Many are the Plans in Man's Heart

Sometimes I struggle to think of things worth writing about on a weekly basis, and other times, like now, I feel overwhelmed by the idea of summarizing such an eventful week. As most of you know, my plans to start language school as soon as I arrived in Bolivia were thwarted by the necessity to start my one year Visa process. So I spent eleven days in Santa Cruz with the Janeckes, (right) the world's most hospitable family.

The Message version of Proverb 19:21 says, "We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails." Brainstorming ways to get to language school is exactly what I was doing, but the Lord had many plans for me in the mean time.

Talita Cumi has a quarterly birthday party for the orphans. Saturday, I got to participate in that wonderful celebration of nine children with cake, balloon animals, clowns, a piñata, presents, and swimming. Later that night, I was awed by a Spanish comedy version of Hamlet, with an underlying Michael Jackson theme (don't ask I don't think I

could do it justice if I tried.)

Tuesday, I was able to help my co-worker David host a pizza lunch for about 100 hungry students at the vet school to launch the semester for the VetRed Bible studies. Then, I had the pleasure of joining 57 women in the potluck kickoff of their new Beth Moore study on Esther. The voices of all those ladies praising the Lord accompanied only by a quiet acoustic guitar was a beautiful sound. Last night, after finally arriving in Cochabamba I caught the end of an International Dance Festival at the former house of one of the richest men in the world in the early 20th century, Simon Patino. The house and grounds are gorgeous, and when you visit I'll take you on a tour. Two men from Argentina danced yesterday, and tonight I hope to head back to see the Bolivian element of the show, but not until after my first language classes this afternoon!

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12