John and Julie Meyers Serving in Bolivia with New Tribes Mission 
Bekah had the privilege of being the first member of our family to celebrate a birthday in Bolivia. I (Julie) surprised her at school with a cake from a popular bakery in Cochabamba. Later in the evening we were going to head out for pizza around 6:00 p.m. and then to a park. At 5:15 we received a call from a friend that she and her children wanted to come and surprise Bekah and wish her a Happy Birthday…around 6:00 p.m. OK! These are friends of Bekah’s, so we decided to change our plans and wait. At 6:15 p.m. Reiny came with her children and surprised Bekah with cupcakes. What a wonderful treat. We shared the cupcakes and a visit together and decided to still head out for pizza aournd 7:15 p.m. Reiny left and we headed out to get into our taxi and our other friends, Ivan and Ely showed up. They also had a present for Bekah, and wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday. We invited them to join us for a pizza dinner. There were about 13 of us in all. After pizza, we went next door and bought ice cream bars to share with everyone. At this time it was close to 9:00 p.m. and the park idea had to be put on hold for another day.
Flexibility and willingness to change plans is a way of life here…but not so easy for the North American mentality. We are learning day by day. Relationships generally trump time…is that so bad? When we look at scripture, I can’t really think of a verse that depicts Christ running late for an appointment, however, there are many that depict Him conversing with people and showing His love.
