This Week in Bolivia

  After church today I went with Kayla and Josue to get pique at a fundraiser event. It was very good and very filling!!!

 This week I worked up the courage to pull out a book of Bible stories, a couple of the little ones and I read it for maybe fifteen to thirty minutes one day. A couple days later Marcella asked to look at the book again. She refused to let me read to her and just made up what she thought was happening on each of the pages. It was really cute! 

 I finally went to the Cristo! However, I did it the hard way. TJ was going at 6:45 am before Bible study and he offered that anyone could come if they wanted... I was the only one who volunteered... I now know why! I didn't realize how much energy it takes to climb stairs... There are 1,500 steps to get to the top of the Cristo, and the number of stairs doesn't get any smaller when you have to go down again! Nevertheless, going down was much easier, I could actually have a conversation then and didn't need to take any breaks. Going up was torturous. 

I got a few pictures though. I want to go another time (but take a taxi up the mountain) and bring my nice camera and take pictures of the flowers and creatures along the path too. 

 I didn't realize how big Cochabamba was until I saw it from the top of the Cristo... I don't feel quite so bad about not knowing my way around the entire city yet!

Psalm 23:1-3

"The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

Psalm 23 was my favorite Psalm when I was little, I memorized it and read it often. After knowing it for so long, it lost its meaning and became easy to scan over in reading through the Psalms because "I already knew it."  It came to mind though yesterday as I have been continuing to think about contentment and it held new meaning instead of being just a childhood favorite. 

"I shall not want..." 

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

I can want so many things: the tias to be Christians, the children to have respect for authority, someone to share life with, the children to all love God and love me... 

My ultimate purpose here on earth is not to get married, convert all the tias to Christ and to the American method of raising children, it's not to be loved by the children, it's not to be an important part of a ministry of business, not to buy a house, it's not to homeschool, it's not to have a lot of friends.

No, my purpose is to walk in the good works that my Savior has prepared so that I glorify Him. It is to follow my Shepherd along the path that He has planned. 

My purpose is to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever." 

Not plodding steps of drudgery, but joyfully walking with my Lord who loves me and gave His life for me. 

Psalm 16:2

"I say to the LORD, 'You are my Lord, I have no good apart from you.'"

Psalm 17:5

"As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness, when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness."  

It's not enough to be resigned... I need to rejoice and be thankful in my Savior. 

Psalm 103:1-5. 10-14, 17-18

"Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

"He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
 For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust."

"But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

    and his righteousness to children's children,

18 

to those who keep his covenant

    and remember to do his commandments."