Oh dear...what have I gotten myself into??

Is there a verse in the Bible about "biting off more than one can chew"? ...'cuz I think I just did that!

Actually, "just" sounds like it was a few minutes ago, but it was a couple of weeks ago, when we were with the Tsachi church, joining them in their service - this time with my sister Carol.  It's been on my mind, and I'm still not sure how I'll carry it out.  But let me tell you about the eventful meeting first..
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Arriving at the church, we found that some guests from the Kichwa church were there, along with some Tsáchila from another area.  The picture above (taken after the activities were over and some had left) gives an example of the diversity of the people there that night.

You can see us, the 4th and 5th from the left - Germán slightly behind me - and beside me is Tserere, who is beside her husband Primitivo, the Tsachi leader of the church. My sister is the second from the right, and she is between the parents of a beautiful little baby whom we had the joy of dedicating to God.  (Holding  little Kleber Isaías in my arms while Germán prayed with the parents and the church was a joy!)  The others in the picture are a mixture of Tsachi and Kichwa and "white" leaders, including a foreign missionary.

Carol presented flash memories on which were stored pretty much all their literature in Tsáfiqui, including the Scriptures.  Then Germán gave the message, encouraging them to guide their lives by the Word of God, giving a bit more  history of the Scriptures becoming available - centuries ago - to different peoples in their own languages, and how vital it is to all believers.
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For the after-service activities, chairs were taken from their rows and lined up along the walls, to give more room for people to circulate.  I started serving up the Pineapple Cake I had taken.  As usual, they asked for the recipe...and not as usual, I had forgotten to take it with me! During this time, we had the baby-dedication and just chatted and caught up with others.

Then...I "bit off more than I could chew".  We have wanted to get an electronic piano for Tserere to play in the meetings.  I talked to her and her husband before we left, to get some information...and was a little dismayed.  She told me that my mom had not written the music with normal notes on pentagrams.  Adapting to necessity, she had had to invent another method, something about the placement of fingers...BUT...the notebook in which they were all written had been lost!  I wanted so much for her to be able to play that I said, "If I write out the songs for you, do you think that would work?  She and her husband both agreed that it would.  So I told them we would procure a piano for them.

It wasn't until later that it really sank in: their explanation of Mom's method wasn't clear, and I had no true idea how she did it...and the originals were lost! How in the world was I going to do what I offered?  Well, now I have to think of how to do this so that she can follow the songs, without drawing notes on staves.   (Any ideas out there?)
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I didn't find a verse on "biting off more than one can chew", but this might be close:  "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes."  (Proverbs 19:2)  Oh well!!  I'll just cling to this verse:

"Don't worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6)
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                        Father, sometimes our enthusiasm backs us into a corner!
             Thank You for being patient with us and for promising us your peace.

This meatloaf is really good!

I asked my husband what spiritual applications I could extract from meat loaf.  Neither of us could come up with anything!  Oh well...

Last week I had to decide what to make for lunch...for our church.  (We meet in homes, and the hostess usually prepares lunch for the rest.)  I like to vary the menu, and finally settled on meat loaf.  My husband said it was a good idea, but...make sure it's not too dry.  He was remembering meat loafs I had made ages ago with ground chicken, which is a very dry meat.  So I chose different meats...and a different recipe.  On Sunday, when my husband tasted it, he looked over at me, surprise on his face, and said, "This is good!"

I had made it with 3 parts ground pork to one part ground veal.  The combination was great.  I thought some of you might be interested in the recipe, so here it is.

Meat Loaf Florentine

Just mix all these ingredients together well - with your (clean) hands is best; squish them around together like you used to with Playdough or mud when you were little!

- 1 10-oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (or briefly cook, then chop, 4-6             cups of fresh spinach)
                 (or use half spinach, half kale)
- 2 beaten eggs (3 if small)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs (approximately)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds ground meat (can be a mixture; I used pork and veal)

Put the mixture nicely into a greased pan (I prefer square or rectangular, but I'm sure a loaf pan would be fine), and squeeze some ketchup over the top (you can "doodle" designs - they'll get messed up as it cooks, but it's sort of fun!)  Bake at about 350 degrees, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. (A lot depends on what shape pan you use.  Also, electric stoves tend to cook faster than gas stoves, I've read, and things cook more quickly in glass than in metal.)  By the way, the photo isn't original.  It was just the only one I could find that looked similar!
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I Corinthians 10:31 says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (Even making meat loaf!)  When those of us who are in charge of the kitchen look for nutritious, attractive, colorful meals, it is usually because we love our family members and want to do what we can to keep them un-bored and healthy, right?  We can do this "for the glory of God"!

Yes, food is important...but even more so is food for our spirits.  The Son of God, the "Bread of life",  said, "Just as the living Father sent Me and I am alive because of the Father...
                                         
                         "so the man who lives on Me will live because of Me..."
                                
                             "The man who eats this Bread will live forever." *
    
                                                                              --Jesus

(*John 6:57-58)