Second Half of a Perfect Week

"Blessed are those who have no expectations for they shall not be disappointed."

I can't remember where I shared this thought by St. Francis of Assisi in the past, but I think I've told you it's almost become my motto this last year, albiet one I failed miserably in regards to the Mosaic mission team, for whom I allowed myself unrealistically high expectations. Although somehow, they exceeded every one of them! Their flexibility was demonstrated by squeezing 19 people into, and onto, my car (photo right) on the way to tell the neighborhood kids about our VBS.

Dramas were one of the many huge successes of the week. We shared the story of the Good Samaritan at my church, Talita Cumi, Cristo Viene, and Pueblo Nuevo, the guaraní community we've been working with. We also entertained the kiddos of Talita Cumi and Cristo Viene's neighborhood with a very realistic (we had a slingshot and everything) retelling of David and Goliath. The kids enjoyed participating in the plays as much or more than watching our own renditions. To the left you may recognize David tending his "sheep" as his father Jesse comes to ask him to

carry some bread to his brothers at war with the Philistines.

While visiting Talita Cumi we had a variety of jobs to keep us busy when we weren't loving on the kiddos, such as painting a kitchen, a wall, and scarves, varnishing a door, assisting with lunch prep, and building two closets. As you can see, the doors have yet to be added, but the boys aren't wasting any time taking advantage of their new storage space.

To ensure that the team felt that every second was well spent, on Saturday we hosted a VBS with the Cristo Viene girls for their classmates, then we went to Pueblo Nuevo to entertain the kids and put on a poultry workshop, later we did a little last minute shopping for the necessities such as hammocks, Bolivian wine, and fútbol jerseys, and finally we went to a professional soccer game! I doubt they really needed those sleeping pills we picked up for the overnight flight.

Now that I've done the dishes, taken out the garbage, done four loads of laundry and straightened up, I'm ready for you all to come back Mosaic, please... Don't worry, I'll find plenty for you to do. Maybe this time we'll actually find time to eat that lasagna I prepared.

Thank you so much Mosaic, for blessing my socks off.

"Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on..." -Hebrews 10:25 (The Message)