Sesame Street...The Final Chapter (Rated R, pictures not suitable for children, vegetarians or vegans)

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Today was our last day at Poza Verde and we went out with at BANG!

It has become a running joke with the team that Gary would die of hunger if he had to hunt his own food. Well, today he finally proved us all wrong. Brenda, Cheryl and Mary decided to take the first shuttle to Poza Verde with Drl Placido and Gary…bad idea! Little did the ladies know that the drive was going to take a sudden turn of events. As Gary spotted a tree full of buzzards, he screamed with excitement for Placido to stop the truck. He grabbed the 22 rifle that he has so sadly had no luck with throughout the week, with a new zest. He knew this was his moment. I suppose he didn’t want to get his “high heels” dirty so he didn't even bother to get out of the truck. BOOM, and the buzzard fell. As Gary walked to claim his prize, Placido saw a fox and the hunt continued. This was officially two down, and from what we later found out, one more to go.

The day continued as planned. The men completed their construction project, the women did a final women’s study and VBS. As the team was spreading the word about the women’s ministry this morning, our team found a unique opportunity to help someone in great need. This is the true beauty of ministry. As the ladies walked from hut to hut letting the Poza Verde women know when the class would begin, Dr. Toni, Mary, Cheryl and Brenda entered into a situation they had not expected. One of the village ladies was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and could no longer eat regular food. She asked our team to pray for her that she might be blessed with a blender. Little did she know, the mission house at Poza Verde had one that was not being used and so her prayers were immediately answered. A simple appliance that most of us have in our homes collecting dust, is going to make a huge difference in the last few months of her life. Without this gift she would have starved to death before the cancer could have overtaken her.

After a long day everyone headed back to TWR to rest up, shower up and pack up. We are all leaving for SAM base early tomorrow morning. There were a few that decided to do a little last minute hunting. Placido and Gary are in major competition as to who can hunt the largest beast and at this point in the day, Gary was way ahead.

There was a ruckus as the truck pulled into TWR late this afternoon. From what we could hear, Placido had won by a landslide. As we approached the bed of the truck, we were astonished by what we saw…Big Bird! I’m not kidding…a 100lb ostrich. Please review the pictures if you can stomach it. The guys are so proud.

Note: All killed animals are used in full. There is no such thing as waste in Bolivia. The buzzard and fox were donated to the Ayores and our team will be eating ostrich on Thursday night for dinner…please let me know if anyone can think of a good excuse for me to miss dinner on that night.

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