My cup overflows

"...surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Amen!  Gosh, this verse sure rings true for the last month of my life.  When God fills, He fills.  I am overflowing in so many ways.  Funny how it takes the really rough times and bitter patches in life to make us capable of fully soaking in His goodness when it does come.

jumping on Isla del Sol... HAPPY!!

There's no room on this blog to fully express all His rich blessings of the last few weeks, but I'll share a few highlights.  My family arrived the day after Christmas, and it was a whirlwind of goodness while they were here.  We went to Copacabana and Isla del Sol, soaking in the beauty and mystique of a new place.  I'd never been, and delighted in the joy of discovering new places, only amplified by the joy of having someone to share it with.

 

me and my church friends: 

Collin, Humberto, Reynaldo, Dad

Mom, me, Andreina, Briseyda, Rosalia

We then traveled back to Cochabamba and spent two weeks enjoying RICH time with my Bolivian friends and "family".  It was such a joy to share my parents with my friends, and vice versa.  My family got to spend a whole day with the Quiroga family, the family I will be working with in my new job at the Center.  The whole day was a testimony to God's greatness, and how He really is the same God across cultures and languages.  I will never forget the beauty of how God builds His people up and encourages them through unexpected and powerful ways.

 

my other Bolivian family:

Dad, David, Collin, Isacc

Joana, Toty, me, Mom, Shari

I also got to share a good meal with my 5 closest church friends and my family. We made homemade pizza, asked each other silly table questions, and then played music together in English and Spanish until late. What a gift to see how my friends moved towards my parents, embracing them, loving them, and delighting in them, simply because they are my family and are a part of me.

                          

my mom with Marleni

one of our Compassion kids' siblings

Another highlight was facilitating my parents' visits with their Compassion kids.  I was right in the thick of it, translating for lots of really excited people, but it brought tears to all of our eyes to see over and over the ways that God provides, and how He provides through relationship.  Both of the kids, I had visited the year before, and it was really neat to connect with them again.  The first family, Eugenio's family, are a Quechua family from Potosí and I loved practicing my Quechua with the mom.  Really, though, the most beautiful part was to see how Compassion united our two families, making us feel as though in some ways, we were just one big family.  What a gift.

One of our last nights together, my entire family and I shared music with my church during the service.  We sang "Only in God", "God of Wonders", "This is My Desire", and a rousing, foot-stomping round of "King Jesus Is All".  My heart almost burst with the joy of playing music with my whole family, sharing from deep within my soul for my church family: my dad on guitar and voice, Collin on piano, my mom singing and me singing and playing the flute...  Wow.  They sent my parents off with a powerful prayer and a lot of love.  There was a small crowd, both at my house and at the terminal when they left!!

There is so much more to share, even just from the last two weeks since my parents left, but I'll leave off here so you can rest your eyes:)

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may remain for a night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning...
You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.

Psalm 30:5,11