Gala De Beneficencia

^3 "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function," 

Romans 12:3-4

     I have prayed long and hard over my blog.  I was planning on backing off on my writing for a while, but then it hit me.  I am not much of a person who pours her feelings out into a journal, but this is my journal.  I can go back ten years from now and remember the experience, gets facts straight, and feel the emotions all over again.

     Last week was a very busy week.  My nephew turned 8!  Two of my good friends had birthdays here and I was a hostess at a gala.  I have helped with and even hosted events before, but never anything this nice or in Bolivia.  To set the record straight, I had a very miniscule role in the event.  I helped sell tickets, get the word out, and amp up the excitement.  At the gala itself, I just helped keep things a little organized by directing people where to go, explain where the bathrooms were, and tried to make sure I got at least one photo for Julio of every person who was there.  There was quite a few, so I am unsure if I did or not. 
  

The difference between an USA Gala and a Bolivian Gala is organization, entertainment, and timing.  It was well organized and I will give them props for that.  There was singing and entertainment the whole time, even when you were eating. 

Eating is at the end instead of the beginning.  Next time, maybe we can get a raffle or auction or something a little more interactive and will raise more money for the kids.  However, I think that may be a new concept and I have no desire to step on toes.  Timing is the biggest.  If it says it will start at 7, then people start arriving around 7:30.  We still had people arriving at 9pm, when it should have ended around 10pm.  I left around 10:30 because I wanted to walk home with my friends.

      I worked all day that day, then the teen girls did my hair and nails.  We all got ready at Jireh and we didn't even leave until almost 7pm ourselves.  We were supposed to be there around 6:30 ourselves to help set up, but it is a much more laid back culture.  It was a wonderful night to bring awareness to the at risk kids we have in Cochabamba and their families.  I think everyone really enjoyed it.