Yesterday was the twins' (Deyci and Griselda's) birthday. And it was also Wednesday. Every Wednesday we have a service in someone's home, and yesterday it was in their home to celebrate with them. Jose gave the lesson, and it was really good. Since it was their 17th birthday, he themed the lesson around Psalm 119:9.

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your
word."

Since the girls are just starting living their own "Way" or "Path", we talked about how you can keep on the good path.
In life, your path is never going to be a straight, smooth path. There will be thorns, and bumps, and holes. There'll be snakes, and animals, and you'll probably trip and fall.

So, how do we avoid all that?

• You can try to just be super careful. Step slowly... But maybe you can't see that the hill you're stepping around has thorns poking out, or a snake lurking behind it. Uh-oh.

• So, you can try to just sit out, and give up. But if you're not walking your path at all, you're not living at all. Lame.

• Maybe you think you're just brave enough to take it. You have shoes on, you can walk over those thorns. But, the thorns are tougher than they look, and your shoes aren't as strong as you thought. Ouch.

• So it would seem, the only option left is to clear the path out, right?

Well that makes sense. But how do we do that? We're just human, we can't do it all ourselves. We need a map, to know which turns to take. A guide who knows their stuff to tell us what to avoid. A machete, so that when we come to thorns or animals we can clear them out.

What can be all of those in one? Or as it's put in Psalm: How can a young man keep his way pure?
The Bible. Living according to the word!
If the snakes are bad company, and the thorns are anger, and maybe the little bumps are drugs, the bugs are anything else that could pull you away and put you off track, we have to clear those things out by living according to the word.
We can't just read the Word.
We can't just memorize the Word.
We have to actually LIVE the Word.
Now, that's not saying that if you live the word you won't have those things tempting you and pushing you. Far from it! You'll have just as many, or more. But when they do come around, you'll have something the world doesn't; something, someone, to take care of them for you. You just have to let Him.
You have your guide, your map, and your machete. :)

Blessings always,
Erin :)

I'm so blessed to have a laptop with a built in webcam. :)

Skype has to be one of the most amazing things ever. I love being able to actually see and talk to my friends and family! (Have skype? Add me!) And those photo booth programs that make you look funny? Tons of fun. Especially for a couple girls who never would have even imagined a webcam.

Last night, Noemi was watching my facebook interactions over my shoulder, so I randomly pulled up the webcam and took our picture. She was anxious to take more, so I downloaded a free program with special effects. Just look at all the fun we had last night!

So much for my new "regular blogging" like I said I would try. It appears it's been about a month since my last post...
A lot has been going on during that month. Maybe that's an understatement... But we're going to go with one thing at a time!
I received an email wishing me a happy Valentine's Day one day this month, and in the email she said she guessed that if we were doing anything for it my sisters wouldn't really understand why. It's quite the opposite, though. Valentine's Day is much bigger than it is in The States! Dia de Amistad y Amor is celebrated all over. The week of Valentine's Day, though, is also the week of the patron saint of La Palma or something... I don't understand all the reasoning for the celebration, but let me tell you that the word "celebration" doesn't quite cover all the fiesta-ness that goes on in La Palma that week. A huge festival was brought to the town, complete with candy, food vendors, candy, carnival rides, candy, rigged carnival games, candy, and all sorts of other booths selling jewelry and souvenirs. Did I mention the candy? Several blocks of the city were taken up with candy booths.
The entire road from our triangle by the church building all the way up to where the road splits at the hotel (on the 10y15 side) was shut down and full of those things I mentioned, for those of you who have been here before and know the layout of the city. Not to mention the park and market street were also filled and overflowing with people and booths. There was a full on video game arcade set up, a couple ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds, and all sorts of games involving parrots, cards, and dice. Two separate pizza vendors were there, and our time spent with them was delicious. Fire works were blasting every once and a while, starting at 5 AM and going on until late into the night.
Each night was a different event; some at the park, some in the street, and other places across town.
One especially memorable night was the RODEO.
Bull riding, Salvadorian style. Staying home that night? Not a chance.
Was it terrifying? Definitely. Was it awesome? You betcha.
The bulls were kinda lame... It seemed like they could have just been roped over from the farm down the road. The best one we saw was named "Mariposa," which is Spanish for butterfly.
Butterfly. Really?
Except, they explained that he got his name because he can practically fly because he jumps so much. Yeah, that was the most intense match.
The next night was the finale, and there was a big party at the park. There was a short parade, they introduced the "Miss La Palma," live music, more food and candy, and more vendors. Around 11 or so that night was the HUGE fireworks. I'm pretty sure my house was shaking.
I loved the week, it was so much fun. I hope all of your Valentine's Day and weeks were as good!
Blessings,
Erin