Happy Fourth of July (on July 21?)

Since the fourth of July is our day of independence, our Spaniard friends have been asking us how we celebrate our Independence Day and asking us what  kind of stuff we do.  We all figured that since they are asking us, Why don't we just have a fourth of July party.  The thing was that we couldn't have the party on the Fourth, so we moved it all the way back to July 21st.  The party was planned, invitations were made and we were raring to go.

Although most of the preparations were planned last minute and at times we (the team) felt like chickens with our heads cut off, the party was extremely successful.  It started at 9:30pm and went on till 3am!  We talked with friends, listened to music, ate hot dogs, hamburgers, tortilla chips with Jalapeño dip and brownies (those went quickly too).  The best part was just being in fellowship with friends and laughing and having good conversation and getting to know those around us.  We even put in some Shakira music and danced a little bit.  Paolo, an Argentine who's a magician, came later and did some magic tricks and became the life of the party.

I think the longer and longer that I am here, the more I'm beginning to realize that life is something to be experienced and not just merely read through the eyes of another person.  You can't experience things to the fullest if you haven't experienced them yourself.  The same thing goes with scripture and biblical things.  Until you have really experienced what that says, you'll never really be able to truly embrace its truth for yourself.  

Here is a video by Sarah McLachlan called World is On Fire that really moved me and made me think about how blessed I am and how there's much I can do for the rest of the world.  I hope the next time you think you have it bad, you watch this video.  Remember, life is not about what you get, but about what you can give...