The 12

Last night, a rather large group of us went out to celebrate one of our friend's birthdays.  There were twelve of us, in fact.  Ten American girls, one Mexican girl, and an American guy.  The Chivas were playing the Atlas (which is a really big rivalry among Guadalajarans -- most of my class are fans of one or the other), so the friend decided that she wanted to go eat dinner at Applebee's and watch the game.  At 6:00pm, we all met at the Casa Grande, and set off for the closest bus stop. 

 

Now, on a normal day, any of the eleven of us stick out quite a bit, it is true.  Last night though, it was like being part of a parade of America.  Thankfully, a bus pulled up at the exact moment we arrived at the bus stop so we didn't have to stand on the side of the street waving at traffic while we waited.  Even so, I know how much of a spectacle we appeared, chatting it up in English as, one by one, we disappeared onto the 634.

 

Once we arrived at the resturaunt, and spent a few minutes overwhelming the staff of Applebee's with our request for such a large table, we were seated, ordered, and had a great time eating dinner and cheering for the Chivas (who won, by the way).  After dinner, we stopped off at Wal-Mart for a few essentials, and went back to the Casa Grande for cake and ice cream.  It was a great night.

 

I realized through last night's celebration, that any one of the twelve of us, wherever we may be going or whoever we may be with, needs to stand out a little in a crowd.  Not because we're loud Americans, but because we are followers of the Lord Most High.  It's the reason that all of us were brought here to this great city, and really it's the reason that any of us live and move and breathe.  Thanks for the reminder, Lord.