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I spent Thurs. stranded in Miami and the following paragraphs are a couple things I wrote as I tried to put some random thoughts on paper. For more details and pictures go to Blog.ridinghighministries.org.

For eight years now the focus of riding high has been to disciple the men of the PBR and to reach the fans with the gospel. Many of you have watched me go through times of discouragement and many cycles of questioning the effectiveness of our efforts. I write this to inform you that we can come to a single moment in time when we realize and confess that if all we have done was for this very time, then it was all worth it. We have invested so much into the lives of an elite group of men and those investments have shown some eternal dividends. More specifically, in Bolivia I watched as 2 - 3 thousand people flooded into a makeshift rodeo arena to get a glimpse of an American cowboy. I observed this same group of people stand or squat or cling to a tree branch for three hours to witness these same cowboys poor their heart out about the promises of a Loving God who was desperately desiring to enter into relationship with them through Jesus. I stood in this same arena certain that the horse I was attempting to break was going to blow the whole illustration, only to witness a supernatural change in behavior. When I looked to my men I saw them on the ground in a circle praying and interceding for this animal who was selected to illustrate the truth of the Gods love for people. It was evidence that when you invest in people that the reward is eternal. These men who you have prayed for and held up through this ministry found that the vanity of the sport of bull riding was a counterfeit manifestation of what our Fathers true heart was for their success. The God of Israel has solidified the reality that their career was all about reaching people with the message of his love for them. It would be impossible for me to put words to all that we witnessed during our ten days there but I pray as you read this that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you in a way that will inspire you with the reality that He is wanting to use your life for the cause of the Kingdom of heaven.

Overwhelmed! Last night I returned from Bolivia and because of a misconnection with the airlines I am sitting in a hotel in Miami. At first I was upset because I just want to get home to my family. But now I can see that our Father wanted me to take a day and process what has just happened. There have been many times in my walk with Jesus that I have found myself overwhelmed and so captivated by his love that the cares and concerns of this life fade away. Today I am in that place. I find myself crying for the poor and rejoicing for the laborers who are feeding them. I am angry at the men who molest their daughters yet grieve and pity the condition of these men's souls. I want to take up arms and overcome a government that possesses such a rich and fruitful land yet allows their people to exist in extreme poverty. I wept because I left and all I can remember is the smell of the sewer water flowing through the home we ate at each day in Loreto. I can still see the look in the eyes of the little girl who just received her first gift and the knowledge of a God who loves her and wants to rescue her. I rejoice that in the middle of all of the hopelessness that there is a light through Samaritans Purse that draws people to Jesus. I laughed and cried with staff members and fellow Christian Bolivians and I sweat and bled with my brothers as we pleaded with a nation lost in sin to turn to Jesus. We publicly declared this same message to a couple thousand Bolivians to turn away from the sin that has devastated their lives and turn to the source of life and find healing. We helped build a church that will be a refuge to a community that is so lost in generations of sin that they are simply existing. I watched the pastor of this same church poor buckets of water on the floor of his dirt floor church to settle the dust in preparation for the evening service that would graduate the 15 people who just finished the first phase of their discipleship program. I can see that it is in the midst of the greatest suffering that the hope of Jesus becomes a living hope. I have seen this same hopelessness in the lives of the wealthy and the poor, the celebrated and the oppressed. Regardless of your natural condition, there is no hope without the Spirit of the risen Jesus dwelling within you. I pray that even now as you read this you can appreciate this truth and fully surrender your life to this calling. Every one of us have sinned and this sin has separated us from the Father. If you die in that condition you are eternally separated from the Father. But If you accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sin, you can gain right standing with your Father. Not only will you gain heaven, but you will gain true life. You will find that even now as you live and breathe that your life can be about eternal works. You literally will become a part of the Kingdom of heaven. It is your decision!. Todd