Christmas Party, Bolivia Style

A little while ago, I was posting how it didn't quite feel like Christmas. Well, the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind, and I think this full, warm, happy feeling that I'm experiencing is a new kind of Christmas spirit.

Our MCC Christmas party was this past Friday and we (as in 85 of us or so including kids) went out of town a ways to a great pool. There were a number of different play structures, and pools and slides, plus a great big room that hosted us all for lunch. The food was amazing and in excess and as you can see, there were tons of Christmas treats for dessert and refrigerio.

I was on the planning committee and although at times I had no clue what was going on in the meeting, I think it went off pretty well. I put together a slide show of MCC Bolivia with pictures from each program and each staff person. Also, I hijacked the MCC website's picture slide show of peace and put it to music also to show. I was hoping that it would remind us all that we are part of a larger organization, an organization that extends throughout the world. It helps us stay grounded in what we're really here for and what our purpose is. It's not just to have a great ol' time and party away our budget, but to spend time together, doing something lifegiving (because goodness, pool time is always lifegiving!), and to encourage each other in our work.

The day went very well. The weather was perfect, cloudy a bit and not blazing hot. Joel spent the ENTIRE day going on the water slide and Kezia bobbed in the pool. Asha couldn't decide whether she liked the water or not, but made her rounds to anyone with food. I tried to make conversation with spouses I hadn't met before, but at times it was hard because the grounds were so big and kids were never staying long enough for any parental conversation to continue.

I could hardly believe it when it was 4:30 and time to go home. I was still in my bathing suit! I quickly got ready before the bus left without me, and I ended up riding in a vehicle anyways. Asha was so tired that she fell asleep a bit in the vehicle.

We were all so bushed at the end of the day that we shovelled in a bit of leftovers for supper, showered and went to bed. I was thankful for the opportunity to travel out of Santa Cruz and go to a pool. It was a nice treat. A great venue for a Christmas party, eh?