Move Over, Madonna....

In 1996, Madonna may have stolen all your hearts with her stunning portrayal of Eva Peron in the film Evita, but there is no actress in this world who is worthy of being compared to Valerie and myself. Yes, what you have heard is true. This weekend, Valerie and I will be making our Argentine theatrical debut in a play titled "El Peso de Las Decisiones" (The Weight of Decisions).

This play is a project that we have been working on with the youth group here for the past two months. It is designed to be an outreach tool for the community. We have pieced together several small plays into one overriding plot. Valerie and I were put in charge of costumes and also asked to participate in the acting. We have been working to sew (by hand) a robe for Jesus, a nightcap, a reversible black and white t-shirt, a Mrs. Claus outfit, a beard, and many other odds and ends of costumes and props. We are participating in the part of the show called "Las Cruces de Diseno". It is a fashion show of crosses. It is basically bringing to mind the different kinds of crosses that we, as Christians, create to bear. We have a materialism cross, a comfortable cross, a pocket-size crisis cross, a holiday cross, and finally my cross: the original cross. The announcers for the fashion show talk about each cross and what's so appealing about it. When they get to mine, they talk about how the original cross isn't chosen by many people to bear. It is heavy and not appealing to the eye. Then, they talk about the reward at the end for carrying the cross. I think it's a pretty neat concept, and an entertaining way to present it.

In other news, this week has been extremely busy and it's not going to let up. We are one week away from departure and we are trying to finish up all our work here and spend as much time with the people as we possibly can. I'm trying not to think too much about having to say goodbye in just 7 short days--it's going to be hard.

We have had a few good LST Bible studies this week. We had a study yesterday with Lili and Laura. It was an incredible discussion about history of the Bible (Passover, etc.) and application to our lives today. We talked a lot about hearing God's "calling" for your lives. Lili is skeptical of Christianity for many reasons. We have been talking with her about how everyone needs to study the Bible to look for absolute truth. We've been talking about how it's impossible to develop a faith based on following one other human being and the only person to follow is Jesus Christ. It has been a blessing to study with Lili. We have two more studies with her next week before we leave. Please pray that the Lord will continue to open the doors of communication between us. Pray that Lili will be open to hear the Lord's calling for her and that someday, she will be able to stand firm in the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and He desires a relationship with her.

Tonight, we have a pre-teen lockin. Yes, a bunch of 9-14 year olds will be under my supervision ALL NIGHT! It's going to be crazy!

After the lockin, Valerie and I will head (without sleep, mind you) straight to rehearsal for the play. Then, tomorrow evening is the event. It's been in the works all summer and I'm excited to see it carried out. Please pray that the message of the play will touch at least one person and that someone may hear what God is trying to tell them.

Sunday is Osvaldo's birthday so we have an all-day celebration with family and friends for that. Perhaps after that, Valerie and I will sleep. Perhaps.

(I don't have pictures uploaded right now, so check back soon for those)

Peace. love. modeling crosses.