On the national rodeo circuit, competitors are traveling frantically during the Independence Day weekend when there's an abundance of higher paying rodeos. It's called Cowboy Christmas.

And when I write my columns for newspapers next week, I'll make over the big winners, the riders and ropers who pocket $25,000 or $30,000 at multiple rodeos. It's a rare time of the year to rapidly make bigger money.

But the Professional Bull Riders' athletes can be thankful for one reality: almost every week is a Cowboy Christmas.

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Hello again to the cowboy nation. This week I have good news and bad news.

First the bad news, we did not get an ESPY nomination this year, but by the time the decision makers started getting the word and all the input from the fans along with the packages we sent them and the letters some of you sent it was really down to a last minute deal.

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Today could be a big day for the PBR.

A huge day.

It's the day when Ty Murray is in Pittsburgh to appeal to sports editors of The Associated Press to grant more coverage to the Professional Bull Riders.

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Todd Pierce, Riding High Ministries

Cowboy Up! Bolivian style! We just had our first bull riding event in Trinidad, Bolivia! I estimate at least 2,000 people attended the 3 hour event hosted by Samaritan's Purse International Relief. Riding here are Mike Lee, Jody Newberry and DJ Domangue.

Now, imagine planning a bull riding demonstration in a Spanish style bull-fighting ring. No shoots, no stalls, just a large round pen and stands. A local crew worked all week to install what we needed and even constructed a small round pen to allow me to demonstrate breaking a horse. All out of wood. All by hand!

I noticed two hours before the event started, the stands were mostly filled and by event start time the stands were packed, people lined the fence and were stacked on top of each other for this free event. Local media had their cameras rolling and a live band cranked up to start things off.

Mike, Jody, and DJ took several turns on local bulls we selected earlier in the week. They had great rides and the crowd loved it. Even my friend Jonathan Lemus (a Samaritan's Purse staffer here in Bolivia) rode his very first bull and lived to tell about it! After four seconds Jonathan hit the ground hard. I ran to him, as he lay motionless, finally he looked at me and said "I'm alive! I'm so happy!"

My horse breaking demonstration held the attention of the crowd as I began to train a very nervous animal. As things progressed he settled down and began to trust me. He learned that running from me lead to frustration and exhaustion, but trusting me lead to peace and rest. I finished the illustration within 45 minutes and presented a saddled horse that had yielded to my loving hand. He became an entirely new creation ready for his purpose - to live in a relationship with me and to grow in the knowledge of my love for him. In many ways this shows how we can enter into a relationship with god as our father.

A surprise ending happened for the children who attended this event. We were able to distribute 1,000 Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes filled with toys, school supplies and clothing. Operation Christmas Child is project of Samaritan's Purse and they look for any opportunity during the year to give these boxes away to those who need it. It was my first time to pass out these gifts and it gave me a new joy for giving. I remember when one little girl took her box, she looked at me and then kissed me on the cheek. I think it may have been the greatest gift she had ever received, possibly the only gift. Mike, Jody and DJ also had the pleasure of giving these shoe box gifts out as well.

In the poorest country in South America, it's great to see Samaritan's Purse at work. Over our 10 days here we helped them distribute cattle to needy ranchers hurt by a recent flood, built bio-sand waters filters that provide drinkable water to those who do not have it and picked up hammers to assist in rebuilding a church in the Amazon basin. Samaritan's Purse also works in 100 other countries, bringing hope and relief to many people in need.

Thanks for being on this adventure with us. I look forward to a great partnership with the PBR riders, Samaritan's Purse and Riding High Ministries. In the weeks to come please look for our video podcasts from the trip and if you want to learn more about Samaritan's Purse, visit them at www.samaritanspurse.org or log onto my web site www.ridinghighministries.org.

Todd

Todd Pierce, Riding High Ministries

If you're a rancher, farmer or you like to eat beef, you will appreciate the value of cattle. The cattle industry is one of the most important businesses in Bolivia. Since we landed we have had beef at mostly every meal. With me are bull riders Mike Lee, Jody Newberry and DJ Domangue and we are on a humanitarian effort with Samaritan's Purse International Relief.

In 2007 and 2008 this part of the Amazon basin was hit hard with devastating floods wiping out much of the vital livestock in this area. The cattle raisers were hit hard in a country that already struggles with deep poverty. Our hosts for this trip, Samaritan's Purse, have recognized this need and are helping restock the cattle that were lost in the floods.

Today we attended two cattle distributions for owners who lost some or all of their cattle. It was amazing to see 20 families receive two cows each. They welcomed us as we presented each family with two numbers that match the ear tags on their new cows. The communities celebrated with music while the children dressed up and performed "The Bull" dance.

Samaritan's Purse also provides one bull per distribution with the condition that the new owners "pay it forward" with the first two calves to give to other families who lost their cattle. It's a solid way to help someone in need and provides accountability from the families who receive the cattle.

We are also preparing for a rodeo-style event at the end of the week. I plan on breaking a horse and Mike, DJ and Jody have selected a few bulls to ride for the audience. I also take this opportunity to share god's love and hope He has for all of us.

I want to continue to encourage you to get excited about helping your neighbor in need. If you want to learn more about Samaritan's Purse, visit them at www.samaritanspurse.org or log onto my web site www.RidingHighMinistries.org. Please look for more updates from us here in Bolivia and thanks to all the fans of PBR!

Todd.

This week I just wanted to set the record straight in regards to Facebook, Twitter and any other social networking site on the Internet: unfortunately, that's not me requesting your "friendship." Listen to my latest audio blog and I'll explain it more in detail. In the meantime, I'll be glad to hang out with you in person at an upcoming bull riding event so I've included a list of all the events I'll be at between now and the Fourth of July. Just click here to listen.

I was blown away by the responses we got from last blog.

After reading through all the comments, they decided that the winner is Trooper Po, and I must agree that she was awesome in addressing what I asked for. It was very well written and she did a great job of researching and supporting her case with facts.

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Loreto, Bolivia (June 17, 2009)

There's nothing better than starting your day roping a water buffalo in the Amazon basin of Bolivia! We managed to tie it to the nearest palm tree when Jody Newberry got on with no rope, no flank, and no water buffalo experience. But he did it and was quickly ejected to the nearest muck hole to the tune of laughter from fellow riders Mike Lee, DJ Domangue and myself. It was a good start to a great day.

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Trinidad, Bolivia (June 16, 2009)

At 13,000 feet we boarded the small commuter plane in La Paz, the highest capital in the world, while the morning air was cool and crisp. Bull riders Mike Lee, Jody Newberry and DJ Domangue are with me, along with our hosts from Samaritan's Purse International Relief.

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It does my heart good to know that a big part of Ty Murray's recent success on "Dancing with the Stars" was based on fan appeal.

It's also heartwarming to know Murray will leverage his success on the hit ABC series by traveling to Pittsburgh on June 27 to appeal to sports editors of the Associated Press to grant more coverage to the Professional Bull Riders.

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