it were easy, we would take credit for it and think that we accomplished this ourselves. Pray that God will continue to bless us with funds, health, and energy to love these people the way he loved us! Thanks again, much love!

And So It Goes With God

Hola folks! Long time no blog. I would like to say I have been extremely busy trying to save the world but that would be a complete lie. I mean we have still been working, doing our normal tasks throughout the day, but at night our internet has not been working where we stay, and that is where/when we do most of our blogging. In Peru, it is kinda hit or miss on the "wee-fee" also known to us as wifi. You hope it is on and if not, tough luck find something better to do. Which we have... We found a board game called Settlers of Catan. I don't know if you have ever played, but I highly suggest you find it soon and get going on it. The only problem is, it can get quite intense and at the end of the game I am not sure any of us went to bed liking the others. But anyways, that has been taking control of our evenings along with a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwich making, some good music, a little football tossing, and card decks of push-ups. Have you ever heard of that? It is something my cousin and I used to do several years back that we decided to pick up again during the week days when we are away from any workout facility. So basically, you flip a card and whatever number it is you do that many push-ups (Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, Ace=15), but then you also do something else of that number such as some sort of abs or band curls. Kinda just got to wing it. But I am pretty positive we finished the deck of cards for the first time last night so it was a pretty proud moment for us both to say the least.

This last weekend we got a group together and watched the Life of Pi on a projector, with subtitles of course, and had some popcorn and coffee. It was an awesome evening but the movie really touched me again. Have you ever seen it? If not, it is a movie about... I won't ruin it for you but I do want to lay the foundation out. It is a movie about a kid who through a few incidents winds up stranded on a boat with a tiger for several days and lives to tell his story later in life. The whole movie is an interview between him and a movie director interviewing him wanting to make a movie about his life, because he was told, "It will make you believe in God." There is your quick briefing. I had seen this movie a few times, actually went back and watched it twice in theaters. But this night, a few quotes actually stuck out to me that touched me and made me think a little deeper.

Pi Patel as an Adult: Fait is a house with many rooms.

Writer: But no room for doubt?

Adult Pi Patel: Oh, plenty, on every floor. Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing. After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested.

In this movie, it is interesting to see the strength of this young boys faith. One thing I struggle with is when things are going really good in my life and I am "meeting my expectations", I am very good at internally and externally giving God tons of glory because I know there are plenty of reasons for why I shouldn't be able to do the things I have been able to do. That has never been a problem for me. What has been a problem though, is when things go really bad in my life and I'm not meeting those "requirements" I've set for myself, I am quick to put that blame on God. That is something I believe I have grown out of, or at least matured in this area. But it was awesome to watch this kid praise God throughout all circumstances. A quick side note on Pi, he was raised in Hinduism, grown in his faith by a catholic priest, and had decided that he just wanted to love God and live for him. Several times he talks about how he is thankful for Hinduism because it led him to believing in Jesus Christ and the cross. Once again, never test or doubt the power of God and what he can do with the littlest opportunity given to Him.

But Pi, unlike me, was courageous! He knew he was surrounded by God's presence as it says in Psalms 19...

Psalm 19:1-2... "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge."

Day after day, and night after night, Pi saw this display. As when you watch the movie, the graphics are incredible, a lot like Avatar in some scenes. But Pi knew this so when he saw it, he would instantly scream out to the Lord! But on the opposite end, when he was starving and terrible thunderstorms were screaming down on him, he did the same, he screamed out to the Lord at the top of his lungs. It was so crazy! How could a young boy, maybe barely a teenager, be so confident of God and be so courageous in his faith, having the maturity that so many of us lack. I think he understood his only rescue was going to be God. His only supplier of food was going to be his Lord. The only person he was going to be able to talk to, so he doesn't go crazy out there, was going to be Jesus. "After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested." His was tested, there was no doubt about that.

Why does it take something so drastic to strike us dead in our tracks and turn and run to him. I know that is what it took for me. Throughout my life, I had so many wake up calls just begging me to seek this mercy and love that I had heard about for so many years. But how could I really receive that? You mean all I have to do is ask? There is no way a person like me could receive this gift... If these are all questions you have, they were all mine (and still sometimes are). Look at Paul for an example. A man who killed Christians. Who persecuted them, and was a very strong voice as to why these men were crazy. A man who still in scripture CONSIDERS, not considerED, but considerS himself the chief of sinners. Also this same man, wrote more books in the New Testament than probably most realize, gave his life to Christ to literally become a pencil for him and his plan.

"Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing", that is how Pi survived. His faith became real. It was alive and living, and because of that he didn't feel dead. He had "hope and a future..." as Jeremiah 29:11 says. I know when you read this quote, you probably think "wait, I'm supposed to doubt that my faith isn't real"? The word doubt in the dictionary comes up as two things...

1. A feeling of uncertainty

2. Lack of conviction

I love the second definition. "A lack of conviction is useful, it keeps faith a living thing". For me at least, when I am not feeling convicted by Christ, I know that I am not living my life right. I know that there need to be some changes made, and the only way to really do that is by increasing your faith. We have already learned and talked about in earlier blogs, how "trying to be a better person" isn't what is gonna get the job done.

The movie goes on and has all these crazy experiences that are hard to believe anyone could even dream up without being on some kind of drug. Pi tells them as if they are so real and with such passion. When he gets back and is finally rescued and in the hospital, he tries to tell this story to reporters in the hospital room. They cannot believe anything he is saying. They don't understand how an orangoutang floated up on a bunch of bananas, how he survived with a tiger, how he found an island full of meerkats, and how he and the tiger ultimately found a way to survive all this with little food and water. So because he can't make them believe him he tells them another story very plain and dry. Simple, with no flashing lights, and growling tigers, with no thunderstorms, and no near death experiences. They take that story and build their articles off of it but the writer interviewing Pi in this story feels that the real story had all the extreme events in it.

Adult Pi: So which story do you prefer?

Writer: The one with the tiger. That's the better story.

Adult Pi: Thank you. And so it goes with God.

Writer: It's an amazing story.

Does that make sense to you? We have been given a choice to choose a life that is God filled full of adventure and tons of surprises awaiting us. A life full of "color" in Pi's terms. Or we can continue this life of black and white, the day to day struggle trying to find joy in so many other things to fill that voided area in your heart.

At the end of your life, if someone comes and asks you, "Will you be willing to let us make a movie about your life?" If you answer that question yes, would your movie be worth watching? Would I want to buy a midnight premier ticket to see the adventures and risks you've taken in your life? Or would it be just another boring black and white showing of a movie stuck in the wrong century? That is your choice to make. Make it an amazing story or not, the choice is yours!

Cornerstone

I absolutely love music! I love praising God through music! I can only imagine that is how David felt when he was alive. So often we see where he plays his harp and cries out to his God. This was a man after God's own heart! Pretty powerful statement I'd say. But I think we have something to learn from that. I don't think David would have wrote about that if he didn't think there were other people who would come along after him and experience the same moving experiences through music that he did.


Let's just say today went down as the hardest day of work yet. Our boss actually called the day early because he felt bad for us. The sun was brutal and the weeds were tall. Will and I were given a task to cut all the "grass", which mainly consisted of weeds, briars, and a few patches of grass here and there. In America this task wouldn't have been bad at all. I probably would have called my buddy from across the street, asked to borrow his John Deer and went to town. Well not only do they not have riding lawnmowers here, but they don't even have a push mower. Even on top of that there are no Weed Eaters (that is my next task... I think I can rig up one with a few things from the Market).


One time when I was younger I remember I got in trouble while we were at our family ranch. I can't recall what it was I got in trouble for, even though I still remember vowing to myself to never do it again because of the punishment that took place after. I was given a tool that looked somewhat like a "hoe" except on the end of the handle was a long curved blade. Daddy Burl, my granddad, told me to go cut down all the weeds with stickers on them. Boy, was I mad at that man that day! "You want me to do what?" I thought. I managed to finish the task and don't believe I ever went down that route again. Well I tell that story because when Will and I walked into a overgrown field, full of sliced up mango trees, these were the tools we were given. Well actually, I wish I would have been handed that nice tool Daddy Burl gave me several years ago. No shovels or machetes today, but a combination. It looked like they just stuck a machete on the end of the shovel stick and went to town. I actually had to stop and "re-nail" the plate of the machete to the handle within a few minutes of our work. I'm trying to paint a picture here that you can hopefully visualize. Anyways enough of my whining! Needless to say this work was hard and time consuming but very rewarding at the end when we looked back across a freshly cut field, with a beautiful backdrop of the foothills into the Andes mountains.


I remember looking at Will a few hours into it and saying, "I am on the struggle bus this morning". We both laughed and went back to work, knowing that we made this commitment and nothing was gonna stop us. So naturally I pulled the iPhone out and went to my last resort. I needed some pump up music. Now if you know me, and most of my teammates can tell you, my pump up music is much different than most. I will get very anxious and nervous if I were to throw some heavy rock, or rap into my headphones before a football game. I'm the guy, along with my roomie Jaxon, that is blasting something along the lines of Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Mumford and Sons, Lumineers, or Disney Pandora station. I also enjoy christian music. I have several artists that I really like but one group I really connect with is the group Hillsong United. Today I had one of those moving moments when a song came on and I hadn't heard it since Easter Sunday. I remember singing it next to my parents in the Erwin Center with hands held high and tears coming down my face. There is just something about the tune and more importantly the lyrics that come with it. If you have never heard it I suggest you pause reading this blog and go listen to the song Cornerstone by Hillsong United. Here are the lyrics, see ya in about 4 minutes with wet eyes... Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZq9xTfHvgo




Cornerstone by Hillsong United

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus name

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus name

Christ alone; cornerstone

Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

When Darkness seems to hide His face

I rest on His unchanging grace

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil

My anchor holds within the veil

Christ alone; cornerstone

Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

He is Lord

Lord of all

Christ alone

Christ alone; cornerstone

Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

Christ alone; cornerstone

Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless stand before the throne.

Like I have said several times already, I love this song. What sticks out to you about it? To me there are several, and every time I listen to it one of them pierce my heart because of something going on in my life at that time. I know this a song that I clung to during a rough period in my life. "Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of All!" Amen to that! And thank you Jesus for holding true to that truth at all times and through all storms! I could talk about each part of this song and what it means in my life but this blog isn't about me. At least I don't want it to be. I hope that maybe some of my experiences can enlighten your day and give you that extra "umph" to get you through the day. I, by know means, want you to feel like I am preaching to you because I am the last to have that position! You will completely understand that by the end of this blog. But I want a way to reach the ones who want to be reached. So this is my effort, for the time being!

Today though, one part I really clung to. "Christ Alone, Cornerstone". Wow! I never knew three words could have so much meaning. So many people sing this song and breeze right over these three to get to the part about how He makes us strong, but do we actually realize what we just sang? When I looked up Cornerstone in the dictionary this is what I found: 

1. A stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.

2. An important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.

Also looking into the "True Dictionary" aka the Word of God, Paul writes to the saints of Ephesus in Ephesians 2:19-22:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.

I love the second definition in the dictionary... An important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based. I would say Jesus is a pretty important feature to say the least and we would be crazy not to depend on this particular thing and base our lives on it! But do we actually do that? If you honestly took a look into your life right now, could you say that Jesus is the cornerstone in your life? Is he the cornerstone for your family? It is a tough question and many stray away from actually answering that question, but who are we hiding that secret from? Maybe your friends and co workers are missing it, but the one who cares sees straight through you! You can't hide that from Him! 

There are many things that we replace Jesus with as our cornerstone, especially in America! We have money, clothes, success, jobs, self-perception, education, social status, knowledge, sex, experiences, drugs, and the list could go on and on and on... I can list these because I have tried to make all these my cornerstone at some point in my life and I was never able to find true joy. Not only that, but my life continued to keep going south and I wasn't even trying to hang on. Paul writes to Ephesus and tells them that we are "joined together" through the chief cornerstone Jesus. 

I got back from work and couldn't help but take a nap! It was pretty incredible I might add. But when I woke up I put my iphone on shuffle and what do ya know? The first song to come on is Cornerstone. I just lay there in bed with my hands held high again singing this song, yet all the while praying for God to reveal to me what my cornerstone is in my life. Also not only to reveal it to me, but to help me chisel away at it day by day and put Him in the place he belongs!

Immediately after I walked out to the porch to see the sun beginning to fade away over the horizon. I turned on a podcast that John Mark Davidson gave me that I had been meaning to listen to. It was a sermon by Tim Keller talking about Pride. God definitely had heard my prayer and was screaming at the top of his lungs at me! This was my cornerstone! No doubt about it!

I decided to write this blog today because I believe everyone deserves to hear the way Tim Keller presents this idea. I told Will after turning it off, "If someone doesn't ever hear that sermon, they will be missing out on a whole new view of pride. I gotta blog tonight! Again!" And so I am!

Tim Keller's talk comes from the passage of 1 Corinthians 4. Paul is talking to the church of Ephesus and trying to almost calm them. But he is also trying to enlighten them on something he has come to hold true to. He says in verse 3, 

"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. vs. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.... vs. 6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. vs. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?"

One thing we must remember is that the meaning of judge in this scripture means: the verdict of either positive or negative. In our every day lives, we are judged by others, and we judge ourselves. Tim talked about how we should take the example of Paul. He says that he doesn't care about the judgements that others lay on him, and then goes even further and proclaims that he doesn't even judge himself. 

How many of us are trying to live up to expectations, whether big or small? These are expectations put on you by yourself or by others. Are you trying to live so highly up to the hoops and hurdles in your life? What happens when we reach those expectations? Tim talks of when we reach those, our egos are fed, which turns out to be something of an internal monster that is never satisfied/full no matter how you are perceived by yourself or others. 

We live in a world that judges every single one of our performances. Most religions when you look at them are all about the works you do on this earth and then you will receive the verdict at the end. I think the reason I love christianity, and even more so the gospel, is because in Jesus Christ, and only in Him, do we get the verdict before the performance. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." So what is the reason to have any pride in your life? When I say pride I am talking about the pleasure we feel when we have more than someone else, are better than them at something, or when we achieve the expectations/standards either we or everyone around us have set up for us. We no longer have to live in that world and that is what Paul is trying to explain. We are free!!! "FRRRREEEEEEDDDDOOOMMMMM", as William Wallace would say! We should all be praising God for that, because now we can live with one goal, to further his kingdom on this earth! 

Are you tired of being the mouse in the wheel of pride? It's a never ending killer cycle. I know I've grown tired of it. Living up to expectations that I have set up, living up to the way others perceive me. Finding pride in those things, it's just not worth it. For so long my cornerstone to my life has been my pride. I am constantly wanting to please people. I want to impress coaches and fans! I compare myself to the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. Off the field I try to live up to standards "the church" has made for me, and yet I constantly fall short of those. There comes that monster again. But now I just let it ring... FREEEEDDOOOOMMMMM! 

To wrap it up I want to take a look into 1 Timothy. Because when you read 1 Corinthians 4 you would almost seem to think that Paul is boasting about how he has this figured out and because of this he is better than them. He completely is not saying that! This man who wrote all these books that we live by today says in 1 Timothy 1:15-16, 

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the worst. vs. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life."

This man Paul, how does he have so much freedom yet claims to be the "worst of sinners"? Because he had it figured out! He had no pride, his pride was Jesus Christ! He had no ego, Jesus bore that one for him on the cross! He had no one to please, except that of Jesus Christ, who now saw him as White as Snow! What a testimony!

This is my prayer tonight: Lord, thank you for Tim Keller and the word he brought to my ears today! Please Lord remove the pride from my life! You are my judge and my only judge! You hold the ultimate verdict! The difference Lord, is that verdict has already been made before my performance here on this earth. You say in Romans 8, that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus! Let me rest in that tonight Father. Soak into my mind, that I don't have to live by anyone's standards anymore! Not even mine! Break my standards down Father. Allow me to live with freedom furthering your Kingdom daily. I struggle with Pride I know! Remove that from my life and replace that cornerstone Lord. This is not easy! It is actually really hard and very scary! I am going to need your help all along the way. Please Lord place your hand on my life, my image, and my heart! I love you Father! I need you Father! and I want You! Amen!

P.S. Thanks to all you who sent prayers up for Jordan and his meeting with his dad! Received a text from him tonight that said it was awesome and everything he prayed for came true! Amazing how strong the power of prayer is! Love ya Jo!